Ravens coach John Harbaugh found a way to eliminate any talk of a quarterback controversy: put both of his top signal callers on the field at the same time.
Starter Joe Flacco was solid in a 29-10 win over Oakland at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, but nothing excited the crowd more than when backup Troy Smith entered the game on several occasions, causing Flacco to shift to receiver.
“We’re calling it the ‘[Terrell] Suggs’ Package,’” Harbaugh joked, referencing comments made by the Ravens’ linebacker earlier in the week about Troy Smith’s limited playing time. “We want to be aggressive and creative.”
The formation — popular in college football and used more frequently in the NFL this season — usually has a non-quarterback line up behind the center in the shotgun formation. Once the ball is snapped, the player has the option to run, pass or handoff the ball.
The Dolphins’ Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown have been spotlighted in the formation several times during recent games, including against the Ravens last week. But Harbaugh insisted the Ravens (4-3) have been working on the package since the spring to utilize Smith’s talents.
And on Sunday, the former Heisman Trophy winner who missed most of the preseason with a tonsil infection used his skills in his first action of the fall.
But it didn’t start well.
The first time he stepped on the field the team had to take a timeout. It didn’t take long, however, for him to warm up.
Midway through the second quarter, Smith ran an option play out of the formation and surprised Oakland (2-5) when he pitched the ball to running back Ray Rice, who gained an additional 19 yards. After Smith kept the ball on the next two option plays, he produced one of the team’s best plays of the season when he completed a long pass to Flacco.
“After a series of weeks of not doing anything and then getting in there and getting your first pop it kind of wakes you back up,” Smith, who rushed for 13 yards on three carries, said. “I just wanted to stay on that level where I am going to be ready when my number is called to make plays.”
Smith lined up beside Flacco in the backfield, took a lateral from the rookie and took a few steps to his right. But Smith stopped and threw across the field to Flacco, who made a running catch for a 43-yard gain to the Raiders’ 6-yard line.
“You see these plays put in during practice and you just hope they get called,” Flacco said. “After this, who knows what we will see.”
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DID YOU SEE THEM?
Demetrius Williams
The third-year receiver produced the longest reception of the Ravens’ season when he caught a 70-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco for a 16-0 lead midway through the second quarter. It was Williams’ third touchdown of his career and first since Week 16 of the 2006 season — a span of 25 games — and his longest reception since catching a 77-yard pass against the Browns in 2006. Williams’ lone catch of the day gives him 13 receptions for 180 yards for the season.
Joe Flacco
The rookie quarterback showed he can do more than throw the ball. He made a fantastic, 43-yard reception from quarterback Troy Smith. With the Ravens facing a second-and-8 from the Raiders’ 49-yard line with fewer than six minutes remaining in the third quarter, Flacco pitched the ball to Troy Smith, who was positioned as a running back. But instead of running the ball, Smith took a few steps to his right while Flacco sprinted down the opposite sideline before Smith lofted the ball down the field. Flacco caught it and was tackled at the 6-yard line. Four plays later, Matt Stover kicked a 30-yard field goal for a 22-3 lead with 3:18 left in the quarter.
Flacco finished the game 12-of-24 passing for 140 yards and a touchdown.
Jameel McClain
The rookie linebacker recorded the first sack of his career when he took down quarterback JaMarcus Russell in the end zone for a safety that gave his team a 2-0 lead fewer than five minutes into the game. With the Raiders facing a third-and-7 from their 10-yard line, Russell dropped back into the end zone where McClain pounced on him. McClain, who did not record a tackle in his previous six games, finished with three against the Raiders.
— Jon Gallo
