'Skins - Ravens Preseason

Well it looks like I took August off from blogging until now. A good amount of vacation can be credited for that. So I was excited to see last night's game between Maryland's 2 NFL teams. The lightning delay meant the O's and the football game were delayed, so my viewing started off with some NASCAR. When the game did finally come around, it was disappointing of course thast Jason Campbell wasn't playing. It would be nice to see him get some good reps since we still haven't seen much of him as a player. I'm not interested in Todd Collins or Mark Brunell in preseason. If the Redskins are forced to play either of them in the regular season, then I guess I'll have to come around. Washington also didn't have what will be their #1 O-line on the field. Chris Samuels is still taking the preseason off, and Pete Kendall didn't start. Clinton Portis is still enjoying his non-contact summer, so we really haven't seen the Redskins' top offense, and probably won't see it until Miami. Santana Moss did look great though on the first play of the game. I'm expecting a big year from him.

On defense the 'Skins are looking really impressive. I questioned after the draft about whether drafting a safety was a great idea for the Redskins. I don't doubt that any more after watching Laron Landry play. He is a stud athlete who seems to play smart, unlike the other safety for Washington. I've also always loved London Fletcher. He still has a lot in the tank apparently, because he is making plays and obviously is a leader on the field. The Redskins gave up their first TD of the preseason last night to the Ravens, which has to make any Redskins fan feel great about the defense when compared to last year.

The Ravens looked decent last night, even with the Redskins D playing well. Steve McNair was playing like an efficient vet with his 14-19 performance. There weren't really any big plays for the Ravens offense, but they kept things mistake free. I would like to have seen more from Willis McGahee this preseason, but I think the Ravens are probably holding back on what their offense will look like with him on the field.

The Ravens D looked like the same old dominating D that Baltimorons have come to expect. They were aggressive and made the Redskins work hard for yardage. They didn't allow a touchdown to the Skin's, which should probably be expected of them. They look prepared and ready for the season.

Its a shame the game was called early for those guys trying to make an impact on the coaches, but its probably not bad for each team to get their guys off of a wet field in a preseason game. Entering the season healthy should be the main concern, and I don't think the final preseason game for either team will show us much more about them. At this point I'm ready for the season to begin, so I have something to do at 1:00 on a Sunday afternoon besides finishing this blog.