The RSR staff chimes in with their knee-jerk reactions to the 2019 preseason game 3 which featured a 26-15 Raven win over the Eagles at Lincoln Field in Philadelphia, PA.
Tony Lombardi
Pros
• Peanut continues to prove that he’s a playmaker.
• Patrick Ricard is a refreshing throwback player. He’s in and I loved hearing how Brandon Williams has taken Ricard under his wing with “The Pat Project”. That tells me the two-way player’s teammates have put those insensitive adolescent racial comments behind them. That’s growth on multiple levels!
• Jaleel Scott is the most improved player on the roster from a year ago. He sticks.
• Trace McSorley showed great poise and made some impressive throws. BUT a team willing to keep 3 QB’s is likely to take a chance on him if the Ravens get cute and try to slide him on to the practice squad. He won’t last.
• Nice to see Marquise Brown on the field. The combo of him, Lamar, Justice Hill and Miles Boykin really spreads the field for…
• …A Monster like Mark Andrews! The guy is a beast. Give him the night off next week.
• Really impressed with Hill’s commitment to pass protection. Interesting side note, Hill could represent Alvin Kamara Part II for Mark Ingram.
• Nice late push for a roster spot from Michael Floyd. Will it be enough? That’s up to Seth Roberts.
• We saw improvement in the pass rush but that’s in large part due to the secondary’s play.
• DeShon Elliott is really developing as a player. I think he will make Tony Jefferson expendable in 2020.
• Thankfully lightning crashed on this debacle with 12 minutes to go putting an end to our collective misery. Not sure where the placenta went…
This was a flag. This.
When I said the NFL was going to kill their own product like the MLB did, I wasn’t playing. pic.twitter.com/uRToSNcF6z
— Kip Smithers ? (@Chughes612) August 23, 2019
Cons
• The officiating was wretched. Actually, that’s an insult to all things that are wretched. They were worse. Shawn Hock-U-Lee’s crew made me want to hock one myself. A 2019 preseason game 3 is supposed to be much better than this. And really, 24 penalties in 48 minutes of play?
• Why is the team’s No. 1 pass rusher (Matt Judon) on the punt return team? Like ever?
• I have a slight concern about the retirement of Jerry Rosburg. What might it take for him to reconsider?
• Zach Sieler’s and Shane Ray’s lack of productivity are disappointing. Sieler may end up on the practice squad. Ray will likely be looking for work.
• Play-by-play announcer Gerry Sandusky, while describing Earl Thomas’ thick build said, “He’s got lead in his pencil!” Ok then…
[Related Article: Practice Squad Rules]
Aidan Griesser
• Trace McSorley really looked the part tonight. I think he’s looked the part of a backup throughout the preseason but looked like if things break right he could be a starter for a bad team. Hopefully, long term-wise, that team won’t be the Ravens (I’d like to think we’ll still have Lamar running the show).
• Tyus Bowser and Tim Williams had a nice day. The 2017 second and third round picks respectively, generated consistent pressure in their snaps and Bowser looked good setting the edge. Ideally, these guys have both played their way onto the roster for one last chance.
• It was great to get Hollywood involved, even if the explosive plays come with time.
• The 6th receiver spot may have added another name while an old one supported his case. Jaleel Scott hauled in a few nice catches including a beautiful touchdown, so his stock continues to rise. Meanwhile, Michael Floyd had a great score as well to go with 3 catches for 54 yards. He looked good after mixed reviews all camp.
• Two things for the league to note: 1) That DeShon Elliot penalty was downright humorous. 2) Thank goodness the game didn’t resume. Why bring the players back out for a preseason game?
John Langley
— Tim Williams and Tyus Bowser continue to make a case for playing time as they continued their strong preseason play, albeit against mostly the second unit.
— DeShon Elliott continue to carve out a role for himself, proving to be a quick learner, quick-twitched and instinctual. He has surpassed Chuck Clark in my opinion on the depth chart.
— Trace McSorley turned in his strongest performance of the preseason, but slowed down a bit coming out of halftime. I still think he is firmly on the bubble at this point, but he made a compelling case.
— Wink Martindale is going to need to use creativity just as he did last year to create a pass rush. It has become clear they don’t have anyone that can win the one-on-one battles on the edge.
— If Ronnie Stanley goes down for an extended period of time, the Ravens are in trouble. They simply don’t have a guy suitable to step in for him.
— Marquise “Hollywood” Brown looked smooth as silk in his debut. He will be a little slower coming along, but can’t help but be impressed by his first action.
— Kudos to John Harbaugh for making the smart call to sit Lamar Jackson. It appears they’ve seen all they need from him.
Carey Stevenson
— Hollywood Brown made his debut and his lid lifting/open field ability was apparent despite modest gains.
— Wide receiver figures to be a bit of a committee to start the year but it’s encouraging that all the young guys are flashing. Lends hope that they’ll be able to establish more prominent roles as the season progresses, raising the team’s ceiling.
— Trace McSorley picked the ideal time to have his best performance. I’ve been back and forth re: his standing on the 53 but I think he’s trending towards sticking now, at least initially.
— While I do have pass rush concerns, I’ll shelve them until the regular season. We’ll have a better idea how the personnel will be deployed. Wink will have to scheme up some pressure for sure but I think the interior rush talent on the roster at its peak can cause some disruption.
Adam Bonaccorsi
— Hollywood’s hands snapping a high McSorley pass out of the air literally had me flustered. Imagine what he’ll do when he gets passes in stride (everything in Philly had him start & stop).
— Patty Ricard did not go to Northwestern but the dude is really a Super Back. Carries, lining up out wide, sprinkle in some DE snaps early on and he’s just everything.
— McSorley’s game was a drastic difference from the first two preseason games. I still think he needs one more solid showing before being a lock. If he reverts to PS1/2 form (bad picks, late throws, etc) the squad may be a great place (safe too) to develop as an “offensive weapon.”
— Tyus Bowser still gets these flashes where I have hope he’ll figure it all out. He’s not there. But I think he’s 53-destined.
— Kudos to Cyrus Jones for bouncing back. Im still not enamored with the idea of him starting in place of Tavon Young… but less squeamish.
— I think the refs just threw another flag at the Linc as you’re reading this.
