By creator to www.baltimoreravens.com
Numerous ideas on varied issues, all in 50 phrases or much less:
I do know, the video games do not depend and it will all be forgotten quickly sufficient, however in my opinion, the truth that the Ravens have matched a report held by Vince Lombardi’s Inexperienced Bay Packers provides some real shine to their 19-game preseason successful streak. These guys had been really the actual deal.
In 1959, when the Packers started their streak, they did not care that preseason video games did not depend. They had been coming off a 1-10-1 season, which included a 56-Zero loss to the Colts in Baltimore. Lombardi, in his first 12 months as a head coach, desperately wished them to win something.
Full disclosure: I wrote a ebook concerning the 1959 Packers referred to as That First Season. There is a passage concerning the first win of their preseason streak. When Lombardi benched Bart Starr for taking part in poorly in opposition to Washington, the long run Corridor of Fame quarterback wept on the bench, considering he would get lower.
Since they solely have two wholesome quarterbacks on their roster, I am guessing the Ravens will give Lamar Jackson a collection or two of their preseason finale Saturday night time in Washington. Not an enormous deal nevertheless it in all probability would not damage for him to expertise game-speed soccer earlier than the common season begins.
Buying and selling rookie Shaun Wade was in all probability a reasonably simple name for the Ravens provided that they produce other, viable choices for the No. 6 spot on the cornerback depth chart. Chris Westry has exceeded expectations and Nigel Warrior seemingly has discovered a positional residence after starting his profession at security.
To be clear, the Ravens traded Wade as a result of they’d watched him on the observe area for months and figured they might get by with out him. However his departure does go away them considerably skinny at slot cornerback. If Tavon Younger had been to get injured once more, Marlon Humphrey in all probability would step in.
No participant on the Ravens’ roster has flown farther below the radar than Michael Schofield, the veteran offensive lineman. However he has began 35 video games since 2019 (for the Chargers and Panthers) and may play guard or proper sort out. I get the sensation his possibilities of sticking are going up.
Inside linebacker L.J. Fort’s season-ending damage is prone to impression the roster at different positions. Fort was a special-teams stalwart, which implies the Ravens should suppose laborious about what to do with different kick-coverage specialists akin to Justice Hill and Miles Boykin. You simply cannot go away that cabinet naked.
What fantastic information that former Ravens defensive lineman Lional “Jelly Roll” Dalton discovered a kidney donor and underwent a life-saving transplant operation at Johns Hopkins. A gregarious backup on the Ravens’ first Tremendous Bowl staff, Dalton is battling late-stage renal failure at age 46.
A closing be aware on how Lombardi’s Packers approached the preseason: after their 19-game streak ended with a loss to a staff of school all-stars in 1963, they gained their subsequent 5 preseason video games in a row and 13 out of their subsequent 16. Principally, they by no means stopped caring about successful.
