Apr 26, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Matt Elam (center) is introduced to the media with (from left to right) national scout Joe Hortiz , head coach John Harbaugh , general manager Ozzie Newsome and director of college scouting Eric DeCosta at the Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

1. First round, 32nd overall: Matt Elam, S, Florida

Out with the old and in with the new for the Baltimore Ravens. When you look at the incredible amount of turnover that happened on their defense this past year, it’s tough to find a harder guy to replace around the league than future Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed, who bolted for the Houston Texans. But, that’s the task ahead for young Matt Elam, whom I viewed as one of the best overall safeties in this class. He’s not the tallest, but he has great bulk and speed, and hits like a ton of bricks. Elam also has good ball skills, and played on a dominant Florida defense in college. I think this guy will step in and start right away with Mike Huff, and I think he will play at a high level. It wouldn’t have shocked me to see him go in the first 20 picks, so getting him here at 32 is also good value. Great pick for the Ravens to cap off round one.

2. Second round, 56th overall: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State

This was a huge steal for the Ravens. They had to trade up a few spots to get him, but it will be well worth it. Baltimore needs to replace Ray Lewis at inside linebacker, and Brown is the type of guy who can do just that. In fact, there were some scouts who compared Brown to Lewis coming out of Kansas State. The former Miami transfer is a complete linebacker prospect with size, speed, and instincts, and I think he could be a starter for the Ravens for a really long time. This is a typical Ozzie Newsome pick, getting a guy who people ranked very highly way later than you anticipate. I love this pick for the Ravens and I think this is a plug-and-play starter for them for a while. Brown was ranked in the top 20 of my final Big Board.

3. Third round, 94th overall: Brandon Williams, DT, Missouri Southern State

This pick wasn’t shocking in terms of the value of small-school star Brandon Williams, who has been firmly entrenched in the third round range for months now. I think the Ravens aren’t overly satisfied with what they have gotten from Terrance Cody, and they wanted someone to push him for his job. Williams is a guy who will come in with a chip on his shoulder, and I love his overall size for the nose tackle position. He’s not very tall for a DT, which gives him better leverage, and he has incredible upper body strength throwing up 38 reps on the bench press. He is going to need some seasoning, but this could be a great risk/reward pick for the Ravens.

4. Fourth round, 129th overall: John Simon, DE/OLB, Ohio State

There are few players I’ve ever scouted who work as hard as John Simon. When you watch him on the field, that hard work translates and he is relentless on pretty much every play. With the Ravens, I think Simon will stand up and play some rush linebacker, and I think he can excel in that area. This is a guy who offers some pass rush ability and can make a lot of plays behind the line of scrimmage. I love his potential in this defensive rotation, and I think he can also become a key player on special teams. This is a good guy to have in your locker room.

5. Fourth round, 130th overall: Kyle Juszczyk, FB/HB, Harvard

Juszczyk likely is the heir apparent to Vonta Leach as the Ravens’ fullback, but I don’t think he will be stuck on the bench until Leach wears down. He has excellent versatility and can contribute on special teams as well. This is a big, strong, tough, smart athlete who kind of reminds me of a Brian Leonard type of player, though he’s not quite as good of a runner. I love his potential as an H-back in the NFL and the Ravens likely bypassed some other needs to get the player they probably viewed as the best at his position in this draft.

6. Fifth round, 168th overall: Ricky Wagner, OL, Wisconsin

Wagner comes into the NFL really well-coached out of Wisconsin. Bret Bielema’s offensive linemen are going to come into the league very well-versed in different positions, and very prepared for the rigors of an NFL running game. I think Wagner offers the Ravens depth at either tackle position or even guard, potentially.

7. Sixth round, 200th overall: Kapron Lewis-Moore, DL, Notre Dame

This is a guy who was likely off some teams’ boards after his knee injury in the national title game against Alabama, but I think the Ravens made a good move here. He can essentially redshirt for his rookie season, and give them some good depth coming into his second NFL season. He just had surgery three months ago, so it’ll be a huge bonus if he is able to give them anything this year.

8. Sixth round, 203rd overall: Ryan Jansen, OT, Colorado State-Pueblo

There were a ton of teams looking at this kid, and the Ravens pounced on him here in the sixth round. He can give them depth at tackle or guard, and gives them one of the top sleeper offensive linemen in the draft. I love his nasty streak, strength, and athleticism. Great pickup in the sixth round.

9. Seventh round, 238th overall: Aaron Mellette, WR, Elon

I thought Mellette was impressive enough at Elon and good enough at the Combine to earn himself a fourth round draft slot, but the Ravens got themselves a steal in the seventh round with one of our favorite small-school receivers. He has the size/speed combination that you look for in a receiver and his production is no fluke. I think this is highway robbery for the Ravens in the 7th round.

10. Seventh round, 247th overall: Marc Anthony, CB, California

Anthony has an uphill climb to make the Ravens’ roster as a rookie given their depth at cornerback, and he didn’t test well at the Combine. That being said, I think Anthony will get a spot on the Ravens’ practice squad or develop into a solid practice squad player for them. He was really productive at Cal.

Overall

I love what the Ravens did in this draft, especially with their first two picks. Elam and Brown were two of the best players at their respective positions in this class, and I love some of the later upside picks. This draft will need to be a foundation for the future.

Jan 26, 2013; Mobile, AL, USA; Senior Bowl south squad offensive lineman Lane Johnson of Oklahoma (69) prior to kickoff of a game against the Senior Bowl north squad at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL rumor mill is swirling, and one of the top rumors right now is that the Baltimore Ravens are interested in trading up potentially for Oklahoma offensive tackle Lane Johnson. Johnson is considered a lock to go in the first seven selections, so who would the Ravens look to deal with?

I think the top two picks right now could be Luke Joeckel and Eric Fisher, so the highest we could see Lane Johnson go is third overall. We know pretty much everyone in the top 10 is willing to trade their pick, but are they willing to move down to the 32nd overall pick? That’s a steep fall for a bad team.

In all likelihood, the Ravens would have to part with their 2nd round pick this year, and likely their 1st round pick next year to move up to get Johnson and probably more than that. Even in a draft with no top playmakers like Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III, I think the Ravens would have to pay a steep price to get the athletic Oklahoma OT.

It may be worth it. Baltimore invested a ton of money in Joe Flacco this offseason, and they need to make protecting him a priority. Johnson could fill one of the team’s biggest holes, as well as help them get rid of Bryant McKinnie, who has been a bit of a headache for them even though he played well in the playoffs last year.

If the Ravens are interested in Johnson, they are going to have to make a big splash in a trade and maybe get a little creative with it.

The NFL season got a little bit closer for NFL fans, as earlier this afternoon, the NFL announced that the defending Super Bowl champions will travel to Denver to take on the Broncos.

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed (20) hoists the Vince Lombardi trophy after Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Ravens defeated the 49ers 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens backed into the playoffs, losing four games in their last five. They looked like a really week fourth seed in the AFC Playoff picture, and some even thought Andrew Luck and the Colts had a shot to upset them in the first round.

Luckily, Ray Lewis announced that this year’s playoffs would be his “last ride.” The Ravens rallied around Lewis, got really healthy really fast, and wound up winning the Lombardi Trophy and the second Super Bowl in two tries for the franchise.

Lewis will ride off into the sun, Joe Flacco will be paid–in all likelihood–in excess of $100 million, and the Ravens likely will be among the NFL’s elite again in 2013. Here are their team needs in my opinion, in no particular order.

1. Inside Linebacker

Ray Lewis is retiring, and Dannell Ellerbe is a free agent. This is a clear position of need for the Ravens, who lost four of their last five games due in large part because they had health problems up the middle of their defense. Ray Lewis wasn’t a huge impact player in his final season in terms of his ability to be an elite middle linebacker, but his leadership will be sorely missed.

2. Safety

Ed Reed is a free agent, and I think while Bernard Pollard is a solid player, I think he could stand to be upgraded. Either way, the Ravens need to look to get younger at this position early in the draft.

3. Nose Tackle

Terrance Cody hasn’t been as good as many thought he could be coming out of Alabama, and the Ravens need to start looking for some competition for him. He’ll likely wind up as the starter going into next season, but I think a young player could be brought in early in the draft to compete with him.

4. Wide Receiver

The Ravens could have a huge need at receiver this offseason. There are some rumors that Anquan Boldin will be released due to all of the impending contract situations in Baltimore, and the money situation could also affect receiver/return specialist Jacoby Jones, who made some HUGE plays in the playoffs.

If either player is let go, it will be a huge loss for the Ravens.

4. Left Tackle

Bryant McKinnie has been a good addition for this team, but there’s a definite need to get younger at the left tackle position. The Ravens’ offensive line played great in their Super Bowl run, but this is a position that could use an infusion of youth.

5. Center

Matt Birk has been great for Baltimore since coming over from Minnesota, but he’s not getting any younger, and I think it”d be wise to look at a potential center upgrade in this year’s draft. Perhaps with needs along the OL, the Ravens could look to a guy like Alabama’s Barrett Jones who has played and succeeded at multiple positions.

Tomorrow’s Super Bowl is the first time brothers will coach against each other in the big game. The Super Bowl has been referenced as the HarBowl, Bro Bowl, or even the Jimmy John’s Bowl.

These story lines have dominated Super Bowl XLVII:

• Ray Lewis’ last ride of his 17-year NFL career, and allegations using deer antler spray as a performance-enhancing drug.
• Is this Ed Reed’s last game in a Baltimore Ravens uniform?
• Colin Kaepernick is making his Super Bowl debut in only his tenth NFL start.
• Is Joe Flacco finally a elite quarterback?

However, it all comes down to Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens square off after two weeks of preparation and speculation. Let’s take a look at the game’s biggest match-ups, and what to watch for on the NFL’s biggest stage.

Jim Harbaugh vs. John Harbaugh

Which brother can outwit each other and motivate his team to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy? John Harbaugh is 54-26 and 8-4 in the postseason as Ravens coach. Jim Harbaugh is 24-7-1 and 3-1 in the postseason as 49ers coach.

Colin Kaepernick vs. Ravens Defense

The Ravens have to stop the 49ers’ pistol read option to win the game’s most coveted trophy. They faced Robert Griffin III earlier this year, and took Griffin out of the game with a knee injury, but still lost. Griffin had 242 passing yards and touchdown, and 34 rushing yards on seven carries against the Ravens.

The Ravens also allowed Alfred Morris to run against them (122 yards and a touchdown), which means that the Ravens can be run on, and Kaepernick isn’t the only runner to game plan for. Frank Gore has rushed for 209 yards and three scores this postseason for the 49ers.

The Falcons limited Kaepernick to two carries on 21 yards, but made the second-year quarterback comfortable in the pocket. He passed for 233 yards and a score.

The Ravens must make the early adjustments and set the tone early to try to get Kaepernick and his offense uncomfortable.

Joe Flacco vs. 49ers Secondary

Joe Flacco has finally grown up and got past the New England Patriots two weeks ago to send the Ravens to the Super Bowl. The Falcons exploited the 49ers secondary for 396 touchdowns and three touchdowns, and was the reason the 49ers played from behind in the NFC championship game.

The Ravens have three deep threats, Torrey Smith (17.1 yards per catch on 99 career receptions), Anquan Boldin, and Jacoby Jones (burned Denver on a 70 yard score to send game to overtime).

Flacco, meanwhile, has thrown eight touchdowns, and no interceptions this postseason, and the 49ers live for turnovers. Perhaps none was bigger last week when Chris Culliver intercepted Matt Ryan in the second half two weeks ago and shift the momentum for the 49ers.

The craziest stat of all is Flacco has thrown the ball 101 times for 21 or more yards and hasn’t been intercepted.

Offensive Lines vs. Defensive Lines

The biggest battle of the Super Bowl may be in the trenches. The 49ers Mike Iupati and Joe Staley will have their hands full against Haloti Ngata, who has the most tackles of all the Ravens defensive lineman. It will also be interesting to see how the 49ers cover the Ravens linebackers Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis (44 tackles in 3 postseason games).

The 49ers offensive line also must establish itself early in the game for the pistol read option and run game to work, or else the Ravens will figure them out.

On the flip side, the 49ers have two dominant pass rushers, and a dominant middle linebacker, as well. Aldon Smith and Justin Smith have combined for 22.5 sacks on the year, Aldon Smith has a 20 quarter sack drought, and Justin Smith is still trying to get over his torn triceps. The two Smiths’ will be key to put pressure on Flacco to make mistakes and not hit his wide receivers deep for long plays.

The 49ers also have Ray Rice to worry about. Rice has ran for 247 yards and two scores in the postseason.

Super Bowl XLVII should be exciting and it appears balanced between the 49ers and Ravens which will provide for great entertainment. Neither the 49ers and Ravens have ever lost a Super Bowl and one will for the first time. It all comes down to Sunday for the Vince Lombardi trophy.

(I published this article on Friday at ESPN991.com, and be sure to check out my other articles here: http://espn991.com/author/samtastad/)

Feb 2, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; General view of Super Bowl XLVII roman numerals on a barge on the Mississippi River with the Crescent City Connection bridge (Greater New Orleans bridge) at Woldenberg Park in advance of Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The day has finally arrived.

Who: Baltimore Ravens (1-0 all time in Super Bowl) vs. San Francisco 49ers (5-0 all time in Super Bowl)

What: Super Bowl XLVII

When: 6:30 PM ET

Where: Mercedes Benz Superdome; New Orleans, Louisiana

Network: CBS, NFL RedZone

Radio: Sirius XM Radio

Depth Charts:

Baltimore Ravens

San Francisco 49ers

Super Bowl Recipes

Super Bowl Mad Libs

Generic Super Bowl Questions

Mind Blowing Super Bowl Stats

Sep 23, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Trent Richardson (33) and quarterback Brandon Weeden (3) celebrate a touchdown by Richardson during the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

This week’s Thursday night football matchup will be the first game that features the normal NFL officials, just 48 hours after the replacement officials blew a call in Monday Night’s Packers-Seahawks game. It was pretty widely reported not too soon prior to that game that the NFL and officials union were still very far apart in their bargaining talks, and that no progress was made in their meetings.

With the normal officials back, NFL fans can get back to hating the calls they make, as opposed to the bad calls the replacements made. Despite the fact that the replacement officials made some terrible errors, even with simple rules of the game, people seem to forget some of the things the normal officials have done. Ever heard of the “Tuck” rule? How about the Hochuli rule? Does anyone remember the Minnesota Vikings getting hosed in the NFC Championship game a few years back?

The point is, the guys who are coming back are far from perfect, and they’ll have some adjusting to do as well.

Even more importantly, tonight is a chance for NFL fans to see some more football. The Cleveland Browns are set to take on the Baltimore Ravens on the East coast, and it could get ugly pretty fast. The only thing is, the Browns have slowly progressed with their youthful offense and it’s going to take a huge upset to beat the Ravens on  Thursday Night Football.

Official Prediction: Baltimore Ravens

I think the Ravens–especially at home–are going to be far too much to handle for the Cleveland Browns. If they can force some turnovers and make some plays, I think the Browns can keep up with the Ravens, but at this point, it seems like they are terribly over-matched in this game. Joe Flacco is finally playing like the first rounder he was drafted as, and the Ravens are really clicking offensively, averaging nearly 33 points per game.

Fantasy Studs

QB: Joe Flacco, Ravens

Flacco could have a huge game against a Browns secondary without Joe Haden.

RB: Ray Rice, Ravens; Trent Richardson, Browns

Rice is the obvious one, but Richardson is an underrated runner and receiver in fantasy circles. That’s no surprise, since he’s a rookie, but I think he could shine on a big stage on Thursday Night.

WR: Torrey Smith, Ravens

Smith had a huge game last week, and should be able to build off of that momentum.

TE: Dennis Pitta, Ravens

Pitta is the Ravens’ leading receiver. Do the Browns have anyone who can cover him in addition to the stars on this team?

Sleeper fantasy pick: Anquan Boldin, WR, Ravens

Boldin is a sleeper because of the other stars in this game. With Torrey Smith’s big game last week, the defense should be focusing in on him. Not only that, but they’ll be paying extra attention to Dennis Pitta. This could open some space on the outside for Boldin to make some plays.

September 10, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) throws a pass during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at M

The first week of NFL football is in the books officially, and it’s all downhill from here. The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals kicked things off last night in Baltimore, where the Ravens were missing defensive player of the year Terrell Suggs.

Long story short–it didn’t matter.

The Ravens killed the Bengals from about the second quarter on, where it was 17-10 for a brief moment while the Ravens caught their breath, and scored 27 second-half points to beat their division rivals 44-13. The top performers from this game–other than the Ravens’ always consistent defense–included Joe Flacco and, obviously, Ray Rice.

Flacco is one of my personal whipping boys in the NFL for his consistent inconsistency throughout the course of an NFL season. Flacco is constantly gifted with an incredible defense and running game, and the Ravens have not yet been able to get over the hump. If Monday night is any indication, Flacco looks like he’s over the hump.

The former first round pick out of Delaware tossed a pair of touchdown passes and finished the game with 299 yards and a quarterback rating of 128.4. It was a fantastic opening performance for Flacco, who is in the final year of his contract. You’ll remember this offseason, Flacco dubbed himself the best quarterback in the NFL, and while that’s not even close to true, he certainly looked like he was in the upper-half conversation last night.

Dennis Pitta led the Ravens in receiving with five catches for 73 yards and a big touchdown that put the Ravens up 24-13.

For the Bengals, Andy Dalton made some nice plays managing the game, but managing the game is not enough if your defense is giving up points on the other side to the Ravens, especially on the road. Then, Dalton threw a pick-six, which basically put the Bengals away for good.

Ben-Jarvus Green-Ellis had 18 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown in his debut as a Bengal, showing some nice moves and proving that when you’re done in New England, you’re not done for good.

Ray Lewis is still a complete beast, by the way.

In Oakland, the Raiders lost their home opener to their division rivals in San Diego, led by Philip Rivers and some poor special teams play. We’ve known the Chargers for their bad special teams in the last couple of seasons, but the Raiders are usually some of the best in the NFL. When your Pro Bowl long snapper goes down, though, it’s hard to replace that very specific kind of skill.

Without Jon Condo snapping the ball to Shane Lechler, the Raiders suffered significantly. Their defense played decent otherwise, but that was just a big error to overcome with a bad snap and a blocked punt in the second half of last night’s game.

The game in itself wasn’t overly entertaining, but the Chargers got a big early season win within the division. Neither team ran the ball well, nor were the passing numbers anything to write home about. It was a pretty rough going game for both teams.

Both teams had undrafted free agents starting on offense from this year’s rookie class, and Oakland’s starting receiver Rod Streater from Temple caught a touchdown pass and two point conversion from Carson Palmer late in the game.

August 9, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) celebrates after a touchdown in the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

I have been pretty skeptical of Julio Jones going into his second season after his rookie year didn’t yield a whole heck of a lot of touchdowns in terms of his fantasy value, but consider me a buyer–regardless if it’s fools gold–after the Falcons’ pre-season opener.

Jones finished his game with six receptions for 109 yards and a beautiful touchdown grab in the Falcons’ losing effort against the Ravens in their pre-season opener. Last year, the Falcons traded an arm and a leg to move up in the first round to pick Jones, but it appears as though it may have been worth it and then some.

It looks like Jones and Matt Ryan are not only on the same page, but he could potentially surpass Roddy White as the “go-to” guy in this offense because he has a much more broad array of gifts physically, which is really saying something since White is no slouch. The Falcons should have two thousand yard receivers for sure, but I think Jones could be one of your big breakout fantasy receivers this year.

I am looking forward to watching the whole game on NFL replay when I get a chance, and then I can bring some more analysis of the young players. One other intriguing player on the Falcons was running back Jacquizz Rodgers, who had 33 yards rushing and a touchdown. He is supposed to have an increased role this season and the Falcons are getting a good look at him.

The Ravens won the game, and backup quarterback Curtis Painter–who is reunited with QBs coach Jim Caldwel–completed just seven of his 14 passes, but three went for touchdowns. Painter was able to consistently find paydirt, but I still like Tyrod Taylor better if Joe Flacco goes down for the Ravens. He has a more dynamic skill set and seems like he’d inspire more confidence in the guys around him than Painter would. We saw Indy last year, it was not pretty.

Ravens new running back Bobby Raniey had a touchdown reception as well as leading the team in rushing and made a sick cutback to get to the end zone. It’s a play you might see on Sports Center’s top plays, but definitely keep an eye out for the highlights.