Preseason Week 2: Ravens vs. Cowboys Viewing Guide
One week down, 3 more to go. This week takes us to Jerryworld, where a Cowboys team already depleted by injuries and free agent departures awaits. It’s unfortunate, you’d like to see the Ravens match up against some challenging competition as they prepare for the season. They got a great dose of that last week and in joint practices this week with San Francisco, but you can’t say the same about Dallas. Mediocre last season and only getting worse. No matter. Still gotta go out there and execute. Here’s some things to look out for this evening.
The First Team Offense
Last week’s one and only drive by the first team left me thirsting for more. Marched right down the field, put 6 on the board, and called it a night. It was sexual. Need more of it. We’re gonna see a good 3 or 4 drives out of Flacco before he calls it a night. They’re likely to repeat last Thursday’s performance considering Dallas’ defense was the NFL’s worst in 2013, plus Demarcus Ware left and Sean Lee is out for the year. In short, they’re going to be garbage defensively again. So while it’ll be a blast to watch when they hang 21 on their first 3 drives, take it with a grain of salt.
In particular, the offensive line is again a point of interest. They were adept at opening holes and giving Flacco and Taylor time to throw last week. I’m still a little gun-shy about saying the O-line situation is fixed, but another strong showing would go a long way. I’m liking everything I’m hearing about Rick Wagner in camp, which is a pleasant surprise. Hopefully he can build upon it and gain some more confidence against a poor defense.
The QB Depth Chart
I’ve largely ignored the QB situation behind Joe so far in camp. It’s set in stone. Taylor is the backup. The question was whether rookie Keith Wenning would play well enough to convince the Ravens to take on 3 QB’s this year. The idea would be that Wenning would become the backup in the future after some grooming. Coach Harbs had hinted over the offseason that he wasn’t terribly thrilled with Tyrod being the backup long-term, so it was up to Tyrod to prove otherwise. And he’s off on the right foot. Been hearing a lot of good things about how he’s picked up the new offense, and he looked solid last week. We know what he can do with his feet, and that 28 yard run last week displayed that perfectly. Plus I think Tyrod can be a weapon a la Troy Smith a few years back. That was fun.
Tonight is another opportunity for him to cement his status as a viable option at backup QB. Not just for this year, but for years to come. Ultimately the Ravens will take 2 QB’s and try to put Wenning onto the practice squad. Would like to see Wenning get some work tonight, and we may get a chance this week or against New Orleans in the last preseason game.
The Goddamn Cornerbacks
Still a disaster. Jimmy Smith has been phenomenal again in camp, but the rest of the group has stunk. Chykie Brown is getting roasted in practice erry day by Steve Smith. Lardarius Webb is still on the shelf for another week or two. And the guys behind him are nothing to gush about. Asa Jackson, Dominique Franks, yawn. I need to see these guys improve this week. It seemed like we never EVER got a stop on third and long last year. Can’t have that happen again this year. I want to see UDFA Tremain Jacobs make a play or two tonight and challenge some of these veterans to get their act together. They’ve even moved this year’s 3rd round pick, a safety (Terrance Brooks) into the nickelback position in camp. Cornerback depth is essential in the 2014 version of the NFL, and there’s nothing that shows that we have an ounce of it. Let’s be better tonight boys.
That’s pretty much it. It’s not much, but it’s still football. Oh, and Rolando McClain is suiting up for the Cowboys. Or maybe not. He’ll flip flop 3 or 4 times by kickoff, so that’ll be interesting to watch. Other than that, enjoy your Saturday night of football. Football Sundays are coming.