Baltimore Ravens fans everywhere have been a little panicked about their franchise quarterback Joe Flacco. Flacco missed all of training camp and the preseason with a back injury. Those worries can ease up now, as he has finally returned to practice.
With little over a week until the regular season begins against the Cincinnati Bengals, several key players have returned from injury. The list includes QB Joe Flacco, WR Breshad Perriman, and RB Danny Woodhead.
This is great news for Ravens fans.
Even though Joe Flacco has missed the majority of the offseason and hasn’t been able to work on his chemistry with new additions Jeremy Maclin and Danny Woodhead, he will still have a week to get prepared. This gives him a little time to work with the offense and try to find somewhat of a rhythm. It’s not what the Ravens wanted this offseason, but it’s better than what they have without him.
Time for a new and improved offense.
When you think about it, this offense has quite a few underrated weapons. Mike Wallace is coming off a 1000+ yard season, Jeremy Maclin could become a true number one receiver again and Breshad Perriman could emerge as a breakout star. If all of the tight ends stay healthy then they could be a solid group as well. Terrance West and Danny Woodhead also provide a nice one-two punch at the running back position.
The biggest concern was the health of Joe Flacco and the offensive line, which is supposed to protect him and pave way for the renewed commitment to the ground attack. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley missed time during the preseason and Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda was recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Stanley returned to practice the other day and Yanda already looks like his normal self out there. If healthy, the offensive line could be surprisingly decent this year.
Flacco possibly has the most weapons he’s ever had around him this season. If the Ravens commit to the run game and the offensive line is solid, Joe Flacco could have one of the best years of his career. It’s exciting to think how good this team can be if the offense can just be above average with what looks to be a top three defense.
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But even with all of this, don’t expect Flacco and the offense to come out of the gate lighting it up next week. It takes time for so many pieces to come together and gel properly, as we saw last year. If we are patient with this offense, then we may be rewarded with a very good team late in December, when it matters most.