The Ravens are ready to see what quarterback Troy Smith is all about.
Smith will get his second straight preseason start and will have his chance to play most of the game when the Ravens face the Rams in St. Louis on Saturday.
“Troy is going to get every opportunity to play a lot,” Coach John Harbaugh said. “So as long as the ones are out there I expect Troy to be out there.”
Smith started two games last year after being a fifth-round pick out of Ohio State. In two games against Seattle and Pittsburgh, he completed 40-of-76 passes (52.6 percent) for 452 yards and two touchdowns.
But Smith has yet to separate himself from Kyle Boller this preseason, as he has completed just 8-of-17 passes (47.1 percent) for 99 yards and an interception. Smith, however, has a major chance to move atop the depth chart for good on Saturday.
“I am confident in what I can do and what I will do,” Smith, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2006, said. “Offensively we’ve set some goals and hopefully we can achieve them.”
Harbaugh said Smith needs more live-game situations for the coaching staff to make a more thorough evaluation. Still, Harbaugh said he has not decided which quarterback will start the regular season opener against Cincinnati on Sept. 7 at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens close the preseason against visiting Atlanta on Aug. 28.
Harbaugh pointed out that Boller has a more established NFL resume, as he has started 42 games and played in 53. In five seasons, Boller has thrown for 7,486 yards with 45 touchdowns and 44 interceptions. He has 71.9 quarterback rating and a 56.9 completion percentage.
“We need to find out more about Troy Smith,” Harbaugh said. “He needs those reps against the [first-team] against a defense in the third preseason game where they have to game plan against him a little bit. We want them to know he is going to be the guy so they do game plan for him and we can see what he does.”
Smith said he should be judged on how well he executes the offense not just purely on his statistics. He threw just five times in a 23-15 loss to Minnesota this past Saturday, but also led the Ravens to their lone offensive touchdown.
“Whichever come up in the game that we have to do whether it’s a ton of passes or not that many passes to win the game, that’s what we’ll do,” Smith said. “We want to perfect the game plan as much as possible.”
Ravens receiver Derrick Mason is confident in Smith’s skills.
“Troy is a winner,” Mason said. “He’s proven it in his past and college career and typically if you’re a winner in college, nothing changes. He knows what to do to put the team in position to win.”
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