Sorry I have been M.I.A. for a bit, I have been having some computer issues, but I must blog about the Ravens preseason opener.
Thursday night Baltimore took on Beltway rival Washington. The Redskins looked absolutely brutal in getting shut out 23-0. However, the Ravens defense looked as ferocious and dominant as ever. Through all four quarters the “D” was flying to the ball, or causing turnovers. Even backups like Dannell Ellerbe seemed to fit the Raven profile.
In his debut, second-round pick Paul Kruger was disruptive, to say the least. Third-round pick Lardarius Webb helped force a turnover and so did second-year player Tom Zbikowski. The battle for middle linebacker next to Ray Lewis isn’t any clearer. Tavares Gooden started, but Jameel McClain kept making plays to keep up in the competition. A crowded, but deep secondary proved to be just that when Derrick Martin intercepted a pass.
The offense looked to be in midseason form racking up 500 yards on what is supposed to be an improved Redskins defense. Joe Flacco only stayed in for a little more than one quarter, but still passed for over 100 yards. Troy Smith was the most impressive of the quarterbacks, although he got the bulk of the playing time. Lost in the impressive offense, was first-round pick Michael Oher who battled all night with the Redskins experienced defensive line and proved to play with an attitude. It should be fun to watch him develop.
Of the receivers, Justin Harper had a decent night after dropping some passes. Jayson Foster hauled in a long pass late in the game to put the exclamation point on the Ravens victory. Also, free agent pickup Kelley Washington put his skills on display in front of his new fan base and coaching staff. One sour note on the receiving corps, though, is Marcus Smith tore his ACL. A positive from that is the coaching staff has one less receiver to evaluate for one of the few roster spots available.
Overall, it was an impressive performance by the Ravens, but let’s temper our expectations and chalk it up to being the opening of the preseason against a team that may not have been ready.
Great recap. While I’m pleased with the Ravens performance, there’s only so much you can take from one preseason game. Certainly it is not a predictor of future results.