Baltimore Ravens Season in Review

Baltimore Ravens Season in Review

The runner up in the most disappointing 2013 season award goes to the Ravens. Yes, the Ravens were the defending Superbowl champs in 2012. Yet somehow this team was able to drop to 3rd in their division. After reviewing their schedule, I believe this team is should have had a better record then what they finished. 

I have never seen a teams offense be so bad the year after winning a Superbowl. Trading Anquan Boldin was the worst move the team made. In the first game of the 2013 season he showed the NFL why he was a huge reason for why the Superbowl win a year ago. Torrey Smith was their leading receiver this year. He was the only receiver who had over 500 receiving yards this season. Torrey Smith only had an average year. The Ravens need another receiver to play opposite of Torrey Smith. Torrey Smith is best when he is a burner. Jacoby Jones is best as a slot. Now they need a possession receiver. Offensively the Ravens lost their identity. They turned into a pass first offense all of sudden. They were the 30th worst rush offense this year. Ray Rice just couldn't get going. And now he has the bizarre situation with his finance. Pay close attention to this. 

Defensively, the Ravens lost their captain and leader. One of the most charismatic speakers to ever play football. Although they lost his skills diminished over the years, his ability to lead never did. Darryl Smith, one of the underrated free agent signings, played fantastic in his spot. The Ravens also let Ed Reed go. Luckily for them, Ed Reed's season was mediocre, one of his worst seasons ever. The Ravens let most of their defensive starters go including Paul Kruger, Danelle Ellerbe, Cary Williams, and Bernard Pollard. However, the defensive ranked in the top half of the league in all stats. If anything the defensive coordinator came through this year. 

I think the Ravens front office was a little too confident. They lost too many key players to be competitive. The Ravens players may have expected to go out and dominate their competition. Well they did..but only about half the time.