ProFootballCentral.com

By PFC Ravens Writer Martin Steger

Heading into the 2008 season, the Baltimore Ravens defense remains one of the league’s proudest and stoutest units. This defense has talent from front to back, with Pro Bowl-caliber players at every level. But despite five consecutive top-10 finishes in overall defense, this unit does have some concerns as the team moves in a new direction.

The defensive line immediately jumps out as possibly the best group of players on the entire team. Haloti Ngata was impossible to move against the run last season, while Kelly Gregg led all defensive linemen in tackles despite playing the nose in a 3-4. The third starter, Trevor Pryce, is a great pass rusher who came to camp in equally great shape. Versatile backup Dwan Edwards and strongman Justin Bannan provide solid depth, while Dan Cody might finally see time on the field at defensive end.

The linebacker position is also stacked. Inside linebacker Ray Lewis is much closer to the end of his career (and contract) than Baltimore fans would like, but he still leads this defense with his emotional play and hard-hitting tackles. His counterpart on the inside, Bart Scott, will be playing to redeem himself after a poor 2007 season. With a healthy Trevor Pryce pass rushing in front of him, Scott should be able to get back to what he does best: blitzing and attacking instead of dropping back and covering. On the outside, Terrell Suggs finally reported to the team under the franchise tag. Like Scott, he will be looking to rebound after a mediocre showing last season.

It’s likely that at least one of those linebackers will be gone after the season because of money issues, but for now they form a solid base for this defense. As for the rest of the linebackers, improved starter Jarrett Johnson will contribute as a hard-nosed defender while Antwan Barnes might be able to boost the pass rush with more playing time.

Finally, the secondary boasts its own set of elite players, starting with free safety Ed Reed and cornerback Chris McAlister. Reed is arguably the best safety in the league, while McAlister can make any receiver’s day much harder. Cornerback Samari Rolle appears to be over his epilepsy issues and is still a capable cover man. Young safety Dawan Landry could be heading into a true breakout campaign as he enters his third season. Despite this unit’s potential talent, however, it also has the scariest “Cons” list.

Cons: The secondary is certainly talented, but it can’t use that talent from the sidelines. Last season, McAlister and Rolle missed huge amounts of time with injuries and illness. Reed played in every game, but now has a shoulder injury and could miss the start of the season. Reed’s accolades come from his coverage skills, but he is also a very physical player, and a shoulder injury could especially hamper that part of his game.

Fabian Washington and Frank Walker came in during the offseason to bolster the depth at corner, but Walker has struggled in the preseason. We saw the rest of the corners in 2007 when Rolle and McAlister went down, and the results weren’t pretty. They need more time to develop. The depth behind Reed and Landry consists of rookies Haruki Nakamura and Tom Zbikowski along with former Bill Jim Leonhard. Nakamura is doing well on special teams—and for now, the team hopes he’ll stay there behind a recovering Reed. Overall, the secondary can’t afford another injury-riddled season, which could be a problem given this unit’s relative age.

Like the secondary, injuries could also strike the defensive line. Gregg and Pryce are both in their 30s, and Pryce missed most of last season while hurt. Ngata and Gregg should be ready to go soon, but both have been injured this preseason. If this unit can’t stay healthy, it will magnify any problems in the back seven.

Another con is the team’s potentially unhappy linebackers. Though they will supposedly be motivated to play for new contracts, Scott, Lewis and Suggs all have to be annoyed that they couldn’t get a deal done. Ultimately, though, they will probably get over it and play as hard as ever—just not with the same job security.

This defense has the talent to remain dominant for another season. Unfortunately, it could also end up suffering through another wave of injuries. The games will tell the story.