WELCOME BACK TO FOOTBALL SEASON!!!

     It seems as though only a couple of months have passed since we witnessed our beloved Baltimore Ravens hoisting the Lombardi trophy triumphantly amidst a rain of purple and gold confetti in New Orleans.  It was not long, however, before panic set in amongst the faithful members of Ravens Nation.  Never again will we watch our fearless leader burst out of the tunnel at M and T Bank Stadium and electrify the crowd with his famous Squirrel Dance.  Never again will we see Ed Reed playing as a Raven, and to the dismay of many, no longer will Joe Flacco find Anquan Boldin in the endzone for a spectacular grab. 

     The period of mourning, however, over the breakup of a team must be brief.  We hear all too often that the NFL is a business and truly competitive teams know how to reload through the 2013 has already proved particularly exciting as the Ravens have made massive improvements to a defense that finished in the middle of the pack last season.  Sure, the Ravens defense came alive in the post-season and allowed only 4 offensive touchdowns in three games leading up to the Super Bowl, but big improvements in speed, tackling ability, and run-stopping are essential if the Ravens hope to RETURN to the playoffs this season.

     Lo and behold, the Ravens added speed and tackling ability through the draft along with massive depth on the defensive line through free agency.  The defense has newly added proven veterans such as Daryl Smith, Chris Canty,  Elvis Dumervil, and Michael Huff to ensure there is no major drop-off in leadership and experience following the departure of Ed Reed and Ray Lewis.  The Ravens drafted Matt Elam, Arthur Brown, Brandon Williams, and John Simon to continue the Ravens trend of constantly building for the defensive future.

     The defense should look quite dominant this season, and I doubt many people are worried about that side of the ball.  The offense creates far more questions and worries for fans.  It's difficult to know how a team will play in the regular season based on preseason games.  Starters only play for a portion of 3 of the 4 games and not at all for the 4th game.  On the other hand, the departure of so many starting players from the 2012 roster means that the preseason will likely determine who starts in week 1 of the regular season.  It is for this reason that Ravens fans should pay particular attention to the following three things while watching on Thursday night:

• The wide receiver battle has really begun to heat up.  Deonte Thompson's blazing speed and athleticism make him a great candidate for the #3 WR spot behind Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones, but Tandon Doss is actually faster than many give him credit with great hands to boot. 

• The tight end position recently became a serious issue with the loss of Dennis Pitta for the 2013 season.  The Ravens signed Visanthe Shiancoe and he may yet have something left, but I recommend paying closer attention to the rookie out of Maryland, Matt Furstenburg.  Furstenburg has more speed burst than Shiancoe at this point and reports from training camp suggest that the rookie can make big plays down field. 

• Pay close attention to how the offense moves as a unit.  If all goes as I hope and expect, the Ravens will get enough explosion from Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce on the ground to really open things up for a passing game with an overall much speedier group targets than Joe Flacco had in previous seasons. 

Make sure to tune in on Thursday night!

AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!!