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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. Nike Air Force 1 Uk Sale .“I always did my stuff ahead of the deadline. The best deal Ive ever done was the Darryl Sydor deal. We did that at the end of January in 04, and Syd was the missing piece. Nike Air Force 1 Sale . Not that Durant cared. The only streak he cares about is still intact. http://www.cheapnikeairforce1uk.com/.com) - Former foes from the Mountain West Conference battle in the 23rd annual Las Vegas Bowl, as the 23rd-ranked Utah Utes clash with the Colorado State Rams at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday. Nike Air Force 1 Cheap Sale .500 were once common achievements for the Dallas Mavericks. Now, both are season highs as Dallas slowly works its way back into playoff contention in the Western Conference. Nike Air Force 1 Cheap Outlet . Theres little time for rest, too. The Flyers and Rangers play again Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Simmonds scored in the first period and twice more in the second for his first career post-season hat trick. Mason survived a busy first period and stopping 31 straight shots until Carl Hagelin scored late in the third.MILAN, Italy -- Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has already decided on his final 23-man World Cup squad and has asked the players to prove him right before he reveals who will be going to Brazil. There were few surprises when Italy named its preliminary 30-man squad Tuesday but there will surely be more debate when seven players are cut. "Yes (Ive decided), but I want confirmation from them" Prandelli said in an interview published in Fridays Gazzetta dello Sport. "I havent thought about the starting XI: this will not be a World Cup of 11 players. "We need 23 resources, 23 players who think they will be among the first 11, focused only on the squad. Everyone has to understand they might play only one game. But it might be the game." Prandelli praised Giuseppe Rossi for making the provisional list, despite only just having returned from a four-month injury layoff due to a right knee injury. "I called him up because four and a half months ago, before his injury, he was the top goalscorer in Serie A and remained so for a few weeks after getting injured,"Prandelli said. "Thats a sign that he was doing something extraordinary. "His inclusion is a message for everyone: if you want something and fight and really try for it, you deserve a chance. Rossi is also a champion in his behaviour, that doesnt mean he will definitely be among the 23." Antonio Cassano was also on the list, despite not having played for Italy since helping the Azzurri to a runner-up finish at the 2012 European Championship, and he couldd make his World Cup debut after a fantastic season for Parma.dddddddddddd "When a player manages to redevelop in a positive way and get back in the running it is as if they have cancelled out all the negativity," Prandelli said. "The numbers are the numbers: beyond his pride and his motivation, in scoring and in assists, Cassano was a few yards ahead of the others." Italian media says Cassano is the alternative if Rossi is deemed not fit enough, with Mario Balotelli the only forward assured of his place in the squad. "Nobody is tied to anyone," the Italy coach said. "We will now have 10 days of physical work from which I also expect scientific answers, without having to rely only on feeling. Both could come: Im not ruling out anything." Prandelli also revealed he seriously considered including Francesco Totti, adding "I thought about him, before his injury he had extraordinary statistics. Then the younger players exploded and the future is theirs." Italys first World Cup match is against England on June 14. It also plays Costa Rica and Uruguay in Group D. The Azzurri are aiming for a record-equaling fifth World Cup triumph, two years after surprisingly reaching the final of the European Championship, where it was humiliated 4-0 by Spain. "I havent looked at who our potential opponents could be (in the knockout stages)," Prandelli said. "I know we have to pass the first round and then we have to organize in order to get to the final. I want to go to the final." ' ' '