Preseason 2: Minnesota Vikings At Baltimore Ravens

[Bullrush]

again maybe im missing what everyone else is seeing but how would we ever win a game with how troy played today?

without his running stats he was terrible.

im not defending kyle or anyone else on the team i dont think we have the answer on the team at this point and its a shame because our veterans

are going to miss out because of it yet again

His scrambling ability is a big plus. And i don't know why you would say that he looked TERRIBLE. He didn't look great but he didn't look terrible either. He moved our offense down the field and we actually scored points with him behind center. Boller was useless and ineffective. Even Flacco moved the offense at the end.

[X-Factor]

ALRIGHT, enough of the negetives....what positives came out of this game?

Positives = Ray Rice, Derrick Martin & Joe Flacco

Joe Flacco may have had some mis-haps, but pre-season is a time for learning from those. He also showed some sparks. Ray Rice looked alot better than he did last week. It was both Joe & Ray's 2nd NFL game. I liked what I saw. Derrick Martin showed how much he has improved. I was very happy with him. Although, I'm a little concerned that he looked as though he might have gotten hurt, hopefully it was nothing. He is one of the bubble players, so he needs to stay healthy.

[bossman419]

ray rice is making ozzie look like more of a genius then he already is

and haruki and tommy z had good nights

thats about it

[bossman419]

His scrambling ability is a big plus. And i don't know why you would say that he looked TERRIBLE. He didn't look great but he didn't look terrible either. He moved our offense down the field and we actually scored points with him behind center. Boller was useless and ineffective. Even Flacco moved the offense at the end.

his scrambling is no doubt a huge asset to this team especially with our two tackles out, but he needs to be way more consistent airing it out, we can't win many games if we have no passing attack

i hope this game serves as a good learning tool for all three phases of the team

[BrianMc]

His scrambling ability is a big plus. And i don't know why you would say that he looked TERRIBLE. He didn't look great but he didn't look terrible either. He moved our offense down the field and we actually scored points with him behind center. Boller was useless and ineffective. Even Flacco moved the offense at the end.

bullrush maybe im just expecting too much from you in this discussion.

yes troy looked terrible. the only positives were his scrambling which we know only lasts so long in this league and troy is no mike vick in the running department. he didnt move the team down the field ray rice did with his big carries so lets give the credit where its due. again flacco did move the ball down the field but how often do you see it even in the regular season in those last few minutes teams nickel and dime their way down the field but come up empty?

its how the defense works in that situation by design give them anything they want underneath and in the middle of the field but dont let anyoen behind you which is exactly what happened.

any of our 3 qb's are going to struggle. anyone playing with the 2nd and 3rd string during preseason is going to look even worse than they are given the o line play. just have to take off the purple goggles for awhile and deal with it.

[theFRANCHISE]

ALRIGHT, enough of the negetives....what positives came out of this game?

- Ray Rice finally showed why he was selected in the 2nd round and considered a steal with the 55th overall pick. It'll be interesting to see how much more dynamic the running game is once Willis McGahee is back on the field and operating in tandem with Rice.

- Joe Flacco improved from last week dramatically, especially given the limited opportunity and the talent he had to work with. His decision-making is better, and he is at least making a conscious effort to protect the football above all else.

- The special teams unit continues to perform well, though kick coverage was lacking with some of the moderate gains that the Vikings got on some returns. Regardless, the return team is starting to develop some nice chemistry, building on last week's strong performance; it'll be interesting to see how much more this unit will improve over the upcoming season.

- Derrick Martin is performing better as a cover corner, and he's showing that he'll do whatever it takes to stay on the roster. He has the clear advantage over David Pittman, Ronnie Prude, and Anwar Phillips right now. Corey Ivy isn't thrown into the discussion necessarily, as he is fighting more for the starting nickelback spot with Fabian Washington and Frank Walker, than fighting to stay on the roster like the aforementioned players.

- The defense has better depth than both the Vikings' and the Patriots' respective defenses, as the backups continued to play hard and even outperformed tonight's starting defense, to an extent.

[FerrariFan87]

Tonight's game was not well played/executed, save for a few players such as Ray Rice and some people on defense... Let's be honest though, tonight was all about Michael Phelps!

[jgoldlavensfan]

So? Boller looked terrible and he played Minny's 2nd and 3rd string defense. Smith didn't look that bad and he played a top 5 defense in the NFL.

Your logic is faulty. Kyle may have been playing against their 2nd and 3rd string defenders BUT, he was also playing behind our 2nd and 3rd string line which was not good at all. Boller never had a decent pocket and never had more then 2- 3 seconds to pass. Smith on the other hand was playing behind our first string line, as poor as it may be (but they sure did look good run blocking tonight), and was not effective AT ALL as a NFL QB (a running back maybe but not a QB).

As an aside, it seems like Cam sure has 2 different offences in mind for the 2 Qb's. There was barely any passing when Smith was under center and I don't think they called more than 4 runs with Boller in.

[Ravensfan420]

I have NO idea why people still back Kyle Boller?!?!? How long has he been here??? way too long. He always looks so nervous and scared in the pocket! I can't wait to see the day he goes to another team. It's sad raven fans still have so much confidence in him. He's had his chance, I'm tired of the 3 and out boller..................

[Redreed]

I have NO idea why people still back Kyle Boller?!?!? How long has he been here??? way too long. He always looks so nervous and scared in the pocket! I can't wait to see the day he goes to another team. It's sad raven fans still have so much confidence in him. He's had his chance, I'm tired of the 3 and out boller..................

Hey new guy: There is a right way and a wrong way to disapprove of Kyle Boller's play. He isn't good, we all know that. Many of us, and me included have poked a lot of fun at Kyle Boller, but what we don't do it criticize our fellow fans who still think he is the best QB we have, and while he wears a black helmet with a purple bird on it you should root for the guy. His effort, attitude, and toughness is all a fan could ask for, and if Troy can't take his job then he will be our starting QB, so all this 'I can't wait to see the day he goes to another team' **** is counterproductive. Bad post. Have some respect for a Raven who gives 100% and takes scrutiny like yours in stride.

[Ravensfan420]

I have 10000% respect for Kyle Boller. I just dont wan't him to be our starter. Sorry to post something so bitter but its just the reality. It's time for him to go. I may be new to this forum but I'm a native to Baltimore city :-D

[bossman419]

I have 10000% respect for Kyle Boller. I just dont wan't him to be our starter. Sorry to post something so bitter but its just the reality. It's time for him to go. I may be new to this forum but I'm a native to Baltimore city :-D

yeah kyle is one tough guy, he takes hit after hit and still gets up, i respect him just for that. and when he has time in the pocket, hes not a half bad player

[Ravensfan420]

The only thing he can do is throw checks and take a hit lol..

[jgoldlavensfan]

I guess I'll take the other side of this argument as I am often seen as a "Boller Backer". It's not that I (we) think Boller is a great QB or that he is the answer for our team; it's that he is the best option for our team AT THIS TIME. Flacco isn't ready yet and despite what some people want to see thru their rose colored glasses neither is Troy Smith. Might Smith be ready to play QB in the NFL someday? Maybe. Is he ready now? No.

So as an organization the Raven's can either spend time and money developing two future QB's (Joe & Troy) or they can concentrate on one of them and move to fixing some of the other problems on this team (O line, secondary).

Not to mention when either Flacco or Smith are ready to take the "reins" of this team it is nice that we have a back up QB who has 6 years experience and who can still surprise us with some amazing, and erratic, play at times.

[Ravensfan420]

Yeah you can't forget about boller's turnovers... That should be his middle name... Kyle Turnover Boller. Whenever he has a decent throw game he alllllwayyyysss throws a pick too. He is not the best option for the team, I realized it 4 yrs ago. Troy is the man

[jgoldlavensfan]

So what are you all going to do if Boller is named the starter (which is very possible)? I was amazed at all the boo's that I heard for him on Sat. night. Whether you like Boller or not he is a player on OUR team and we should show him our support.

[Ravensfan420]

If he does get the start then I hope he does well... but the past shows what he is capable of and its not much.

[jgoldlavensfan]

If he does get the start then I hope he does well... but the past shows what he is capable of and its not much.

Wow, what a supportive Ravens fan you are. Were you also one of the guys who cheered when he got hurt years ago?

[Ravensfan420]

I am a supportive Ravens fan... I went to 9 games last year how many did you go to? I actually use my eyes when he plays. Sorry for being realistic. I wasn't the fan who cheered when he was injured, because that was part of the reason why he is still here!!!!!