WILLIS & THE O

So the 1st scrimmage is over and we didn’t get to see too much, which was expected. What little we did see was that the Ravens looked like the Class of the two teams. After a 13-3 regular season in 2006 expectations are high for the Ravens as a TEAM and for the fans. Conventional wisdom tells us that the D will still be the backbone of this squad, even with the loss of AD. Top 5 in both yards and points allowed should not be unrealistic with the likes of ED REED, RAY LEWIS, LANDRY, C- MAC, BART SCOTT ETC… The O is where the concern has been and continues to be. Will Willis be the answer, MAYBE but the LINE will need to hold up and have some unknowns step up. One of the BIG losses that has gone unnoticed is that of FB Ovie Mughelli, who played a big part in the late playoff push, with not only his pass blocking & plowing the way for J-LEW but catching passes out of the backfield. He was a surprise multifunction back that seemed to always be ready for whatever role the coaches put him in. Can Willis pass block well enough to give and aging McNair time to get the ball down field? The reason Willis needs to do this and not the FB is because they will be running a SINGLE back set with Willis back there to open things up for both the running and passing game. Willis likes to be in a single back set, it suits his running style, allowing him to slash and get into some open space. Long story short, Willis is a HUGE improvement on paper and should be on the field too, but like anything new it’ll take some getting used to and don’t expect the O to be a finely tuned machine, at least not right away. FEEL FREE TO POST YOUR THOUGHTS AND REPLY…. GLENN YOUNES