The Maryland Sports Blog

The Baltimore Ravens have been receiving some national attention this summer for being possible Super Bowl contenders.  Only about five teams are considered elite every year and the Baltimore Ravens are one of those teams labeled.  In reviewing the Ravens position-by-position, it is hard to argue that they are not elite.

Quarterbacks - Joe Flacco was a rookie phenom a couple of years ago.  He was quiet and kept to himself.  Now Flacco has grown up on and off the field and walks around as if he owns the Ravens.  On the field, he gets smarter on every play.   Backup Marc Bulger could be starting for a lot of teams and can step in when needed.

Grade: B+

Running backs - Ray Rice is a top five running back in the NFL; he is dangerous catching the ball and running with the ball.  Fullback Le’Ron McClain is a great blocker and can run with the ball.  Willis McGahee is a solid backup and Jalen Parmele is the starting kick returner.

Grade: A

Wide receivers – With the addition of Anquan Boldin, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Donte’ Stallworth, the Ravens have one of the better wide receiver groups in the NFL, as well as one of the most improved.

Grade: B

Tight ends – Todd Heap is finally healthy and he finally has legit backups in Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta.  Dickson needs to work on blocking but he is a match-up nightmare for defenses.

Grade: B+

Offensive line – Some question marks have popped up about the offensive line due to injuries.  When the season gets underway, I think the Ravens will be healthy and they will be one of the top 5 lines in the NFL.

Grade: B+

Linebackers – The Ravens pick up great undrafted free agent linebackers every year and mold them into great players.  This group is no exception because Jameel McClain and Dannell Ellerbe have become solid players.  The guy in the middle goes by the name Ray Lewis –  some might have heard of him.  Terrell Suggs is back in shape ready to get some sacks.

Grade: A+

Secondary – The Ravens might be missing Ed Reed but Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura are underrated solid players.  Dawan Landry is back to his old self as a hard hitting free safety.  The pickup of cornerback Josh Wilson was much-needed.

Grade: C+

Defensive line – Haloti Ngata is widely considered one of the best nosetackles in the NFL. Terrence Cody is a mammoth in the middle. Teams will not be running very far on this line.

Grade: A

Special Teams – The Ravens hold special teams in high regard.  They have players make the roster just because they are good at special teams, like Edgar Jones.  They have multiple people that can return kicks and one of the best punters in the NFL in Sam Koch.  The only question mark for this group is the kicker Billy Cundiff.

Grade: B+

In the final preseason game you will not see many starters play. Even backup quarterback Marc Bulger is not going to play. As always here are six key players to watch for the Ravens while watching the game. The game is at 8 Eastern time against the St. Louis Rams.

1. Troy Smith- This is most interesting battle to watch Smith vs. Self. He can win a spot on the Ravens roster as a third string quarterback with a big game or increase his value enough to get traded to another team. If he does not show he could miss the cut.

2. Marcus Smith- One of the many bubble guys. Smith had a good game against the New York Giants and out of the wide receivers he is the best special teams player. There is an open receiver spot with Donte’ Stallworth’s injury, he will be battling David Reed and Demetrius Williams for a roster spot.

3. David Reed- A major disappointment in camp, but showed promise against the Washington Redskins. He needs a big game to make the cut.

4. Prince Miller- Miller has shown some ability as a punt returner but needs to come up big as a corner to have a shot. The acquisition of cornerback Josh Wilson may have ended Miller’s shot.

5. Edgar Jones- The life of most undrafted rookie freeagents, play special teams, play in games, still have trouble finding a job. The most versatile Raven is trying to make the team again. He can play defense, offense and special teams but the competition might be too much. The linebacker has been one of the best special teams players for the Ravens the past couple years.

6. Jason Phillips- Another linebacker that has earned his way onto the bubble. He is a solid player that plays smart and has a nose for big plays. He has impressed in all the preseason games, another big game could get him a spot.

Baltimore Ravens star tight end Todd Heap had a great day at practice today. He made a spectacular one-handed catch while running and other tough catches.   Heap was putting on a show for the military members that were there for military appreciation day.

Speaking about military appreciation day, Heap stayed long after practice signing autographs for the military members.   He said that he loves taking the time to spend with military members because he had family members in the military.

Quarterback Joe Flacco had a strong day today, hitting just about all of his receivers.

Offensive tackle Oniel Cousins and linebacker Edgar Jones got in a fight today. It did not last long.

Quarterback coach Jim Zorn had a very long press conference today, longer than head coach John Harbaugh’s.   He was asked about his time with the Washington Redskins and what it will be like going back there.

The Baltimore Ravens play the Carolina Panthers Thursday night at M&T Bank Stadium. Since this is the first preseason game the starters are only excepted to play one quarter and some will not play at all. Here are some things to watch for during the game.

Offense

Wide receiver battle- With the addition of Anquan Boldin and Donte’ Stallworth there is major competition for the 4th and 5th wide receiver spot. A position of weakness last year has now become a position of strength. Demetrius Williams, David Reed, Marcus Smith, Justin Harper, Rodelin Anthony, and Eron Riley are all on the bubble.

Right Tackle- Offensive tackle Jared Gaither has been toying with the Ravens all year, and/or injured. Oniel Cousins will most likely get the start at right tackle, it will be interesting to see how he does. Ramon Harewood has been a surprise at camp, he is a rookie that was drafted in the 6th round out of Morehouse, he saw some action with the first team.

Tight end position battle- Another weak position last year that is very much improved. Todd Heap is the starting tight end but Ed Dickson, rookie 3rd round pick out of Oregon, has opened up a lot of eyes with his pass catching ability. Dennis Pitta has also been impressive in camp and Davon Drew has been solid as well.

Defense

Corner backs – Fabian Washington and Chris Carr may not play in Thursday’s game. It will be up to a bunch of lesser known players to fill in. It is a good thing that preseason does not count towards anything because it could get ugly. Prince Miller is excepted to get a lot of playing time, lets see what he can do with it.

Linebacker position battle- Jameel McClain is expected to get the start next to Ray Lewis and he is emphatic to play. Tavares Gooden, Prescott Burgess, Antwan Barnes, Edgar Jones, Albert McClellan, Paul Kruger and Jason Phillips are playing for a play on the depth chart.

These are all guys that could be starting for some other teams in the league but might have trouble making the Ravens tough group. Jimmy Clausen might have trouble staying on his feet against these guys because these will be the guys he sees when he is out with the second or third team.

Free Safety- Who knows if/when Ed Reed will play this year. Tom Zbikowski and Ken Hamlin are battling for the top spot. So far they have both had their moments in camp.

Special Teams- Most of the bubble players will boost their status with good-to-great special teams play. Guys like David Reed, Marcus Smith, Edgar Jones, and Prescott Burgess will give themselves an opportunity to make the team just for special teams play.

Kicker battle- Billy Cundiff and Shayne Graham will continue their battle into the preseason. Head Coach John Harbaugh said that the kickers will take turns on kicks.