IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!
It’s hot! It’s sticky! It’s training camp WITH meaningless preseason games!  So I’m not sure what makes this such a wonderful time, but football is back!  We can stop speculating and pontificating about the up coming season because it’s here.  The Ravens are on the field in real life and that’s what makes this such a wonderful time.

This season is not unlike the last several seasons with so many questions.  I don’t think my computer has enough memory to list them all but here’s a few.

Has Lamar’s passing game improved?
Will first round pick WR Hollywood Brown buck the trend of the Ravens not being able to select a good wide receiver in the first round?
Skura will be the first center to start back to back seasons for the Ravens in the last five years.  Will this make a difference with the offensive line?
The defense lost key players: Weddle, Mosley, Smith, and Suggs.  Will the replacements   fill the void and step up to make this a number one defense again this season?  You know in Baltimore we love our defense.
Will the Ravens “run first” offense prove to the NFL that it’s capable of winning playoff games?
And the list goes on and on, but that’s what makes this time of year great.  The unknown, the excitement of a new season and what it will bring.  I can’t wait the see this Ravens team on the field!

GO RAVENS!

PRESEASON WEEK 1

Thursday 8/8/19 7:30 at M&T Bank Stadium

RAVENS vs Jaguars
I’m have flashbacks to the game in London against the Jaguars.  But what can we really find out in the first preseason game?  Not much about the starters but look for that one guy to make a statement, to standout and make himself noticed by the coaches.   If the starters play it will only be for one or two set of downs.  Don’t look for first-round pick WR Hollywood Brown to play he was just cleared to practice last week  but look for third-round pick WR Miles Bodkin to get plenty of playing time.  Miles has been the talk of training camp.  The Defensive starters may be on the field longer just so the coaches can see how the squad is coming together.

What’s happening in the AFC North with the Brown, Bengals, and the Steelers?

The Cleveland Browns are making all the headlines.  The combination of QB Baker Mayfield and WR Odel Beckham Junior has everyone talking.  But, if you filter out the loud noise you can  listen to the whispers coming out of the Browns camp there may already be a power struggle going on between Mayfield and Beckham.  I am sitting back and waiting for the ugly fireworks to begin.  New head coach Freddie Kitchens could lose the locker room very early in the season and that would be a good thing.

The Cincinnati Bengals are the Cincinnati Bengals, the only real change was at head coach with Zac Taylor replacing Mervin Louis.  Not much coming out of Bengals camp.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are eerily quiet and that scares me.  No Bell or Brown drama, no big free agent signings,  not much talk about the Steelers and that may not be a good thing.  It has me worried.  So, we will keep an eye on them during the preseason and see how they are developing.

We will keep our friends close and our enemies  closer, as we will check back with the AFC North as the preseason moves on.

I would like to say a fond farewell to Joe Flacco who was traded to the Broncos.  I wish him luck but not too much since he is still in the AFC with the Ravens.

FOOTBALL IS BACK!

Enjoy the games hoping no one gets hurt.

And that’s just the View From 151

GO RAVENS!