Although there are many conflicting storylines surrounding the Baltimore Ravens offseason, the most important one has yet to be resolved. That would be the fate of Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice who is currently holding out from all team offseason activities. 

Having been slapped with the franchise tag, Rice has opted not to sign it and instead wait for the Ravens to give him a better deal. Given that Rice is arguably the offense’s most valuable player, and he had the second most rushing yards in the league last season, the Ravens obviously want to sign him to a long-term deal. 

It’s been tough though as this offseason has been one where many of the Ravens key players are up for paydays. They have had to re-sign key players like Matt Birk, Lardarius Webb and Cary Williams. The Ravens are also working on long term deals for Joe Flacco and possibly considering a new deal for Ed Reed.

This has unfortunately left Rice on the backburner. But the Ravens will not be able to ignore this situation that much longer. Rice and the Ravens need to come to a deal by July 16, or Rice will be forced to play this season under the franchise tag. 

With a little less than two months till this crucial day, a recent development has both sides talking. This would be LeSean McCoy’s new contract which makes him among the highest paid running backs in the league, according to ESPN.com. 

McCoy’s deal is a five-year contract extension worth $45 million. This includes $20,765,000 guaranteed. 

This puts McCoy as the third highest paid running back in the league. Chris Johnson is making a little more with a six-year, $56 million deal. Adrian Peterson is by far the league’s highest paid running back with a seven-year, $96 million deal.

This deal could be very impactful to several other elite running backs who are looking for new contracts this offseason, like Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears and Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Of course, this list also includes Rice whose performance over the last three years has vaulted him into the discussion of best running back in the league.

While Johnson and Peterson earned their paydays with league rushing titles, their values seem to be trending slightly downward. Now Rice, McCoy and Arian Foster, who recently signed a five-year, $43.5 million deal, are in the running for the title of the league’s best running back. Since all three running backs are nearly equal in value, reasonable thinking is that Rice will see a deal somewhere in the $40 million range.

Although the Shady McCoy deal does provide the framework of the market value for running backs, Peter King of SI.com (h/t Profootballtalk.com) reports Rice wants more money. After saying that he outperformed his rookie deal, Rice opened up negotiations with his desire to get a contract with Adrian Peterson-type numbers.

That’s not going to happen. As important as Rice is to the Ravens, the shelf life of today’s running backs make any contract a leap of faith. Even at 25 years old, Rice has had 852 carries over the last three seasons which doesn’t include the 72 receptions per year he’s averaged in that time span.

Still, it helps that Rice has been very healthy during his NFL career. He has only missed three games total, all of them coming during his rookie season. Therefore, the Ravens can certainly expect multiple elite seasons from Rice, and they will eventually have to come around to pay him the type of deal he deserves. 

Rice is equal in worth to Foster and McCoy. That means that the Ravens will probably end up offering him around a five-year deal, worth around $40 million. He may get slightly less considering that McCoy is two years younger and Foster has been in the league one season less.

With Rice’s holdout approaching two months now, he would be wise to accept this much. While the Ravens have no running back on their roster that is nearly as good as Rice, Rice is looking to play for a proven Super Bowl contender that knows how to utilize him to the fullest extent possible. Both sides need each other.

The franchise-tag deadline is the most crucial one right now. The Carroll County Times (h/t NBCsports.com) reports Rice has insisted that he can stay in shape training and conditioning on his own. Training has never been an issue for Rice, who is known for being a regular in the team’s weight room.

Getting Rice back in mid to late July shouldn’t cause any dropoff in Rice’s statistics. Ravens fans should hope that a deal gets done by then so both Rice and the Ravens can move on to the more important task of trying to win a Super Bowl this season. 

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Now that the rookies have arrived and the bulk of the free-agent movement has passed, the Ravens have the core of their roster in place that they will take into training camp.

But the battles for positions don’t have to wait until camp.

Rookies and veterans are fighting for roster spots and starting jobs right now, and many of those competitions will continue up until the start of the season.

Here are some of the key positions battles to watch throughout the remainder of the offseason:

Outside Linebacker: Both outside linebacker positions will be up for grabs in training camp this year, as Jarret Johnson left in free agency and Terrell Suggs is out for an unspecified amount of time with an Achilles tendon injury.

The likely candidates for the starting jobs are Paul Kruger, Sergio Kindle, Albert McClellan and rookie Courtney Upshaw.

Kruger has the most experience at outside linebacker [extra space]of anyone in the group, as he has spent much of his three years in the league as a pass-[hyphen]rush specialist.

Kindle is heading into his third season and still has to prove himself after a head injury set him back during his rookie season. He has potential, but hasn’t had much of an opportunity to show it early in his career.

McClellan spent most of last season as an inside linebacker, even starting in place of Ray Lewis when Lewis was down with a toe injury. He is a versatile player and could make the switch outside.

Upshaw played the rush linebacker position in college, which is similar to the role that Suggs plays. Moving into that position while Suggs is out could be a natural transition for the Ravens’ second-round pick.

Left Guard: This battle will likely come down to three of the Ravens’ youngest lineman: second-year lineman Jah Reid and rookies Kelechi Osemele and Gino Gradkowski.

Reid came into the NFL as a right tackle, but has made the position switch this offseason and was the favorite to win the job before Baltimore drafted Osemele and Gradkowski.

Osemele played  left tackle in college, but is comfortable moving over to guard. He performed well at rookie minicamp last week, as he was one of the biggest players out on the field. Gradkowski played center and guard at college, but he doesn’t have the size of Reid or Osemele, which could make it tough for him to beat them out for the spot.

Wide Receiver: The first two receiver spots appear firmly in the grasp of Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith, but after that there are five players vying for the third and fourth receiver jobs.

Free-agent acquisition Jacoby Jones, Tandon Doss, LaQuan Williams, David Reed and rookie Tommy Streeter are all competing for time. Jones is the likely favorite for the No. 3 job, but a strong camp from the other candidates could make this one of the most tightly contested positions battles of the offseason.

Cornerback: This is one of the deepest positions for the Ravens, as former first-round pick Jimmy Smith and last year’s starter Cary Williams will compete for the No. 2 spot next to Lardarius Webb.

Williams played well last year season in his first season as a starter, but Smith showed glimpses of his potential in the chances that he got after an early-season injury.

Regardless of who wins the job, all three players will get plenty of time on the field, as the Ravens often use three corners to offset pass-heavy formations that more teams are using.

Running Back: Ray Rice has the starting running back position locked up, but behind him is a different story. After Ricky Williams suddenly retired this offseason, the No. 2 running back spot will be a battle between second-year backs Anthony Allen and Damien Berry and rookie Bernard Pierce.

All three backs bring different running styles to the mix, as Allen is a power runner, Berry is more a speed back and Pierce has a slashing style. None of the three appears to have a leg up in the race right now.

Heading into the offseason, the Ravens No. 3 wide receiver spot was expected to be one of the most tightly contested position battles.

Then the Ravens added veteran free-agent receiver Jacoby Jones and rookie Tommy Streeter, making the field even more crowded.

Jones is the early favorite for the job, but second-year wideouts Tandon Doss and LaQuan Williams and third-year receiver David Reed don’t plan on bowing out of the race any time soon.

“It’s definitely more competition and it’s going to bring the best out of all of us,” Reed said. “It’s going to be fun.”

Doss, Williams and Reed all got limited reps on offense last year, but they are heading into the season hoping to prove they deserve more playing time.

“I want to be a starter,” Doss said. “I didn’t come here to sit. I didn’t come here to watch other guys in front of me. I came here to make plays and make our offense and help win games.”

Doss was a fourth-round draft pick last year and was active for seven games throughout the season. He spent time on special teams and also helped fill in at receiver in the final two games when Anquan Boldin went down with an injury.

He didn’t have any catches, but showed off good hands in the preseason. At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, he also has good size and emphasizes that he’s faster than people think.

“People think I’m slower because of the offense that we ran at Indiana, but that’s a myth. I do have speed behind me,” Doss said. “I’m very versatile. I have great hands. I run good routes. I understand defenses very well.”

Williams got the most work at receiver out of the three, finishing the year with four catches for 46 yards. He made two of those catches in a hostile atmosphere in Pittsburgh, showing the ability to come up with big plays in clutch situations.

He also spent much of the season playing special teams, and came up with a key play in the AFC championship game by forcing a fumble on a kickoff.

“I think I can bring versatility,” Williams said. “I can pretty much do anything. I can take you deep, I can beat you underneath, I can bring the blocking game, anything.”

Williams was an undrafted player out of Maryland who made the roster after shining in training camp.

He’s hoping to do that again this year.

“Overall, I just want to stand out in camp,” Williams said. “That third receiver spot is going to come down to the person who stands out the most, the person who makes the most plays.”

Reed is working his way back from a torn ACL that he suffered on Dec. 24 against the Cleveland Browns. He underwent surgery this offseason, and has been one of the most consistent faces in the team’s facility as he rehabs the injury.

He’s not back to full strength yet, but is happy with how he’s progressing.

“I feel like I’m a little bit ahead of schedule and I feel like I’m better than ever, actually,” he said. “I’m working on things that I’ve never worked on before. My whole body feels strong right now and I’m just going to keep getting better and better.”

Reed doesn’t have any receptions during his first two seasons, which were both riddled with injuries, but he started getting worked into the offense more last year before suffering the knee injury.

He has most of his experience on special teams as a kick returner, but he still views himself as a wideout.

“I’m a receiver and I know I’m going to be playing receiver,” he said.

It’s unclear exactly when Reed will be able to return to full strength, but he hopes to be back by the start of the season.

The other uncertainty is how many receivers the Ravens plan to carry on the roster. They kept six receivers on the 53-man roster last season, and if that’s the case again this year, then Reed, Williams and Doss could likely be fighting for their roster spots throughout training camp.

“I think you got to battle each and every day no matter what the position is,” Doss said. “It’s our job now. I can’t look at it like, ‘I’m behind this guy, so I’m going to let him do his thing.’”

“We have a lot of good receivers on this team right now and I feel like the coaches have a lot to play with,” Reed added. “We’re going to have a lot of firepower.”

It’s been an offseason of change for the Baltimore Ravens defense. They’ve lost both starters and depth in free agency, are dealing with a season-threatening Achilles’ injury to star linebacker (and last year’s Defensive Player of the Year) Terrell Suggs and safety Ed Reed is feeling disrespected because he hasn’t been given a new contract.

That all sounds like a recipe for the Ravens’ defense to have a down year in 2012, but I don’t believe that will be the case. In fact, I’m convinced they’ll have the top defensive unit in the AFC North yet again.

It’s a bit of a back-and-forth battle between the Ravens’ and Steelers‘ defenses in terms of which one is the best in the division. Last season, the two teams were practically in a dead heat.

The Steelers allowed the fewest passing yards per game, while the Ravens allowed the fourth-fewest. Baltimore allowed the second-fewest rushing yards per game while the Steelers came in eighth. And the Steelers allowed the fewest points in the entire season, with the Ravens coming in third.

Despite all the changes the Ravens defense has experienced—and the changes the Steelers haven’t—the Ravens will still edge ahead of their rivals again this season. 

Baltimore’s pass rushing is better than Pittsburgh’s, even without Suggs. We’ll be seeing a lot more of defensive end Pernell McPhee and of course, the newly-drafted Courtney Upshaw, both of whom will handle the responsibility well. There’s the ever-present Ray Lewis—he’s a little worse for wear as he gets older, but he’s still a better linebacker than many players younger than him.

The secondary was also more successful last year than Pittsburgh’s and should remain that way this season, especially considering the Steelers lost cornerback William Gay during free agency. Last year, the Steelers’ interception rate dropped, and they had just 11 on the season, compared to 15 for the Ravens. 

The biggest strength the Ravens defense has is that it’s practically a plug-and-play unit. The team knows how to select and develop defensive talent and every starter is well-versed in the system. Changes in personnel and coaching, therefore, don’t have as much of a negative impact as they would for other teams.

Therefore the Ravens are well-equipped to handle the changes that have befallen their defense thus far. Everyone knows that the defense is held to a high standard and the chances for a drop-off this year are relatively slim because of this.

Defense may be going the way of the Pony Express in many divisions in the NFL, but that’s not so in the AFC North. It’s not as though the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns have defenses worthy of marginalizing; it’s just that the Ravens’ and Steelers’ units command the most attention.

This year, all four teams’ defenses will be impressive, but none more so than the Ravens. For the second straight season, they’ll be the best unit in the division.

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With his recent comments that he’s not 100% committed to playing football in 2012, Ed Reed continues to show that he’s not afraid of stirring up controversy.

For several years now Reed has been very vocal about his now-annual struggle over whether he should continue playing football. But despite all the talk of retirement, Reed not only continues to play for the Ravens, but he continues to play at an All-Pro level.

Reed is not the only veteran mulling retirement this season.

Already three potential Hall of Famers have announced their retirement this offseason—Brian Dawkins, Jason Taylor and Hines Ward all decided to call it quits. Players like LaDainian Tomlinson and Derrick Mason will likely join them soon. 

It’s basically the end of an era in the NFL with so many good players in the twilight of their careers. Some of these veterans are only playing for the hope of a Super Bowl ring; others still fight off time and injuries to play at an elite level. Regardless of the circumstances, these NFL careers are nearing the end.

Along with Reed, here are some players that could be preparing for their final NFL season in 2012.

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The Baltimore Ravens came within win of the Super Bowl last season, but instead of an offseason filled with reloading for another Super Bowl run, the Ravens have faced contract impasses, significant injuries and the potential retirement of one of their defensive stalwarts.

Here’s the latest on the storm clouds swirling around the Ravens and how all this uncertainty could affect the team’s chances of being a contender in the AFC in 2012.

Ed Reed’s 2012 Status in Doubt?

As if the Baltimore Ravens hadn’t experienced enough drama over the past few weeks, safety Ed Reed thought it best to add some more fuel to the fire. Reed told Sirius XM NFL Radio per the Baltimore Sun Thursday that he “wasn’t 100 percent committed to playing in 2012″ and that while the team may not have been aware of this fact before then “I think they will know after this interview.”

Before any Ravens fans start opening windows or climbing on ledges, it’s important to note that the 33-year-old, who griped about his contract status back in April, backtracked on his statements so quickly that I’m surprised he didn’t pull a hamstring. He told the Carroll County Times that he will indeed be roaming the Baltimore secondary in 2012:

“It’s not about retirement, it’s about my focus in the offseason, health, family and football,” said Reed, who has battled hip, neck and shoulder injuries in recent years. “This is the time of year where players think through things. My goal is to play football in the years to come.”

At his age and given his recent injury history, it’s no surprise that Reed would contemplate hanging them up. That said, Ed Reed threatening retirement has become as much of a summer ritual as swimming pools opening on Memorial Day Weekend, and all indications are the eight-time Pro-Bowl performer will give it at least one more go-round this year.

Upshaw “Ready to Compete”

An even bigger issue for the Ravens as we head into training camp is trying to figure out a way to plug the hole left by the loss of 2011 NFL defensive player of the year Terrell Suggs, who tore his Achilles’ tendon while working out in Arizona and will be out until at least November.

All American linebacker Courtney Upshaw, who the Ravens selected with the 35th pick in April’s 2012 NFL draft, will undoubtedly be called upon to pick up a significant portion of Suggs’ slack. The former Alabama star recently conceded to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that he knows he can’t “replace” Suggs, but the Crimson Tide standout is eager to try to lessen the impact of Suggs’ loss.

“The coaches told me to come out here this mini-camp and learn the defense, come out here and compete,” Upshaw said. “Honestly, speaking on Suggs, there’s only one Suggs. You can’t replace Suggs. Everybody’s got to come in as a team. The veteran leadership on this team is not going to allow slacking on my part or anybody else’s. Everybody’s gotta step up.”

Suggs racked up 70 tackles, 14 sacks and seven forced fumbles a season ago. The trio of Upshaw, Paul Kruger and Pernell McPhee may not match that lofty production, but they should at least be talented enough to “tread water” until Suggs’ (hopeful) return. If that is indeed the case, the vaunted Baltimore defense shouldn’t suffer a huge drop-off, even without Terrell Suggs on the field.

The Latest on the Ray Rice Situation

The Ravens’ offseason woes haven’t been limited to the defensive side of the ball. Starting running back Ray Rice, who topped 2,000 total yards for Baltimore a season ago, still hasn’t signed his franchise tender for 2012, and progress regarding a long-term extension has been slow.

However, a contract signed by another star running back may be just the kick in the pants that negotiations needed. The Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec and Matt Vensel theorized Thursday that the five-year, $45 million extension signed by LeSean McCoy of the Philadelphia Eagles this week could help set a benchmark for a similar extension for Rice.

If a Rice extension gets done – and I still believe that it will – it will be in the neighborhood of the deals that McCoy and [Arian] Foster got. The same might hold true for Matt Forte, the also-franchised running back of the Chicago Bears, and for Maurice Jones-Drew who is looking for a new contract from the Jacksonville Jaguars.

It appears to be in the Ravens’ best interest to get Rice, who at 25 is already one of the league’s top running backs, locked up long-term, and the McCoy deal sets one more measuring stick for both the team and Rice to base his perceived value off of.

At any rate, Rice still has until July 16 to sign the franchise tender, which leaves plenty of time to hammer out a deal. While anxious Ravens fans would surely like to see this situation resolved yesterday, it’s not even close to time to start freaking out…yet.

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The Ravens players and coaches are taking advantage of having a full offseason this year, as the team’s facility has been a busy place over the last several weeks.

The voluntary offseason conditioning program started in mid-April and the team just wrapped up their first rookie minicamp last weekend, which means that training camp is right around the corner. 

Here are the key remaining dates throughout the offseason:

May 22-24, May 29-31, June 4-7: The Ravens will hold a series of three-day organized team activities (OTAs), which are voluntary. Even though they are voluntary, the OTAs are often well attended by the veterans.

In between the OTAs, the offseason conditioning program and rookie football schools will continue throughout May and June, so players will still be in the team’s facility for much of that time. 

June 12-14: The Ravens will hold a mandatory three-day minicamp for the entire team.  This is the first offseason activity veterans are required to attend.

July 16: 4 p.m. is the deadline for franchise players to sign their tenders before the 2012 season. That means that running back Ray Rice and the Ravens need to work out a long-term deal by this date or he will have to the play the entire season under the one-year franchise tag. With a number of franchise players around the league still not signed, expect this to be a busy day in the NFL.

July 21: Training camp is tentatively scheduled to open this weekend, with rookies, quarterbacks and injured players reporting for their first practice. Training camp will be held at the team’s facility in Owings Mills.

July 25: Training camp opens for the entire team, as the remaining veterans are scheduled to arrive on this date. The first full team practice will take play on July 26.

Aug. 4: The Ravens will hold an open practice for fans at M&T Bank Stadium. The event is free and open to the public.

Aug. 9: The preseason officially begins. The Ravens open their preseason schedule on a Thursday night in Atlanta.

Aug. 12: The Ravens will hold an open practice at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. This event is free and open to the public.

Aug. 19: The Ravens will hold an open practice at Stevenson University Mustang Stadium in Owings Mills. This event is also free, but tickets will be required to attend.

Sept. 10: The Ravens open the 2012 season on Monday Night Football at M&T Bank Stadium against the Cincinnati Bengals.

It’s approaching 6 p.m. and rookie free agent Terrence Moore is swinging heavy ropes in the Ravens’ sweltering hot indoor practice field.

The Nebraska product has been at the training facility since about 8 a.m. and he’s just wrapping up his day well after the veterans have hit the road to enjoy some extra time off during the offseason.

There’s a 10-hour cap on how long players can work out at the team facility, and Moore is taking full advantage.

Exhausted, Moore returns to the locker room to find he’s not alone. It’s bustling with 20 or so (the number changes nearly daily with cuts) undrafted free agents surrounding a row of metal lockers brought in to house the surge of rookies.

The NFL expanded rosters by 10 players to 90 this offseason, meaning there’s an additional 320 players in the league with a chance to make a roster.

It also means Moore and every rookie has more competition this summer, and thus a tougher time making the 53-man roster. Thus, the group of rookie Ravens is grinding trying to make an impression before the full cast of veterans arrives.

“In college, you’re one of the top dudes and you get used to that,” Moore said. “Here, you’re working 10 times harder than you ever have. And you’re undrafted so you’re trying to do that little bit extra to put you over the top. So it’s the hardest thing I’ve done in my career – thus far.”

“Thus far” means Moore has no idea what new challenges tomorrow brings.

On Wednesday morning, he woke up at around 7:45 a.m., enough time to brush his teeth and hop on a shuttle from the rookies’ hotel to the facility. He came in, got some breakfast and reviewed his notes from the previous day.

Soon there was a full team meeting, defensive meetings, then some field time with the veterans before the rookies were split out on their own. Lunch was the break in the day, then it was back to special-teams meetings, rookie positional meetings and a seminar preparing the newbies for the NFL. Conditioning and lifting capped the day, taking the rookies straight into dinner at the facility.

Moore took the shuttle home, got in about 20 minutes more of studying, watched some of the NBA playoffs and was in bed by 10 p.m., in time to be up and at it the next day.

The defensive end has plenty of competition. There’s seventh-round pick DeAngelo Tyson and fellow undrafted rookie Elliott Henigan at rookie camp. That’s not to mention veterans Pernell McPhee, Art Jones, Ryan McBean and Michael McAdoo.

But Moore doesn’t think about his odds – which got even longer this offseason – of making the team.

“If you look at it competition as a bad thing, eventually it’s going to get you,” Moore said. “At this level, I’m learning to look at everything as a positive. We’re up here for a lot of hours and working our tails off, but at the end of the day it’s good for us. We’re not doing this for nothing. It’s definitely not put in place to hurt us.”

Moore isn’t the only rookie with such an attitude.

There’s Wake Forest safety Cyhl Quarles, who is competing with fourth-round safety Christian Thompson. The Ravens also signed safety Sean Considine and re-signed strong safety Bernard Pollard.

“You just pray,” Quarles said. “If this is not the plan for you to be here, then God will make another way. If you work hard, then at least you can walk away and say, ‘Well, I tried my best.’”

There’s Florida quarterback John Brantley, who was one of the nation’s top recruits coming out of high school. He succeeded legendary Gator Tim Tebow.

Now he comes to Owings Mills, Md., and is joined by rookie free agent quarterback Chester Steward (Temple), along with Joe Flacco, Tyrod Taylor and recent veteran signee Curtis Painter.

“I knew I wasn’t going to be any type of top guy coming out of college. I had my mind set that it’s the reality of things. I’ve realized that – quickly,” Brantley said.

“I just look at it as a great opportunity. I’m going to do everything I can to make the other quarterbacks better, make myself better. Down the road, if something happens then it happens. This is another chapter in my life and I’m going to make the most of it.”

However long the odds, the Ravens do have a history of keeping undrafted free agents on the team.

Last year, wide receiver LaQuan Williams made the roster out of training camp. Linebacker Josh Bynes, linebacker Chavis Williams, guard Justin Boren and McAdoo also spent time on the roster.

Starting linebacker Jameel McClain, long snapper Morgan Cox, linebacker Albert McClellan and Maake Kemoeatu are other examples of former undrafted rookie free agents who have made a name for themselves in Baltimore.

After rookie minicamp last weekend, Harbaugh didn’t rule out a player from this year’s rookie free agent crop from making the team.

“The beauty of this whole thing is, probably more so than anywhere else in life, this really is a true meritocracy,” Harbaugh said.

“We’ve got some talented guys here. There will be a couple undrafted guys that have a shot to make the team. I wouldn’t bet against it.”

Joe Flacco wants pressure to score more points.

He might have to this year, especially after the Achilles tendon injury to reigning Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs. With Suggs down for an unknown amount of time, pressure may fall on Flacco and the offense to offset the hit to the defense.

The Ravens fifth-year quarterback doesn’t have a problem with that.

“I want us to get in more of a mindset where we have to score points,” Flacco said Thursday after an offseason workout. “Should this be something that makes us do that? No. We shouldn’t feel any more pressure because we don’t have him. We still have a great defense and we still have a great team.

“But having said that, if it does put more pressure on us, if we do feel like we have more pressure on us and we need to score more, I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”

Just how good could they be?

The Ravens offense ranked 12th in scoring (23.6 points per game) last year, and Flacco could see a jump in that category this season.

“I think we’ve got the talent around us, definitely,” he said. “I think we need to go out there and we need to make our minds up that we’re going to do that.

“I think we’re a team that should be able to go out there and put 40 up and not really look back.”

The Ravens never scored more than 35 points last season, but they also went up against stiff competition.

The Ravens faced eight the of NFL’s top 10 defenses – the only two they didn’t face were the Eagles and their own – and 11 of their 16 games came against teams with top 10 defenses.

Another one of the challenges last season was that the offense had several new pieces, specifically in the passing game.

Wide receivers Torrey Smith and Lee Evans and tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta were all either new to the Ravens or in their first year as starters. Anquan Boldin was the only returning starter at receiver or tight end going into last year.

“We were young last year,” Flacco said. “To have the success we had, I think we did a pretty good job with that. Obviously I think we wanted to get a little further, but now some of those guys that were new last year, they’re going to be familiar faces around here.”

There has been much less turnover this offseason, as the release of Evans and signing of free-agent Jacoby Jones were the only major changes in the receiving corps. The group also has the benefit of an offseason program to build a continued rapport with Flacco. 

With most of the group back this season, Flacco has high hopes for what they can accomplish.

“Now we’re not going to have to slow down so much and worry about whether we understand it all,” he said. “We’re going to be able to go out there, run full speed and really not think about leaving anything behind.”

Ray Rice is one of the most beloved players in Baltimore.

He is often the catalyst for any offensive production that the Ravens can muster, and he has grown into a leader in his few short years on the team.

Rice is everything a team could ask for from an NFL player. He is both immensely productive, with over 2,000 combined rushing and receiving yards in two of the last three seasons, and a truly good person, regularly giving back to the community and the team.

That’s why it pains me to realize that the Ravens would be better off not re-signing him to a long term deal.

When Arian Foster signed his five year, $43.5 million deal, signing Rice to a similar deal seemed likely and desirable.

Yesterday, the Philadelphia Eagles re-signed their own star running back, LeSean McCoy, to a six year, $45.615 million deal. This deal is very similar to Foster’s in guaranteed money.

Both McCoy and Foster signed fair deals that pay them well, but essentially guarantee that their teams will be getting their money’s worth. Arian Foster will, at best, average around $8 million a year, a more than fair price for an elite running back.

So why are the McCoy and Foster deals so wonderful, while the Ravens shouldn’t resign Ray Rice? The answer is two-fold.

First, Rice wants more money than McCoy and Foster. ESPN’s Jamison Hensley writes that Rice will expect money somewhere in the neighborhood of the megadeals that Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson signed, with the final number likely falling between these megadeals and the more affordable deals that McCoy and Foster signed.

That could mean guaranteed money around $25 million in a contract of roughly five years, $50 million. No running back is ever worth that much. 

The positional value of the running back has eroded. No ground game is unstoppable anymore, and the league has shifted to passing as its main method of offense. Teams that continue to focus on pounding the rock are getting left in the dust.

Second, Rice simply isn’t worth that much more money than McCoy and Foster.

While Rice was more productive last year, McCoy is still just 23 years old. He will likely continue to improve, and when his contract expires, he will just be exiting his prime.

Foster, on the other hand, has comparable production to Rice, but he also has proven he can do it against a top run defense.

Foster absolutely gashed the Ravens’ defense in the playoffs, while Rice continues to struggle in games against the Steelers and other stout run defenses.

Rice certainly deserves a deal on par with Foster’s and McCoy’s, but an extra $5 million guaranteed should be enough to end the negotiations for the Ravens.

Baltimore already has several massive contracts to deal with, including Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata and the newly re-signed Lardarius Webb.

Joe Flacco and Ed Reed are both looking for new deals too. Flacco is more important to deal with than Rice, while Reed has earned the right to go out however he chooses.

That leaves Rice as the odd man out, and the Ravens seem to know it, drafting potential replacement Bernard Pierce in the third round of April’s NFL draft. 

Pierce profiles as a future starter in the NFL. He has the durability and power to be a bellcow back, with the speed and explosion to be a top-tier starter. Pierce is also locked up for four years, which makes him a much more affordable option.

Ultimately, the Ravens want to re-sign Ray Rice, and if they can talk his price down, they should do so. He is among the best running backs in the NFL, and he has earned a hefty contract. He is also one of the most popular Ravens, and to see him leave would be painful for the entire city of Baltimore.

The demand for running backs is at an all-time low, however, and the Ravens might want to save their money to bolster their passing game.

Rice is simply asking for more money than he’s worth. Signing him to a massive deal, one larger than McCoy’s and Foster’s, would set the Ravens back for years. They can’t afford to do that, especially with a potential replacement on the roster.

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