In a couple of weeks, the Ravens will begin their offseason meetings to discuss how to improve the team, but that's not hard to figure out.

The Ravens need to upgrade the skill positions on both sides of the ball, and the top priority is finding a wide receiver. When draft day in April comes, we don't want to hear that the Ravens are taking the top-rated player on the board.

This team needs a legitimate big, speedy receiver and another big cornerback who can start. It might be opposite rookie Lardarius Webb, who will be coming off a serious knee injury, or opposite Domonique Foxworth, who is in the second year of a big four-year deal and who will have to play until Webb has recovered.

End of conversations.

The Ravens wrapped up their 2009 season Saturday night with a lopsided divisional playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Unlike those who want to blame general manager Ozzie Newsome or quarterback Joe Flacco or offensive coordinator Cam Cameron or the equipment manager or water boy, we should all keep this season in perspective.

Despite playing in the AFC championship game nearly a year ago, this was a well-coached team with average talent. Like any team in the postseason, the Ravens had a shot at making it to the Super Bowl, but they had to play better and more consistently than they did during the regular season.

It didn't happen.

The Ravens created false hope with an impressive opening-round playoff win against the New England Patriots on the road, but it was an aberration.

The same problems that occurred during the regular season were on display Saturday night, including penalties, lack of a consistent pass rush and poor use of timeouts. And then there was the albatross, where the Ravens have virtually no passing game and can't stop the other team from passing.

There are a number of ways the Ravens can improve their passing game, but they have to start with finding receivers. The rest of the offense appears in place.

The Ravens have good, young personnel on the offensive line, at quarterback and at running back, but now it's time to find the final piece(s) of a well-balanced offense. The Ravens could build through free agency, where receivers such as Brandon Marshall, Vincent Jackson, Miles Austin, Malcom Floyd and Terrell Owens might be available. Or they might have to find a receiver through the draft, but the Ravens need at least one, possibly two. The Ravens can't keep conducting a hurry-up offense with swing passes to running back Ray Rice and tight end Todd Heap.

A receiver, though, won't solve all the problems in the passing game. Anyone seen Flacco in the past two postseasons? The playoffs are a time when he is supposed to shine, but it hasn't happened.

Cameron also has to step up his game. The Ravens seem to struggle against good teams that use two-deep coverage, such as the Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers. Good passing teams use the entire field the way Colts quarterback Peyton Manning did Saturday night, but for the past two seasons the Ravens have basically stayed to the outside.

Is it because Flacco struggles throwing to the middle of the field? Is it because the Ravens' passing game isn't that sophisticated, or is it because Cameron doesn't trust Flacco? Certainly, these are some issues coach John Harbaugh needs to address.

Defensively, the Ravens improved as the season went on. The secondary performed almost as well as could have been expected Saturday night, but this group was no match for the Colts.

To compete with Manning and the Colts, the Ravens have to find another starting cornerback. They already have a good one in Webb, but he'll be recovering from knee surgery. The Ravens need a better one to replace Foxworth and Chris Carr, even though Carr played well at the end of the season.

But just finding a cornerback won't solve all the defensive problems, either. The Ravens need to change their philosophy in regard to defensive linemen. Instead of just looking for run-stoppers like Haloti Ngata or Kelly Gregg, the Ravens need to find better athletes who can both stop the run and become effective pass rushers.

Finding a replacement for Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed isn't a major problem if Reed decides to retire. But Tom Zbikowski, who replaced Reed when he was injured, doesn't have nearly Reed's range. Overall, the Ravens don't have a lot of rebuilding to do. Ravens fans might have seen the last of Heap, running back Willis McGahee, defensive end Trevor Pryce, cornerback Frank Walker and Reed, but the Ravens still should be a serious contender next season.

And if they make the suggested upgrades and bring back kicker Matt Stover, who knows? They should at least be able to go deeper in the playoffs with improved play at the skill positions.