The Baltimore Ravens held a press conference earlier today and Baltimore Beatdown was there to take in all the news and ask a couple of questions. Head coach John Harbaugh announced that linebackers coach Dean Pees was named defensive coordinator and that offensive coordinator Cam Cameron would be returning next season.

On Pees, Harbaugh said that, "we go back a long way," referring to the time when Pees was the defensive coordinator in college at Miami of Ohio and Harbaugh was a defensive back. He also said, "the record speaks for itself," in reference to Pees time with not only the Ravens but the New England Patriots as well.

In the 62-year old Pees' 40 years in football, his resume prior to becoming linebackers coach on the Ravens included be on the staff of Nick Saban, Lou Holtz and Bill Belichick. Pees was obviously honored to be given this prestigious position, saying that he was pleased to be a defensive coordinator in this league, but "especially humbling to be one for the Baltimore Ravens."

Check out the related story on BaltimoreRavens.com.

(More to follow shortly with quotes from my direct questions to Coach Pees as well as the entire Press Conference transcript)

For the first time since early September of last year, there will be no upcoming football game to look forward to for the Baltimore Ravens this weekend, and especially next weekend. Every Friday since their first weekend of the 2011 NFL regular season began is known as "Purple Friday" around Baltimore. While there will be a final chance to get a glimpse at a few of your favorite Ravens in this weekend's Pro Bowl, it obviously is nothing what us fans, much less the team itself, expected to be doing this weekend.

Just about every Ravens fan expected our guys to skip the Pro Bowl because they would be playing in Super Bowl 46 next Sunday evening. Unfortunately, the New England Patriots would cooperate with us and they held on for a 23-20 win in the AFC Championship Game when certain victory appeared to be within our grasp.

So, will you be wearing purple today to show your love for the home team? Is "Purple Fridays" relegated to the closet until just before the Ravens open the 2012regular season? Have we as fans lost the right to continue to show our Ravens pride year round, at least every Friday? I say you dare to be different and no matter what happened last week and despite no more Ravens football will be played until almost fall, display your "Purple Pride" every Friday if not any other day you want.

Go Ravens!!!

Look around the NFL and you will find a bunch of coaches and players that can proudly say that they once used to play on the Baltimore Ravens with All-Pro and certain Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis. Look at many of those same coaches and players and you will see guys whose level of success with their new teams was never repeated once they left the long shadow of the inside linebacker.

Ray's amazing career has jump-started the careers of at least four former defensive coordinators for the Ravens. Marvin Lewis, Mike Nolan, Rex Ryan and now Chuck Pagano have had to find out the hard way that without Ray roaming the middle of the field and acting as a coach on the field, life without Ray is nowhere near as bright and shiny as it was with him.

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Perhaps there is no better a time to discuss how loaded the Baltimore Ravens’ defense is and will be for years to come. On the heels of breaking news concerning one-year stand out Defensive Coordinator Chuck Pagano’s acceptance of Indy’s head coaching job, Ravens fans should take comfort knowing that many Defensive Coordinators have come and gone throughout the years and yet, the Ravens continue to set the standard for hard nosed, old school, down right nasty defensive play. The Baltimore Ravens’ front office does as good a job, or better, than anyone at finding defensive gems in both the draft or free agency and this largely contributes to the defense’s and team’s overall success.

Yesterday I focused on young Ravens stand-outs on offense, so today I thought we could take a look at a few of the younger players on defense to get a taste of some of the things that we all have to look forward to. Like before, I’ll do some 2012 "projections" as well for a bit of fun.

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Last season Bryant McKinnie was cut by his long time team, the Minnesota Vikings, for reporting to camp overweight and out of shape. McKinnie disputed the team's claims that he was almost 400 pounds when he reported but admitted he was not in football shape.

Baltimore, desperate for a left tackle, brought McKinnie in and had him play from Day One. His weight was a bit up from his career average but he played well for the Ravens just the same.

I wouldn't say he was great, but Bryant McKinnie was definitely the best option for the Ravens and improved their offensive line with Michael Oher moving to the right side. Oher struggled from the left side but was able to be dominant at times from the right.

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The Ravens have many free agents heading into the off season. Some will be back, some might head to Indianapolis with new head coach Chuck Pagano and others will be poached by other NFL teams.

The Ravens will have a tough road ahead of them as they try to determine which players are expendable and which they need for the future.For many players it is not only their play on the field that will weigh in the minds of the front office but their salary, age and who Baltimore has developing behind them.

Another factor could be their special teams contributions. Special teams was a low point for the Ravens this season and the team is not in a position to be passing on anyone that can contribute in this area.

After the jump is a list of the Ravens free agents and what exactly their status with the team means. From BR.com

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Baltimore Ravens LB Ray Lewis will be heading into his 17th NFL season, virtually unheard of in the league, much less for playing such a violent position. No one is denying that he has lost a step or three, but no one also keeps themselves in the shape that he does, by training like a maniac 12 months a year, eating right and watching videotape of the team's upcoming opponents.

So many free agents have joined the Ravens and reportedly said they had never watched tape the way Ray, Ed and the others broke it down. What Ray has lost in speed he makes up in strategy, positioning and pre-play placement of his defensive teammates. His value as a coach on the field and his presence on the sidelines and locker room is priceless, not only to his defensive teammates, but to the entire team, including the coaches.

Ray is the face of the franchise and deserves to be respected as such. He should be the last player out of the tunnel at every home game, regardless of which side of the ball is introduced. His inspirational speeches motivate the players and his recent one on BaltimoreRavens.com after the AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots is one for the ages and should make everyone excited already for the 2012 season.

The Baltimore Ravens have played the New England Patriots four times in the tenures of head coach John Harbaugh, QB Joe Flacco and RB Ray Rice's careers. Since the 2008 season, when they all came together, all four meetings have been in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Twice these two teams have met in the regular season and now twice in the post season. Other than the 33-14 playoff whipping the men in purple handed the Patriots in the 2009-10 season, all three other games have come down to the last possession.

The teams did not meet in the Ravens trio's rookie season of 2008. In the 2009 regular season, the Ravens lost 27-21, when they could not convert a fourth down, well known in Ravens lore as Flacco's pass hit then-WR Mark Clayton right in the numbers but was inexplicably dropped. The Ravens exacted revenge with the win in the playoffs a couple of months later.

In the 2010 season,Baltimore took a 20-10 lead into the fourth quarter but could not hold it as New England tied it late in the game and won 23-20 in overtime on a field goal. While the game last weekend did not quite make it to overtime,the Ravens fell by the same score, 23-20 to end their 2011-12 season.

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