The Ravens looked awesome in their pre-season opener against the Redskins.  Joe Flacco started the game at QB and he was sharp completing 9 of 15 passes for 103 yards.  Troy Smith also played well completing 14 of 30 passes for 200 yards with 1 TD pass.  John Beck finished up the game completing 5 of 9 passes for 105 yards but he was injured during this game.  Matt Lawrence led the way in the running game for the Ravens with 36 yards rushing on 9 carries (4.0 ypc).  WRs Jayson Foster (3 rec, 78 yards) and Justin Harper (4 rec, 57 yards, TD) were both exceptional in this game for the Ravens.  The Ravens rolled up 500 yards of total offense (399 passing) while they held onto the football for an amazing 35:44!

The defense was equally dominant in this game for the Ravens.  LB Jameel McClain (6 tackles), LB Tavares Gooden (5 tackles) and safety Tom Zbikowski (4 tackles, sack) led the way on D for the Ravens in this game.  The Redskins only had 196 yards of total offense in this game and they only averaged 2.9 yards per carry in the running game.

The only disappointment in this game was that the Ravens didn’t win by more points!

The Ravens laid another egg on offense last Thursday Night against the Falcons.  Joe Flacco got another start and he completed 8 of 13 passes for 72 yards.  Casey Bramlet finished up this game and he was awful completing 7 of 21 passes for 100 yards and throwing 2 pickoffs.  Rookie running back Ray Rice led the Ravens in rushing in this game with 37 yards on 7 carries (5.3 ypc).  Allen Patrick was also busy with 30 yards rushing on 13 carries (2.3 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 35 yards (17.5 avg).  WR Mark Clayton led all Ravens’ receivers in this game with 4 grabs for 38 yards (9.5 avg).   The Ravens finished up with 88 yards rushing on 29 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 34 passes for 159 yards.

Linebacker Nick Griesen led a solid effort by the Ravens’ defense with 10 tackles.  The Falcons finished up with 135 yards rushing in this game on 32 carries (4.2 ypc) and they also completed 11 of 26 passes for 121 yards.  The Ravens finished the preseason with a 1-3 record and things are not looking too promising for the 2008 season.

The Ravens looked terrible on Saturday against the Rams in St. Louis.  The only healthy QB on the Ravens’ roster was rookie Joe Flacco so he played the entire game and looked a little overwhelmed.  He completed 18 of 37 passes for 152 yards with a 15-yard TD pass to WR Derrick Mason.  Fullback LeRon McClain led the Ravens in rushing with 41 yards on 8 carries (5.1 ypc).  Rookie RB Ray Rice also had a solid game with 5 carries for 20 yards (4.0 ypc).  Derrick Mason led all Ravens’ receivers with 6 catches for 85 yards (14.2 avg) with a TD grab.  The Ravens finished up with 70 yards rushing on 18 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 37 passes for 139 yards.  The Ravens only had possession of the football for 23:00 in this football game and it’s very hard to win that way.

The Ravens’ defense was not much better than the offense in this game.  Safety Jim Leonhard and linebacker Robert McCune led the way for the Ravens in this game with 7 tackles apiece.  Safety Tom Zbikowski also had a decent game pitching in with 4 tackles and a interception.  The Rams finished up with 113 yards rushing on 34 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 41 passes for 298 yards.  This is shaping up to be a very long season for the Ravens.

The three headed battle for the starting QB job has resulted in the Ravens really questioning who they should go with.  Kyle Boller would have easily won the job if he just played well this preseason but he hasn’t.  Boller has completed 19 of 27 passes (70.4%) so far this preseason and he has 142 yards passing with 0 TD passes and 2 pickoffs (51.8 QB Rating).  Boller still appears to be making rookie mistakes in what is likely his last season in Baltimore.  Troy Smith has played even worse than Boller this preseason in my opinion.  Smith has completed 8 of 17 passes (47.1%) this preseason for 99 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 interception (41.1 QB Rating).  Smith has also carried the football 6 times for 41 yards (6.8 ypc) this preseason.  If neither of the veterans show anything in the next two games maybe the Ravens should just throw rookie Joe Flacco to the wolves.  It’s not as if the Ravens are a playoff team anyway so why not get a early look at the QB of the Future?  Flacco has completed 10 of 18 passes (55.6%) this preseason for 74 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 interceptions (65.5 QB Rating).  The fact that the Ravens don’t have a TD pass through two games should really have the coaching staff and fans of the Ravens scared.  Still, it’s just the preseason so don’t push the panic button quite yet.

2nd round pick Ray Rice has taken full advantage of Willis McGahee missing a lot of time this preseason.  He has carried the football 14 times for 89 yards (6.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Rice has also caught 7 passes for 34 yards (4.9 avg) this preseason.  If Rice continues to play well into the regular season he could possibly take Willis McGahee’s starting job from him.  If Rice does win the starting job eventually, the Ravens would probably move McGahee to another team as they are starting to tire of his antics.