Ravens head coach Brian Billick is in a precarious position entering tonight?s preseason game with the Philadelphia Eagles at M&T Bank Stadium. Billick would like to see more of his front-line starters in the team?s second exhibition, but he does not want to play them at a cost.
“It?s important ? not only individually, but collectively,” Billick said of playing his top personnel. “It?s a huge part. You?ve got to play offense, defense, special teams together, and you can?t do that unless you?re on the game field. It?s always a dilemma. How long do you go with the starters? You always are concerned, but it takes a certain amount of time, together, to be ready for the opener ? about a game?s a worth of snaps. A game and a quarter ? that?s the minimum you can get away with.”
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In order to reach that goal, Billick has a plan against the Eagles.
“The first group will go through that first half collectively, so you?re looking for a certain amount of rhythm, execution, working together,” he said. “Then we get into that second half again [and] it?s find somebody to make this football team.”
Ravens? veterans say they are getting the appropriate amount of snaps each game. Players around the league, though, including Redskins running back Clinton Portis, have been critical of the NFL?s use of four or five preseason games, saying unnecessary injuries occur. Portis hurt his shoulder during a loss to the Bengals last week.
“It?s always every team?s personal decision on how much the guys play for each given game,” Ravens tight end Todd Heap said. “I like how we handle it. I think Coach Billick does a good job of getting us prepared for the season using the preseason game.”
The team, for the first time, will get a chance to see how a full defense will look. Both Ray Lewis and Haloti Ngata sat out last week?s game with the Giants but will play tonight.
The Eagles face Baltimore with considerably less drama compared to recent seasons. Two years ago, the two teams were involved in an offseason war over receiver Terrell Owens. Owens was traded to the Ravens two seasons ago by the 49ers, but he did not want to the play for the team and lobbied the NFL to reverse the trade. Eventually, a trade was worked out with the Eagles.
Later in the regular season, when the two teams faced off, Owens scored a touchdown and did a mock interpretation of linebacker Ray Lewis? pregame dance. Owens burned his bridges in Philadelphia last year, prompting his much-publicized released, and has signed with the Dallas Cowboys.
Thursday?s game is now about football.
“The first preseason game went fairly well,” Heap said, referring to the Ravens? 17-16 loss to the Giants Friday. “Obviously, we didn?t win, but the good thing was we had a lot of things we could look at on film and see what we could improve on. We expect the same thing out of this game against the Eagles.”
The Eagles will be without many of their players, including Maryland native Brian Westbrook and receiver Todd Pinkston. Backup quarterback Jeff Garcia also will not see action.
Five questions for tonight?s game
» Ravens vs. Eagles
» 8 p.m. today at M&T Bank Stadium
1. Will Steve McNair be able to replicate the success of his one series against the Giants last week?
2. How will Ray Lewis, expected to start, look in his first game action?
3. If Musa Smith shines at running back again, how will the team get him carries this season?
4. How will Haloti Ngata?s knee hold up in his first professional game?
5. Who will lose a spot on this team with a bad performance tonight?
