Baltimore Ravens Continue to Play Dangerous Game at QB

The Baltimore Ravens are either the best trolling NFL team in existence or they really don’t have a grasp of their quarterback situation.

Joe Flacco is injured and it’s a serious one. Back ailments are never a joke. The team now knows he’ll miss the entire preseason and even when he returns there’s no guarantee he’ll be fully healthy. It gets worse from there. The offensive line has taken two successive hits with the retirement of John Urschel and season-ending injury for Alex Lewis. Not only that but their current stable of backup QBs did not perform well in the preseason opener.

So let’s get this straight. A banged up starting quarterback. A depleted offensive line. Razor thin depth behind said injured starter. That sounds like the perfect recipe for disaster. Especially given how inadequate the Ravens have been running the football over the past couple seasons. They’re practically inviting a catastrophe.

So what did they do? They made a move at quarterback. Was it the move people expected? No.

Thaddeus Lewis move a clear sign of how out of touch Ravens are

Sure one could argue that Thaddeus Lewis brings experience to the table, not to mention some mobility as a counter to the offensive line issues. However, so does Colin Kaepernick who is infinitely more talented and proven than Lewis is. It really is amazing how the franchise continues to convince itself that signing Kaepernick is less preferable to the alternatives.

An alternative Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com laid out in no uncertain terms.

"“The team’s weakness at backup quarterback grows more glaring by the week. Mallett completed nine of his 18 passes for 58 yards against the Redskins and looked worse than the numbers indicate, missing open throws and playing at a deliberate pace. Poise is an overused term when describing quarterbacks, but no one ever uses it to describe Mallett’s play.If owner Steve Bisciotti was holding out hope for Mallett to improve before picking up the red Kaepernick phone, that time has run out. This Ravens season can still be saved, but the team needs to me more proactive.”"

Nobody is saying Kaepernick will solve all the problems in Baltimore, but to say he can’t help them is flat out wrong. Despite the controversy he started last season, at some point football logic must prevail. The genie is out of the bottle. There’s no putting it back in. Kaepernick has stayed out of trouble. He’s still young and by all accounts ready to play. Sooner or later the Ravens have to come around to their stark reality. Hopefully by then it won’t be too late.