Steve Spagnuolo: Ravens As Good A Football Team That I’ve Ever Seen
By Mike Dyce
The Baltimore Ravens just won their second Super Bowl. And much like the Dallas Mavericks after their 2011 NBA Championship, they saw their roster go through an overhaul. Wide receiver Anquan Boldin signed with their Super Bowl opponents the San Francisco 49ers, Ed Reed wasn’t invited back and signed with Houston. Defensive and team leader Ray Lewis retired.
But that doesn’t have anyone in Baltimore less optimistic about this season. That includes new defensive assistant Steve Spagnuolo.
“Defensively, wow,” he told the team’s official website earlier this month. “I had little visions of the Giants’ front that I happened to be privileged to be working with.
“This is as good a looking football team that I’ve ever seen. I’m talking about physically and stout.”
He is comparing this squad directly against the 2007 New York Giants that had a front seven that shut offenses down sacking quarterbacks a league leading 53 times.
The Ravens added pass rusher Elvis Dumervil and defensive end Chris Canty. They drafted safety Matt Elam and brought in Michael Huff to fill the void in the secondary.
But Spagnuolo says it isn’t simply the players that are going to make the Ravens defense great.
“A lot of times you look on another team’s roster and you say, ‘They have great players. That’s why they are good,’” Spagnuolo said. “It’s not just great players here. It’s great players and great coaches.
“This defensive coaching staff is as fine as I’ve ever been around.”