Baltimore Ravens: New Season, New Offense, New Expectations

Aug 7, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) stands in the huddle in the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens had their first preseason game Thursday night. With a new offense after a poor season last year, there are quite a lot of expectations for this season.

While the preseason games present the first football games of the year, the first series is often the most important part of the game. The offense has attracted quite a lot of attention through the offseason, and the first series presents most of the first strings units together.

Joe Flacco’s first appearance with the new offense gave a preview of what is to come under Gary Kubiak’s offensive scheme.

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Flacco normally plays better when the game speeds up and he has to make plays. Kubiak’s offense speeds the game up, so naturally, Flacco looked very good behind center.

Flacco’s only incomplete pass of the game came when the game slowed down and did not represent Kubiak’s scheme perfectly. The throw was very familiar to passes last season when Flacco over-thinks the play and tries to force something to happen.

Though only a 10-play drive, the offense looks excellent under Kubiak, and I cannot wait to see Flacco play an entire game with the up-tempo offense.

Despite all the good, there are some points that I can see Flacco struggling. I would like to see him develop to be able to think through the points when the game slows down, such as in the red zone.

Because of the quick movement this offense presents, Flacco has to be ready for when it may slow down. I think this is where Flacco may struggle.

Flacco is often criticized, and this year in the regular season, he needs to step up and become the quarterback nobody expects him to be. As I have said previously, this new offensive scheme could be the perfect setup for him to unleash his true potential.

The running game is an important part of the new offense, and Ray Rice showed that he is still capable of playing despite everything that has happened.

He will be an important piece to keep an eye on as the first-string offense gets to play more in the preseason. Rice ran only three times in the first preseason game, so he still needs to prove he can run consistently through more teams.

But I have no doubt Rice will be able to return to form as he gets more playing time.

“If the Ravens are going to remain consistent, Pierce needs to be able to move seamlessly into Rice’s place”

Though Bernard Pierce may be even more important to keep an eye on, as he is the projected starter in place of Rice during his suspension.

He rushed 10 times for 37 yards against the San Francisco 49ers, which is not great, but decent for a first game. If the Ravens are going to remain consistent, Pierce needs to be able to move seamlessly into Rice’s place.

Pierce fumbled once, but was able to recover. He needs to work on his ball control, because turnovers are only going to slow down this new offense.

The offensive line certainly looked good as the 49ers strong defensive line had the bigger size on several of Ravens possessions. They only played with Flacco in one series, so I will have to wait until they play more before I can truly see anything more out of them.

The quicker pace with Flacco under center of the new offense is going to test their athleticism, and one series is not quite enough to fully show if they are ready to handle it.

There is only so much that can be learned from one series, but it was certainly good.

I think the Ravens fans can begin to approach this season with some high hopes, because the offense is set to be quite good.

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