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“We will be back!”
After dropping the AFC Championship Game to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Baltimore Ravens huddled up in the locker room and vowed to make a title run next season. While the thought of taking care of unfinished business will motivate the team throughout the offseason and training camp, the Ravens will soon discover how hard it is to take the next step in the postseason tournament.
As a young player with the Green Bay Packers in the mid-1990s, I experienced the agony of falling short in a conference title game. Though I did not dress out or participate in the 1996 NFC Championship Game, the gut-wrenching loss to the Dallas Cowboys was quickly dismissed by an optimistic squad that viewed the disappointment as a part of a journey that would eventually result in a championship.
With Brett Favre, Reggie White and LeRoy Butler leading the “Wait Til Next Year” push, a trip to Super Bowl XXXI seemed like a given based on the return of that trio of future gold-jacket players.
The Packers’ veteran coaching staff, however, quickly warned the team that the next step is not guaranteed.
Defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur opened the first defensive meeting of the offseason with a stern warning against complacency and assumption. He told the group that the previous year’s success would not impact the unit’s performance the following season. He reminded us that momentum does not carry over, and we would have to start from scratch to evolve into a title contender.
In Baltimore, John Harbaugh faces a similar challenge as he works to rebuild the Ravens into title contenders in 2024. He must weigh the pros and cons of running it back with the same group while facing several tough decisions regarding contract extensions and salary cap issues.
In addition, with Mike Macdonald leaving to become head coach of the Seahawks, Harbaugh had to replace an elite defensive playcaller who spearheaded the NFL’s top-ranked unit. Last season, in fact, Baltimore was the first NFL…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/building-a-blueprint-to-get-lamar-jackson-ravens-over-postseason-hump
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Publish date : 2024-02-01 18:58:48
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