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| Thursday, August 31 By Marty Williams Pro Football Weekly | ||||||||||||||||||||
How good will the Ravens be this year?
Quarterbacks: Banks will open the season as the starter. Scott Mitchell opened the season last year and was yanked in the third period of the second game. Banks figures to last longer, but he has to produce early to keep his job. The Ravens play five of their first seven games on the road and don't have a major monetary commitment to him. They gave him only a $2 million signing bonus in a four-year deal, a move that prompted former Buccaneers QB Dilfer to sign a one-year contract and wait in the wings if Banks'can't get the job done. Rookie Chris Redman has a lot of potential but is being groomed for the future. So either Banks or Dilfer -- both given second chances in the NFL -- has to be the answer. If Banks is successful, Dilfer figures to move on next year. Grade: C Running backs: The Ravens thought rookie Jamal Lewis and fullback Chuck Evans would form their starting backfield, but Lewis dislocated his elbow on his first carry in a scrimmage against Washington and didn't play in the first three preseason games, and Evans tore his triceps in the first exhibition game and may be out for three months. Fortunately, veteran Pro Bowl FB Sam Gash was still on the market, and the Ravens quickly signed him to replace Evans. With Lewis likely to get off to a slow start after missing so much time, veteran Priest Holmes will have to carry the running load. Backup running back Jay Graham also went down in the exhibition opener with a high-ankle sprain. Unless Lewis makes a speedy recovery, the running attack may not be much better than it was last year, when the Ravens ranked 16th. Grade: C Wide receivers: Look for the Ravens to play a lot of two-tight-end offense with Sharpe and Coates until rookie Travis Taylor, who held out for nine days, makes up for lost time, and Patrick Johnson recovers from his broken collarbone. Qadry Ismail, who jump-started his career with 68 catches last year, will again play a big role. Jermaine Lewis, starting until Johnson returns, and Brandon Stokley are backups. Sharpe is the key to upgrading a passing game that was 25th last year. He'll give the team the intermediate threat it lacked in '99. Grade: B Offensive linemen: Except for Pro Bowl left tackle Jonathan Ogden, this group is a work in progress. Guards Edwin Mulitalo and Mike Flynn (who sprained an ankle in the second exhibition game) are untested, and center Jeff Mitchell is a journeyman. Harry Swayne, who broke a foot last year and pulled a hamstring in the first exhibition game, has to prove he can stay healthy. The Ravens don't have much depth if any of the starters are injured. Grade: C Defense Defensive linemen: Even though there's a problem at tackle -- where Sam Adams, not known as the most motivated player, is replacing suspended Larry Webster, and Tony Siragusa just recently ended his holdout -- this is a solid unit anchored by defensive ends Michael McCrary and Rob Burnett.
Grade: B Linebackers: This unit is the strength of the team and probably comprises the best group of young linebackers in the league. Ray Lewis, who's in the best shape of his life after diligently working out to relieve the stress of his off-the-field problems, and Peter Boulware are Pro Bowlers, and Jamie Sharper, who becomes a free agent at the end of the year, is playing for a big contract. The team has upgraded the backups with Brad Jackson in the middle and Anthony Davis, who sprained an ankle in the second exhibition game, joining Cornell Brown on the outside. Brown started the first three exhibition games because Boulware is recovering from shoulder surgery. Boulware should probably take the year off and give his shoulder more time to heal. But he's a gamer who probably will strap it up again and play in pain the way he has the last two years. If so, he risks his shoulder woes becoming a chronic injury that will bother him his whole career. Grade: A Defensive backs: In both 1998 and '99, the Ravens selected a cornerback with the 10th pick in the first round. But they've shown you don't always get the same value with the same pick. They were fortunate that Chris McAlister, the '99 selection, fell to the 10th pick because he's likely to become a Pro Bowler. But they reached for the '98 pick, Duane Starks, and he was benched last year for DeRon Jenkins, who left for San Diego via free agency. Now Starks has to prove he can handle the job. Ageless Rod Woodson has made a smooth transition from cornerback to free safety, while strong safety Kim Herring has yet to live up to his 1997 second-round billing. Corey Harris and Anthony Poindexter are waiting in the wings if Herring leaves as a free agent at the end of the year. Grade: B+ Special teams The Ravens' two kickers, Matt Stover and punter Kyle Richardson, are solid, although Stover has a habit of slow starts. He rallied last year to make his last 18 field-goal attempts, while Richardson set an NFL record by dropping 39 punts inside the 20. But the coverage and return teams faltered under new special-teams coach Russ Purnell last year. Jermaine Lewis wasn't as effective as a punt returner as he was under former coach Scott O'Brien, who went to Carolina when Ted Marchibroda was fired. The coverage teams also slipped. Purnell's under pressure to improve both units this year. Grade: C+ 
Material from Pro Football Weekly.Visit their website at http://www.profootballweekly.com |
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