(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Schedules and experience can be misleading, however. Consider what opponents must have been thinking when they saw the Dolphins on their schedule last season. Miami jumped from one win in 2007 to 11 in 2008.
For all the turmoil in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Oakland, and Kansas City last year, at least one of those teams is likely to make an unexpected jump in the standings in 2009. The Ravens can only hope such a jump does not come at their expense.
And as for all the optimism about things to come offensively, fans can toss in their sleep all summer pondering the changes and challenges that will face the Ravens defense this season.
Not only is longtime defensive guru Rex Ryan gone, but the team has parted ways with a number of important pieces from seasons past.
Ryan took a pair of fan favorites with him to New York in linebacker Bart Scott and defensive back Jim Leonhard. The team also parted ways with three-time Pro Bowler Chris McAlister, who spent 10 seasons in Baltimore.
The Ravens and most fans are confident that this defense can continue to dominate as it has in years past. It can be hard to gauge just how much of an impact such losses can have until the team is on the field. Especially for the Ravens, whose offense is still not yet ready to win games on its own, maintaining defensive supremacy is paramount.
In the AFC last season, 10 wins alone was not enough to make the playoffs. The Ravens made it with 11. There is no room for error if this team hopes to find its way to the postseason again.
While fans may be clamoring for this team to take the next step, a more realistic and reachable goal is to have this team find the playoffs once again. From there, anything can happen.
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