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Ray Lewis Doug Pensinger/Getty Projected starting lineup Offense No. Player Pos. 85 Kevin Johnson WR 89 Travis Taylor WR 86 Todd Heap TE 75 Jonathan Ogden LT 64 Edwin Mulitalo LG 62 Mike Flynn C 66 Bennie Anderson RG 78 Orlando Brown RT 7 Kyle Boller QB 39 Alan Ricard FB 31 Jamal Lewis TB 3 Matt Stover K Defense No. Player Pos. 98 Anthony Weaver DE 97 Kelly Gregg NT 94 Marques Douglas DE 90 Cornell Brown OLB 56 Edgerton Hartwell ILB 52 Ray Lewis ILB 58 Peter Boulware OLB 21 Chris McAlister CB 28 Gary Baxter CB 20 Ed Reed SS 47 Will Demps FS 15 Dave Zastudil P 2004 Draft Rd. Player Pos. School 2 Dwan Edwards DE Oregon State 3 Devard Darling WR Washington State 5 Roderick Green OLB C. Missouri State 6 Josh Harris QB Bowling Green 6 Clarence Moore WR Northern Arizona 7 Derek Abney WR Kentucky 7 Brian Rimpf T East Carolina Outside the Huddle Off-field gains Steve Bisciotti paid close to $600 million for the Ravens over a four-year period. Before he made his first decision as full owner, his investment had increased in value by an estimated $50 million. Quick turnaround During its bye week in mid-October, the team will move into a $30 million training complex. QB stability Having both quarterbacks back will be welcome for left tackle Jonathan Ogden. In his 124 games with the team, he has helped protect 14 quarterbacks. More of the same The Ravens may well repeat last season's performance, when they were the only team in the NFL to have more rushing yards (2,669) than passing yards (2,517). Ozzie's eye In the eight drafts since the franchise relocated from Cleveland, GM Ozzie Newsome has chosen 64 players. Fifty-four, an astonishing 84.4 percent, made opening-day rosters. 2003 Revisited The Prophecy: "Pro Bowler Todd Heap figures to lead the team in catches -- and highlight appearances ... " The Lie: "The Ravens will find it difficult to replace Michael McCrary." --Athlon Sports Pro Football 2003

The major change for the Ravens this season was at the very pinnacle, with Maryland businessman Steve Bisciotti completing his purchase of 99 percent of the team from Art Modell in early April. Like Modell, Bisciotti maintains immense trust in general manager Ozzie Newsome and head coach Brian Billick. And they continue to meet lofty goals, having made the playoffs at 10–6 last season after spending a 7–9 year in salary-cap purgatory with the youngest team in NFL history.

The always-confident Billick believes his team is ready to make a run at the Super Bowl. "That's the next natural step for us," he says. "This team [which won the AFC North last season] is virtually intact. I think we have the elements in place [but] a lot of things have to happen, obviously."

The Ravens need to keep starting quarterback Kyle Boller healthy. The 19th pick in the 2003 draft, Boller was handed the No. 1 spot in training camp. He played relatively well before suffering a season-ending torn left quadriceps in the ninth game of the season. Boller was intercepted nine times, but the team was 5–3 before his injury. "[Kyle] doesn't have to be a savior," says offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh. "If he just elevates his game to a level that's consistent, we know we'll be better off."

Anthony Wright was adequate after Boller went down. He led the team to wins in five of the final seven regular-season games.

The Ravens also brought in veteran Kordell Stewart to provide insurance for Boller.

Jamal Lewis became just the fifth back in NFL history to gain more than 2,000 yards last season. In his second full season back from a torn ACL, he earned Offensive Player of the Year honors from The Associated Press. With his blend of power and speed, he torched the Cleveland Browns twice, setting a single-game record with 295 yards Sept. 14 and adding 205 in the rematch Dec. 21.

The team is hoping Lewis can avoid a trial after being charged in late February with helping arrange a cocaine deal for a friend in Atlanta during the summer of 2000.

The Ravens are confident Musa Smith and Chester Taylor can step in if those federal charges keep Lewis sidelined. Billick believes if the Ravens had had Smith and Taylor when Lewis missed the entire 2001 season with a knee injury, they would have repeated as Super Bowl champs.

Fullback Alan Ricard emerged as a good blocker last season. He averaged 4.2 yards on 19 carries and added nine receptions for 62 yards.

Newsome is sensitive about the obvious lack of proven wideouts. "Our track record has shown we can bring in capable people," he says. "We've been down this road before at other positions. When you give [us] a chance, we come away with pretty good football players, and we will answer the bell again at some point at the receiver position."

Anticipating the arrival of Terrell Owens, the team allowed veteran Marcus Robinson, who averaged nearly 15 yards on 31 catches, to leave via free agency to the Minnesota Vikings.

Travis Taylor is more than adequate, and the coaching staff is optimistic that young Randy Hymes will be productive after missing all last season with a knee injury. Newsome traded a fourth-round draft choice to Jacksonville for veteran Kevin Johnson, who immediately became a starter.

Still, the team will be reliant on tight end Todd Heap, who last year had 18 more catches than the second-most productive Ravens receiver and made his second consecutive Pro Bowl. However, those 57 receptions yielded just three touchdowns.

Pro Bowl fixture Jonathan Ogden and a solid cast have become quite good in springing Lewis to stardom. The team is trying to keep the group together, signing right tackle Orlando Brown and center Mike Flynn each to five-year contracts.

This unit is homegrown. Ogden was the team's first-ever draft choice, fourth overall in the 1996 draft, and left guard Edwin Mulitalo was a fourth-rounder in 1999. Flynn and right guard Bennie Anderson were rookie free agents, in 1997 and 2001 respectively, after being cut elsewhere. Brown came with the team from Cleveland, left for the expansion Browns via free agency after the 1998 season and returned before last season.

The durable Ogden caught a 1-yard touchdown pass last season. He also had a touchdown catch as a rookie. Casey Rabach, a third-round pick in 2001, provides depth at center and guard, and veteran journeyman Ethan Brooks pushed Brown last season.

There's not much star-power on the Ravens' defensive line, but that's fine with defensive coordinator Mike Nolan. "The three-four allows you not to have a lot of big-name guys there," he says.

End Anthony Weaver has the most ability, but 310-pound nose tackle Kelly Gregg draws the most attention.

"He very seldom gets beat, has tremendous strength and leverage," says Nolan. "And just a huge heart."

The Ravens would like a massive interior run stopper, remembering how effective the since-departed Tony Siragusa and Sam Adams were on the team that won Super Bowl XXXV. They considered making a run at Warren Sapp, sensing he still has a couple of productive years left, but decided the price was too steep. What they added in 315-pound Dwan Edwards, their second-round pick, was a potential run-stopper at end.

This is the best set of linebackers in the league.

Ray Lewis earned Defensive Player of the Year accolades from the AP last season after another monster performance. His interceptions sealed victories over Denver and Jacksonville.

Nolan loves his trio of pass rushers -- Peter Boulware, Adalius Thomas and Terrell Suggs. "I don't know if you get much better than those three," he says. The Ravens were overjoyed to be able to re-sign Thomas, an unrestricted free agent. Suggs earned AP Defensive Rookie of the Year honors after a 12-sack season. "He may develop into the best of the group," says Ryan.

Inside backer Edgerton Hartwell is in the final year of his contract. Nolan calls veteran Cornell Brown "our ace in the hole" because he plays inside and outside.

Ed Reed and Chris McAlister are as good as they come. Consider Reed's stat line in '03: 70 solo tackles, nine tackles for a loss, 15 passes defended, a sack and seven picks. Also, he had two blocked punts and returned both for touchdowns.

The Ravens keep franchising McAlister, and he doesn't seem to mind. During one stretch last season, he was matched against Rod Smith (Denver), Jimmy Smith (Jacksonville), Torry Holt (St. Louis), Chris Chambers (Miami), Koren Robinson (Seattle), the 49ers' Owens and Chad Johnson (Cincinnati) and allowed a total of 25 catches for 273 yards and one touchdown.

Nolan wants to play versatile Gary Baxter at corner, where he excelled last season, though he also saw time at safety. Free safety Will Demps started eight games. Corey Fuller is expected to be the third corner, in addition to providing valuable leadership.

Matt Stover, heading into his 14th season, remains one of the most reliable kickers in the NFL. He was a Pro Bowl alternate last season after finishing third in the AFC in points with 134 and kicking two game-winning field goals. Kickoff specialist Wade Richey had 14 touchbacks last season. Punter Dave Zastudil had a 41-yard average and placed 21 efforts inside the 20.

History shows that the Ravens should never be underestimated. And they had eight Pro Bowl players last season, including the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, Jamal Lewis and Ray Lewis, and the Defensive Rookie of the Year in Suggs.

The Ravens clearly have some weaknesses, most notably at wide receiver, but every team in the NFL has some trouble spots. Boller's development will be key. The team needs him to emerge as a productive quarterback so they won't have to rely so heavily on Lewis and the running game. But the defense should once again be dominant. There could be plenty of low-scoring wins in the future -- enough to get the Ravens back into the playoffs.

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