Rag-tag group looks to stabilize Ravens' defense
By "George McFly"

Off-Season 2091 (Baltimore) - The loss of $20 million defensive lineman Casey Rapid left a gaping hole in the Baltimore Ravens defensive line. So what did defensive coordinator Ahdel Ali do? He removed the hole itself.

This year, the Ravens will be switching to a 3-4 defense, as opposed to the 4-6 they unsuccessfully ran the past three years. In the 4-6, their defensive front consisted of four linemen and four linebackers. Now, they will have three defensive linemen and four linebackers, with the additional man in the secondary. This should help the Ravens, who were absolutely torched through the air last year.

Ethan Jennings, who has been with the team for six years, will be the defensive tackle set in the middle of the line.

'It's going to be a heck of a change,' said Jennings of the scheme switch. 'It will be a lot more difficult for us to stop the run with a thinned out line, but with an extra guy in the seconday, our defense should look a little less like Swiss cheese.'

Wade Clark and Larry Hampton will play the ends. Clark, the smaller of the two, will play left end and come off predominantly as a pass rusher. Hampton will be pulled into the middle and serve as run support, according to team sources.

'There are only three of us up front, sure,' said Clark of the change. 'You've got to remember, though, that we've got a hell of a group of linebackers behind us, though.'

This would include consistent All-Pro snub Bill Poindexter, the anchor of the Ravens' defense. Poindexter, perhaps the most underrated linebacker in the league, will be playing directly behind Clark and should be able to lock down the left half of the field.

'I think we should definitely see a change in the climate here in Baltimore,' said Poindexter. 'Last year, teams just came in and gunned it over our heads because we only had one safety. I think we'll still have problems with spread-style offenses, but with less than three wide receivers on the field.. we should dominate.'

Ravens fans have recently dubbed Jennings, Clark and Hampton 'The Junkyard Dogs,' due partly in fact to their rough, hard-nosed playing style as well as the fact that all three are relative unknowns outside of Baltimore.