Week 11: Bears vs. Ravens 5 Questions with Ebony Bird Revisited

For this weeks edition of 5 Questions, we are going to revisit our post from the beginning of the season when we asked 5 Questions to  Tynan Patrick from Ebony Bird, the Baltimore Ravens FanSided site. This time, I am going to add some thoughts from my perspective.

Nov 10, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) is sacked by Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlop (96) at M

What did you like and/or dislike about what the Ravens did in free agency and the draft?

Jan 6, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Vick Ballard (33) is tackled by Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (92) during the first quarter of the AFC Wild Card playoff game at M

"I loved what they did to the defense. The Ravens completely rebuilt their D from the ground up in one offseason. It was really an incredible piece of work by Ozzie Newsome and his staff. they retooled their defensive front to allow Haloti Ngata to move back to his more natural nose tackle position. The only real question mark is at inside linebacker, but they have enough solid players to be able to piece together a pair of starters than can operate behind what should be a world class defensive line. I was on board with the offense, but in hindsight, knowing what we know about Dennis Pitta, They probably should have signed a receiver or drafted one earlier than the 7th round. Again though, I thought the offense would be fine until a week ago, but still, they probably shouldn’t have left themselves so thin of experienced pass catchers."

So far, the front 7 of the Ravens defense has been playing outstanding. They have a top 10 run defense and Terrel Suggs already has as many sacks as the Bears defense line has combined (9).  As for the offense, the Ravens really could have benefited from signing a receiver or drafting one earlier than the 7th round. Torrey Smith already has 753 yards, but the next closest receiver is Marlon Brown with 307 yards and he is a rookie undrafted free agent. Plus, the Ravens run game is atrocious with Ray Rice hobbled since week 2 running behind a patchwork offensive line.

Which rookie are you most looking forward to seeing this season?

Aug 12, 2013; Owings Mills, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Brandon Williams (left) does a blocking drill with tackle Rogers Gaines (right) during training camp at the Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

"Brandon Williams. To me he is the most interesting player in this class. He has incredible physical tools and athleticism. He has great speed for a man his size and he has a huge burst in his first step. The problem is, he is a nose tackle, and like I said earlier, the Ravens want to get Haloti Ngata back into that postion. Generally rookies don’t win roster battles against guys that are top 3 at their position. Williams should see plenty of time in rotation this year but is he good enough to keep Ngata at DE?"

So far, Brandon Williams has seen limited time on the field playing in only 5 games, but he really impressed during the preseason. He was sidelined with a right foot injury back in September, and was on the inactive list last week for the game against the Cincinnati Bengals.  He hasn’t shown up on the injury report since week 4.