What to watch: Ravens vs. Redskins

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The Baltimore Sun's veteran Ravens reporter, Jamison Hensley, breaks down what to look for in several areas in the Ravens' first preseason game:

POSITION: Running back. Ray Rice is expected to get the start, but Willis McGahee has been impressive in training camp. The Ravens should have one of the top ground games again because Rice is running with confidence and McGahee is motivated.

VETERAN: Strong safety Dawan Landry. He will be taking his first hits from another team since Sept. 21, when his head and neck bent backward while he tried to tackle Browns running back Jamal Lewis. Landry has said he is fully recovered from surgery in February to repair the bruise on his spinal cord.

ROOKIE: Defensive end Paul Kruger. The second-round pick is scheduled to fill in for the injured Terrell Suggs (Achilles tendon) with the starting defense. Like another No. 99 ( Michael McCrary), Kruger runs with a high motor and determination.

ON THE BUBBLE: Linebacker Dannell Ellerbe. The undrafted rookie is a strong, aggressive tackler who is catching the attention of the coaching staff in training camp. After starting on the third team, he has spent time running with the starters when Tavares Gooden was hurt.

INJURY REPORT: Starters not expected to play are: Suggs, wide receiver Mark Clayton (hamstring) and guard Marshal Yanda (knee). The ones considered questionable are: wide receivers Derrick Mason (finger) and Demetrius Williams (hamstring), tight end Todd Heap (back), guard Ben Grubbs (ankle), offensive tackle Jared Gaither (neck), defensive end Trevor Pryce (foot) and safety Ed Reed (neck).

 

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Pressure is on Ravens' Flacco

Second-year QB looks to put camp struggles behind him





When the Ravens open the preseason against the Washington Redskins tonight, fans at M&T Bank Stadium will welcome a new defensive coordinator, another highly touted first-round draft pick and perhaps a different quarterback.

Last season, it was Joe Cool who led the Ravens to the AFC championship game. But at this year's training camp, Fiery Flacco has surprisingly surfaced at times.

One day after not reading the defense properly, Flacco walked to the sideline and threw down his helmet in frustration. A few days later, he missed an open receiver in the end zone, which led to his clapping his hands in the middle of the field and shouting an expletive in disgust.

It'll be interesting to see whether Flacco returns to his usual calm self or he continues to show an emotional side.

"No one should read anything into that," a teammate said. "If you know Joe, he is just pushing himself harder than anyone else."

With 31 days left before the Sept. 13 season opener, the pressure is on Flacco and the Ravens to improve their passing attack. The Ravens averaged 175.5 yards passing last season, fifth-worst in the NFL.

But some media and fans haven't been impressed with the progress at training camp. Flacco has thrown a high number of interceptions, which is uncharacteristic of the 2008 first-round pick. Last season, the rookie threw five interceptions in his last 11 regular-season games.

Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron isn't panicking.

"I'd be concerned if he weren't throwing some interceptions, because now's the time to test your limits," Cameron said. "The only way your quarterback can grow is to try to squeeze some balls in at this time of year to find the limits - find the limits of the receiver, find the limits of the defender, find the limits of your protection.

"Then, as the season approaches, obviously it starts to change. Now, if he's doing it every snap, which he's not doing that, [I'd be concerned]. But that's the only way I know."

In the preseason opener, Flacco is scheduled to play at least the first quarter. Troy Smith will quarterback the second and third quarters, and John Beck will finish.

For all the quarterbacks, Cameron's message is simple: Hit your targets.

"In the preseason, I want to throw completions," Cameron said. "That could be up the field [or] underneath. I want to see completions inside the numbers, up the field, sideline to sideline. That's what we're going to try to do this preseason.

"For us to improve our offense, we've got to throw the football better. Obviously, it starts with the quarterback."

But the biggest question mark isn't Flacco. It's the wide receivers.

Mark Clayton will miss at least two preseason games with a hamstring injury. Derrick Mason dislocated his finger Tuesday. And Demetrius Williams is nursing a hamstring injury.

If the team's top three receivers are sidelined or limited because of the injuries, the Ravens would likely rely on Justin Harper, Marcus Smith and Kelley Washington for a bulk of the game.

"I'm just dropping back, finding my open guy and trying to throw it to him," Flacco said. "It doesn't really matter who it is."

There's similar uncertainty with the offensive line that will protect Flacco. Left tackle Jared Gaither ( neck), left guard Ben Grubbs (ankle) and right guard Marshal Yanda (knee) are dealing with injuries.

Only the two newest additions to the line - center Matt Birk and right tackle Michael Oher - are locks to start. This will be the NFL debut for Oher, the Ravens' strong and athletic first-round pick out of Mississippi.

"I want him being aggressive," Cameron said of Oher. "Until they get game experience, we want our guys aggressive, and then we can teach him when not to be overly aggressive. But we're going to come out, we're going to get his hands on the ground, we're going to get his heels off the ground, and let him come off the ball and get after people."

This also marks the first game for new defensive coordinator Greg Mattison. The former linebackers coach was promoted this offseason to replace Rex Ryan, who became head coach of the New York Jets.

Unlike Ryan's unpredictable style, Mattison said, his philosophy is playing a more straightforward base defense.

"I feel like we've got the players that if they play like they can - and they will - you don't have to be real exotic all the time," he said. "You should be able to get pressure with a four-man front. And with the way our secondary is practicing, you feel confident that we should be able to cover people without bringing overloads and pressures all the time."

 

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REDSKINS

Injuries: Redskins -- WR Santana Moss (hamstring), G Rueben Riley (ankle), RT Jeremy Bridges (ankle), RB Anthony Alridge (toe), RG Randy Thomas (knee). DT Albert Haynesworth and RB Clinton Portis are expected to be healthy scratches.


PLAYERS TO WATCH

1. Colt Brennan

Quarterback Jason Campbell is expected to play one to two possessions, and that's when the intrigue begins. Jim Zorn didn't reveal his quarterback rotation, but it will be interesting to see how he divides the No. 2 unit snaps between incumbent Todd Collins and challenger Brennan the next few weeks. If Brennan gets the "ton" of playing time he said he expects, maybe he does have a shot at overtaking Collins.

2. Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas

The second-year receivers are being given every chance to seize the No. 2 receiver spot from Antwaan Randle El, but they have to stay on the field. Both have missed practice time this month because of hamstring injuries, but both were on the field Tuesday. They can begin to wipe away the stench of their forgettable rookie years with a strong preseason debut.

3. Chad Rinehart

If starting right guard Randy Thomas (knee) is out, Rinehart will get the start. The 2008 draft pick struggled last preseason and has been iffy in full-pads workouts this training camp. It will be a miracle if Thomas survives 16 games, so depth at the position is needed. If Rinehart holds his own, it solves the backup issue; if he struggles, it creates another trouble spot and likely means Jeremy Bridges will be shifted inside.

4. The kickers

The two positions that can't really be evaluated until the games start are quarterback and kicker. Shaun Suisham and Dave Rayner have attempted field goals and kickoffs, but the pressure starts Thursday night. Suisham gets the first half and Rayner the second half. Suisham is the favorite to hold on to his job, but if he struggles Rayner could make the competition interesting.

5. Chris Wilson

He was a pass-rushing defensive end for two years before being converted to strongside linebacker. Wilson won't win the starting job -- that belongs to first-round pick Brian Orakpo. But when he's on the field this month, Wilson has to prove he's adept enough in coverage and at playing the run to prove to coaches he deserves a spot on the 53-man roster despite a glut of linebackers.

 

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No bragging rights for Redskins in preseason game


The Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins both play their home games in Maryland, yet this rivalry is about as flat as a cheap, old bottle of champagne.

The Ravens and Redskins open their preseason schedule Thursday night, and the focus has nothing to do with bragging rights.

"It's an extension of training camp," Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said. "It's an opportunity to keep growing as a football team and growing as individual players. We're not game-planning for the Redskins. They're not game-planning for us. We're just going to come out and run our basic stuff - see how guys play, how they play together and how they execute."

Washington happens to be the opposition, although Harbaugh wouldn't treat the game any differently if it was the Ravens' real rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is an opportunity for the Baltimore coaching staff to measure the progress of the starting units, although it's likely that the Ravens will begin substituting liberally before the end of the first quarter.

Winning, quite simply, is not the priority. The Redskins and Ravens will start worrying about that Sept. 13.

"You want to go out there and you want to play well when you're in there, and that's what we're excited to do," Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco said. "We're excited to go out there and play in some live action and play well."

This will be an entirely different preseason opener for Flacco than last year, when he was a clueless rookie who entered in the fourth quarter with the rest of the third-stringers. Flacco was 0-for-3, lost a fumble and was sacked twice.

"Last year I didn't even know how much I was going to play and didn't really play until [there were] like five minutes left in the game," he said. "This year I'll be starting the game, and we'll see what happens from there. It's a lot different mindset."

Like Flacco, Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell isn't putting a whole lot of importance on winning the game, given that he should be on the sideline long before the outcome becomes evident. Campbell is playing in a contract year and needs to prove something after owner Dan Snyder spent the offseason trying to find someone else, but that - and this so-called rivalry - won't raise his level of intensity.

"We don't expect to play a whole lot," Campbell said. "... You use these games to get you back in the flow and back into the rhythm of playing. The regular season games are the ones that count and go down into the record books, not the preseason games."

The evidence: Washington coach Jim Zorn is resting defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and probably won't play running back Clinton Portis. Wide receiver Santana Moss, who's nursing a strained hamstring, likely will watch from the sideline.

The Ravens' scratches will include wide receiver Mark Clayton (hamstring) and linebacker Terrell Suggs (heel).