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Last night the Baltimore Ravens took a bit of a beating from the Detroit Lions, losing 27-12. But as we all know it's not the final score that matters in the preseason, but rather the individual performance of players along the way. Obviously there were other players that made an impact on last night's games, but none of them stood out to me quite as much as the following players:
The Kickers: Both Billy Cundiff and Justin Tucker connected on both of their field-goal attempts, with their longest attempts being from 44 and 50 yards out, respectively. Considering Billy Cundiff has not faltered in any game-time situations thus far in the preseason, the battle for who will be the starting kicker remains a stalemate.
Omar Brown: Last week I made a comment that Omar Brown probably won't make the 53-man roster, and last night Omar made me question my statement. Omar Brown, simply said, is a ball-hawk. He always seems to be near the ball, and last night he recovered yet another fumble to add on to his amount of turnovers created. At this point in the preseason Omar has a total of 3 fumble-recoveries and 1 interception. I think Omar's performance next week will ultimately determine if he makes the final roster or not, but as of right now he's looking good.
Nigel Carr: After a lack-luster performance last week, Nigel Carr bounced back this week leading the defense with 5 tackles and 1 tackle assist. Nigel Carr, like Omar Brown and Justin Tucker, is an undrafted free agent trying to make the roster. If he continues to perform like he did last night, Nigel will be a shoe-in to make the final roster.
Dannell Ellerbe: Once considered to be the heir to Ray Lewis' "throne", Dannell fell out of favor last season after questionable work-ethic and conditioning. Last night Dannell Ellerbe returned to his promising ways of old, collecting 4 tackles and 2 tackles assists throughout the course of the game. While tackles don't directly indicate the ability of the player, Dannell seemed to constantly be near the ball-carrier trying to make a play. Much like Nigel Carr, Danell Ellerbe will have to prove himself throughout the next couple of weeks.