After spending the off-season trying to improve their offense, the Baltimore Ravens expect to be Super Bowl contenders in 2010.
The acquisition of receiver Anquan Boldin has Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome, right, and coach John Harbaugh thinking Super Bowl.As NFL training camps prepare to open next week, Plain Dealer pro football and Browns beat reporter Tony Grossi takes a closer look at Cleveland's rivals in the AFC North division.
The Baltimore Ravens are "all in" this season. They don't have to state their Super Bowl expectations. Their actions speak clearly to them.
After falling short offensively in the playoffs in two straight seasons behind rising quarterback Joe Flacco, the Ravens made two substantial investments to put the team over the top.
•They traded two draft picks to Arizona for prolific wide receiver Anquan Boldin, and then signed him to a four-year contract with $10 million in guaranteed money.
• They signed veteran free-agent quarterback Marc Bulger to a one-year deal that is worth, reportedly, at least $3.8 million and potentially as much as $5.3 million.
The latter move spoke volumes about Baltimore's expectations. If Flacco is lost for any time because of injury, the Ravens don't want their season derailed.
Bulger, 33, was the most accomplished quarterback available in the NFL after the St. Louis Rams released him to hand their team's future to top draft pick Sam Bradford. If Flacco lost any time because of injury, the Ravens did not want to rest their playoff hopes in the unproven hands of Cleveland native Troy Smith or John Beck.
In Baltimore this week, Flacco expressed concern for his buddies' future and hoped the arrival of Bulger doesn't create "tension" in the quarterback meeting room during training camp. You'd expect club officials to shrug off Flacco's comments. Most observers in the NFL feel the acquisition of Bulger was a brilliant, if expensive, insurance policy.
The Ravens were the most recent team to make it to, and win, a Super Bowl predominantly on defense. That was in the 2000 season. The league has steered ever more toward offense since then, and Baltimore's moves are an admission that the club cannot get where it wants exclusively with defense.
That said, the major weakness of the team heading into camp remains its defensive secondary. They do have some prospects to work with, but the Ravens did not rush for help there. They must feel if the offense is more explosive and forces opponents to play catch-up, the secondary will be good enough.
Baltimore Ravens
Full camp opens: July 28, McDaniel College, Westminster, Md.
2009 result: 10-8, lost to Colts in divisional playoff.
2009 vs. Browns: 2-0; 34-3 in Baltimore, 16-0 in Cleveland.
2010 outlook: Super Bowl contender.
2010 uncommon opponents: Denver and Houston.
Rookie to watch: DT Terrence Cody. The 360-pound-plus defensive tackle from Alabama was taken in the second round to stuff the run on first and second downs and free up Haloti Ngata to pressure the quarterback.
Veteran to watch: WR Anquan Boldin. In seven seasons in Arizona, Boldin averaged 84 catches for 1,074 yards and six touchdowns playing second fiddle to Larry Fitzgerald. Now he's "the man."
Training camp issues: Is second-year tackle Michael Oher ready to take over as Joe Flacco's blind-side protector on the left side? Will safety Ed Reed miss most of training camp and part of the season after undergoing hip surgery in the off-season? Will young cornerbacks Lardarius Webb and Cary Williams develop quickly enough to fill the only void on defense?
-- Tony Grossi