Five things to watch for during the Ravens first preseason game
The Baltimore Ravens face the Atlanta Falcons in their first preseason game of the season. Preseason games may be meaningless to some viewers, but they mean a lot for bubble players and lower level players trying to get film on them. Here are five things to watch for during the Ravens game.
1. The starters will sparingly play– Catch what you can and take from it what you can. The starters will play about one quarter. One quarter can still give fans and coaches a glimpse of what is to come.
2. How the defense looks Suggless– The defense will be without Terrell Suggs and I can imagine that Paul Kruger will get a lot of snaps in the game. Kruger has come a long way since the Ravens drafted him, see how he does getting extended snaps.
3. Ravens offensive line– Losing, guard, Ben Grubbs is my biggest concern for the Ravens. The Ravens have a very old offensive line and in my opinion that is the most important part of an offense, after the quarterback. They need to be able to open up holes for Ray Rice and protect Joe Flacco. Last year, the offense did not preform well without Grubbs.
4. Who will be Flacco’s favorite target– Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin, Jacoby Jones, Ed Dickson…. Flacco has a lot of players to work with. Dennis Pitta will miss all of the preseason with a broken hand, so Flacco will have to go to his other receivers.
5. Which bubble players will step up– The Ravens have always been open to having undrafted rookie free-agents make the team. Last season, LaQuan Williams was the Ravens big surprise in camp and preseason. Williams made the team and contributed as an undrafted rookie free-agent. Who will do it for the Ravens this year? The first preseason game will provide a lot of answers. Some players look great on the practice field but can not transfer it to the game when full pads are on. That is why these preseason games are so important, coaches get to find out who are gamers and who are not.
