The second preseason game for Baltimore saw more excitement from Michael Phelps then the Ravens themselves, with the Vikings taking the victory 23-15 with a 20-point first half.The Ravens changed the starting quarterback for this game, going with Troy Smith. Boller took over for the third quarter, and Flacco took most of the 4th. So, how did the three stack up this time?
Troy Smith: C/C-
Troy Smith has shown he can run, find the hole, and get out of the pocket to the outside. But the Ravens need a quarterback, not a running back. Smith only threw five passes, completing three, and got sacked twice plus an interception on the first pass of a two minute drill. He looked good running the ball, getting 35 yards, but Smith really didn't look solid in the pocket at all and had a bad passing day.
Kyle Boller: D
I'm being a little nice since a few situations were hurt by factors out of his control, including a low block penalty on Ray Rice, but Boller looked terrible. His only throw past 10 yards (it was 11) was on a 3rd and 19 and still had problems keeping the football. A decent performance could have secured the starting job for Boller tonight, but an interception, fumble, and very short passing was just bad for #7.
Joe Flacco: C-
Before the two minute drill, Flacco was fumbling the ball and staying the pocket too long; typical rookie mistakes that hopefully he'll change with experience. On the drill, he used short passes to drive down the field, and despite the almost interception (pulled back due to penalty), Flacco looked decent in a no-huddle offense. Flacco had a much better performance than against the Patriots, but still has a lot of growing to do.
Rumor was that the starting quarterback would be decided today. I really hope not, Smith and Boller have failed to standout. I say give them one more week, even though it isn't good to wait on such decisions, neither looks ready to lead.
(Photo credits: ESPN (Boller), Ohio State University (Smith), University of Delaware (Flacco))
No comments:
Post a Comment