Game time, hon!
It’s finally that time of the year again! It may only be preseason, but the Orioles ratings just went way down. Not that they weren’t already. I had assumed the season ended in early June anyway. But the best time of the year has finally arrived. The Ravens will be traveling up to Lincoln Financial Field this evening to take on the Mike Vick and the Eagles at 7:30 PM. For Joe Flacco and John Harbaugh it will be a homecoming of sorts. Joe grew up near the area and John used to coach under Andy Reid in Philly.
The starters are not expected to play more than a quarter AT MOST. Players like Joe Flacco are expected to get a series or two, depending on the number of plays. Ed Dickson and Jimmy Smith are both, reportedly, not playing tonight. That is somewhat of a let down as both of these players are expected to start come September 11th, but they do have 3 more preseason games to get action against real competition.
I, for one, will be watching how the offensive line performs against the Eagle’s speedy DE’s. I want to see how Jah Reid can handle a quick DE off the line. My main focus will be on watching the offensive line while they are facing the first team d-line of the Eagles. After that I am MOST excited about getting to see Sergio Kindle on a field. I pray all goes well for him. If he can come back with the form he showed at Texas all the bickering about getting someone to rush the passer opposite Suggs will be diminished. Instantly, our secondary would get much better with a better pass rush. This first game won’t tell everything, but we will be able to see if he is showing any signs of caution that can sometimes happen after being injured. From everything we have heard from training camp this is not the case, but it’s game time now. Finally, I am interested in seeing how Joe spreads the ball around. Will he be forcing it to the young guys? Will we be seeing a good number of dump off’s to Rice? Will him and Boldin have better chemistry? There are so many questions and not all of them can be answered in 2 series.
I am also quite interested to see how the Eagles defense seems to have come together after only a week of the newly acquired FA’s and their traded for corner, Rodgers-Cromartie. It will be cool to see Vince Young in a new uniform. Mike Vick is always a joy to watch (Great Madden QB for sure!). The Eagles obviously have a lot of players that make you want to watch but it’s too early to really have a solid idea of how things will turn out.
Many people may turn the game off after the starters depart but because of the number of young players the Ravens will be depending on this year, I will be staying tuned in all night to see how the young guys look. I am going to try to post some updates throughout the game for those of you that would like to know what is going on if you are unable to watch or listen to the game.
Who will you be watching closely tonight? Who are you the most excited to see? Leave comments below and let’s discuss it!
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