It could be worse. The Ravens could be the Tennessee Titans or the Washington Redskins.
But in retrospect after six games, the Ravens (3-3) are right near reasonable projections unless you're drinking the purple Kool-Aid.
The Cincinnati Bengals game at home got away from them, and it's an uphill climb to get to the postseason, but what did you expect playing the San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings on the road?
Right now, the Ravens are an average team, and no one knows exactly where they're headed with 10 games remaining. But at least they have two weeks to fix recurring problems before the Denver Broncos come to town.
Or, to put it in better terms, they have time to mask some problems because some of them can't be fixed until next season, or even years later.
Fans are still clamoring about the Ravens finding a big-time receiver, but that's not the No. 1 concern. Actually, finding a player to stop the other team's top receiver is the major priority.
It's a glaring weakness, and barring a major trade, which is unlikely, the Ravens have few options. They've already benched starter cornerback Fabian Washington and nickel back Chris Carr, and that hasn't worked. They can't get solid enough play out of safeties Ed Reed and Dawan Landry to hide mistakes on the back end, so it now comes down to pressuring the quarterback.
To get more pressure, the Ravens might want to use more of a three-man front on passing situations and use the fresh legs of outside linebackers Antwan Barnes, Paul Kruger and Jameel McClain.
Maybe they spice up their looks by moving around a bit more so teams won't slide their protections toward ends Terrell Suggs or Trevor Pryce. Right now, almost anything has to help because not a lot is working.
In the future, it could be a time for a change in philosophy, especially if the Ravens are going to run a 4-3 defense. In the past, the Ravens had selected players to funnel all the action to Pro Bowl middle linebacker Ray Lewis.
That was good when Lewis was in his prime, but Lewis is no longer that dominant force. So instead of drafting or signing only run stoppers, maybe the Ravens should draft good, athletic defensive linemen who can stop the run and get pressure on the quarterback as well.
It's a pass-happy league, and there are some good, young quarterbacks surfacing. The Ravens made the same adjustment with their offensive line a couple of years ago, and the offense has significantly improved.
