Anyways, everything that Matt said about the Ravens are true. Flacco's numbers are not looking to hot this offseason, and it just seems that the entire team is plagued with injuries. However, there are several promising signs coming from camp.
Flacco's numbers are down, but it may be a good thing. The Ravens are trying to improve on their Passing attack this season to open up the field for the three-headed monster of Rice, McGahee, and McClain. This means that Flacco is doing all he can to test his, his receivers', and the defense's limits. According to offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, he is not only fine with Flacco's inconsistent numbers, he's pleased. Now, this could all change in 2 weeks when he is still throwing INT's, but in my opinion, I would like to see a more dominant passing attack this season, so if it means he's throwing INT's now instead of later, I'm fine.
The Injury Report at the moment features the Ravens top 3 Receivers (Mason, Clayton, Williams), and 3 O-Linemen (Gaither, Grubbs, Yanda). This probably means it's going to be a long night for Flacco, Smith, and Beck. However, receivers Justin Harper, and Kelley Washington have done pretty good this offseason and Flacco has a very laid back mentality with who he's passing to. The injuries at O-Line will put the spotlight on First-Rounder Michael Oher and new pro bowl center Matt Birk.
With the Ravens not re-signing Matt Stover, the battle has come down to two men. One is Kick Off specialist from last season Steve Hauschka. The other is a rookie who won the Lou Groza Award for best Kicker in the NCAA, Graham Gano. This battle is turning out alot like the Redskins battle of Suisham and Rayner. Hauschka is a power kicker who nailed a 54 yarder last season, and Gano seems to have more accuracy, however has shown off power in his career as he hit multiple 60+ yarders in High School.
Another position battle brewing in camp is for the vacated spot of Bart Scott. Right now, second year players Tavares Gooden and Jameel McClain are leading the pack with rookie Dannell Ellerbe close behind. Gooden has the best range of the 3, however Ellerbe has the most certain tackle, and McClain has been noted for a great pass rush that included a safety last season. Special Teams' standouts Antwaan Barnes and Pro Bowler Brendan Ayanbendejo have also been considered for the spot.
The best news from Ravens camp so far is the very deep depth of the team. With the signings of Defensive backs Dominique Foxworth and Chris Carr, the Cornerback position stacked with young talent that accompanies veterans Samari Rolle and Fabian Washington.
The Running Back situation seems to be better than ever with second year player Ray Rice leading the race to the #1 spot. Willis McGahee has also come back healthy for the first time since his debut in Baltimore, with breakout player LeRon "Freight Train" McClain returning to his original Full Back position. The three-headed monster should be back this season, but McClain will probably only see limited snaps at the Half Back position in Singleback formations due to him being the only Full Back on the team.
Tonight is going to be an interesting test for the Ravens, but nothing hinges on tonight's performance. This is purely the opportunity to see the new Ravens and what they can do.
It is very early to make a judgement on the Ravens. The entire team has looked great except for Flacco, and he has a good reason for sucking. My optimism may be gone in 2 weeks if the team doesn't have a win and Flacco keeps struggling, but as of now, there is no reason not to think that they aren't as good as last season.
It will be fun to watch, no matter what.
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