At the 2001 owners meetings, Ravens brass huddled into a plush room and made a decision. Boldly, they decided to go for the gold one more time. They signed quarterback Elvis Grbac and right tackle Leon Searcy knowing that the cap consequences would force the roster to be blown up after the season. The Ravens made the wild card with a 10-6 record but were bounced in the second round of the playoffs by the Steelers.

Gone are five starters on offense, but the saddest news is that seven starters are gone from a defense that started the century as one of the best since the 1985 Bears. Coach Brian Billick let HBO film the series "Hard Knocks" about the 2001 training camp. In 2002, Billick and the Ravens have to live the hard knocks of their noble try to repeat the Super Bowl success of the year before.

Ravens fans will need a scorecard to keep track of the new players. Chris Redman enters as the starting quarterback, but if he fails, veteran Jeff Blake is around. Youngsters such as tight end Todd Heap, fullback Alan Ricard and wide receiver Travis Taylor have to step up for departed offensive stars Shannon Sharpe, Qadry Ismail, Jermaine Lewis and Sam Gash. The biggest transition is on defense where defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis is gone and Mike Nolan will take over to install a 3-4 around the skills of linebackers Ray Lewis and Peter Boulware, defensive end Michael McCrary and cornerback Chris McAlister. Unknowns such as Kelly Gregg, rookie Anthony Weaver and Marques Douglas have to take over a defensive line that was filled with veterans and great characters.

	CAMP AT A GLANCE
	Jamal Lewis missed all of last season with a knee injury.
	Location: Western Maryland College, Westminster, Md. Rookies report: July 25 Veterans report: July 25 Preseason schedule:    Aug. 9: Detroit    Aug. 15: N.Y. Jets    Aug. 23: at Philadelphia    Aug. 29: at N.Y. Giants

Billick calls this a season of transition. By taking the hard salary cap knocks this season, Billick, who agreed to a long-term contract extension, has the cap room in future years to rebuild.

Man in the spotlight
Two years ago, offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh saw a lot of himself in Redman. In practices, he loved Redman's accuracy. He loved Redman's work ethic. Well, Redman has to show the organization that he is ready to take over the reigns of Billick's quarterback friendly offense. In two seasons, Redman has only three attempts and two completions to his credit in an NFL game. Of all the starting quarterbacks heading into training camp, he is the least known. He has to make due with a young cast of skilled players trying to make the same adjustments as him.

Key position battle
How do you replace Rob Burnett, Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa? The Ravens knew they couldn't so they shortened the mission. They eliminated a defensive lineman from their scheme, switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4. The only certainty is that McCrary will be the pass-rushing end on passing downs and will try to get his 32-year-old body in shape to handle the tough task of being a 3-4 defensive end on rushing downs. No one knows what the Ravens can do on their defensive line. Aside from McCrary, the entire roster of defensive linemen have only one NFL start to their credit.

Injury update
With less than three dozen returning players on the roster, there aren't many injuries to worry about in right now. The key recovery involves halfback Jamal Lewis, who is coming off major knee reconstruction. He is about 85 percent heading into training camp. The Ravens gave McCrary the offseason minicamps to rest his chronically bad knees. They don't need to beat up him until the games start.

Rookie report
As soon as they were drafted, safety Ed Reed, Weaver and punter Dave Zastudil were penciled into the starting lineup. There are plenty of other opportunities for the team's other seven draft choices.

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.