The Baltimore Ravens opened their preseason amid excitement from the home fans. Baltimore looked pretty decent in a game that ultimately means nothing more than getting chemistry going between quarterback Joe Flacco and his new receivers.
Flacco connected with both Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton, who had a touchdown catch, with ease, however, it seemed like he and new acquisition Anquan Boldin were just a bit off. Flacco went completed eight of his 12 passes, including that touchdown to Clayton in the second quarter, which means he was far more accurate than he’s been in his previous two seasons. Flacco, like most of the starters, didn’t hang around long and gave way to the second- and third-string players.
Marc Bulger saw limited time, so it’s hard to judge his performance from Thursday night. However, third-string quarterback Troy Smith got a full half to show what he could do. Smith got off to a really slow start and never really got going, completing two of his six attempts. Smith had trouble handling the ball, fumbling it once. A positive from Smith’s performance was his quarterback draw in the third quarter.
The Ravens did have trouble keeping the ball off the ground, fumbling it four times and losing it on three occasions. The starting offensive line had some protection issues, giving up two sacks. Michael Oher and Ben Grubbs both got beaten by Carolina defensive end Tyler Brayton. The Ravens will have to tighten that up before the start of the regular season if Flacco is going to make it through the whole season.
Baltimore’s secondary, which has been an area of concern among fans, played well without starters Fabian Washington and Lardarius Webb. Cary Williams, who will be suspended for two games this season, looked pretty good covering the Panthers’ receivers, even getting an interception. So far so good with the secondary, but the real test for the unit will be when the season opened.
Special teams was interesting to watch. The kickers alternated kickoffs, point after attempts and field goal attempts. Both kickers’ kickoff attempts were good, going deep in to the end zone. What stood out was Shayne Graham’s miss on a 50-yard attempt. Graham was 1-for-2 on his attempts, however, a miss from 50 yards may not hurt his chances in making the team. Billy Cundiff didn’t get a chance to attempt a field goal, so that will be something to follow for their next game.
On the other side of special teams, Prince Miller separated himself as a potential punt returner. Miller had a 57 yard return on one of his three returns. Coming in to the season, there may have been uncertainty for who would return punts. Carr was originally signed to be a nickel back and kick and punt returner, but with questionable depth at the cornerback he probably won’t be used in that role this season.
Overall, it’s hard to take much away from this game, other than Flacco looks improved. The Ravens play the Redskins on Saturday, Aug. 21. Expect the starters to play a little longer and get more chemistry heading in to their season opener Sept. 13.
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