Team owner Steve Bisciotti ended Thursday's "State of the Ravens" news conference by playfully recounting the laundry list of recommendations from the media and fans that he accumulated on the Internet.
Some of the highlights that he read aloud: Change the offense; sign or draft a big left tackle and fast wide receivers; add a shutdown corner and a dominant edge rusher; get faster players; get smarter players; get more veterans but get younger, fire [Ozzie] Newsome, [Cam] Cameron, [Greg] Mattison and [Joe] Flacco; and finally, don't be a meddlesome owner.
"I promise you, we will get as many of those things done in the offseason as we can," Bisciotti said, drawing a roar of laughter.
While everyone seems to have suggestions on how to improve the team, the Ravens' offseason decisions could determine whether they can go from a perennial playoff team to a Super Bowl one.
In addition to the possible lockout and work stoppage, this could be a dramatic six months for the Ravens (13-5). An offense needs to be rebuilt, positions need to be reworked and seven starters need to be re-signed.
While there are plenty of questions facing the Ravens, the 2010 season provided many answers going forward. The Ravens saw the re-emergence of a feared pass rusher (Terrell Suggs), they found a long-term replacement for kicker Matt Stover (Billy Cundiff) and they proved to be more disciplined (they set the team record for fewest turnovers and nearly did the same for penalties).
All of that led to a third straight trip to the playoffs where the Ravens once again fell short of their desired destination.
"I'm proud of the success; I'm frustrated with the loss," Bisciotti said. "Last year, I said our goal was to be one of the elite teams. Realistically, our goal is to try and be in the top 12 that gets you into the playoffs. ... We got to the final eight three years in a row. That is the cream of the NFL that gets to the final eight, and only one of those eight teams is going to go on a three-game winning streak at that point. That's the one that's going to be crowned Super Bowl champ."
Bisciotti added, "I just want the fans to know that though we don't give you 100 percent results, we do give you 100 percent effort."
Here's a checklist of five goals the Ravens need to accomplish this offseason:
•Rework offensive line
The lack of physical play is a major reason the Ravens struggled at running the ball. The loss of offensive tackle Jared Gaither to a back injury threw the entire lineup out of whack. It's a priority to find an offensive tackle so Marshal Yanda can move back to guard (where he can be a Pro Bowl player) and Michael Oher can possibly switch back to right tackle.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he could see Oher's future being at left tackle, but Oher had eight false starts this season, a sign that he wasn't comfortable playing on the blind side. Still, finding a right tackle is a much easier task than adding a left one. There is also a possibility that center Matt Birk might retire after 13 seasons.
•Bring more speed to wide receiver position
The Ravens' top three wide receivers — Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason and T.J. Houshmandzadeh — are reliable targets on intermediate routes. But they're not the types of receivers who will consistently stretch the field. Flacco ranked 16th in passes over 20 yards (40) and 17th in throws over 40 yards (7). Like many teams in the league, the Ravens are searching for their own Mike Wallace-type receiver, one who can complement Flacco's powerful arm. Some would argue that the Ravens didn't properly use their fastest wide receiver on the team this year. Donte' Stallworth had more rushing attempts (five) than receptions (two).
•Try again to find another pass rusher
Newsome said he was caught off guard by the fact that the Ravens set a team record for fewest sacks in a season (27) because Suggs had one of his most productive seasons. But Suggs' season is more impressive because he didn't have much help from his teammates. Suggs recorded 11 sacks while the rest of the team had 16. Only two other players had more than two sacks: Haloti Ngata (5.5) and Cory Redding (3). With teams focusing their attention on Suggs, the Ravens have to find someone who can pressure the quarterback on the opposite side. The Ravens have tried the past two seasons in the second round of the draft, but Paul Kruger hasn't developed as expected and Sergio Kindle might never step onto the field because of a head injury.
•Get bigger at cornerback
The Ravens received better-than-expected play out of their cornerbacks. Chris Carr was the team's most consistent defender from the season opener to the playoffs, and Josh Wilson displayed strong ball skills after taking over for a benched Fabian Washington at midseason. Both are free agents and both won't be guaranteed jobs. Next season, Domonique Foxworth likely will take back his starting spot after sustaining a season-ending knee injury before the start of training camp, and Lardarius Webb could be ready to move into a starting role. But there's been something missing since the Ravens parted ways with Chris McAlister – a big defender who can jam receivers at the line and disrupt the timing of passes. If the Ravens want a top-10 pass defense again, they need a physical presence at corner whose aggressive play will allow the Raven to take more chances with blitzes.
•Get new deals for Harbaugh, Ngata
It's a near certainty that Harbaugh will receive an extension and it could happen by the end of the month. The Ravens are expected to reward Harbaugh with a multi-year deal that likely will average $4 million per season, putting him around the same pay range as Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin. That would be a solid raise for Harbaugh, who averaged between $2 million and $2.5 million on his first contract.
There's no question that Ngata is atop the team's free-agent plans, but it's unknown when a deal will get done because of the current labor issues. Even if the Ravens can't reach a long-term deal with Ngata, they would undoubtedly use the franchise tag to keep him (if that remains part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement). A potential starting point for Ngata's new deal is the one signed by Ndamukong Suh, the second overall pick of the 2010 draft who received a five-year, $68 million contract that included $40 million guaranteed.
twitter.com/jamisonhensley