What’s better than having a good tight end?
Having two good tight ends! And that’s just what Baltimore has in Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson.
There were plenty of positives to take away from the Ravens’ week one domination over the Bengals on Monday Night, including the team giving fans the chance to exhale after not knowing what to expect without reigning defensive player of the year Terrell Suggs and a large infusion of youth in various offensive and defensive positions. Throw in some question marks with the no huddle offense and first year Raven Jacoby Jones and this Baltimore team could have been in for a very long night.
None of those potential problems reared their heads Monday, as the Ravens rolled to a 44-13 victory over their AFC North division foes. This rout of the Bengals was made possible by the dynamic duo of Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson as they combined for nearly a third of Joe Flacco’s passing yards and one of his two touchdowns.
Pitta stole the show, led all players in receiving yards with 73, and hauled in a well-thrown Flacco pass for his first touchdown of the season. Pitta seems to be emerging as one the clutch players for this team as it seems every ball he catches is either moving the chains or putting six points on the board. He also led all players with five receptions, quickly standing out as one of Joe’s favorite targets.
Dickson may have played a smaller role as he caught only two balls for 22 yards (one being a nice 19 yard gain for a first down), but his toughness was put on full display after taking a cheap shot to the head from Bengals Defensive back Taylor Mays while jumping up for a ball over the middle that had no chance of being caught. Dickson appeared to be unaffected by the hit and didn’t need to leave the game, showing just how physical the third year tight end can be.
Since coming into the league in 2010 as back-to-back picks in the third (Dickson) and fourth (Pitta) rounds, Ravens fans have been waiting for their two stud tight ends to finally break out much like Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernadez did for New England. If in fact these two are on the cusp of big seasons they will only add to the potent receiving corps Flacco already has at his disposal.
If the performance we saw from these two against the Bengals is any indication of the season they might have, Ravens fans could be in for a real treat. With Pitta and Flacco’s instantaneous chemistry and Dickson’s toughness and fearlessness to go up for a ball in the middle of the field, these two could become very important staples in Cam Camerons offense…
Or should I say “Flacco’s offense”?
