23-year old Ray Rice had a huge breakout season for the Ravens in 2009.  He played in 16 games (15 starts) for the Ravens last season and he carried the ball 254 times for 1,339 yards (5.3 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  Rice also caught 78 passes for 702 yards (9.0 avg) with 1 TD grab last season.  Rice is one of the best all around RBs in the NFL as he is a threat to break a big play any time his hands touch the football.  Rice has played in 29 games (19 starts) in his two years with the Ravens and he has carried the ball 361 times for 1,793 yards (5.0 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  He has also caught 111 passes for 975 yards (8.8 avg) with 1 TD grab in his two years with the Ravens.  Look for him to have another heavy workload in 2010 for the Ravens.

Rumors were flying all over the place in the spring that the Ravens were going to trade 28-year old Willis McGahee.  They resisted the temptation to do so and the Ravens will be a better team for keeping him.  McGahee played in 16 games (1 start) for the Ravens last season and he carried the ball 109 times for 544 yards (5.0 ypc) with 12 TD runs.  He also caught 15 passes for 85 yards (5.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs last year.  McGahee will be able to give Ray Rice a break once in a while and he could take over as the feature back if he gets injured.  McGahee has now played in 90 games (64 starts) in his 6 years in the NFL in which he has carried the ball 1,441 times for 5,787 yards (4.0 ypc) with 50 TD runs.  He has also caught 150 passes for 992 yards (6.6 avg) with 3 TD grabs in his career.

24-year old Jalen Parmele will be the Ravens’ #3 RB in 2010.  He played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Ravens last season and he carried the ball 5 times for 17 yards (3.4 ypc).  Parmele also was a big help on special teams for the Ravens last season returning 9 kickoffs for 283 yards (31.4 avg).  He has now played in 8 games (0 starts) in his two years in the NFL in which he has carried the ball 7 times for 44 yards (6.3 ypc). 

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RAVENS RBs in 2010:  A

25-year old Joe Flacco is a QB on the rise in the NFL and the Ravens have given him some new weapons to utilize this season.  Flacco played in all 16 games for the Ravens last season and he completed 315 of 499 passes (63.1%) for 3,613 yards with 21 TD passes and 12 INTs (88.9 QB Rating).  Flacco also carried the ball 35 times for 56 yards (1.6 ypc) last season.  Flacco has now played in 32 games in his NFL career and he has completed 572 of 927 passes (61.7%) for 6,584 yards with 35 TD passes and 24 INTs (84.9 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 87 times for 236 yards (2.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career to date.  Flacco has the whole package as he has the arm to throw any pass needed to succeed in the NFL.  This could be the year he gets to the Pro Bowl.  Flacco has a 20-12 (62.5%) as a starting QB in the NFL and he might improve that % this season.

25-year old Troy Smith was whining about wanting to get traded during the off-season but he’s back on board with the Ravens and he is behaving.  Smith played in 4 games for the Ravens last season in which he completed 5 of 9 passes (55.6%) for 24 yards with 0 TDs and 1 INT (21.3 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 8 times for 31 yards (3.9 ypc) with 1 TD run last year for the Ravens.  Smith has now played in 14 games for the Ravens in his career in which he has completed 48 of 89 passes (53.9%) for 558 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT (79.7 QB Rating).  Smith also has carried the ball 29 times for 109 yards (3.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.  I feel bad for Smith because he got sick in training camp two years ago and Joe Flacco won the starting job without looking back.  I would think that the Ravens would run a very run based offense if Smith were forced into the starting lineup.  Smith is 1-1 as a starting QB in the NFL.

#3 on the depth chart will again be 28-year old John Beck.  Beck has not played in a NFL game since the 2007 season with the Dolphins.  Beck played in 5 games that year in which he completed 60 of 107 passes (56.1%) for 559 yards with 1 TD pass and 3 INTs (62.0 QB Rating).  Beck has also carried the ball 9 times for 12 yards (1.3 ypc) with 1 TD run in his NFL career.  Beck is 0-4 as a starting QB in the NFL.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RAVENS QBs in 2010:  A-

The Baltimore Ravens were very happy with Joe Flacco’s ability to manage games last season as a rookie.  But, in 2009 they will likely run a somewhat more wide open offense.  Don’t expect them to throw the ball all over the place in 2009 just more times than in 2008.  Flacco definately has the arm to get the ball deep but the Ravens don’t have a lot of speed in the WR corps so the Ravens hope Flacco’s timing and judgment will be better on the short stuff in 2009.  Troy Smith will backup Flacco again in 2009.  He will also be used in specialty formations with Flacco which were effective last season as a unique wrinkle on the offense.  If something were to happen to Flacco and Smith were forced into action the Ravens would likely run the ball a lot more.  John Beck will be the #3 QB for the Ravens in 2009 but they hope they don’t need him to play or they would be in trouble.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  B

40-year old Matt Stover is the only player left over from the old Cleveland Browns that moved to Baltimore that is still playing.  But, he’s still very effective in converting field position into points.  Stover played in 16 games last season for the Ravens and he converted 27 of 32 field goal attempts (84.4%).  He also made all 26 of his extra points.  Stover doesn’t appear to be slowing down and he could still have a good year or two in his right leg.  Stover has now played in 271 games in his NFL career and he has made 435 of 519 field goals (83.8%).  He also has made 517 of 520 extra points (99.4%) in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

6’5″, 252 pound TE Todd Heap has been the secret weapon in the passing game for a while now but he will likely be the #2 receiver on the Ravens by the end of the season.  He has great hands and he’s very tall often causing problems for defensive players.  Heap only played in 6 games last season due to injury but he still caught 23 passes for 239 yards (10.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for Heap to catch at least 60 passes this season if he plays a full year.  Heap has now played in 88 games in his NFL career and he has caught 339 passes for 3,897 yards (11.5 avg) with 27 TD grabs. 

31-year old Daniel Wilcox is more of a blocker than a receiver but he does a good job at it.  He only played in 5 games last season for the Ravens due to injury and he caught 6 passes for 18 yards (3.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  If Heap is injured the Ravens’ passing game would suffer as Wilcox is not in the same league as Heap as a receiver.  Wilcox has now played in 48 games in his NFL career and he has caught 71 passes for 557 yards (7.8 avg) with 6 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B+

It’s way too easy to blame the QBs of the Ravens for the passing game not being up to par but some of the blame has to fall to an underachieving WR corps.  I’m not talking about veteran Derrick Mason however who might have had his best season of his career in 2007.  Mason played in 16 games for the Ravens last season and he caught 103 passes for 1,087 yards (10.6 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Mason is 34 years old now and he has some hard miles on his body so his production could start to fall at any time.  Still, he’s by far the best WR on the Ravens.  Mason has now played in 170 games in his NFL career and he has caught 710 passes for 9,024 yards (12.7 avg) with 47 TD grabs.

26-year old Mark Clayton was a huge disappointment for the Ravens last season.  He played in 16 games for the Ravens last season and he caught 48 passes for 531 yards (11.1 avg) but he didn’t catch any TD passes.  Clayton has the speed to get deep and the Ravens need him to start showing that on GameDay.  Clayton has now played in 46 games in his NFL career and he has caught 159 passes for 1,941 yards (12.2 avg) with 7 TD receptions. 

25-year old Demetrius Williams has the best speed of the WRs on the Ravens but he has never converted it into production.  He played in 9 games for the Ravens last season and he caught 20 passes for 290 yards (14.5 avg) without a TD grab.  Williams could move either up or down on the depth chart based on his pre-season performance and training camp.  Williams has now played in 25 games in his NFL career and he has caught 42 passes for 686 yards (16.3 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

The Ravens had high hopes that Yamon Figurs would be able to inject some speed into the WR corps as a rookie but it just didn’t happen.  Figurs played in 14 games for the Ravens last season and he caught 1 pass for 36 yards.  He also carried the ball 1 time for a loss of 1 yard.  Unless he improves this season he will likely only get to play on special teams.

Rookie WRs Justin Harper and Marcus Smith will get chances to work into the WR rotation.  Harper is a big guy at 6’3″, 205 pounds and he used to catching balls from bad QBs at Virginia Tech.  He played in 14 games (8 starts) for Virginia Tech last season and he caught 41 passes for 635 yards (15.5 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Still, he didn’t become a starter until last season so you have to wonder how much of an upside he really has.  Harper finished up playing in 51 games (10 starts) in his NFL career and he caught 83 passes for 1,338 yards (16.1 avg) with 8 TD grabs.

Marcus Smith is also a big WR at 6’0″, 214 pounds so he should be willing to handle the rough stuff over the middle.  He played in 13 games (all starts) at New Mexico last season and he caught 91 passes for 1,125 yards (12.4 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  It will be interesting to see how Smith handles a transition to a less open attack in Baltimore.  He finished his career at New Mexico having played in 49 games (25 starts) in which he caught 153 passes for 2,073 yards (13.5 avg) with 13 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

The Ravens have a lot of big fullbacks whose main concern is hitting linebackers and defensive ends in the running game.  2nd year man LeRon McClain is Willie McGahee’s personal bodyguard in the running game.  McClain is a big guy at 6’0″, 260 pounds and he likes to throw his weight around.  McClain played in 16 games (11 starts) for the Ravens last season and he carried the ball 8 times for 18 yards (2.3 ypc).  He also caught 9 passes for 55 yards (6.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for McClain to do another good job in 2008 for the Ravens.

26-year old Justin Green will be the backup for McClain this season.  He is 5’11″, 251 pounds but he almost never gets the ball in the running game.  He played in 15 games (0 starts) for the Ravens last season and he didn’t have any carries and caught only 2 passes for 16 yards (8.0 avg).  Green has now played in 39 games (7 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 5 times for 4 yards (0.8 ypc).  Green has also caught 13 passes for 65 yards (5.0 avg) in his NFL career.

23-year old Jake Nordin is #3 on the depth chart for the Ravens.  He is a big guy at 6’3″, 262 pounds but he didn’t get much of a chance to show what he could do last season as he only played in 1 game for the Ravens and didn’t touch the baseball.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C+

The Ravens don’t have much experience behind Willis McGahee but they do have talent.  Rookie RBs Ray Rice and Allen Patrick might have key roles in 2008 for the Ravens.  Willis McGahee will be the workhorse at running back for the Ravens again in 2008.  He is tough enough to run between the tackles, has decent speed and he has soft hands out of the backfield.  McGahee played in 15 games (all starts) for the Ravens last season and he carried the ball 294 times for 1,207 yards (4.1 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  He also caught 43 passes for 231 yards (5.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Ravens hope that the younger backs can give McGahee enough of a breather during the season to keep him healthy all year long.  McGahee has now played in 61 games (55 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 1,162 times for 4,572 yards (3.9 ypc) with 31 TD runs.  He also has caught 111 passes for 734 yards (6.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.

Rookie 2nd round pick Ray Rice will likely be McGahee’s main caddy this season.  Rice is short at 5’8″ but he weighs 205 pounds and reminds me in style of Maurice Jones-Drew.  The Ravens can only hope that he is.  Rice averaged 1,642 yards rushing and 16.3 rushing TDs per season in his three years at Rutgers.  Look for him to do a good job.

P.J. Daniels is currently #3 on the depth chart but he didn’t get to play last season because of a hamstring injury but he has potential and the Ravens will give him a chance to battle Rice for the #2 job on the team.  But, he better beware of rookie Allen Patrick and Cory Ross behind him.

Allen Patrick was a 7th round pick in this April’s NFL Draft but don’t count him out this season.  He carried the football 173 times for 1,009 yards (5.8 ypc) with 8 TD runs at Oklahoma so he played against good competition.  The reason he slipped so much in the draft is because of durability.

Cory Ross could move up the depth chart if he could just hold onto the ball more.  Ross played in 6 games (0 starts) for the Ravens this season and he carried the ball 12 times for 72 yards (6.0 ypc) with 1 TD run but he lost 2 fumbles last year.  Ross played in 4 games (0 starts) before last season and he didn’t touch the football on offense.  Ross has potential but he has to quit putting the ball on the ground.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

Any of the Ravens’ QBs on the roster could win the starting job this season.  Kyle Boller is the veteran of the bunch but he has not stepped up when given the chance to play.  Boller has a strong arm but he oftens throws the ball where he shouldn’t and it often costs the team.  He played in 12 games (8 starts) for the Ravens last season and he completed 168 of 275 passes (61.1%) for 1,743 yards with 9 TD passes and 10 interceptions (75.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 19 times for 89 yards (4.7 ypc).  Boller has never improved as he once was thought as the QB of the future for the Ravens but this could be his last season in purple.  Boller has now played in 53 games (42 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 746 of 1,311 passes (56.9%) for 7,846 yards with 45 TD passes and 44 interceptions (81.9 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 147 times for 440 yards (3.0 ypc) with 2 TD runs.

2nd year man Troy Smith had an audition late last season and he showed some promise.  He is short but the Ravens rolled the pocket often to give Smith better sightlines.  He also is a good runner and he showed that last season.  Smith played in 4 games (2 starts) for the Ravens last season and he completed 40 of 76 passes (52.6%) for 452 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 interceptions (79.5 QB Rating).  He also carried the football 12 times for 54 yards (4.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Smith will battle rookie Joe Flacco both now and in the future for the starting QB job of the Ravens and it will be interesting to see how he does in the competition.  He will have a good chance to unseat Boller this year.

1st round pick Joe Flacco of Delaware will have an uphill battle in trying to beat out Boller and Smith this season.  Flacco might have the most talent of this bunch but he played in a shotgun offense and it will take him some time to adjust being back under a center.  Still, Flacco projects to be the starter down the road for the Ravens based on his big time arm strength.

 PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C-