Pick one because you can't have both in the NFL. At the very least, it is rare and extremely difficult to put both a great offense along with a great defense on the field in the same year. The NFL salary cap makes that type of combination a rare occurrence in the league nowadays. Sure there have been those teams in the past and you might respond with an argument for one of the teams in the league right now, but I'll dispute the definition of the word "great" all day if you do.
You can have a "great" offense or defense, and a "good" offense and defense, but there's a huge difference between "good" and "great" that I'm talking about. For instance, the Washington Redskins 4th ranked defense was "good" in 2008, but the Baltimore Ravens 2nd ranked defense was "great" last season. Offensively, the New England Patriots 5th ranked offense was "good" in 2008, but it was "great" as the top ranked offense in 2007.
My point is, you just can't sit here in Baltimore, proudly bragging about how our defense is one of the best in pro football, while at the same time complaining that our offense should be just as "great." However, you all have a valid point if your retort is to say you're not looking for a "great" offense, but would gladly settle for a "good" one. That's where we will split in our opinions about this team's ofense. To me, we already have a good offense. We were ranked in the top 11 in points scored last year and while our defense put points on the board or put us in scoring range with their turnovers, we still moved the ball. The problem was that we had trouble moving it against the better teams, namely the Pittsburgh Steelers. Face reality folks, not many teams had success moving the ball against the Steelers top ranked defense. Yes the Cardinals were able to throw the ball all around and over the Steelers secondary in the Super Bowl, but their offense is in the "great" class in my opinion.
I do firmly believe that the upgrdes we've made on offense, which includes the drafting of RT Michael Oher and other free agent signings, but mainly the improved health and added experience of our younger players, who are beginning to grasp and jell in a brand new offensive coordinator's system. Having second year QB Joe Flacco around a full year, with the ability to pick up and understand the system for the entire spring, summer and Training Camps is a huge advantage compared to last season, which cannot be underestimated. This offense is poised to make a huge stride in production in 2009. Will they enter the "great" category? Don't be ridiculous, but they should absolutely be "good" which will be good enough to get us far into the postseason, which it already did. Can it get us further, which to the Baltimore Ravens would be the Super Bowl in 2010?
Why not?