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The Baltimore Ravens followed up their 2012 Super Bowl winning campaign with an 8-8 record, 29th-ranked offence, and of course an early start to the off-season. Last year looked like an aberration, a blip on the screen for the defending Super Bowl champions, a well-run organization that had made the playoffs past five seasons and just locked up their franchise quarterback in Joe Flacco. The truth may lie somewhere in between; if last year was an aberration, so too was that Super Bowl win two years ago. Perhaps the Ravens underachieved last year, but they also overachieved two seasons ago, and a lot of the players that helped them on that surprising run in 2012 are no longer with the team. That impact was felt most on the defensive side of the ball, where the Ravens lost six key players, headlined by Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, and were left scrambling to replace their influence on a game. "Not good enough," Elvis Dumervil, one of the new additions on defence, told reporters about his units performance last year. "I think we did some good things but we left a lot on the field. I think injuries and other things maybe contribute to that, but either you get it done or you dont. So, were looking forward to that and were looking forward to taking care of business this year." "I dont know that we had that last year at times," defensive coordinator Dean Pees echoed to reporters. "Times we did, times we didnt. But weve got to have it all the time. Thats what were trying to develop, and thats what were trying to get done." Whats left is still a very good team – maybe even a playoff team – but one that cant compete with the heavyweights in the AFC, not without a huge defensive lapse by an opposing safety at least. On offence, the team almost had to award quarterback Flacco with the big contract he signed one off-season ago (six years, $120 million with $51 million guaranteed), but hes not on the level of a Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. Six starters in the AFC alone have better career quarterback ratings (an admittedly flawed stat) and that number increases to seven if you only count Kansas Citys Alex Smiths numbers after his resurrection three seasons ago. In the Ravens favour is theres no runaway favourite in the AFC North this year, rather them and two other teams in similar predicaments (Cincinnati and Pittsburgh), teams certainly capable of making a playoff run, but far from a threat once they get there. Cleveland of course takes up the caboose in a division that may look stronger than it actually is. Notes The biggest story of the Ravens off-season was Ray Rice and the actions that will cost him the first two games of the season. The fallout from the incident was as much against the league as it was Rice, which was criticized for levying a fairly lenient punishment on the running back after he allegedly assaulted his fiancé. The most intriguing free agent signing for the Ravens this off-season was veteran receiver and longtime Carolina Panther Steve Smith. Still looking to replace Anquan Boldin a year after he left for San Francisco, Baltimore added Smith, the entertaining five-time Pro Bowler, to their young and intriguing receiving corps. Outside of Smith, the Ravens were typically quiet in free agency. Re-signing left tackle Eugene Monroe, whom they traded for from Jacksonville midway through last year, was an important keep in the teams effort to rebuild their offensive line. The Ravens offence should get a boost from their new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak. Kubiak was a respected head coach with the Houston Texans and maybe deserved a second chance after the teams disastrous season last year. The former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator is a strong offensive mind. The Ravens love having a stout and feared front seven on the defensive side of the ball. They hope theyve added two more long-term pieces to their defences storied history. Linebacker CJ Mosley was perhaps a bit of a reach at 16th overall in the first round but grabbing defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan midway through the second round counts as a steal. Cheap Nike Air Max 1 Trainers . The right-hander said he threw about 30 pitches in a routine bullpen session Sunday at Yankee Stadium, his final hurdle before starting Tuesday night at Tampa Bay. Air Max 1 Wholesale Uk . After two months of mediocrity, perhaps the Washington Nationals have turned the page. Strasburg struck out 11 in seven innings Wednesday night and the Nationals kept the Philadelphia Phillies bats quiet yet again in an 8-4, rain-interrupted win. http://www.airmax1uk.com/. Earnshaw, 31, most recently spent time on loan in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv from Welsh club Cardiff City, which plays in Englands second-tier League Championship. Earnshaw began his career with Cardiff Citys youth program and turned professional in 1998. Air Max 1 Discount Uk . -- LeBron James warned the Orlando Magic to stop double-teaming him and ignoring James Jones. Air Max 1 Sale Cheap . The Canadian tennis players first full season on the WTA Tour was a strong one. She has risen to No. 32 in the world rankings and will likely be seeded at the first Grand Slam event of the 2014 season.ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills crossed off a draft need by acquiring running back Bryce Brown in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday. The teams swapped seventh-round picks in this years, with the Eagles moving up five spots to land the 224th selection. The Bills also gave up a conditional draft pick -- either a fourth-rounder next year or a third-round selection in 2016. In landing Brown, the Bills filled a need for depth without having to address it in the draft. Hell serve in a backup role behind co-starters Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller. The Eagles, by comparison, had what coach Chip Kelly called "a logjam" at running back. Brown was also regarded as expendable in Philadelphia because his side-to-side running style didnt fit Kellys offence. Kelly and Bills director of player personnel Jim Monos both said the trade had been in the works for the past month. Brown has 190 carries for 878 yards and six touchdowns in 32 games in two seasons with the Eagles. He overcame fumbling issues during his rookie season to finish with 564 yards rushing and four touchdowns in 16 games, including four starts. Brown sset the Eagles single-game rookie rushing record in his first start, when he had 178 yards and two scores against Carolina on Nov.dddddddddddd 26, 2012. He followed that up a week later with 169 yards rushing and two scores at Dallas. In Buffalo, Brown joins an offence that ranked second in yards rushing last season. "Yeah, I was definitely surprised," Brown said. "But I think its a great opportunity for me to come in and be able to contribute any way that I can. Im excited about the journey. And I cant wait to get started." This was the latest in a series of trades the Bills have made over the past month. On Friday, Buffalo dealt receiver Stevie Johnson to San Francisco. Johnson became the odd-man out in a crowded group of receivers after the Bills opened the draft by trading up five spots to select Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins with the No. 4 pick. Last month, Buffalo gave up a sixth-round draft pick to acquire receiver Mike Williams in a trade with Tampa Bay. On Friday, the Bills swapped second-round draft picks and picked up an additional fifth-round pick (153rd overall) in a trade with St. Louis. ' ' '