Quick-hitting one-liner analysis on every Ravens starter and significant offseason move.

Baltimore Ravens

Predicted: 2^nd

2008 Record: 11-5 (2^nd AFC North)

Head Coach: John Harbaugh (2^nd year)

Roster Quick View (*new veteran **rookie)

Offense (Coordinator: Cam Cameron)

QB: Joe Flacco Became the only rookie QB to ever win two playoff games. Strong arm and improved decision-making give him promise, though coordinator Cam Cameron still protects him.

RB: Willis McGahee Participated in more offseason activities after injuries and poor conditioning led to a career-low 671 yards last year. Can’t produce unless he has good blocking.

RB: Ray Rice This offense needs his quickness and elusiveness. If he doesn’t start in ’09, he’ll certainly have an expanded role in passing situations.

FB: LeRon McClain How many running backs gain 902 yards in a season and then accept a fullback job? Cameron thinks he could be the next Lorenzo Neal.

WR: Derrick Mason Thirty-five and coming off shoulder surgery. But don’t doubt him. Toughness, wisdom and consistency make him the unquestioned heart and soul of this offense.

WR: Mark Clayton Quick feet and acceleration make him dangerous after the catch. But, as has been the case his whole career, needs to make himself dangerous more often.

WR: Demetrius Williams Ravens seem to be high on him. But why? He has 55 catches in 32 career games and is coming off Achilles surgery.

TE: Todd Heap Injuries have closed the coffin on his career; his latest (lower back) could be the nail. Hasn’t found his comfort zone in Cam Cameron’s supposedly TE-friendly offense, either.

TE: L.J. Smith* He is now what Heap will probably be next year: a once-promising TE fighting the injury bug under a small contract for a new team.

LT: Jared Gaither Continues his gradual improvement. At 6’9”, 330 and dripping with raw talent, his ceiling is still sky high. And he knows it; he asked Drew Rosenhaus to get him a long-term deal before 2010.

LG: Ben Grubbs Mobile run-blocker, but overall, wasn’t quite as good in Year Two as in Year One. Must start winning fistfights in the phone booth again.

C: Matt Birk* Still only 33, which isn’t direly old for a center. Given his wisdom and cunning run-blocking abilities, he might actually be an upgrade over Jason Brown.

RG: Marshal Yanda Former OT will never learn to be a pro guard if recovery from devastating knee injury keeps him out of training camp. Agile backup Chris Chester needs to be ready here.

RT: Michael Oher** Ironically, won’t be protecting Flacco’s blindside. That’s okay––if he can be consistent, Baltimore will finally have a domineering RT.

6 OL: Adam Terry Will see plenty of action in 2009; Ravens used a swing tackle on over 30 percent of their snaps last season.

Defense

LDE: Trevor Pryce Can still be a force, though at 34 (in August), needs to see fewer snaps in order to avoid slowing down late in the season.

NT: Kelly Gregg

Looked good during the offseason recovering from October microfracture surgery. If he’s right, he’s one of the most active defensive linemen in football.

RDE: Haloti Ngata Sheer power and now, polished fundamentals, make him a “must double” fourth-year pro.

3 DE: Justin Bannan Can operate anywhere along the front line and surprise opponents with his strength. Plays with good angles and shows lateral competence as a run-defender.

2 NT: Brandon McKinney Capable of holding down two gaps for a few plays each game.

LOLB: Jarret Johnson Great versatility. Not quite as fast or quick as most OLB’s, but this scheme does a brilliant job of putting him in position to succeed.

LILB: Ray Lewis It’s easy to say that, at 34, he’s lost a step. But it’s harder to say it after watching the film.

RILB: Tavares Gooden Untested third-round pick of a year ago is tasked with replacing Bart Scott. Key for him will be whether he can play fast.

ROLB: Terrell Suggs The best playside defensive stopper in football. Has incredible range and fights his tail off on every down.

5 LB: Antwan Barnes Might not beat out second-round rookie Paul Kruger for backup pass-rushing role because he needs too much space in order to operate.

CB: Fabian Washington Willing to be physical and aggressive, but tends to get reactionary at times. Really, he’s a classic No. 2 corner.

CB: Domonique Foxworth* Sparkled in Atlanta after never catching on in Denver. Should do well in this zone scheme, but did Ozzie Newsome really need to guarantee him $16.5 million?

NB: Samari Rolle Took a pay cut to continue his career. Still a solid cover guy, though may no longer have enough speed to fulfill the heavy demands this system places on the slot corner.

SS: Dawan Landry Spinal contusion wiped out virtually all of his ’08 season. If he weren’t healthy, Ravens probably wouldn’t have let Jim Leonhard get away.

FS: Ed Reed The question is whether he’s the best ballhawking free safety in NFL history.

6 DB: Tom Zbikowski Ex-Golden Domer and Madison Square Garden-worthy pugilist hopes his special teams prowess can lead to more quality reps with the mainstream defense in ’09.

Specials

K: Steven Hauschka Served as the kickoff specialist a year ago. Can his big leg be accurate enough to replace franchise icon Matt Stover?

P: Sam Koch Fine punter, netted nearly 40 yards per boot last season, but it’s still hard to understand why he’s allowed to pronounce his last name as “Cook”.

RS: Chris Carr Gutsy return specialist who can also contribute in dime defense.

Offseason Quick View

Draft

RD PK (OVR) NAME POS SCHOOL

1 23 (23) Michael Oher OT Ole Miss

2 25 (57) Paul Kruger OLB Utah

3 24 (88) Lardarius Webb CB Nicholls St

5 1 (137) Jason Phillips ILB TCU

5 13 (149) Davon Drew TE E Carolina

6 12 (185) Cedric Peerman RB Virginia

KEY PLAYERS ACQUIRED

QB John Beck: FA Dolphins; 1 yr, terms unknown.

C Matt Birk: UFA Vikings; $12M/3 yrs, $6M guaranteed.

CB/KR Chris Carr: UFA Titans; $5M/2 yrs, guarantees unknown.

CB Domonique Foxworth: UFA Falcons; $27.2M/4 yrs, $4M SB/$3.38M report bonus/$16.5M guaranteed.

TE L.J. Smith: UFA Eagles; $1.5M/1 yrs, guarantees unknown.

WR Kelley Washington: FA Patriots; terms unknown.

KEY PLAYERS LOST

OT Willie Anderson (retired).

QB Kyle Boller: UFA Rams; $1.5M/1 yr.

C Jason Brown: UFA Rams; $37.5M/5 yrs, $11M SB/$20M guaranteed.

DE Marques Douglas (released).

LB Nick Greisen (released).

CB Corey Ivy: UFA Browns; 1 yr, terms unknown.

SS Jim Leonhard: UFA Jets; $5.9M/3 yrs, guarantees unknown.

CB Chris McAlister (failed physical).

FB Lorenzo Neal: UFA Raiders; terms unknown.

LB Bart Scott: UFA Jets; $48M/6 yrs, $22M guaranteed.

Analysis

The RT position has been a source of instability for the Ravens since the final days of Orlando Brown. GM Ozzie Newsome looked strongly at signing Orlando Pace. However, the future Hall of Famer would have been just another Willie Anderson: decent, but declining. (Plus, the LT Pace wasn’t intrigued with the idea of moving to RT.) So, Newsome put the issue to bed by drafting Michael Oher in Round One. (Anderson retired after the draft.)

Signing veteran center Matt Birk takes the sting off losing Jason Brown. Birk still has plenty of good years in him. Plus, he costs about half as much as Brown and, right now, may actually be the better player.

Because the Ravens’ hybrid 3-4 defense doesn’t need elite corners in order to function, losing Chris McAlister doesn’t hurt. He had knee issues anyway. CB Domonique Foxworth was a good player for the Falcons, but he’s probably not worth $16.5 million guaranteed. Former Titan Chris Carr was brought in to return kicks and compete at nickel back (a spot vacated by Corey Ivy). Carr is physical but not strong. That said, he should beat out small school product Lardarius Webb (third round) for playing time.

Second-round rookie Paul Kruger is expected to immediately help the pass-rush, though fifth-round pick Jason Phillips could actually be the more important piece long-term. Phillips plays inside linebacker, which has an unfilled hole where Bart Scott used to be.