ProFootballCentral.com

By PFC Ravens Writer Martin Steger

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis is essentially the quarterback of the Ravens defense: He’s the face of the franchise, he leads and directs his teammates, and he’s still considered the team’s most important player. Luckily for the Ravens, Lewis has fared much better than his various counterparts on offense over the years. But every good quarterback needs good protection, and Lewis gets that service from his strong defensive line.

This year, the Ravens return every starting defensive lineman from the past two seasons. In both of those campaigns, the Ravens had the league’s #2 run defense en route to finishing #1 in total defense in 2006 and #6 in 2007. That success starts with the trio of Kelly Gregg, Haloti Ngata and Trevor Pryce. Two of them dominated last season; the third’s injury wounded the entire defense. All three are essential to the Ravens in 2008.

Kelly Gregg, the team’s nose tackle, is the ultimate high-motor guy. He boasts a round, almost comedic appearance. He looks sort of jolly until he starts barreling into centers and guards like a man possessed, at which point he becomes a bundle of destruction. His drive is infectious: think of him like a high-energy NBA bench player who comes in to give his team a boost, only if that guy started, weighed 310 pounds and plowed into multiple offensive linemen for fun. Thanks to his size, strength, technique and effort, Gregg is very hard to deal with, which means he does an excellent job of keeping his linebackers clean.

Gregg’s energy also makes him a tackle machine, which is pretty impressive given his position. In 2007, Gregg had 83 tackles. That’s a huge amount of stops for a nose tackle, especially considering that Albert Haynesworth and Vince Wilfork, the AFC’s starting Pro Bowl defensive tackles, had 88 tackles combined according to Yahoo! Sports.

Granted, the Ravens defense spent a large amount of time on the field last season, but nose tackles traditionally get very few tackles and Gregg had to go above and beyond for his tackle total—like when he bothered to chase down a fleeing Frank Gore in space. Yet Gregg isn’t the only powerful force on the Ravens’ line.

Haloti Ngata is another beast in the middle for the Ravens, one who gives running games and spell checkers equal amounts of trouble. Though he is technically a defensive end in the Ravens’ base 3-4, Ngata is more akin to a monstrous defensive tackle than a fleeted-footed 4-3 end like Dwight Freeney. Ngata’s style is more brutal: He uses his size, strength and technique to pummel offensive linemen and disrupt running plays. Ngata is the epitome of the immovable object, and he is a key part of the Ravens’ excellent run defense.

As he enters his 3rd year, Ngata is poised to become a truly dominant force. Head coach John Harbaugh’s new conditioning program should add even more muscle to Ngata’s 340-pound frame, which is like giving a tank thicker armor and better weapons. For a terrifying run defender, Ngata moves surprisingly well, and though he’s not a great pass rusher he does take up space and blockers whenever he’s in the game. And Ngata doesn’t necessarily need to be a great pass rusher, especially if Trevor Pryce can return to health.

In 2006, Pryce was the Ravens’ leading sacker, gathering an impressive 13 quarterback takedowns from his spot at 3-4 end. In 2007, Pryce went down with a torn muscle in week 5, and the Ravens’ pass rush went with him. Linebacker/end Terrell Suggs suffered without him, as offensive lines no longer had to worry about Pryce rushing from the interior. The secondary had to sit in coverage longer, which became more and more of a problem as injuries forced backups into service.

Pryce’s backup, Dwan Edwards, did a good job, but few players can match Pryce’s interior pass rush, a talent that took him to four Pro Bowls during his time in Denver. He is a critical part of Baltimore’s pass defense, and his health will be essential to helping the secondary recover from its poor, injury-plagued 2007 campaign.

Though none of them made the Pro Bowl last season, Gregg, Ngata and Pryce may be the strongest part of the 2008 Baltimore Ravens. Their overall run stopping prowess combined with Pryce’s pass rushing affinity make this trio quite a force, and if they can put together a strong 2008, it will tremendously help a team looking to rebound. They’re the key to the defense, which means they’re vital to Baltimore’s season.