The Maryland Sports Blog

Quarterback: Joe Flacco was amazing. He has a QB rating of 129.6.  He only missed on seven of his passes.  Sure, some were dump-offs to running back Ray Rice but they were very effective.

Grade: A

Running Backs: Ray Rice dominated this game.  He ran for 88 yards but also had 97 receiving yards on only seven receptions. Willis McGahee also played well when he got touches, including a touchdown reception.

Grade: A+

Receivers: The wide receivers were covered well this game but they did not need to do anything special since the running game was working so well.

Grade: C+

Offensive Line: They blocked well at times, but when in the redzone they broke down and let Miami get to Flacco. The run blocking was good.

Grade: C

Defensive Line: Ngata had another strong performance, but they needed to put more pressure on Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne, who had 13 rushing yards. Kelly Gregg looked like he was pushed around a little.

Grade: B

Linebackers: They played alright.  They got stronger as the game progressed. Ray Lewis had another good game.

Grade: B

Secondary: The defensive backs were able to play tight coverage on Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess all game. Fabian Washington not so much. Webb, Reed, and Wilson each had an interception.

Grade: A

Special Teams: Billy Cundiff was four for five on field goals but Punter Sam Koch had a 13 yard pass completion and didn’t have to punt at all.

Grade: A+

Quarterback - A: Joe Flacco’s stats may not tell the whole story. Not many quarterbacks put game-winning drives up in the forth quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers and nobody does it on their home turf.

Running Backs - C+: They were all hurt so it is really hard to judge this group. Ray Rice played well when he needed to even though he had a hurt knee.

Receivers –  A+: Derrick Mason and Anquan Boldin were beastly throughout the game. They have had only one bad game. Todd Heap also made some key plays.

Offensive line – A+: The offensive line put up the best performance I have ever seen against the Steelers. They held them to only one sack.

Defensive Line - B: Haloti Ngata was a beast and the line put good pressure on the quarterback. I would have liked to see more of Terrence Cody.

Linebackers- A+: This group stood on its head. Jameel McClain had one of his best games and Ray Lewis closed it out with an interception.

Secondary – C+: They were beat on some key plays. Fabian Washington gave up some big plays. Lardarius Webb made some fantastic plays.

Special Teams- B+: Billy Cundiff was huge on kickoffs and made a key field goal. Sam Koch had a great game. Pittsburgh is the hardest places to kick so Cundiff’s missed field goal is not surprising.

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+

Here are six key players in the Baltimore Ravens victory over the Washington Redskins. The Ravens won 23-3.

1. Safety Haruki Nakamuri’s fake punt run was the play of the game. This play was huge, he showed that he has some moves with the ball in his hands. Nakamuri is a really solid player, he may not look the part but he would be starting on a lot of other teams. He sees most of his snaps in blitz packages so it was nice to see him with the ball.

2. Cornerback Cary Williams continues to impress. He looked great in the first preseason game against the Carolina Panthers and in training camp. His interception of Redskins quarterback Donnavan McNabb was outstanding, he read the throw perfectly.

3. Quarterback Marc Bulger looked great throwing 13 of his 16 passes for completions. He has a quick delivery and is extremely accurate. Bulger and wide receiver David Reed looked great together.

4. Wide receiver David Reed had four catches for 38 yards and answered a lot of questions about his ability to play in the NFL. He had a rough camp dropping a lot of passes which put him on the bubble. He needed to make some plays to make the team. He also had a great special teams tackle.

5. Tight end Dennis Pitta had an outstanding game catching passes, he had four catches for 65 yards. Pitta is not a bubble guy he will make the Ravens team as their second or third tight end.

6. Linebacker Jason Phillips worked his way onto the bubble with a strong performance that included two fumble recoveries. Throughout his college career Phillips had a knack for making big plays. He could become a solid NFL player. He needs more games like today to make the final roster.

Extra- Prescott Burgess also had a huge day. Some of the tweets from today said it perfectly.

Today was the last day of Ravens training camp and also the last day of my internship. I go back to school on Sunday to search for a job and other opportunities. I have to thank everyone at WBAL, 98 Rock, the Baltimore Ravens, and all the other members of the media that were so kind to me.

Eric Garfield was my boss at the beginning of my internship, he left about when training camp started so I had the chance to help the whole station. I owe a lot to Garfield, he taught me the everyday things that go on at a radio station and the preparation it takes to prepare for a show.

Mike Wellbrock the executive producer and Brett Hollander the host of sportsline were also helpful. Hollander and Wellbrock were two of the nicest people I have ever had the chance to work for, truly class acts.

It was an honor working for Stash and Kieth Mills, two of my idols growing up. I love listening to those two guys, meeting them was an honor and working with them was a dream come true.

Other members of the media that I met while at Ravens training camp included John Clayton, James Walker, Suzy Kolber, Jaminson Hensley, Aaron Wilson, and Matt Vensel just to name a few. All of them gave me great advice to help me in the future. I thank each and everyone of them for their kindness and advice.

John Parr deserves his own shout out, he writes for this site and was one guy that I could call a friend during this internship. Working with him was easy.

Regarding practice today, wide receiver Mark Clayton and tight end Ed Dickson did not practice. Head coach John Harbaugh said it was nothing major.

All the players seemed to happy it was the last day, Terrell Suggs was shouting as usual.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie was at practice today. He was Haloti Ngata’s guest, well him and his family.