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Ravens will be 'strongest' team in history

Much of the Ravens' struggles in the last few seasons has been due to injuries. Their injured reserve during the last three campaigns has involved nearly 60 players put together.

Baltimore is making a concerted effort to alter that in 2017.

The Ravens are channeling their health hopes through one particular man: director of performance Steve Saunders, who has one veteran raving and making daring predictions.

"I can guarantee anyone this: We will be your strongest, most in-shape Ravens team until this team has ever acquired, " safety Eric Weddle claimed, via ESPN.

Saunders' program, which takes a micro procedure for strength and conditioning, has swayed the flavor the Ravens to stick to his direction. Instead of using broad strokes to arrange Baltimore's players by counting on the mainstay exercises and drills, Saunders has crafted different plans for different people.

"As a football participant, I do not need to Cheap NFL 17 xbox 360 Coins run 100, 200 [yards], " Weddle said. "If I am managing 100 yards, I should be minimize. Because then I am getting beat. I do not ought to be doing that. I need to end up being running 20, 30, 40 yards as rapidly as I can over and over and over at optimal energy and efficiency as well as speed. That alone is gonna make us better. "

A Baltimore team that has been in contention late in the season fell to Pittsburgh inside a Christmas thriller (losing the division in the act) and out from the playoffs by season's conclusion, going 1-3 in its final four games. Baltimore was without leading corner Jimmy Smith within the last few three games of the season, something he's determined to avoid in 2017 by using Saunders.

"I told my different trainer, 'I am going to sort out here a couple weeks and check it out and make sure, '" Smith said. "But, I am going being here the whole offseason, just because of how good of the job he does with us.

"For me, it would be our legs, making sure I can do running and jumping and all that with the ankle injuries and base injuries, " Smith said when referring to what Saunders has targeted in his policy for the corner. "I think that he does a great job in giving me extra exercises to have that all situated. "

In six professional conditions, Smith has played in most 16 games in just two of people years. Perhaps he will serve because the barometer for how effectively the Ravens' offseason system works, though the list of these affected is much, much longer. After going a combined 5-7 of their final four games of the season during the last three years, health is paramount to the Ravens, who have spent high of the last two seasons wondering "what if? " instead of seeing the outcome of GM Ozzie Newsome's roster structure.