albert haynesworth

I couldn't help but notice a couple of trends with the Ravens' four offseason additions. First, the Ravens signed four players who were cut by other teams this past offseason. Second, these players seemed to have picked the Ravens for a reason: They want to win a Lombardi Trophy. Sound familiar? That's how the New England Patriots have operated this past decade.

Productive pass rushers such as Mario Williams of the Houston Texans usually don't become free agents while they are in the prime -- the most recent example was Julius Peppers, who signed with the Chicago Bears two offseasons ago.

In early August, when I released my monthly power rankings at the start of the preseason, some of you said it was too early to gauge how the NFL's 32 stack up against each other. Too early for power rankings? Psssh. A little premature speculation has never hurt anyone. After all, it's just that -- speculation and nothing tangible.

The Ravens reached a one-year agreement Sunday with five-time Pro Bowl center Andre Gurode, increasing questions about Matt Birk's availability for the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.