(Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
Finally the eternity without football is over and we can all look forward to next week when the NFL season officially begins.
Two teams that I know are ready to kick of the season are the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens.
For the Chiefs, a new year means a new beginning as they can begin to concentrate on the future and forget about last years horrific season. Kansas City finished the 2008 season with a record of 2-14, finishing last in the AFC West.
The Chiefs two wins did come against their division rivals in Denver and Oakland, so if Kansas City looks to improve this season they better play well against their division foes seeing as the Chargers look to be the front runners once again in the division.
On the other hand, the Ravens are on the opposite side of the spectrum as they had a great turn-around season last year. In 2007, Baltimore finished the season at a mark of 5-11 and last year they reversed their record from the previous season finishing with a record of 11-5.
Baltimore was led by rookie head coach John Harbaugh and a rookie quarterback in Joe Flacco. The two managed to set a new record for most wins ever by a rookie head coach and quarterback with 13 victories.
After finishing second in the AFC North to their hated rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore earned a wild card spot and made it into the playoffs. The Ravens made easy work of Miami in round one and had some difficulty with Tennessee in the second round but managed to come away victorious.
Unfortunately for Baltimore, their incredible run on the shoulders of rookie Joe Flacco was cut short in the AFC Championship game as Pittsburgh beat them by a final score of 23-14.
After the disappointment of seeing Pittsburgh win yet another Super Bowl, the Ravens are out for redemption and look to battle with the Steelers once more for the division title and a shot at the Super Bowl.
The Ravens were led by Joe Flacco who threw for 2,971 yards with a completion rate of 60%. Flacco also threw 14 touchdowns but his weakness was in throwing interceptions as he threw 12, but time will improve that problem and Flacco, with a years experience under his belt, will know when to throw and when not to force the issue.
Baltimore’s rushing game was headed by Le’Ron McClain who carried the ball 232 times for 902 yards with 10 touchdowns. Willis McGahee also did his fair share carrying the ball 170 times for 671 yards with seven touchdowns.
The receiving core was led by veteran wide out Derrick Mason who caught 80 passes for 1,037 yards with five touchdowns. Mark Clayton and Todd Heap also helped out on the receiving side as Clayton caught 41 balls for 695 yards with 3 touchdowns while Heap caught 35 passes for 403 yards with 3 touchdowns as well.
The true heart and sole of the Baltimore Ravens is the defense as they once again ranked as one of the top defenses in the league.
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