Anquan Boldin Seeking Closure, Week 2 Stock Report

Jan 19, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin (81) celebrates after catching a touchdown pass against the Seattle Seahawks in the third quarter of the 2013 NFC Championship football game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to lunchtime links, where we round up all the latest Ravens news from around the web for your convenient consumption.  It’s officially game day, and today we reveal that former Raven Anquan Boldin is seeking closure in tonight’s game, look at the week 2 stock report for training camp, and discuss how Marlon Brown and Brandon Williams are working to keep their starting jobs.

Anquan Boldin looking for closure in preseason matchup

Tonight’s game is only an essentially meaningless preseason matchup, but it means more than that to Anquan Boldin. The last time these two teams met, Boldin was helping the Ravens beat the 49ers in the Super Bowl.  A little over a month later, he found himself switching sides.  Boldin never got a chance to properly say goodbye to the fans, but intends to tonight.

“It’ll be a chance to say goodbye to the fans in a proper way,” Boldin said. “I wasn’t afforded that opportunity. I got traded while I was away.”

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Things certainly didn’t work out the way the Ravens thought they would, with Boldin expected to decline with age.  The team also didn’t realize how much it would miss his toughness in the middle of the field.  Which is why, in part, they pursued Steve Smith so hard in free agency.

Marlon Brown aims for consistency

While Boldin keeps fighting father time, Marlon Brown is just trying to repeat his rookie success and enjoy solid back to back seasons.  After a rough start to minicamp filled with dropped passes, Brown has regrouped and made several impressive plays in training camp.  It will certainly be a tough task, as Brown had a lot more opportunity last season amid injuries and the departure of Boldin.

Brandon Williams isn’t getting complacent

Fellow sophomore Brandon Williams has earned his spot as the starting nose tackle on the Raven’s first depth chart of the year, but he knows that he can’t afford to get complacent.  “I’m still fighting like everybody else,” Williams said. “It could change tomorrow. I’m going to do my job and let the rest fall in place.”  With more competition on the defensive line than previous years, he can’t afford to get too comfortable.

Week 2 training camp stock report

With 2 weeks of training camp in the books, Shehan Peiris is assessing whose stock is on the move.  There are some familiar names on this list like Kamar Aiken and Asa Jackson.  Tyrod Taylor seems to be finally waking up and making a case for his roster spot as well.  Whether it’s a factor of the new offensive scheme or because he’s feeling the heat after the Ravens drafted Keith Wenning, it’s a welcome sign.

Justin Forsett, zone read mentor

Finally, Lindy’s Sports is taking a look at how Justin Forsett is tutoring other Raven’s players in that new Kubiak scheme. Forsett certainly knows his way around this offense, after having played for Kubiak in Houston for a few years.  Such is the upside of bringing in a player like Forsett, and it’s nice to see him playing the role of consummate pro in return.