A hot, humid and cloudy night in Baltimore… just another typical Crabtown summer evening…and the Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) are in town to test the Ravens (0-1).
A lot of subplots to this one, including the return to Baltimore by some Chiefs players tonight who just a few weeks ago were on the Ravens roster: Jared Gaither, Le’Ron McClain and Kelly Gregg.
But the angle I’m focusing on tonight (August 19, 2011) will be offensive line rookie Jah Reid’s first chance ever to start at right tackle in the NFL…
Jah Reid, rookie right tackle, 6-7, 335 from University of Central Florida…Offensive tackles with Reid’s size and athleticism are hard to miss on college football tape, but he relied on raw physical ability rather than honing his technique.
Reid is the ultimate “project” that you draft in a later round to coach him up in the pro’s over a number of years… but on this August night, Reid gets a chance to start at right tackle…and possibly make his case to take over the position.
Reid’s a good-natured kid with a tremendous rags-to-riches back story. I’m wishing him well tonight.
It’s a big chance and a big break for Reid.
Pre-season this year is like no other, since coaches had no OTA film to go over to evaluate players…and thus all the evaluations are being done on the fly, and in only 2 pre-season games……The 3rd one is dress rehearsal, and the last one is a final audition for bubble players…So there are a lot of players to decide on tonight, and with the Ravens O-line still not set, Reid gets a shot at starting in his rookie year.
Here’s the pro scouting report on Reid:
Strengths: Has a long frame with above-average athleticism. Has no injury concerns and has strong experience as a three-year starter. Shows ability to ride rushers past the pocket with long arms. Possesses adequate quickness and gets into position on time. Controls college defensive linemen when he locks on due to decent upper-body strength. Flashes the awareness to help out inside when necessary and is a tough player who worked hard to lose weight after enrolling. Is athletic enough to find linebackers and engage targets at the second level.
Weaknesses: Does not possess a mean streak, lacks violent punch at the point of attack. Plays very high and back on his heels, allowing defenders to gain early leverage and get under his pads. Waist-bender who allows his height to work against him, top-heavy when engaging quick rushers. Awkwardly attempts to sit into his stance and often loses balance when trying to mirror opponents. Lean into targets. Struggles with hand placement, allows rushers into his body. Lumbers in space at times and does not consistently break down when asked to make a block at the second level. Gets lost looking for blitzers and possesses below average awareness when facing added pressure from the defense.
So it will be interesting to observe how Jah Reid steps up against the Chiefs under the lights on a muggy Friday night in Baltimore.
Other areas of attention to be paid: Last week’s performance in Philly stunk it up with a ton of missed tackles, 11 penalties, 107 rushing yards and six sacks allowed— these are several areas where the Ravens would like to see improvement against the Chiefs…
Also need to keep an eye on the tight ends for Baltimore— Can Ed Dickson, who missed the last game with a hamstring injury, fully supplant the absence left by Todd Heap’s departure? Will Dennis Pitta continue to improve as a receiver and take reps away from Dickson?
Where does Ricky Williams fit in to the game plan as Ray Rice’s backup? How is Oniel Cousins adjusting to moving inside at guard?
Defensive Coordinator Chuck Pagano liked the Ravens’ effort in Philly. As the Ravens stack solid practices throughout the rest of August, they hope that effort helps develop the team they’ll take into the regular season.
“We know we can improve on [tackling]. You worry about penalties; we jumped offside,” Pagano said. “We did a lot of things to beat ourselves, but the effort was great. They were flying around.”
Looking forward to watching Flacco get a full quarter, maybe more, to work with the first-team offense, too.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
