ExtremeRavens Posted Monday at 10:00 AM Posted Monday at 10:00 AM No two Super Bowl victors are the same. The ones annually puffing cigar smoke in the locker room on a late Sunday night in February, or riding in floats days later, endure unique challenges of roster construction. They’re often swayed by the mercy of football deities, too. The Ravens can’t copy the Philadelphia Eagles’ test answers and make good on Lamar Jackson’s draft night promise next year. But, after falling three wins shy of expectations, they can learn a thing or two from the dynasty dethroners. It starts in April. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman hit on draft pick after draft pick. He was aggressive in trading up early in the 2024 second round and scooping up Iowa’s Cooper DeJean, considered one of the top cornerbacks. DeJean returned on investment with a game-defining pick-six in Super Bowl 59. Roseman traded up in 2023 too, picking defensive tackle Jalen Carter at No. 9. The Georgia star turned into a Pro Bowl selection and game-wrecker by Year 2. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has previously downplayed the idea of trading up in the draft, but Philadelphia showed what kind of difference it can make. Hitting in the draft is easier said than done, but it helped Philly build the best statistical defense in football. Baltimore — which has two homegrown first-team All-Pros on defense in safety Kyle Hamilton and cornerback Marlon Humphrey — required some retooling before reaching the playoffs on a high note. Perhaps the biggest takeaway the Ravens — and any NFL team, for that matter — should glean from the Super Bowl was the utter domination in the trenches. Philadelphia defensive coordinator Vic Fangio did not blitz the Chiefs once in 42 drop-backs. His four-man rush made Patrick Mahomes’ life hell, forcing the three-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player into a pair of uncharacteristic interceptions and sacking him six times, including one that forced a fumble. “They’re one of the best defenses in the league,” eight-time Super Bowl champion coach Bill Belichick said on SiriusXM’s Let’s Go podcast. “What Howie did in addition to getting [Saquon] Barkley was improving the defense and putting young players on the field and how well they played.” Baltimore’s pass rush group got breakout years from Kyle Van Noy (12 1/2 sacks) and Odafe Oweh (10 sacks) and totaled 54 sacks, the second most of any team in the NFL. That said, they couldn’t maintain that effective pass rush without compromising at the second or third levels. Philly’s playoff success should be a reminder of the value of investing in that group. As for the offensive line, the Ravens trotted out three new Week 1 starters (both guard spots and right tackle) and plugged in a rookie by Week 4. It took some time for the group to jell. This spring, DeCosta will decide whether to re-sign veteran left tackle Ronnie Stanley or to let him walk and reshape that group again. It’s hard to replicate the success in Philly, which boasted the tallest and heaviest offensive line in NFL history led by one of the league’s best coaches at that position in Jeff Stoutland. Three of those players rank in the top six in terms of average annual salary. But Roseman’s use of void years on such contracts helps kick the financial can down the road, freeing him to bolster the roster now. Philly currently has the most cap dollars in void years in the NFL ($390.4 million) — by a lot. The next most is San Francisco with $204.1M. For comparison, Baltimore has $50.8M in void years, which is outside the top 10. Former New York Times reporter Mike Tanier wrote about Roseman in 2022, describing him as “part Wolf of Wall Street and part pool-hall hustler, with a little bit of repo man and flea-market thrifter sprinkled in.” That’s a high compliment, now with a pair of championships to show for it. The takeaway battle was another plus for Philly that Baltimore couldn’t replicate in its most recent playoff run. The Eagles had a plus-12 turnover differential over a quartet of playoff games and became the first team to force 13 turnovers in a single postseason since the 2008 Arizona Cardinals. The Ravens, who largely avoided turnovers during the regular season, coughed the ball up thrice against the Buffalo Bills in the snowy AFC divisional round and couldn’t muster a takeaway. Baltimore is 0-11 all-time when losing the turnover battle in playoff games. “Just hold onto the [expletive] ball,” Jackson said after losing to the Bills. “I’m sorry for my language, but this [stuff] is annoying. I’m tired of this [stuff].” On Jan. 26, hours before the Eagles and Commanders kicked off for the NFC championship game, Humphrey posted on X predicting Philadelphia as the Super Bowl champions. Despite a national discourse focused elsewhere, Humphrey called the Eagles “the best team we played this year.” He was lambasted in the replies. But he was right. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. Eagles outside linebacker Nolan Smith Jr. sacks Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson on Dec. 1 at M&T Bank Stadium. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) View the full article Quote
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