The Baltimore Ravens followed up their 2012 Super Bowl winning campaign with an 8-8 record, 29th-ranked offence, and of course a

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The Baltimore Ravens followed up their 2012 Super Bowl winning campaign with an 8-8 record, 29th-ranked offence, and of course an early start to the off-season. Bart Starr Packers Jersey . Last year looked like an aberration, a blip on the screen for the defending Super Bowl champions, a well-run organization that had made the playoffs past five seasons and just locked up their franchise quarterback in Joe Flacco. The truth may lie somewhere in between; if last year was an aberration, so too was that Super Bowl win two years ago. Perhaps the Ravens underachieved last year, but they also overachieved two seasons ago, and a lot of the players that helped them on that surprising run in 2012 are no longer with the team. That impact was felt most on the defensive side of the ball, where the Ravens lost six key players, headlined by Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, and were left scrambling to replace their influence on a game. "Not good enough," Elvis Dumervil, one of the new additions on defence, told reporters about his units performance last year. "I think we did some good things but we left a lot on the field. I think injuries and other things maybe contribute to that, but either you get it done or you dont. So, were looking forward to that and were looking forward to taking care of business this year." "I dont know that we had that last year at times," defensive coordinator Dean Pees echoed to reporters. "Times we did, times we didnt. But weve got to have it all the time. Thats what were trying to develop, and thats what were trying to get done." Whats left is still a very good team – maybe even a playoff team – but one that cant compete with the heavyweights in the AFC, not without a huge defensive lapse by an opposing safety at least. On offence, the team almost had to award quarterback Flacco with the big contract he signed one off-season ago (six years, $120 million with $51 million guaranteed), but hes not on the level of a Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. Six starters in the AFC alone have better career quarterback ratings (an admittedly flawed stat) and that number increases to seven if you only count Kansas Citys Alex Smiths numbers after his resurrection three seasons ago. In the Ravens favour is theres no runaway favourite in the AFC North this year, rather them and two other teams in similar predicaments (Cincinnati and Pittsburgh), teams certainly capable of making a playoff run, but far from a threat once they get there. Cleveland of course takes up the caboose in a division that may look stronger than it actually is. Notes The biggest story of the Ravens off-season was Ray Rice and the actions that will cost him the first two games of the season. The fallout from the incident was as much against the league as it was Rice, which was criticized for levying a fairly lenient punishment on the running back after he allegedly assaulted his fiancé. The most intriguing free agent signing for the Ravens this off-season was veteran receiver and longtime Carolina Panther Steve Smith. Still looking to replace Anquan Boldin a year after he left for San Francisco, Baltimore added Smith, the entertaining five-time Pro Bowler, to their young and intriguing receiving corps. Outside of Smith, the Ravens were typically quiet in free agency. Re-signing left tackle Eugene Monroe, whom they traded for from Jacksonville midway through last year, was an important keep in the teams effort to rebuild their offensive line. The Ravens offence should get a boost from their new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak. Kubiak was a respected head coach with the Houston Texans and maybe deserved a second chance after the teams disastrous season last year. The former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator is a strong offensive mind. The Ravens love having a stout and feared front seven on the defensive side of the ball. They hope theyve added two more long-term pieces to their defences storied history. Linebacker CJ Mosley was perhaps a bit of a reach at 16th overall in the first round but grabbing defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan midway through the second round counts as a steal. Reggie White Jersey .ca NHL Power Rankings, ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks. Moving up, from 10 to seven this week, the Pittsburgh Penguins have won seven straight despite a depleted lineup. Reggie White Womens Jersey . Alexander was released last week by the Edmonton Eskimos, where he spent the past three seasons at safety. He had 121 defensive tackles, five special teams tackles and seven interceptions in 51 regular-season and three playoff games. http://www.shoptheofficialpackers.com/Elite-Rashan-Gary-Packers-Jersey/ . has left the San Jose Sharks to become the Boston Bruins director of player personnel.DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - From his perch atop Regan Smiths pit box, team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a clear view of the Daytona International Speedway finish line. He thought he was about to watch Smith win as his driver pulled away from the pack on the final lap Friday night in the Nationwide Series race. Then Kasey Kahne came charging through the outside lane, pulled alongside Smith and nipped him at the finish line. No worries for Earnhardt: Kahne also was in one of JR Motorsports Chevrolets. "I was just glad that it was one of our cars when I saw somebody flying by on the top," Earnhardt said. "When I got a glimpse of it, I was happy to see it was (Kahne.) It was Kahnes first Nationwide victory since a 2007 win at Bristol while driving for Ray Evernham. He hoped to translate it into another victory Saturday night in the Sprint Cup Series as Kahne looks for his first win of the season. Kahne is the only driver of the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers yet to win this season. "This will carry. I havent won in a while. To win in anything is good," Kahne said. "When I first came into this series in 02, I struggled to pick up stock cars. Id go and race my sprint car and could still win in sprint car races and Id come back feeling like I could win. ... Id run 15th or 20th, but I still felt way better coming back into that race after running my sprint car. Any momentum is good momentum." Kahne was 12th on a restart with three laps to go when Chase Elliott, another JR Motorsports driver, sputtered at the front of the field when the race went to green. It stacked up traffic behind Elliott and triggered a four-car crash that halted the restart. Kahne manoeuvred his way through the accident and found himself eighth when the race resumed for a two-lap overtime sprint to the finish. He weaved his way through traffic, but didnt appear to be in the mix for a shot at the win as Smith pulled away from the pack. But as the field hurtled through the final turn, Kyle Larson jumped out of line and made it three-wide behind Smith. Kahne moved into the top lane and, using a push from Ryan Sieg, charged alongside Smith and beat him to the line by .021 seconds. "Everything I did tonight was wrong — I looked in my mirror and would be like Go and then decide not to and itd be the right move," Kahne said. "I didnt really do a whole lot right, but at the end, II got a big push from (Sieg) and was able to get by Regan there. Aaron Rodgers Youth Jersey. Just had tons of momentum there coming off turn four and had a fast car." Smith couldnt offer a better last-lap strategy then the one he used. "If I go up any higher, we probably all wreck right there," Smith said. "I dont know how to do it any different. Ill have to study the tape and see where I messed up. I had a pretty good sized gap, but at that point you cant crack the throttle or drag the brake. I lost just enough momentum that it didnt quite work out." It was the sixth win this season for JR Motorsports, and second consecutive following Kevin Harvicks victory last week at Kentucky. "It feels good to win. These guys have won five times already this year, so its nice to get one. It was a fun race." Smith, one of JR Motorsports two full-time drivers, wound up second in his return to Daytona following his victory in Februarys season-opener. Despite the defeat, Smith reclaimed the series points lead from Elliott Sadler. "Its kind of bittersweet," Smith said. "Im disappointed for the team, Im disappointed for my guys, and selfishly Im disappointed. But, for JR Motorsports, Im happy. A 1-2 finish is great. Its kind of a weird mix of emotions right now. "Im happy for the company and frustrated for the 7 team." Earnhardt was thrilled with the 1-2 finish and the sixth win for his company. "Im proud of the company and what theyve been able to accomplish this year. Sieg was a career-best third. "It was a win for us," Sieg said. "Hopefully it will bring some more sponsors. It would be nice to have a full-time sponsor, hopefully we turned some eyes." The performance earned huge praise from Earnhardt, who said he spent time watching Sieg race during last months race at Dover. "He impressed the hell out of me. I had not really paid a ton of attention to him prior to that, and I know those guys run on a shoestring (budget), but he had a couple of runs during the race at Dover that were better than anyone outside the top-five," Earnhardt said. "Its great to see him run well because I think he does a lot with very little." Ryan Reed finished a career-best fourth and was followed by Larson, Joey Logano and Darrell Wallace Jr. The top 10 was rounded out by Jeremy Clements, Trevor Bayne and Mike Wallace. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Cheap NBA Jerseys Wholesale NHL Jerseys Wholesale MLB Jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Wholesale NCAA Jerseys Wholesale Football Jerseys Wholesale Basketball Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' '