The Maryland Sports Blog

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Maybe Colt McCoy needs Jordan Shipley to play for the Cleveland Browns for him to be successful?

The Baltimore Ravens play the Washington Redskins this Thursday, I know that it is just a preseason game but I wanted to get everyone pumped.  In recent years the Ravens have dominated the Redskins in the regular season and preseason. 

The last time the Ravens and Redskins met in the regular season the Ravens won 24-10. Ed Reed had an outstanding game and this highlight play.

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.

The Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins are playing at FedEx field tonight. Here is a six pack worth of match-ups to watch for.

1. Micheal Oher verse Brian Orakpo- It will be interesting to see how Micheal Oher matches up against a talented pass rusher. The right side will be tested as well.

2. Donovan McNabb verse Ravens secondary- Panthers quarterback Matt Moore did not challenge the Ravens secondary too much in the Ravens first preseason game against the Carolina Panthers. It will be good to see if the Ravens can hold up against an elite or above average quarterback.

3. Ravens pass rush verse Redskins offensive line- The Ravens pass rush will be a big key if they want to make a Super Bowl run. If the Redskins want to compete for anything they need to keep McNabb healthy. Last year the Redskins offensive line got crushed by every team.

4. Ravens young linebackers against grandpa- The Ravens are having a competition for the inside linebacker spot next to Ray Lewis. Jameel McClain, Tavares Gooden, and Dannell Ellerbe are all going to see action against the Redskins aging running backs.

5. Billy Cundiff verse Shayne Graham- Yes you saw this right, two teammates pinned against each other. This is what it is, the Ravens biggest competition is for the kicker position and it will be those two facing off.

6. Ravens fans verse Redskins Fans- The Redskins have home field advantage but you know that there will be some Ravens fans in the house. It probably will not rival the number of Redskins fans but if the Ravens get a big lead early you might see the tide shift.

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.