Doing well for themselves

Never mind for now the team’s uncertainty at quarterback. Will the Ravens roll the dice once more on the bruised and battered Steve McNair? It’s possible.

Will they take another stab at a passer of the future by drafting Matt Ryan or Brian Brohm? Could happen.

Will Troy Smith be the backup instead of Kyle Boller, who is no longer protected by Brian Billick? Let’s hope so.

Two weeks after Harbaugh replaced Billick, the Ravens deserve credit for taking some strong steps forward in the leadership department. This has the makings of a fine coaching staff, and the front office has been both shrewd and fortunate putting it together.

First of all, owner Steve Bisciotti hired Harbaugh, but only after Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett turned down the Ravens and Atlanta to get what he really wanted — a huge raise and a promotion from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

Clearly, Garrett used the Ravens before resuming his position as Jerry’s kid. He also may have saved the Ravens from themselves as they pursued a three-year assistant with a good rap and corporate face that comes with a Princeton degree.

That left Bisciotti to turn to Harbaugh, whose 24 years of sideline experience, including the past nine under Philadelphia coach Andy Reid, and sterling reputation as a special teams coach should have made him a hotter commodity than Garrett anyway.

The Ravens gained from the horrible fall of the Miami Dolphins, whose 1-15 record led to the hiring of Bill Parcells as vice president of football operations. His first move was to fire Cam Cameron after one season as head coach.

That left Harbaugh to snatch Cameron as offensive coordinator, giving the Ravens another shot of credibility.

It remains to be seen what Cameron will produce with an unsettled quarterback position — no Pro Bowl expectations in 2008 — and a young offensive line that might not have left tackle Jonathan Ogden around, should the future Hall of Famer retire.

But what Cameron did as the architect of the San Diego offense under former Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer gives Baltimore fans reason to anticipate some imaginative, productive schemes.

Sure, it helped Cameron to have the league’s best running back-tight end combination in LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates. But Cameron ran a great offense without a classic, home run threat at receiver, and he helped quarterback Drew Brees come into his own, in addition to preparing a young Philip Rivers to make an immediate impact when he got the chance.

Then came the biggest stroke of luck, followed by another smart play.

After failing to grant a second interview to defensive coordinator and nine-year Ravens assistant Rex Ryan, the Ravens scored again, when the dysfunctional Atlanta Falcons pulled another strange move by giving the keys to former Ravens assistant Mike Smith.

Once the Washington Redskins — speaking of dysfunctional — declined to pursue Ryan as head coach, the Ravens were free to prevent him from moving elsewhere as a coordinator.

Then, Bisciotti picked the best way to smooth things over after stinging the guy who had earned the opportunity to replace Billick. He rehired Ryan as defensive coordinator, slapped the title of assistant head coach on him and gave Ryan a boost in pay that likely pays about $2 million annually.

Talk about a great make-up call.

The Ravens, who also have retained defensive assistants Clarence Brooks and Mike Pettine and hired special teams coach Jerry Rosburg, obviously have lots of work to do.

They must decide how many expensive veterans to keep, starting with McNair, defensive lineman Trevor Pryce and cornerback Samari Rolle.

They would rather retain linebacker Terrell Suggs by signing him to a contract extension instead of using the franchise tag to keep him in Baltimore.

They desperately need help at cornerback via free agency and the draft. They must decide what to do with franchise linebacker Ray Lewis, as he enters the last year of his contract.

But what the team has achieved in the first month since letting Billick go qualifies as an encouraging start.

Gary Lambrecht writes about the NFL, Major League Baseball and college sports. He can be reached at glambrecht@baltimoreexaminer.com.