The Baltimore Ravens are putting a lot of trust into 22-year old rookie QB Tyrod Taylor.  As of now, the 6th round pick out of Virginia Tech is the Ravens’ #2 QB.  I have to think that the Ravens will be looking for another QB before the season starts as insurance for Taylor.  Taylor has played in all three preseason games for the Ravens so far and he has completed 35 of 57 passes (61.4%) for 392 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs (73.1 QB Rating).  Taylor has also carried the ball 9 times for 95 yards (10.6 ypc) with 1 TD run so far in the preseason.

The Ravens have waived 27-year old T/G Oniel Cousins and 26-year old WR Justin Harper.  Cousins played in all 16 games (1 start) for the Ravens last year.  He played in 25 games (4 starts) in his first three years with the Ravens.  Harper only played in 2 games (o starts) in his three years with the Ravens and he didn’t catch any passes.  The Ravens shouldn’t miss either of these guys in 2011 or down the road.

The Ravens looked sharp offensively last night, especially the backups as they scored the last 10 points of the game.  Joe Flacco completed 17 of 27 passes for 219 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT (it was returned 52 yards for a TD by CB DeAngelo Hall).  Tyrod Taylor was pretty solid last night for the Ravens as he completed 11 of 18 passes for 125 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 31 yards (15.5 ypc) last night.  Ray Rice led the way in the running game last night with 72 yards on 13 carries (5.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 3 passes for 12 yards (4.0 avg) last night.  WRs Anquan Boldin (5 rec, 73 yards, TD) and Lee Evans (3 rec, 60 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Ravens last night.  TE Ed Dickson (3 rec, 57 yards), TE Kris Wilson (3 rec, 47 yards) and WR Brandon Jones (1 rec, 9 yards, TD) also really pumped up the passing game for the Ravens last night.  The Ravens finished up with 138 yards rushing on 28 carries (4.9 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 45 passes (62.2%) for 314 yards last night as they had possession of the ball for 34:54.

The defense didn’t play too well last night for the Ravens.  CB Lardarius Webb (2 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and 1 interception), DE Pernell McPhee (2 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) and CB Talmadge Jackson (interception that he returned 39 yards) led the way for the D last night.  The Redskins finished up with 103 yards rushing on 23 carries (4.5 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 33 passes (54.5%) for 238 yards last night.  The Ravens are now 2-1 on the preseason.

The Ravens have signed 31-year old OT Bryant McKinnie.  The Ravens are planning to move Michael Oher back to the right side with McKinnie covering Joe Flacco’s blind side.  McKinnie played in 16 games (all starts) for the Vikings last year.  He has now played in 132 games (131 starts) in his first 9 years in the NFL.  This was a great signing for the Ravens who were very lucky to find a offensive tackle the quality of Bryant McKinnie this late in the free agency market.

The Baltimore Ravens have signed 29-year old OT Mark LeVoir.  He played in 6 games (0 starts) for the Patriots last year.  He has now played in 32 games (2 starts) in his first five years in the NFL.  The 6’7″, 310 pound LeVoir will challenge Oniel Collins and Jah Reid for the starting job at RT in 2011.  This was a good signing for the Ravens as RT has the look of a problem spot on the O-Line.

24-year old Ray Rice is going to be the main man in the running game for the Ravens once again in 2011.  Rice played in 16 games (14 starts) for the Ravens last year and he carried the ball 307 times for 1,220 yards (4.0 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 63 passes for 556 yards (8.8 avg) with 1 TD grab last year.  The Ravens will likely still take out Rice in short yardage and goal line situations in 2011.  Rice has now played in 45 games (33 starts) in his first three years with the Ravens and he has carried the ball 668 times for 3,013 yards (4.5 ypc) with 12 TD runs.  He has also caught 174 passes for 1,531 yards (8.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far in his NFL career.  I look for another 1,000+ yard rushing season for Rice in 2011 with at least 50 catches.

34-year old Ricky Williams is going to handle the rough stuff for the Ravens in 2011.  Williams played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Dolphins last year and he carried the ball 159 times for 673 yards (4.2 ypc) with 2 TD carries.  He also caught 19 passes for 141 yards (7.4 avg) with 1 TD grab last year.  Williams has now played in 131 games (84 starts) in his first 10 years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 2,323 times for 9,565 yards (4.1 ypc) with 64 TD runs.  He has also caught 329 passes for 2,523 yards (7.7 avg) with 8 TD grabs so far in his career.  Williams should be good for 10 carries and a couple of catches per game for the Ravens in 2011.

25-year old RB Jalen Parmele goes into this season as the Ravens’ #3 back.  He played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Ravens last year and he carried the ball 5 times for 17 yards (3.4 ypc).  Parmele has now played in 24 games (0 starts) in his first three years with the Ravens and he has carried the ball 7 times for 44 yards (6.3 ypc). 

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RAVENS RBS IN 2011:  B

The Ravens scored 21 points in the 4th quarter to pull out a nice home win last night against the Chiefs.  Joe Flacco was so-so last night as he completed 12 of 24 passes for 124 yards.  Tyrod Tayler followed him into the game and he completed 5 of 11 passes for 88 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 5 yards with his run going for a TD.  Hunter Cantwell finished up the game at QB by completing 1 of 2 passes for 38 yards.  Ray Rice led the way on the ground for the Ravens last night with 44 yards on 7 carries (6.3 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 1 pass for 11 yards last night.  RBs Anthony Allen (5 carries, 34 yards, TD) and Jalen Parmele (6 rec, 18 yards, TD) also pitched in big time for the Ravens last night.  WRs David Reed and Lee Evans each caught 3 passes for 68 yards apiece last night.  The Ravens finished up with 114 yards rushing on 24 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 37 passes (48.6%) for 238 yards last night.

The defense was really solid for the Ravens last night.  CB Lardarius Webb led the way for the Ravens’ D last night with 6 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and 1/2 a sack.  DT Brandon McKinney (5 tackles) and safety Haruki Nakamura (4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) also had big games for the Ravens last night.  CB Josh Victorian pitched in with an interception last night.  The Chiefs finished up with 94 yards rushing on 27 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 39 passes (51.3%) for 194 yards in this game.  The Ravens are now 1-1 on the pre-season.

The Baltimore Ravens have acquired 30-year old WR Lee Evans from the Bills for a 4th round pick in 2012.  Evans played in 13 games (all starts) for the Ravens last year and he caught 37 passes for 578 yards (15.6 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He has now played in 109 games (102 starts) in his first seven years in the NFL and he has caught 377 passes for 5,934 yards (15.7 avg) with 43 TD grabs.  Evans will start at WR opposite of Anquan Boldin and he will give the Ravens a legit deep threat.  This was a great move for the Ravens.

The Baltimore Ravens looked sickly on offense last night.  Joe Flacco made a brief appearance in which he completed 3 of 6 passes for 60 yards.  Rookie Tyrod Taylor played most of the rest of the game and he looked pretty shaky throwing the ball while showing off some impressive running ability.  Taylor completed 19 of 28 passes (67.9%) for 179 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 6 times for 59 yards (9.8 ypc) last night.  Hunter Cantwell only attempted 1 pass last night and it was incomplete.  RB Jalen Parmele had a solid game with 7 carries for 35 yards (5.0 ypc) in this game.  TE Dennis Pitta led the way in the passing game for the Ravens last night with 4 grabs for 47 yards (11.8 avg).  WR LaQuan Williams (3 rec, 46 yards), TE Kris Wilson (3 rec, 29 yards) and WR Tandon Doss (3 rec, 26 yards) also pitched in for the Ravens in the passing game last night.  The Ravens only had possession of the football for 24:14 last night, but it was mostly the offense’s own fault due to turnovers.  The Ravens rushed for 107 yards on 20 carries (5.4 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 35 passes (62.9%) for 206 yards last night.  They have a lot to work on offensively.

OLB/DE Paul Kruger (5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 QB hit and 1 sack) and safety Bernard Pollard (2 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Ravens’ D last night.  The defense did really well against the Eagles’ running game as they held them to 88 yards rushing on 32 carries (2.8 ypc).  The Eagles did complete 22 of 32 passes (68.8%) for 232 yards last night which will give the Ravens something to work on.

The Ravens sign 29-year old TE Kris Wilson.  Wilson played in 14 games (7 starts) for the Chargers last year and he caught 6 passes for 73 yards (12.2 avg).  He has now played in 82 games (30 starts) in his first 7 years in the NFL and he has caught 52 passes for 446 yards (8.6 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Wilson has always been a decent TE, so he should be able to help out the Ravens in 2011.