Ravens LB Ray Lewis said before the season the team would be just fine without defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.
Despite getting off to a 2-0 start, the Ravens’ vaunted defense ranks 17th in the league in yards allowed and the 25 points a game they have given up is good enough for 23rd. This year, for a change, it has been Baltimore’s offense that has led the team scoring 38 against the Chiefs and 31 against the Chargers in the team’s two victories.
“Do you love Rex? Yeah. But Rex has never made a play on the field. No defensive coordinator has,” Lewis said.
“The bottom line is, the players make plays, and we have a corps of guys who are dedicated to each other.”
Not everyone was dedicated. LB Bart Scott and S Jim Leonhard fled Baltimore for New York to join their outspoken defensive coordinator, who was named the Jets head coach on Jan. 19 — a day after the Ravens lost to the Steelers in the AFC Championship game.
Last season the Ravens were second in the league in yards allowed and third in points per game — giving up 15 or 10 less than this year.
“Anytime you have that type of chemistry, it’s almost impossible to come back and not to have the same defense,” Lewis said. “That’s why this defense has been successful year in and year out.”
While the Ravens have been struggling defensively, the Jets have been thriving under Ryan. Last year the Jets were 18th in yards allowed and were giving up over 22 points a game. This season the team is second in both categories and have yet to allow a defensive touchdown. Some of the credit has to go to Scott, who has added some much-needed mean to the Green’s defense that is still playing without starting LB Calvin Pace.
“I think it’s a better defense this year because these guys have been together for a long time,” Ravens RB Willis McGahee said.
“(New defensive coordinator Greg) Mattison has a handle on what these guys can and can’t do. Plus, no doubt about it, there’s more depth. There’s a good rotation going on for them, with no falloff.”
That all sounded good before the season, but it has not been reality. Life without Ryan hasn’t been as easy as the Ravens imagined.
