Baltimore Ravens must invest in defensive line – NFL Feature
Safety Ed Reed caused a stir in the National Football League (NFL) in general and in Baltimore Ravens’ circles in particular when a number of media reports suggested he was weighing retirement from the professional league.
It was offseason and the Ravens for a moment were caught by surprise. They knew Reed was an important member of their defensive unit, no matter if he was fast approaching maturity of his career.
Lucky for them that Reed after letting the rumours hover around for a while clarified that his statement of taking some time out from football was mistaken to thoughts of retirement.
So it was all over as far as fear of the safety being past was concerned, for the time being, at least. Deep down, Ravens managers knew that veteran safety along with veterans Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs and a couple of more players did not have much left
in them as far as their potential for pro conditions is concerned.
Although they claim they have a lot more football left in them to play, an immediate concern for them is their health and fitness. Only this year, Terrell Suggs has missed a majority of games with a partially Achilles Tendon and biceps injuries. Raw Lewis
missed many games straight too with a triceps injury. Although Reed has been lucky to an extent to avoid skipping any game with an injury, there is no guarantee if he will be so during rest of the season.
Irrespective of the fitness questions around these players, the Ravens know their defensive line was badly affected. The team has traditionally been relying on its defence for many years.
They have reached the playoffs and beyond on their defence strength. They have uprooted many opponents on the back of their defence. It is considered a hallmark of Harbaugh brothers’ strategies.
So the defensive woes were too much for them this year, and probably cost them more than any gain at all. Overall, the team did not feel an impact given their offence clicked on the right time, thanks to offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell who guided quarterback
Joe Flacco lead the team from the front.
They, however, knew that Flacco had his limits too, and how far they could rely on one man and one department.
At the time they strengthened their offensive line this year, the idea was they would not compromise on their traditional and strategic defensive strength, but then they let the players like Ray Rice go unceremoniously, and went on to ignore investment in
the fresh and quality talent.
Although their offence has responded well to the team’s needs, their defence have gone below par this season. Safety Ed Reed has admitted he has not been a part of that bad defence ever before. Coach John Harbaugh too conceded this. So did other players,
coaches and managers.
Although they could not do anything then to repair the damage done, certainly they can rethink the strategy in the longer run, and one the most important aspect of it is that the Ravens must invest in fresh and quality talent on the defensive line.
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