OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- With their record-breaking star running back out for the season, Brian Billick and the Ravens aren't counting on the ground game to get them back to the Super Bowl. Instead, they may put "Operation Aerial Assault" into effect.

Billick, the Ravens' head coach, has said that Baltimore will have to depend heavily on the passing game this year because of the knee injury to running back Jamal Lewis. In their Week One win over the Bears, the Ravens rushed for only 54 yards (1.8 yards per carry). That's a huge departure from last season, when the Ravens rode a pounding, mistake-free running game, which totaled 2,199 yards, and a punishing defense to the championship.

The Ravens' winning philosophy in 2000 was largely due to their inept passing game, which ranked 22nd in the league. Billick & Co. knew a repeat performance was unacceptable in this age of hi-tech air attacks, so the Ravens upgraded their weakest link this offseason.

With the additions of quarterback Elvis Grbac and ORT Leon Searcy in free agency and TE Todd Heap in the first round of the draft, the Ravens' philosophy was going to be to throw the ball early in games, get a lead and then grind it out with Lewis.

But now, with Lewis' duties being shared by 33-year-old Terry Allen and unprovens Jason Brookins and Moe Williams, Billick may have to pass early, late and often.

"The passing game will be a focus now, even more than it was before," Billick said. "We want to pass the ball more effectively this season, of course. But we're going to need more from the passing game now because of a sense of need."

Billick has drawn criticism for his pedestrian offense in the past, but if any NFL coach has the background to make a passing game work, it's him. As the Vikings' offensive coordinator in 1998, Billick masterminded a unit that helped Minnesota score a league-record 556 points, largely on the strength of its dazzling passing game.

While he doesn't have Randy Moss and Cris Carter to utilize now, Billick does have some good receivers in Qadry Ismail, Brandon Stokley, Travis Taylor and Patrick Johnson. With Grbac's crisp and accurate throws, the Ravens' wideouts have the potential to post some impressive numbers this season.

Ismail already has one 1,000-yard season in this offense ('99), and Stokley was extremely impressive in training camp. The two opened the regular season in the starting lineup.

"We were planning to step up the passing game anyway," Ismail said. "It's a good thing that we were, because now we're on pace to help carry the offense. With the way we've been clicking with Elvis during training camp, I think we'll be very capable passing the ball this season.

"It's hard for me to say exactly what type of numbers we'll put up this season, but they could be pretty good. Losing Jamal is a huge blow to this team, but now it's up to us to carry some of his load. We're ready."

The Ravens' receivers will have to increase their production in a huge way if the team is to have a fighting chance. Last season Ismail and Stokley combined for only 60 receptions for 839 yards and seven touchdowns. But while the duo's numbers hardly resemble those of Moss and Carter, Billick said he has a lot of confidence in the pair.

"Qadry has matured a whole lot in this offense, and we're very excited about Brandon," Billick said. "It's going to be exciting to see what those guys can do this year in our offense. They're capable of some pretty impressive things."

The Ravens are hoping Billick is right, because if the passing game doesn't produce, the running game figures to be very shaky, as Allen, Brookins and Williams combined for only 246 rushing yards last season. But despite that fact, Billick said he still will try to have a balanced attack.

"You'd be making a mistake to think we can't run the ball at all. ... I'm not going to throw the running game away," Billick said. "I'm not going to throw the baby out with the bath water and throw the ball 50 times a game. We're still going to run the ball."

Because of their defense, the Ravens have a much larger margin for error than most teams. If the offense can't move the ball on the ground and continues to struggle passing, Baltimore's defense should continue to provide the team with good field position.

But even with his defensive security blanket in place, Billick admitted that making the switch from a running mentality will be difficult.

The unit that may be affected most by the change in philosophy is the offensive line. Last season, with a predominantly running attack, Baltimore's offensive line was a physical, mauling bunch. The switch to more passing will put the linemen on their heels more often.

"We can't even have a mindset that we're going to be less aggressive because we're not running," left tackle Jonathan Ogden said. "We've got to do what we've got to do to win. If that's coming out and throwing it, then that's what it takes. We'll have to be aggressive pass blocking now, and that's the way it's going to be."

If Billick can line up the Xs and Os properly and the receivers utilize their talents to make plays, then the Ravens have a legitimate chance to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

"This season will be different, that's for sure," Ismail said. "People act like because Jamal's out, that we might as well give up. Well, people really don't know what kinds of things we can do. For people who think we're done, I think they should just sit back and watch us fly."

Jaymes Powell covers the Ravens for the Carroll County (Md.) Times.

Material from Pro Football Weekly.
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