Since the Super Bowl win in 2012, the Ravens have been going through labor pains as it was in the process of delivering a newly rebuilt Ravens team. Finally, with the trade of Haloti Ngata and the injury loss of Terrell Suggs, that umbilical cord to the old Ravens was cut once and for all and we are seeing, finally, the birth of the rebuilt Ravens that started in labor pains immediately after the Super Bowl win. We were hoping to transition on the fly, but injuries and cap space forced the hand of General Manager Ozzie Newsome and the birthing process has now been thrust upon this team.
For the last three off seasons, the Baltimore Ravens have been slowly moving the old guard out and moving the new, younger players in. Ozzie tried to do this in a slow and painless manner, but after some key cuts, trades, retirements and injuries, the Ravens have been forced, painfully, into this birthing process and the 2015 Ravens are the product of this rebuilding project.
After the 2013 season, where the Ravens went 8-8, we were hoping that the most painful part of the birthing process was over with the retirement of Ray Lewis and the loss of Ed Reed from the ranks of the Ravens. Unfortunately, due to some missed draft picks and last minute pick ups, as a result of injuries, this rebirthing process has taken much longer than anticipated. Though the procedure was made far less painful under the helpful hand of Gary Kubiak, the loss of Kubiak, additional veteran player cuts and aging veterans continue to remind us that we are now just making that final transition and the growth and development of the new Ravens team may take some time.
This is a young, inexperienced football team in a lot of areas and they show it. Tackling mistakes, penalties, missed assignments remind us that this team is still in its formative years. The coaches, like parents, are trying to instill the knowledge that these players need to go on and be successful. The players are learning and taking that to the field on Sundays and are using it to be a better team. But even the great players of old didn’t come out of college and immediately dominate the NFL. Many have taken several years to allow the game to slow down, to understand the nuances of the game and to be able to move that from their mind to the field. Just as we don’t expect our 2 year olds to run world class sprint times, it is unfair to demand these players come out and play at a level that they are unable to perform at this time. Unfortunately, film study, practical application and time will be necessary to get these players into a playoff caliber team.
As hard as it may be for Ravens fans, this is the reality. Unless a miracle of some sort happens, it will probably be at least another year before the Ravens can restock the roster with the quality players it has become accustomed to putting on the field on game day. We are still waiting on this year’s number one draft pick to get on the field, our young safeties are still learning Dean Pees system, and we will get a cap boost next year by eliminating a lot of our dead cap space. Fortunately, the Ravens were able to reach an extension agreement with Marshal Yanda that will allow this growth to continue at an accelerated rate.
But as we go forward with this new Ravens team it is critical we do a self analysis and identify our strengths and weaknesses. One of those weaknesses is the inability to draft and develop wide receivers and another is our inability to keep quality cornerbacks healthy and on the field. In my opinion, we need to start utilizing draft picks to acquire receiving and cornerback talent through trades. In addition we need to use our top draft picks where we have been successful in the past by drafting offensive linemen, defensive lineman and linebackers. Ozzie Newsome has been one of the best General Managers in the league because he understands what the Ravens need to do and he gets it done. Where we may have had a step backwards as a result of cap space, injuries and retirements, it won’t be long before Ozzie and the Baltimore Ravens are fielding another playoff team.