When veteran wide receiver Derrick Mason said recently that the Ravens' only goal in 2010 was to win the Super Bowl, some interpreted that as arrogance. In fact, it's the theme of this season.
It's the Super Bowl or bust.
That's the way it should be. We're not talking about the Cleveland Browns here, or the St. Louis Rams. These are the Ravens, a team that has competed near the top the past two seasons but made enough upgrades during the offseason to possibly push it to a championship.
Expectations are high for the Ravens locally and nationally because in an area where this team has been the weakest, the Ravens made significant acquisitions with the signings of receivers Anquan Boldin and Donte' Stallworth.
"You can't help but be excited to come into training camp," coach John Harbaugh said. "We've been that way the last two years here, and maybe even more so this year because I think what you're alluding to is the fact that we've probably addressed some positional situations that have not been able to win some games for us in critical situations in the playoffs.
"I think we've done that. I think we've looked at our team and said, 'You know what? We need to get better here.' And we've done that. But, you know what? You haven't done it until you line up and play. And that's why we're up here at training camp."
No team has ever won a Super Bowl on paper. While the Ravens appear to be a team with no serious weaknesses, they still need some things to come together. The key in 2010 is the development of quarterback Joe Flacco, and whether he'll be able to take the next step.
There has been significant improvement in his first two seasons, but Flacco has struggled in the postseason at a time when a quarterback often carries a team. There can be no more excuses now.
The Ravens made a good move by signing Jim Zorn as the quarterbacks coach during the offseason, giving Flacco expertise from a former pro player. Mason and Boldin should be successful on the outside, and Boldin finally gives the Ravens a big target across the middle. But there are still two areas of concern on the offense, and one is still at wide receiver.
Where's the legitimate speed receiver, the one who can stretch defenses and draw double coverage, allowing the others to work underneath?
The Ravens have candidates in Stallworth and Demetrius Williams, but neither has played well the previous three seasons. Stallworth appears to be a better option because the speed is still there. If he plays well, this passing game could be special.
The other area of concern is the offensive line. It's a young and talented group, but there are questions surrounding right offensive tackle Jared Gaither and whether he will be in the right frame of mind to play. If he plays well, and the Ravens' tackles can pass-block one-on-one, allowing tight end Todd Heap to become more involved in the passing game, then the Ravens should have a well-balanced, high-scoring offense.
Defensively, the biggest area of concern is at cornerback, but what else is new? The Ravens are hoping that Lardarius Webb and Fabian Washington can rebound from offseason knee surgeries. If not, the Ravens are in trouble, even though they still have Domonique Foxworth ready to play.
"We're probably bringing more corners into this camp than we have any camp since we've been here because of that," Harbaugh said of the injuries to Webb and Washington. "All indications are positive. We've seen them working out at the facility — both Fabian and Lardarius — and they both looked very good. But until you get them out there, practicing, changing direction, competing, you're not going to really know for sure.
"That's why we've signed some extra corners. A guy like Prince Miller certainly had a good OTA [organized team activity] period, so he's put himself in position to compete. We've got a couple veterans in there competing in Travis [Fisher] and Walt [Harris], so I think we're in pretty good shape at corner, and we'll see how it shakes out."
Safety Ed Reed will miss some games early with a hip injury, but the Ravens have capable backups in Ken Hamlin, Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura. There are still concerns about getting a pass rush, and those efforts suffered a severe blow when rookie linebacker Sergio Kindle suffered a fractured skull after falling down two flights of stairs July 22.
But the Ravens should be better in that area than a year ago with the addition of rookie tackle Terrence Cody, and the development of outside linebackers Jameel McClain, Antwan Barnes and Paul Kruger. And if Pro Bowl outside linebacker Terrell Suggs brings his "A" game, the Ravens will be in good shape.
The only other concern on this team is age. The Ravens have 18 players who have been in the league eight years or longer, including Boldin, Mason, Stallworth, Reed, Heap, center Matt Birk, linebacker Ray Lewis, defensive linemen Kelly Gregg and Trevor Pryce.
Now you understand why Mason has that sense of urgency. He looks over the roster and is aware that the Ravens have great talent and few weaknesses. And if they can bring it all together, a Super Bowl is well within reach.
And if they don't, the window of opportunity has closed for some of them. It's the Super Bowl, or possibly the end of a career.
Listen to Mike Preston from noon to 2p.m. Mondays and Fridays on Bruce Cunningham's show on 105.7 FM.