Reacting to the State of the Ravens press conference: What does it mean?

The Baltimore Ravens just had their season ending press conference. Owner Steve Bisciotti, president Dick Cass, general manager Ozzie Newsome, and head coach John Harbaugh all sat on the stage and answered questions from the media. After a tumultuous 2015 season, it was easily one of the most important press conferences we've seen in some time from this organization. Fans want answers as to what the team did wrong and how to fix it.

While these events are typically filled with "coach speak," the addition of owner Steve Bisciotti kept it a little more down to earth and straight forward. Known for being direct and providing real answers both as the owner and as a fan of the team, we got some of the most candid responses we could have hoped for. So what does it all mean?

First and foremost, the Ravens brass feel just as bad about this season as you do.

Owner Steve Bisciotti said that he was "disappointed, but not mad" at the 5-11 season. So invested in the production of the team, Bisciotti said that he couldn't even be a normal fan any longer and was a little more involved, much like a parent watching their child at a sporting event. With all the injuries in 2015, he said that it was frustrating just being so helpless during the season and the best thing he could do was to support his front office and head coach John Harbaugh with whatever they needed to keep things going forward.

Everyone on the stage knew what went wrong and they acknowledged it, a refreshing difference.

Injuries took center stage as Bisciotti gave a run down of the domino effect that losing linebacker Terrell Suggs had on the team. The lack of pass rush due to his injury put more on the secondary and the defensive line. It forced players out of position and their comfort zone meaning that production across the board was hurt. A normally fundamentally sound defense suddenly became the squad that couldn't get the most basic things figured out and it was clear as the season went on.

However, no one let injuries be the sole reason for the failure to execute and even pointed out that player development and a lack of playmakers on defense were yet another big reason for things to have gone so badly. That led right into the draft and free agency as everyone agreed with the most needed positions being pass rush, defensive backs, offensive line and wide receiver. Even going so far as to say that they would be targeting "multiple pass rushers" through free agency and the draft this offseason.

Continuity was another big thing thrown around all throughout the press conference. The team made it noted that there would be no coaching changes, keeping defensive coordinator Dean Pees, much to the dismay of many Ravens fans. All of those on the stage noted that continuity as being the biggest thing between winning franchises and those that are in the media far too often and can't string winning seasons together. Using the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an example, owner Steve Bisciotti said that teams that change coaches or general managers, tend to get into the habit of changing things around far too soon and never settle down enough to win. When you look at teams like the Cleveland Browns and many others, you can see that he has a big point and the decision to keep Pees might actually be the best thing.

Basically, the Ravens are going to do what they do every season. Look to trim down the cap hits on their roster and replace them with others that are far cheaper all while getting healthy and continuing to keep things intact. Building on a bad season that the players will remember should be all it takes to get everyone motivated in 2016, hopefully making the losing season an anomaly instead of a regular occurrence.