| After the Baltimore Ravens signed QB Randall
Cunningham to a one-year deal to be their third-string quarterback on Tuesday, it struck
me that the defending Super Bowl champions have quietly, but effectively, had one of the
greatest offseasons for a defending champion in the free-agency era. It all started
shortly after the Super Bowl when defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis was surprisingly not
selected for any of the head-coaching vacancies available. That allowed the Ravens to
retain one of the brightest defensive coaches in the league for at least another season
— an unexpected gift, considering the fact that in past years, top Super Bowl
assistants have traditionally moved on to become head coaches.
The rest of the Ravens’ staff stayed virtually intact, giving head coach Brian
Billick the luxury of working with the same coaches who had produced a title in 2000.
Next, the Ravens moved to upgrade their subpar QB situation by letting Tony Banks and
Trent Dilfer go and signing Elvis Grbac as a free agent. This should finally give Billick
the kind of passer he has long desired to run his offense effectively and put more points
on the board.
They also added veteran OT Leon Searcy from Jacksonville, which accomplished two
things. It improved the Ravens’ offensive line by pairing Searcy with perennial Pro
Bowler Jonathan Ogden, and it weakened a divisional opponent.
Finally, unlike most Super Bowl teams whose rosters are raided in the offseason, the
Ravens came out of free agency relatively unscathed.
They re-signed starters S Rod Woodson, LB Jamie Sharper and P Kyle Richardson and
maintained depth by re-signing DT Lional Dalton, LB Cornell Brown, OT Harry Swayne and
C-OG Mike Flynn.
Those signings offset the loss of two key starters (C Jeff Mitchell and S Kim Herring),
and two key reserves (RB Priest Holmes and DE Keith Washington).
In addition, the draft couldn’t have gone better for the Ravens, as they were able
to draft the top tight end available in Arizona State’s Todd Heap. Heap will pair
with Shannon Sharpe in two-TE sets and eventually take over from Sharpe as the team’s
top tight end. They also drafted a defensive back with solid cover skills (Gary Baxter) to
add depth in the secondary and picked up a center (Casey Rabach) to help replace Mitchell.
As a result, the Ravens should be even stronger this season than last. They now have a
quality NFL-caliber passer who is able to utilize all of the Ravens’ offensive
weapons. Look for Grbac to establish a productive rapport with WRs Travis Taylor, Qadry
Ismail, Brandon Stokley, Sharpe and Heap. The better passing should also help RB Jamal
Lewis be even more productive than he was as a rookie, which is a scary thought for
opposing defenses.
The question is: Will the Ravens have the same hunger and motivation this season?
Obviously, every opponent they face will be fired up to try to knock off the defending
champs. But with veteran leaders like Sharpe, Woodson, Ray Lewis and Rob Burnett around, I
don’t think laziness or lack of motivation will be a problem for Baltimore this
season.
The interesting thing to watch this season is if Billick adopts a different offensive
philosophy. Last year’s offense was ultraconservative for two reasons: The
quarterbacks weren’t capable of putting a lot of points on the board, and the defense
was so dominant that it scored a lot of points on its own.
Now, with Grbac running the show, will the offensive-minded Billick let loose with a
more wide-open offensive attack? If so, the Ravens have the talent to score points like
Grbac’s Chiefs did last year and the Vikings did in ’98, when Billick was
Minnesota’s offensive coordinator.
But how will the Ravens’ defenders react? Will they be happy playing more downs
after the Ravens strike quickly for a score? Will they get restless if the Ravens’
offense leads to more turnovers?
With all the pieces of the puzzle in place for a repeat run to the Super Bowl, it will
be interesting to see what style the Ravens employ. No matter what, the 2001 season
promises to be a fun one for Ravens fans. |
