OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- With six starters -- including Ray Lewis and Ed Reed -- subtracted from Baltimore's Super Bowl defense, the Ravens are supposed to be in trouble.
Only they're not. Because when you watch them practice, and when you size up their depth chart there's only one conclusion to draw about a defense that for years was the crankshaft of this organization.
Yep, it will be better.
You heard me. Better. That's because it's faster, deeper and younger than the unit that for most of last year, frankly, was a disappointment.
Yeah, I know, it came around when it mattered, especially in the AFC Championship game, but look at the entire body of work: It was dead-flat ordinary. The Ravens' defense last season was 12th in points allowed, 17th in yards, 14th in takeaways, 15th in sacks and hemorrhaged over 200 yards rushing in back-to-back games vs. Dallas and Kansas City.
That's not the Baltimore D. Aggressive, suffocating and hermetically sealed is, and there's a reason defensive coordinator Dean Pees last week said the Ravens "have to be better than we were last year."
Because they will be.
"I feel the same way," said defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. "Just seeing what we're doing now ... We don't have all our pieces here yet, but we are so young and so fast. The way we're moving on the field in OTAs is just amazing. It's exciting to see where we are this year."
It usually is. But last year was an aberration here, with the Ravens tilted more toward Joe Flacco and the offense. When Flacco re-signed for a gazillion dollars in the offseason, it seemed as if the Ravens were telling us what we already suspected -- namely, that they were going to be more about throwing the ball and less about defending it.
Except they won't, and here's why:
-- They're bigger and deeper up front, with free-agent veterans Chris Canty and Marcus Spears and third-round draft pick Brandon Williams, who already has the attention of coaches and players, with one insider calling him "one giant muscle." Plus, don't overlook Pernell McPhee, impressive when he's not handicapped by injuries ... which he was last season ... and who may play as a backup outside linebacker.
-- They have Terrell Suggs, the 2011 Defensive Player of the Year, for an entire season. A year ago, nobody was sure he would play, period, because of a torn Achilles. He returned in late October and made it through the rest of the season, but he was never the same -- saying that he lacked the explosion that's so necessary to his game. Suggs is a question mark this year, but when he showed up at Wednesday's White House ceremony teammates were struck by how fit he appeared.
"He's lighter and definitely stronger," said Ngata. "He's coming back to the old Terrell Suggs. He looked amazing. He's doing what he needs to do because I think he wants everyone to know he's the old Terrell Suggs and coming back for an awesome year."
-- Their best defensive back, cornerback Lardarius Webb, is back, too, adding what Pees called "an extra spark" to the secondary. Webb was sidelined most of last season with a torn ACL, and he was missed. But in his absence, the Ravens discovered a talent in Corey Graham, and look for him and Jimmy Smith -- who showed up 10 pounds lighter -- to battle for the starting position opposite Webb.
-- Safeties Michael Huff, James Ihedigbo and rookie Matt Elam may not deliver bone-rattling blows like Bernard Pollard and Reed, but they're tough, have range and aren't afraid to tackle. There's no question the loss of Reed is enormous. He was a takeaway machine, especially in the playoffs. But the guy's 35, beset by injuries and no longer the dominant player he once was.
"We're not going to live in the past," said Huff. "We've got to start our own legacy."
If there's a concern it's at linebacker where the Ravens lost Lewis, Dannell Ellerbe and Paul Kruger. But Lewis was out of gas, and Kruger was a one-dimensional player -- with that one dimension, the pass rush, where he excelled down the stretch. The loss of Ellerbe, a three-down linebacker, was a setback, but now you know why Baltimore traded up to obtain Arthur Brown in the second round of this year's draft.
The Ravens love the guy, and they're confident that when he returns from a sports hernia surgery you will, too. Former starter Jameel McClain is expected to be OK after suffering a spinal injury that could've threatened his career, veteran Daryl Smith seems a perfect fit and newcomer Elvis Dumervil should give the Ravens more than what they had in Kruger.
It's not just that Dumervil is a proven pass rusher, once producing 17 sacks in a season; it's that he's a proven leader, and Baltimore is looking for someone to supplant Lewis in the locker room. Dumveril, who hasn't missed a practice, is one of the early front runners, along with Suggs, Ngata and McClain.
"Dumervil is automatic," said Ngata. "He's probably been the best leader this offseason, just being here every day, showing guys how to work and being there to answer any questions the younger guys have. He's done a great job."
I haven't even mentioned Courtney Upshaw, but I think you get the idea. The Ravens defense isn't the same unit you watched in Super Bowl XLVII, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it's a bonus. Baltimore had to get faster, younger and deeper, and it has ... which is why these guys may not miss Ray Lewis and Ed Reed as much as you might expect.
"A lot of people are overlooking us," said Ngata, "but we're going to be flying to the ball because I've seen it already in practice. It's going to be fun to watch."
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