Obviously, this loss really stung. Before we get too down, let's remember who has the dominate, young quarterback, the dominate, young running back and the dominate, young offensive line. The future is very bright. Yesterday proved that the Ravens have many issues but also showed that they have no quit in them. Right now, the Vikings are a better team. They came out firing on both sides of the ball and really deserved the win.

Offensively, the fact that the Viking's veterans dominated our young players early in the game shows immaturity. I don't believe that the Vikings "let up" or "let us back in it." Sure, they dominated early, but late in the game, the Ravens kicked the door in and blasted away with guns blazing. Rookie tackle Michael Oher dominated Jared Allen in the second half, and Joe Flacco and Ray Rice went off. The Vikings had no answer. The slow start hurt and shows immaturity. They will get better and need to start having success early. The Vikings had great field position during the entire first half, and Favre was given too many shots at the Ravens defense on short fields. 14-3 is hard to overcome on the road, but you do need to give the offense credit. They never quit and game the team a real chance to win.

Defensively, it's easy to panic. Statistically, there were no positives. Favre threw at will, and Peterson was making big plays. As hard as this is to believe right now, I actually believe that the Raven's defensive core is still very good. There are several players that are struggling and being picked on. The schemes are also very bad at times. However... when the Ravens can get a team to actually play against our entire defense instead of picking on one guy, the defense is still solid. Ultimately, that is what the Ravens need to do. They need to find ways/schemes to protect the guys who are struggling and lean on the guys that are solid. That is why our red zone defense is still fairly successful. It naturally covers one of our biggest weaknesses. I understand fundamental football and know that offenses are going to force one-on-one match-ups with our worst players. That's football, but there is not a defense in this league that is perfect at every position. That is where scheme comes in. It's all about playing to your strengths, and it seems to me that the Ravens aren't doing that. The secondary wasn't the Raven's strength last season either, but they made it work somehow. Greg Mattison needs to step up.

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The Ravens, along with all other NFL teams, cut their roster to 75 players today. Between now and Saturday, September 5th, the Ravens will need to decide which players will make their final 53 man roster. Luckily, the coaching staff and scouts have one more preseason game that should help them make their final roster cuts. This process is extra important to the Ravens, who have one of the leagues best scouting departments. Many good NFL players have been picked up off the Raven's practice squad. The last thing that the Ravens want to do is let a hidden gem go to another team.

The following is a graphic that includes the current 75 man roster. Obviously, there are many players that are definitely going to make the final roster. Using that, we can narrow down the current roster and try to determine which players make the final roster. Obviously, it won't be long before the final roster is determined. However, watching the last preseason game versus the Atlanta Falcons will be more interesting if we know who's fighting for their job.

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Over the last six seasons, Terrell "T-Sizzle" Suggs has made a name for himself on Baltimore's aggressive defense. During that span, he has more sacks than any other player on the Ravens roster. He has 53 sacks over his entire career, including an astounding 12 sacks in his rookie season. However, Suggs abilities go beyond rushing the passer. Last season, he intercepted two passes and returned both of them for touchdowns. He has perfected his game and become a complete linebacker. He can rush the passer, drop into coverage and stop the run. He has become an essential piece in the Ravens' defense and one of the elite outside linebackers in the NFL.

There is no doubting Suggs' abilities, and the Ravens have kept a tight grip on him. They placed the franchise tag on Terrell Suggs last off-season and hoped to sign a long term deal.  They were ultimately unable to reach a deal and were forced to use the franchise tag on Suggs again this off-season. In fact, they had a disagreement because Suggs believed that he needed to be paid like a defensive end, a position that he often plays on the Ravens' hybrid defense and happens to pay more money, but the Ravens insisted that Suggs was still a linebacker and should be paid as such. In the end, they reached a compromise. The NFL created a special franchise tag for hybrid linebackers that splits the difference between a linebacker's pay and a defensive end's pay, and Suggs was the first recipient of the unique tag.

In recent interviews with BaltimoreRavens.com and the Baltimore Sun, Suggs said that a new contract is being discussed. 

"I feel like we’re getting close," Suggs told BaltimoreRavens.com. "Negotiations are going on with the Ravens. Fans can be optimistic that I’ll be [at training camp]." 

"We’ve talked," Suggs explained when asked about talks with Ozzie Newsome. "There are some minor things we’re working out."

"We are close to an agreement. We just have a few little things to work out," Suggs told The Baltimore Sun. "I don't want to go into great detail, but it's things like the years of the agreement and incentives, but the basic framework has been done."

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When the Ravens were scouting Lardarius Webb, they sent their secondary coach, Chuck Pagano, out to Nicholls State to watch him play. Pagano returned to Baltimore and raved about the 5'10" corner. At the combine, Webb put on an excellent showing and ran the fastest time in the forty yard dash at his position. The Ravens were impressed with Webb's combine performance and invited him to their Owings Mills headquarters to talk to him in person. They debated whether to take Webb in the third round. They believed that he would be available later, but in the end, they drafted Webb because they believed that he was the best player available and didn't want to risk him being taken before them.

Fast and explosive, Webb is the type of player that Ozzie Newsome loves to bring onto his defense. It goes without saying that Webb has excellent speed, but he also shows excellent ball skills. He is the only college player ever to win offensive, defensive and special teams awards in a single season. In coverage, Webb shows good hip transition. This allows him to play closer to the receiver and turn up field or drive inside if needed. As a player, he boasts excellent upside. DraftGuys.com did an interesting special on Lardarius Webb that shows off his talent.

In an interview before the draft, Lardarius said that he wanted to play for the Ravens. He also said that his favorite player was Ed Reed and that he dreamed of playing with Reed. I cannot blame him, but Webb is the only player that I've seen who has shown preference to a certain team before the draft. The Ravens must have told Webb that they wanted to draft him. Otherwise, I cannot imagine Webb going out on a limb like that. In the end, Webb recieved his wish and is now wearing purple and black. He did another interview with Coleman after the draft and was extremely happy to have been drafted by the Ravens. Ironically, Webb was interviewed by Jerry Coleman with Jason La Canforna, who now works for NFL.com and used Lardarius Webb's signing as his first blog entry. I provided the link to La Canfora's blog entry below.

Finally, I believe that Webb has tons of potential and may turn out to be the best corner on the Raven's roster in the long run. That's saying alot since the Ravens have one of the deepest secondaries in the league right now. Furthermore, Webb has experience at safety, a position that he play in college. That experience will add versatility to our secondary and help Webb perform multiple roles. 

“[Lardarius Webb] showed a lot of quickness and has a good understanding of the defense for a rookie," said head coach John Harbaugh during Baltimore’s rookie camp. "The fact that he plays safety and corner is going to be helpful throughout his career. But it’s going to help us in camp, too.”

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Defense wins championships! That's been the mantra of Baltimore for over a decade, and it has been a necessity largely due to the constant uncertainty at quarterback and offensive coordinator. Another nagging problem was Brian Billick's controling personality. He did not like handing over the offensive play-calling. Ultimately, Billick was fired, and John Harbaugh was hired. Through a fortunate turn of events, the Harbaugh was able to recruit Cam Cameron, who coordinated one of the leagues most efficient offenses in San Diego and was fired after a 1-15 season with Miami, and draft Joe Flacco. In a single off-season, two of Baltimore's biggest offensive problems were solved.

The decision to hire Cameron proved to be a good one. Baltimore's offense made a surprising turn-around that was evident in the very first game when Mark Clayton scored on a double reverse and Joe Flacco scored on a naked bootleg. For the first time in team history, the Ravens had a bonafide offensive coordinator and a promising young quarterback. Cameron's strength is his creativity and his fundamental philosophy of putting his best players in positions to be successful. Sporting News said, "Cameron, despite his reputation taking a beating in his one year in Miami, is a great coach who took a Division I-AA quarterback and turned him into a productive NFL starter as a rookie" and voted him the NFL's best offensive coordinator. That is a high honor, especially since the Raven's offense was not flashy last season.

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In a recent "players roundtable" on the NFL Network, Jamie Dukes, Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk and Warren Sapp discussed the most exciting player in the NFL. I was surprised to see two Baltimore Ravens make the list. The Ravens had an excellent showing versus the Cowboys that aired on the NFL Network. Therefore, it may natural for them to pick a few Ravens. However, it is saying something that they picked Ed Reed and Ray Lewis over guys like Larry Fitzgerald and Adrian Peterson. During the roundtable session, Jamie Dukes picked Ray Lewis, Deion Sanders picked Ed Reed, Marshall Faulk picked Peyton Manning and Warren Sapp picked Chris Johnson.

Could the Ravens finally be getting some recognition? Obviously, this is just the opinion of four former players. If a national poll were to be taken, I do not think that either Reed or Lewis would make the top ten. Even so, I had a very distinct sense of pride knowing that our current defense is so exciting to so many people. Our defense is very special. I'm sure that it will be remembered for years to come, but for right now, I'm going to enjoy watching them dismantle opposing offenses.

Anyway, I thought that this would be an excellent time to debate the most exciting player in the NFL. My vote is for Ed Reed. If voting had included the playoffs, he would have been the defensive player of the year. With our revamped secondary, he should be a terror next year as well. Who do you think is the NFL's most exciting player?

Since Bruce Started the "All-Time" posts, I thought it would be appropriate to debate the "All-Time" greatest plays in Raven history. There are so many meaningful plays. It's hard to choose one that I would consider the greatest. I believe that it will be easier to deduce if many people throw in their opinions. Remember that we need to take the meaning of the play into account along with the overall meaning of the game. Therefore, I think that excellent plays made in the post season, especially the 2000 post season and Super Bowl, deserve the most consideration. I can think of three great plays off the top of my head. They all happened in the 2000 season, but this is not the only criteria for great plays. Feel free to nominate any play in any season, but be sure to provide your reasoning.

Anyway, I'll get the ball rolling. I'll name three plays and then nominate the play that I think is the best.

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Last season was enjoyable and amazing. It was thoroughly enjoyable to Ravens fans because of the team’s success and amazing to the entire league because of what the team had to overcome. Ravens fans would say that they never lost faith in the team and that they knew the team had the talent, but there were still many questions. The team was only one season removed from the retirement of perennial Pro Bowler Jonathan Ogden. At the time, no one knew how Jared Gaither would fill in, and since the Ravens did not draft a left tackle, the only option was to start Gaither.

Of course, there was also the quarterback position, the most important in football. Steve McNair’s retirement was not a big surprise, but the Ravens did not have many options. Kyle Boller had never shown the ability to lead and the team did not seem to have faith in him. Troy Smith had been solid in two previous starts, but his technique and size left the coaches worried. Joe Flacco was the rookie, and rookie quarterbacks have very rarely been successful in the NFL. Because of injuries and illness, Flacco was forced into the starting lineup. We now know that this was good fortune, but at the time, it was a very big concern.

The Ravens came out of the gate strong and won their first two games against the Bengals and the Browns. However, the Ravens struggled over their next three games and lost to the Steelers, the Titans and the Colts. The three game losing streak reminded the team of the 2007 season when the they lost nine games in a row. Because of their stellar defense, the Ravens managed to pull off victories against the Dolphins and the Raiders, but everyone in the locker room felt like the team was on the brink. Joe Flacco was throwing interceptions that were costing games. Much like 2007, the defense was wearing thin, and injuries, particularly in the secondary, began to pile up.

November 2, 2008 - Ravens 37, Browns 27.

Going into Cleveland on November 2nd, the Ravens were 4-3. The Browns were 3-4 and had shocked the undefeated New York Giants two weeks before. There was a feeling that the Ravens and Browns were fighting for the same place in the division. The Ravens had the better record, but they also had the easier schedule. The Browns believe that they were going to take the Raven’s place in the division. This game proved to be a season-breaker for the Browns and a season-maker for the Ravens. The Ravens pulled together during this game, and everyone could feel the team coming together. Most surprising of all, Joe Flacco led the team, down by 14 points, to a victory. When asked about "the moment" where he saw the team come together and Flacco emerge, John Harbaugh said the following:

"Looking back on [Joe Flacco’s season], the moment where everybody knew that he could win a game for us, really on his own, was the Browns Game. We go down, all of the sudden, 27-13. In the middle of the third quarter, they score fast, and we are on the verge of getting blow out. [Flacco] takes us down the field twice. The next time you see the scoreboard, were right back up to 27. [Flacco] took the ball down and scored. We got a turnover, and he took it right back down and scored again. It was really just him throwing the ball down the field."

"This guy can take over a game! That’s what the players look for in a quarterback."

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I don't typically put much stock in the Pro Bowl. The Ravens are not a high profile team, and it always seems that there are several Ravens players who are snubbed. Obviously, there's no way that anyone could predict the Pro Bowl. We have no idea who's going to step up on our team or on other teams.

This is just meant to be a friendly discussion and debate. I'd like to know who you believe will be a big enough contributor and have big enough individual seasons. Remember that the Pro Bowl is a popularity contest. I would take many of our players over many other players at their position, but you need to keep the popularity of other teams and players in mind. The Pro Bowl does not take upside into account. As much as I love Joe Flacco, I don't think that he will be making the Pro Bowl over guys like Manning and Brady... this year. I hope he proves me wrong. Anyway, please pick the Ravens players who you think will make the Pro Bowl next season and provide a brief explanation. Also, I'd like everyone to make a sleeper pick. Pick a player that you think is flying under the radar. My picks are as follows:

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