Tonight is game 4 of the preseason and we’ll get to see some Ravens starters in street clothes while some will be MIA, probably enjoying a relaxing evening in Baltimore.
The action should be fast and furious although at times reminiscent of the old electric football games with players out of place while communication breakdowns abound.
To help sift through the probably chaos, here are five things to look for as the Ravens close out the preseason.
1. GO OUT WIDE: Who will win the battle for the 6th wide receiver spot? Some feel that the 5th and 6th slots are open for grabs. I’m not in that corner. Campanaro is in. The question is which WR among Thompson, Aiken and Butler is in? My odds: Thompson 3:1, Aiken 7:1 and Butler 15:1.
2. CORNERED IN: The Ravens as you are all aware, are dangerously thin at corner and that’s why they were willing to take a look at CB Derek Cox, the 2009 third round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Cox signed a four-year deal with the Chargers a little over a year ago that included $10.25 M in guarantees. That’s pretty quick to cut losses on a decent investment.
Cox will get a one game audition with the Ravens tonight. Here’s a look at how he fared in San Diego. We’ll see how he measures up against Dominique Franks, Chykie Brown and Tramain Jacobs, names that haven’t exactly instilled confidence among team observers.
3. THE SHALLOW END OF THE POOL: The depth at offensive line for Gary Kubiak and line coach Juan Castillo is thin, arguably thinner than that of the secondary. C Gino Gradkowski has been decent and T James Hurst along with G John Urschel have come on as of late. But AQ Shipley, Jah Reid and Ryan Jensen have all been disappointing. Let’s see what they bring tonight, assuming Reid even suits up.
4. I’M WENNING: Some have been scratching their heads over why the Ravens haven’t given QB Keith Wenning more playing time during the preseason and a chance to unseat Tyrod Taylor as Joe Flacco’s backup. It’s pretty simple really, Taylor is much better (although still not NFL caliber) and Wenning is developmental.
Kubiak and QB Coach Rick Dennison see potential in Wenning and they’d like to not show that potential to other teams. The hope is to slide the former Ball State signal caller on to the practice squad so it would be no surprise if Taylor plays for 3 quarters tonight. If Taylor goes down, look out!
5. SIMON SAYS: The Ravens war room on Draft Weekend 2013 was ecstatic to see John Simon still on the board when it was their turn again in the fourth round. High fives were shared throughout the room. But Simon has been slow to develop and at this point he is really only a special teams contributor. That has to be a disappointment to everyone at The Castle.
Will the Ravens stick it out with Simon for another season?
Let’s keep in mind that Adalius Thomas dressed for only 3 games his rookie season and started just 3 times during his sophomore campaign.
