What began for the Ravens as a three-man quarterback competition has quickly turned into a last man standing situation.
Two weeks ago, rookie Joe Flacco was relegated to starting the season as the third-string quarterback. But with Troy Smith suffering from a viral illness stemming from his tonsils and Kyle Boller out with an injured shoulder, Flacco has been thrust into a starter’s role ahead of schedule.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he still wants to get an extended look at Smith before making a final call on a starter. But he acknowledged Flacco, who started against St. Louis on Saturday, might be forced to start the team’s final preseason game against Atlanta on Thursday night at M&T Bank Stadium.
Coincidentally, the Falcons were the last team besides the Ravens to be unsettled at quarterback before choosing rookie Matt Ryan Monday as their starter.
The last NFL quarterback to start his first game as a rookie was Boller in 2003.
“I think [Flacco is] in the mix because we have two quarterbacks that aren’t able to practice today, so Joe is going to take all the reps,” Harbaugh said. “But the big picture hasn’t changed dramatically in that he’s a rookie and we have two guys that were ahead of him right before this situation going into the game.”
Flacco got off to a rough start, but settled down in the second half of a 24-10 loss last Saturday at the St. Louis Rams. The 18th pick in this past April’s draft completed just 4-of-13 passes for 33 yards in the first half before finishing the game 18-of-37 for 152 yards and a touchdown. Flacco wasn’t name the starter until hours before the game.
“I just feel like it was a good opportunity for me to get out there and work with the receivers, get some work with the offensive linemen and the running backs and just try to get better,” Flacco said.
Normally, the Ravens would play their starters very little during their final preseason game. But with questions at quarterback, offensive line and secondary, the team could alter that approach, especially since left tackle Jared Gaither and right tackle Adam Terry have returned from injuries.
Gaither began practicing Monday after missing several weeks with a high right ankle sprain. Terry made his preseason debut against the Rams after missing the past few weeks with an injured left ankle, which he had surgically repaired during the offseason.
“We’re in a unique situation that we have an offensive line that’s young and we have two tackles that haven’t played,” Harbaugh said. “Those two tackles need to play anyway, so they are going to see some significant time in this game.”
Gaither said he is hoping to play on Thursday, but also is aware he can’t push himself too hard before the start of the regular season and risk re-injuring the ankle. The Ravens open the regular season against Cincinnati on Sept. 7 at M&T Bank Stadium.
“The biggest challenge was making sure I stayed focused during the couple of weeks I was out,” Gaither said. “I think I did a pretty good job of studying and staying mentally ready.”
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