Looking ahead to 3-5 years from now, ESPN's James Walker wrote a story on his AFC North Blog, picking one player from each team in the division that will be the team's star in the future. For the Baltimore Ravens Walker focuses on running back Ray Rice, who will hopefully be in a new contract paying him a superstar's salary for the Ravens.
With the probability of a major shakeup in the Ravens backfield for guys not named Rice nor Flacco, Ray should be the feature back for this team for years to come and his production should only continue to get better as long as the offensive line improves along with him. The Ravens will need to protect his longevity by providing him with solid backups and be able to spread the ball around, not only to other running backs but from QB Joe Flacco to his receivers as well.
Surprisingly, both Rice and Flacco came into the league in the same 2008 NFL Draft, so the Ravens should have a great combination in their backfield for years to come and stay a post season contender as long as this duo stays together and healthy.