Offense must carry Defense in Baltimore
by Sam Monson
August 23rd 2010
 
The Baltimore Ravens have long been known for a suffocating D.  Their 2000 Defense was the best to take the field in a decade, and arguably one of the top Ds of all-time, a true rival to the fabled '85 Bears.
 
The problem for Baltimore has always been that their D has had to be so good because the offense was so bad.  Ray Lewis has had to marshall his troops to restrict teams to as few points as possible, because Baltimore have never had an offense capable of winning games on its own.
 
This year that isn't the case.  For the first time, maybe ever, Baltimore's offense looks not only like it can fight its own battles, but like it might have to carry the D a bit.
 
Baltimore's secondary was already looking a little patchy, but losing Dominique Foxworth, easily the team's best corner, to an ACL tear before the season had even begun puts it into a lot of trouble.  Their top two corners, Fabien Washington and Ladarius Webb, are both coming off season ending ACL tears themselves, and even when '100% healthy' again, players coming off that type of injury are rarely the same in the first season back.  The more running involved in their position the more true that is.  Behind them, depth is not pretty.  Chris Carr is a solid enough nickel corner, but would be a liability if asked to do anything more.  Has-been corner Walt Harris had been signed, but has also been lost to injury, Travis Fisher is also battling to contribute, and Cary Williams is looking to make an impact after seeing just a hand full of snaps last season.  With Ed Reed still battling injuries the secondary for Baltimore is suddenly looking very flimsy.
 
But that could be masked by a ferocious pass-rush, right?  Uh, yea...about that...  Since Rex Ryan took his exotic hybrid D with him to the Jets, Baltimore has reverted to an extremely vanilla, almost exclusively 4-3 D, and the players are starting to be exposed.  Nobody on the Baltimore D topped 6.5 sacks in 2009, and that number might have flattered them. Terrell Suggs, the big-money pass-rusher on the side, notched just 4.5 sacks, and Baltimore haven't done a whole lot to rectify that in the off-season.
 
Corey Redding was added to the D-line rotation and has shown some pass-rush skills in the past, but he hasn't shown his best play in a few seasons now.  Rookie Sergio Kindle was the big-hope to add some athleticism and pass-rush to the side, but he fractured his skull falling down two flights of stairs before even signing his rookie contract and his timetable for recovery is still very much unknown.
 
The Ravens are going to have to rely on being able to stop the run and try to get a bit creative against the pass, because if they play things honestly, they're going to find it tough to match up.
 
On the other side of the ball things have been going from strength to strength in recent years.  The franchise finally found itself a legitimate quarterback in the shape of Joe Flacco.  Ray Rice has quietly become one of the best running backs in the NFL, and with Willis McGahee and LeRon McClain there is depth behind him.  Todd Heap had a great season last year, and the team went out this off-season and improved their wide receiver situation when they moved for Anquan Boldin and Donte Stallworth.  Those two added to the solid Mark Clayton and ever reliable Derek Mason provide Baltimore with the first legit receiving corps they've had in the franchise's history.
 
Last season the Ravens had one of the league's better O-lines, with Jared Gaither playing like a franchise left tackle and rookie Michael Oher locking down the right side.  This season, for reasons passing understanding, the Ravens have decided to swap the two, moving Oher to 'The Blind Side” (Maybe they just read the book..?), and Gaither to the right side.  This has the potential to weaken both spots, but if it doesn't, the Ravens offense is suddenly looking like one of the league's better units – when was the last time anyone could say that about the Ravens?
 
The Ravens are relying on finally having an offense that can be a match for the potent D they've become accustomed to having for the past decade, but what if that has led to complacency?  Baltimore's D suddenly appears to have some major cracks that need papering over if the unit is to be able to maintain its place amongst the league's best, and this time there's no exotic schemes or blitzes to help the disguising.  In 2010 the Ravens D is going to have to rely on old fashioned simple D to get it done.
 
Or just maybe the Ravens D will experience what it's like to be carried by the offense for the first time.