From today’s b the paper…

Even though I’ll be in baseball mode on Tuesday night at the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, the real highlight of my summer is less than two weeks away when Ravens training camp opens on July 21 at McDaniel College in Westminster. Here are the top 10 purple thoughts on my mind as I impatiently await football season with very reserved optimism:

What kind of a coach will John Harbaugh be for an aging team with no real Super Bowl hopes this year? He’s made it clear it’s going to be different than it was under Brian Billick. Let’s see how the only results that matter — wins and losses — add up as the extremely tough schedule unfolds. And let’s see how Harbaugh reacts to the fans and the media with the inevitable adversity of an NFL season.

Let’s see what life is like after Jonathan Ogden. He will be sorely missed and it will be apparent right away. Will the new offensive line gel and become what we saw from Ogden, Mike Flynn and Edwin Mulitalo during their good years? Or will this be a patchwork group?

Who is the starting quarterback? Joe Flacco is definitely the QB of the future, but who starts on Sept. 7 and what will Cam Cameron’s new offense look like from the upper deck? For what it’s worth, my trusted insiders have told me to “buy Flacco stock.” But does that mean now, or later?

How much gas does Ray Lewis have left in the tank? And what will a contract year do for his performance and subsequent contract demands? Owner Steve Bisciotti already told the public he’s going to sign Lewis, no matter what happens. Not a great leverage move by the owner.

How much gas do Trevor Pryce, Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle have left in the tank? They’re all over 30 and have been limited by injury and illness to varying degrees. The Ravens are counting on them to perform like they did in 2005. It’s not likely.

The Ravens are counting on some contributions from their rookie class. Who will step up? Tom Zbikowski? Haruki Nakamura? Tavares Gooden? Defensive coordinator Rex Ryan will have some interesting choices on his side of the ball.

Is Matt Stover’s job safe? Stover is the only remaining Raven who wore the Browns colors in Cleveland in 1995. He’s ancient, but still very effective.

The training camp is slated to be brutal. How will the veteran players react to the new rules of Camp Harbaugh and what’s the fallout of any potential August injuries?

How many more years will Ozzie Newsome run the show? Billick’s firing came as news to him when it happened and he must be hearing some footsteps. He’s been the man for 13 seasons now. That’s a long time.

People have been asking me for a prediction on how the team will fare. Honestly, the most exciting aspects of the new season are all of the additions and coaches and the fresh start that Bisciotti wanted when he abruptly fired Billick on New Year’s Eve.

Nestor Aparicio, owner of WNST-AM 1570, writes about sports and more. His column appears Mondays and Fridays. For more, go to wnst.net.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.