Fantasy Football Notes: Baltimore Ravens

Coming off a very disappointing 2007 season in which the Baltimore Ravens finished with a 5-11 record, the team fired long time head coach Brian Billick and hired John Harbaugh as head coach, with hopes of returning to the upper echelon of the AFC.

This was going to be a tough task for a rookie head coach. The Ravens already had their struggles in the passing game and starting quarterback Steve McNair retired in the offseason, leaving a gaping hole at quarterback.

To make things worse, veteran quarterback Kyle Boller suffered a season-ending injury in training camp. Second-year man Troy Smith also came down with a bad virus, leaving rookie quarterback Joe Flacco as the team’s opening day starter.

Backed by the solid running of Le’Ron McClain and Willis McGahee, who combined for 1,573 yards and 17 touchdowns, veteran wide receiver Derrick Mason, who had 80 catches for 1,037 yards with five touchdowns, and a top-three defense, Flacco held on to the starting job all season.

He helped lead the Ravens to an 11-5 record, which was good enough for second place in the AFC North and a wild card playoff birth. The Ravens went on to win two playoff games losing in the AFC Championship game to the eventual Super Bowl XLIII Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

KEY ADDITIONS

Matt Birk (C)—In a continued effort to improve their offense and protect their young quarterback, the Ravens signed 11-year veteran center Matt Birk. He has played his entire career with the Minnesota Vikings and is a six-time Pro Bowler. Birk has started 123 games in his career and will bring toughness and leadership to the Ravens offense.

L.J. Smith (TE)—Baltimore signed tight end L.J. Smith to a one-year deal. Smith is a six-year veteran and has played his entire career with the Philadelphia Eagles, where Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was a special teams and defensive backs coach from 1998-2007. Smith had 37 catches for 298 yards and 3 touchdowns in an injury-plagued 2008 season. His best years were in 2005 and 2006 in which he topped 50 catches and 600 yards per season.

KEY DEPARTURES

Rex Ryan (Defensive Coordinator)—Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan is the new head coach of the New York Jets. He was the defensive coordinator in Baltimore off and on since 1999.

During his tenure in Baltimore, the Ravens have had one of the best defenses in all of football. After being let go along with former head coach Brian Billick and the rest of his staff following the 2007 season, Ryan was one of the finalists for the Ravens head coaching job. He lost out to current head coach John Harbaugh, who turned around and rehired Ryan as defensive coordinator/assistant head coach.

Bart Scott (ILB)—Inside linebacker Bart Scott followed defensive coordinator Rex Ryan to New York and singed with the Jets. Scott, who was signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2002 out of Southern Illinois, was a Pro Bowler in 2006 and was one of the leaders of the Ravens defense.

Scott had 82 tackles with 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 2008. In his career with the Ravens, he had 433 total tackles with 16 sacks and three interceptions.

ROOKIE TO WATCH

Michael Oher (OT)—With many experts expecting the Ravens to select a wide receiver or a defensive player to help an aging defense, Baltimore traded up to the No. 23 spot in the draft to select University of Mississippi offensive tackle Michael Oher.

Rated by many draft experts as the fourth best tackle prospect in the 2009 NFL Draft, Oher could battle for one of the starting offensive tackle positions as a rookie and could even play guard if needed.

The 6’4” 309 pound Oher could be a staple on the Ravens’ offensive line for the next 10 years and should not only help open up holes in the running game, but he should help give second-year quarterback Joe Flacco some much needed time in the passing game.

BRUNO BOYS SPOTLIGHT

Joe Flacco (QB)—Joe Flacco enters his second season in the NFL with 16 starts under his belt. Not only did he get valuable experience in the regular season as a rookie, he also became the first rookie quarterback to win two playoff games.

Flacco entered 2008 as a long shot to be the Ravens starting quarterback, but he was able to take advantage of his opportunities. When he got his shot at the starting job, he never let go of it.

As a rookie first-round pick from the University of Delaware, Flacco threw for 2,971 yards with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He completed 60 percent of his passes and had a 80.3 quarterback rating as a rookie.

With a year of experience under his belt, a solid running game and an improved offensive line Flacco should take another step forward in 2009 and become a solid fantasy football contributor in leagues that use two quarterbacks. 

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