State of the Franchise: Ravens set to thrive with Lamar Jackson Published: Jun 12, 2019 at 07:22 AM NFL.com Writer Members of the , fans of the team around the world and those of you who still haven't quite mastered : My friends, when I look at the landscape of the AFC North, I see the drama revolving around the . I see the starting over with a new coach for the first time in nearly two decades. And I see the fighting through the weight of expectations and the media scrutiny that comes with them. But when I see the , I see stability. Even in the wake of losing a long-time general manager and some familiar names on defense, the are a beacon of continuity in a division embroiled in chaos. How the Ravens got here The highs: -- The arrival of . After trading up to draft Jackson with the last pick of the first round in 2018, the former Heisman Trophy winner replaced as the ' QB1 in Week 11 -- and that's when the team's fortunes changed. He led Baltimore to a 6-1 finish. -- Winning the AFC North title. Riding a dominant run game fueled by Jackson, the club won its division for the first time since 2012 and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2014. The lows: -- at home in the Wild Card Round. I know it's tough to beat a team twice in three weeks (the defeated the in L.A. ). But you can't drop home playoff games. 2019 VIPs Head coach: John Harbaugh. Some J.R. Smith Jersey real talk here. Harbaugh's one of the best coaches in the game. He was on the hot seat last year because the team had three consecutive non-playoff seasons. But outside of a 5-11 campaign in 2015, the haven't had a losing season under his watch. So I never really understood why he was under such scrutiny. If the had ever let him go, he would have been unemployed for about an hour. It's like that episode of "How I Met Your Mother" where Ted is waiting years for this girl to be single so he can ask her out. You know a lot of teams were just waiting for the to do something foolish. (Bob Saget's voice): Kids, the didn't do anything foolish. The rallied from Larry Nance Jr. Jersey a 4-5 start to make the playoffs and signed Harbaugh to a new contract that runs through 2022. Quarterback: . I know some of you wiseacres will say, "Don't you mean ?" I'm going to ask you to leave. Jackson is the of this team. As mentioned above, the rallied from a 4-5 start to reach the playoffs, and it's no coincidence that the tide turned for the once Jackson took over for , who injured his hip in a Week 9 . Baltimore went 5-1 down the stretch with Jackson at quarterback, with the lone lo s coming . And that only happened because converted this on fourth down to extend a drive late in the fourth quarter. So I'm not going to be too harsh about it. But let's look at the key takeaways from Jackson's rookie season: 1) He won a lot, including a huge Week 16 game . 2) He probably saved his coach's job and got him an extension. So the are in the very capable hands of Jackson moving forward. So is gone? Yep. Flacco is a . He found a team that will like him for what he is -- a tall former champion. I applaud the move. No need to stay together for the kids when it's best you both move on. You'll always have XLVII. However, the time was right for the two sides to split. 2019 MVP: , QB. Did you not read the part above where I mentioned how Jackson saved the ' season last year? He's the most important member of this team. Wait, what happened to ... , and ? Those are key members of the Baltimore defense that allowed 17.9 points per game last season (second fewest in the league), but they all moved on in the offseason. Suggs is in Arizona. Mosley got a ton of money from the . And Weddle ended up joining his hometown team, the , after being released. 2019 breakout player: , OLB. The have to replace several veterans on defense, so Thon Maker Jersey they'll be looking for some of their younger players to step up. And it will be a testament to retired GM Ozzie Newsome's ability to stockpile talent via the draft when Williams rises to the occasion. Williams didn't see the field a whole lot during his first two seasons, but the former Alabama edge rusher is going to emerge as a key piece in 2019. This isn't unfamiliar territory for him, having paid his dues with the Crimson Tide before becoming a leading contributor. You watch. He's going to break out this year. Don't sleep on: , LB. He's shown flashes in the past, but now he's being counted on to be a leader in the middle of the defense. I expect Onwuasor to be another in a long line of great linebackers. Newcomer to watch: , safety. The broke the bank to get Thomas, signing the six-time selectee to a four-year, $55 million deal. His contract includes $32 million guaranteed -- tops among safeties -- even though he ended last season on injured reserve with a broken leg. While he's coming off the injury and entering his age-30 season, Pro Football Focus still ranks Thomas as one of . He'll be one of the most instinctual and intelligent players on the field every week. The 2019 roadmap The competitive urgency index is: HIGH. You don't get to relax because your coach now has a long-term extension. The have had all sorts of problems. The are starting anew. And the are getting all of your glory because of a few offseason moves. Don't let them treat you this way, . Will the Ravens be able to ... Hit on their low-risk edge-rushing additions? The took fliers on and , who are both trying to relaunch their careers after signing low-cost one-year deals this offseason. Ray is a former first-round pick who disappointed with the , and McPhee is returning to where he began his career after playing sparingly for the last season and previously falling out of favor with the , who gave him a big payday following his rise with Baltimore. Can they put it together in 2019? Also, the team drafted the FBS all-time sack leader, , out of Louisiana Tech in the third round (85th overall). What's interesting to note here: Ferguson set the sack record by besting Suggs' mark. Find somebody to catch the ball? The used a lot of draft capital in an effort to upgrade the receiver room. and are gone. So the team will turn to first-round pick Hollywood Brown and third-rounder . Brown has the kind of game-breaking speed to help showcase Jackson's arm strength. is also , and is a better receiver than he showed during his first season with the . Continue their succe s running the ball (with players other than Lamar Jackson)? was terrific for the Matt Mooney Jersey last season, so it was kind of a surprise to see the team invest in RB in free agency. I like Ingram's game, though, and he's been effective in a committee, sharing time with . Speaking of which, fourth-round pick could emerge as the Kamara type for Greg Roman's offense. -- . A chance to avenge the lone regular-season lo s of Jackson's career. It's also one of those key games for teams you expect to be jockeying for one of the top seeds in the AFC. You know, the team that will host the in the AFC Championship Game. -- . REVENGE GAME! returns to Seattle. But seriously, this could be a preview. -- . I mean, if the are any good this year. I kid. But this should be the regular-season finale for these teams every year. How do we make that a thing? Storylines people are overlooking and overthinking: 's ability as a pa ser/workload as a rusher. owner Steve Bisciotti when he said Jackson was going to run le s this season. Jackson rushed 147 times for 695 yards and five touchdowns last year. That is a lot. In fact, it's the most rushing attempts by a QB in a single season in NFL history. You think of the shoulder problems quarterbacks like and have had in recent seasons, and sure, you worry about Jackson taking so many hits. But you can't stop him from doing what made him great as a rookie. As Pro Football Focus , the threat of the run helped Jackson as a pa ser in 2018. Nearly 43 percent of his pa ses came on play-action, and he averaged 8.8 yards per attempt on those throws, compared to 5.9 without play-action. Jackson will never be a cla sic dropback pa ser, but he can be a very effective thrower if provided with the right tools. With the offseason additions at both running back and receiver, there is no way Jackson is going to fail in Year 2. He can extend plays. He can get outside of the pocket and throw. He offers so many things you want at the position in the modern NFL. And hey, look: Former coach Brian Billick will be inducted into . Well done, team. This was the cla sy thing to do. He brought you your first . Love seeing this. For 2019 to be a succe sful season, the Ravens MUST ... -- Win a playoff game, and maybe even get all the way to the AFC Championship Game. The need to reignite the rivalry they had with the a few years back. They had some cla sic playoff games, and I would like to get back to that. In closing I'm really comfortable with where the currently stand in the AFC, which seems strange to say when you're talking about a team that has a second-year quarterback, new stars not only on defense but in key offensive skill positions and a new general manager. But I like what the have built here. Newsome was one of the best GMs in NFL history and we'll look at what he did during those glory years as the stuff of legend. But the way he set up the to be succe sful for when he walked away should be noted, too. I mean, how easy would Alfonzo McKinnie Jersey it be for a GM run the course with a Super Bowl-winning QB and then be all, "later, guys" while leaving the cupboard bare? That's not the situation inherited by Newsome's succe sor, Eric DeCosta. His mentor has set him up tremendously well. This should be a good year in Baltimore. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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