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As most people know, I am a HUGE Baltimore Ravens fan. Last season was a great season, as the team overcame all the doubts, one of the hardest schedules in the NFL and injuries to make it to the AFC Championship game. The team was so close to playing in the Super Bowl, but after another hearbreaking loss to the Steelers (23-14), the team packed their bags and cleaned out their lockers, and the offseason quickly began. Former Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan left the team to become the Head Coach of the New York Jets, and two former defensive players, Bart Scott (Tavares Gooden is expected to replace him) and Jim Leonard, followed. The team managed to keep Ray Lewis, and became younger at the Cornerback position. Domonique Foxworth, former Maryland player, signed along with Chris Carr. Six-time pro bowler Matt Birk. In the draft, the Ravens selected Offensive Tackle Michael Oher. The organization, along with its fans, feel that these were good signings that can fill some of the holes the team has. After the draft, Head Coach John Harbough had this to say, “Think about where we were a year ago at this time. We’ve made so much progress. We keep taking steps up the ladder.”

Once the schedule came out, I, as well as many other Ravens fans, became very optimistic about the upcoming season. The team got a break from having one of the hardest schedules, to having one of the easiest. The two conferences, out of the AFC North, that the team will square off against are the NFC North and AFC West, two lackluster conferences that have most of the teams in a rebuilding mode.
The first four games of the season have two home games and two away games. Game one is at home against the Chiefs, game two is at San Diego, game three is at home against the Browns, and game four is in New England. The second quarter of the schedule is formatted the same way; vs. Bengals, at Vikings, vs. Broncos, at Bengals, with a Bye Week during week seven. The next four games appear to be the toughest part of the season for the Ravens. A Monday night game in Cleveland followed by a home game against the Colts and then a Sunday night game at home against Pittsburgh, and ending with a Monday night game in Green Bay. The last four games might be the easiest, with two home games against the Lions and Bears, and ending the season on the road in Pittsburgh and finally in Oakland. After these 16 regular season games, the team will look to make more noise than last year in the playoffs.

The biggest tasks for the Ravens this year will be defeating the Steelers (swept last year 3 games to none), Flacco avoiding a "sophomore slump", and the defense staying up to the greatness that Rex Ryan established over his tenure.

There is a lot of anticipation and optimism in and around the Baltimore Ravens' organization, and it's clear to see why.