While some of the starting players on both sides of the ball on the Baltimore Ravens may play a bit longer than normal, do not expect the key starters to get much more than a sniff of the field tonight in the teams final pre-season tune-up at the Atlanta Falcons. Although the new, re-tooled offensive line needs to develop chemistry, as they have not appeared in a game as a unit so far, key players such as Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed will barely play, if they play at all, according to a story on BaltimoreRavens.com.
As mentioned in the previous post, many players are still fighting for their roster lives, with the competition between rookies and veterans in specific positions too close to call. It used to be that Special Teams play would determine their fate but now with the new kickoff rule, that skill does not carry quite the weight tht it previously did.
For the established veterans, the key will be to keep them healthy and ready for the season opener hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers a week from Sunday,, and the others can focus on playing their hearts out in hope of being part of the 53-man roster, which must be cut down by Saturday.