Jan 10, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith (89) catches the ball as New England Patriots strong safety Patrick Chung (23) tackles in the first quarter during the 2014 AFC Divisional playoff football game at Gillette Stadium. David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — When the Baltimore Ravens trudged out of the locker room at Gillette Stadium in January following a narrow AFC divisional-round playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, veteran wide receiver Steve Smith vowed they would be back and that the result would be different the next time.
Seven months later, the Ravens launch their training camp hoping that they had the kind of offseason that propels them to take a step forward in the playoffs instead of regressing. Baltimore has reached the playoffs in six of coach John Harbaugh’s seven seasons.
That includes a Super Bowl XLVII win over the San Francisco 49ers, and they are 72-40 in the regular season during that span and 10-5 in the postseason.
Following an offseason where the roster absorbed some losses, including wide receiver Torrey Smith and outside linebacker Pernell McPhee leaving as free agents and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata being traded to the Detroit Lions after a contract dispute, the Ravens are nonetheless confident about where they stand.
“Happy with where we’re at and looking forward to where we’re going,” Harbaugh said during the final day of the Ravens’ minicamp in June.
As the Ravens launch their camp, they will have several competitions to monitor at strong safety, tight end and wide receiver. There is a strong likelihood they will have a younger, revamped depth chart with as many as five new starters this season. The goals for training camp are to identify the best possible starting lineup, continue to install the playbooks and build timing and chemistry.
“The training camp is built, so we have the reps built and all the practices built,” Harbaugh said. “All the situations are built in, every football formation look that we want to work on. You learn a lot in the OTAs in terms of what you’re going to be good at, you think, so you start steering in that direction a little bit more. And we’ll try to keep evolving from that, because we’re going to learn more as we go, and we’ll adjust as we go.
“But I’m looking for the young guys to step up. Our young guys probably get more reps than I can imagine anybody else getting, so we put our young guys in positions to compete for jobs. These rookies are going to have a chance to compete for jobs.”
CAMP CALENDAR
July 25: Rookies reported
July 29: Veterans report
July 30: First practice
Aug 19-21: Joint practices at the Philadelphia Eagles
Aug. 24: Camp ends
–Team strength: Linebacker.
Between outside linebackers Elvis Dumervil, Terrell Suggs and Courtney Upshaw and Pro Bowl inside linebacker C.J. Mosley and middle linebacker Daryl Smith, the position is a huge asset to the defense.
–Breakout player: Cornerback Jimmy Smith.
Smith is emerging as a shutdown cover guy. He was signed to a $48 million contract and has recovered from a Lisfranc foot sprain.
–Work in progress: Tight end.
The Ravens remain in flux at tight end where second-year pro Crockett Gillmore hasn’t established himself yet as a receiver and rookie Maxx Williams is unproven in terms of durability and blocking.
The Ravens hope the two young players develop into proven pros this fall.
