With the opening of training camp only slightly more than a week away, the Ravens still haven't answered their most pressing question: Who will be the playmakers in 2016?
If you take a brief look around the league, you could figure that out with most teams, especially those with franchise-caliber quarterbacks. But with Flacco missing the final six games of last season with knee injuries, it's impossible at this point to even count on one of the team's most consistent players during the last eight years.
The Ravens have added two veteran receivers in Mike Wallace and tight end Ben Watson and Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle during the offseason, and those moves might add a few more wins.
But if that's the case, then the Ravens become a .500 team. They need to get to the postseason. But for that, they need game changers.
Where are the stars that will make the plays in the final four minutes of a tightly contested game?
That's what will be so intriguing about training camp. A lot of the so-called experts have predicted the Ravens to have a losing season this year, but that is premature. A wait-and-see approach might be more warranted.
We'll know for certain after the first quarter of the regular season. Last year, the Ravens had 12 starters who missed a combined 71 games. Of that group, Flacco, running back Justin Forsett, center Jeremy Zuttah, linebacker Terrell Suggs and receivers Steve Smith and Breshad Perriman all had seasons cut short because of injuries.
In several offseason minicamps, Forsett and Zuttah have practiced well. But Flacco, Smith and Suggs have yet to practice and Perriman suffered another knee injury leaving him questionable for the start of training camp.
Flacco has been present at The Castle during the offseason, and he said Monday he expects to be on the field with his teammates this weekend, when rookies and veterans who rehabbed injuries are expected to report.
He needs to be there on time because Watson and Wallace are new, and Perriman, too, to some degree. The return of Smith is questionable, not because he isn't willing to put in the time to rehabilitate, but because he is a perfectionist. If he isn't playing at his highest level, it would bug him just like it did former Ravens offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, who retired because of turf toe.
And even if Smith returns, is he the go-to guy at age 37? Will he have enough energy left at the end of the season or will he tire like he did in 2014? Watson and Wallace are complementary pieces, not dominating players.
Who's left? Perriman and tight end Dennis Pitta? Both have to show they can stay healthy.
There is no game-changer at running back, either. The Ravens have some talent with Forsett, Buck Allen and Terrance West, but they're all the same type of back. The Ravens need a homerun hitter.
On defense, it's the same question as a year ago. Who are going to be the top pass rushers? It's a stretch to think Suggs can dominate like he did years ago even if he fully recovers from a second torn Achilles heel.
If Suggs can't play at the beginning of the season, does Elvis Dumervil play Suggs' old position like he did a year ago when he finished with only six sacks? Second-year linebacker Za'Darius Smith could become dominant once he becomes more football smart and familiar with the defense.
The Ravens drafted outside linebacker Kamalei Correa (Boise State) and end Bronson Kaufusi (Brigham Young) in the offseason to beef up the pass rush, but it's hard to predict how rookies will play in their first season, even those drafted in the early rounds.
Defensive coordinator Dean Pees has as many questions about his secondary. Weddle will help an often-confused unit from a year ago as far as alignments and assignments, but the cornerbacks are basically the same players who have struggled the past two seasons. Again, the Ravens have some rookies such as Tavon Young (Temple) and Maurice Canady (Virginia) who have practiced well in minicamps, but it's hard to put a lot of stock into first-year players.
There are just numerous holes for a team that won only five games last season. A lot of the losses were decided in the fourth period when the Ravens appeared out of shape, but they also lacked the playmakers to pull it out in crunch time.
We'll get some answers soon, but maybe we won't have to wait until the first four games are over. If coach John Harbaugh starts having confrontations with reporters during halftime of preseason games like he did last year, it could be indicative of things to come. It wasn't good last year and won't be in 2016, either.
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