It's been several years since the Baltimore Ravens took home the Super Bowl XXXV Championship and to Baltimore fans, that's far too long. The team had a great year in 2006 with a 13-3 record but faltered in 2007 with a 5-11 season record, and an absence from the playoffs. In the 13th season, the Ravens hope to improve their score and represent the AFC North. This season they will face strong competition from the AFC South Division and the NFC East Division, as well as the Oakland Raiders from the AFC West Division and Miami Dolphins from the AFC East Division. According to game analysts, the Ravens already have the fourth toughest strength of schedule in the NFL based on their opponents' win to loss ratios. Bear in mind that whenever the Ravens do the unthinkable and don't win, they are facing some of the best-ranked teams in the NFL!
Are there any major changes on the Ravens team that will affect their performance this year? As always, of course! In the coaching department, head coach Brian Billick was fired after last year's dismal performance and has been replaced with John Harbaugh. He will be the third head coach in this team's relatively young history. (The Ravens were first established in 1996) John Harbaugh's previous experience was the defensive secondary coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. He will be heading the Ravens until at least the end of the 2012 season, as he has signed a four-year contract.
In the previous season, the team didn't actually have an offensive coordinator, since Coach Billick took over those duties after firing Jim Fassel. John Harbaugh hasn't dropped the ball yet-he went out and hired former head coach of the Miami Dolphins Malcolm 'Cam' Cameron. Rex Ryan was released from duty as the team's defensive coordinator but later rehired on January 28, 2008 and then promoted to Assistant Head Coach. Now that's an apology!
What about the season in terms of players? The team has acquired linebacker Brendan Ayanbadejo from the Chicago Bears as well as cornerback Frank Walker from the Green Bay Packers. On the other hand, the team lost center Mike Flynn after he failed his annual physical. Unfortunately, Flynn was one of the few original players to see the Ravens' Super Bowl championship season in the year 2000. The team also lost veteran quarterback Steve McNair. After suffering several injuries and spending most of the previous season on injured reserve, McNair announced his retirement from the NFL after 13 great seasons. The only thing left to consider is the 2008 NFL Draft. The most notable selection of the draft was cornerback Fabian Washington.
Will the Baltimore Ravens find success in 2008? A 2009 Super Bowl isn't out of the question for this team. After all, the team won their first championship victory in only the fifth year of playing football! The team will be facing one of the toughest schedules in the entire league and certainly has their work cut out for them. However, Coach Harbaugh has confidence in the Baltimore spirit.
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