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Yes the Baltimore Ravens are among the teams that could win the 2010 Super Bowl and the odds are quite enticing, with the promise of a $2200 for every $100 bet at Sportsbetting.com. Nobody is counting out the Ravens odds of winning the 2010 Super Bowl after tremendous play and a post season appearance last season. Nobody except Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun that is. He writes:
The biggest questions facing the Ravens were all on display. The fans will remember the two interceptions that Ravens defenders returned for touchdowns (and Lewis almost had another), but the coaching staff will be more focused on some of the holes the Jets found in the defensive secondary.
The tight end position came into a little better focus, and not in a good way. Todd Heap looked like his old self catching an 11-yard pass over the middle, but newcomer L.J. Smith left the game in the third quarter with a strained hamstring. The durability of both veterans was considered an area of uncertainty coming into camp and obviously remains so.
The kicking competition might have been clarified some, though I'm guessing Harbaugh was hoping that Graham Gano would make the decision a little tougher. He missed a field goal attempt for the second straight game while Steve Hauschka remained perfect, so it would require a fairly dramatic reversal of fortune on the part of each candidate to change the likely outcome.
That's not out of the question at a time of year when perceptions can change in a hurry. Just ask linebacker Jameel McClain, who was beaten for the Jets first touchdown, then redeemed himself with an interception and TD. Or Lardarius Webb, who fumbled away the second-half kickoff but batted away a two-point conversion attempt in the final seconds to save the game.
Harbaugh would be the first to tell you that the Ravens have a lot of work to do if they are going to make another run deep into the postseason. Clearly, they have a chance to be one of the NFL's elite teams again this year, but it's far from clear that they have what it takes to take the next step after reaching the AFC title game in their surprising 2008 season.
Guess I'll hold off on those travel arrangements for a while.
A concern for the Baltimore Ravens has been with defense after they lost their coordinator as Rex Ryan, who was hired away to coach the New York Jets. Lineback Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard were also shipped off to the Jets. And there was plenty of upheaval on the secondary with the release of Pro Bowl cornerback Chris McAllister. All that said, this is still a solid A-/B+ rated defense that can hold its own against most teams.
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Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
