From today’s b, the paper

The biggest question around town these past few weeks has been, “Who will be the starting quarterback for the Ravens this season?”

And that’s really just shorthand for this: “Is there any hope that one guy will step up and the team isn’t going to stink this year?”

I’d like to believe that one will affect the other, but I think the most important question for the team’s competitive prospects might be this: who will be on the offensive line giving Troy Smith or Kyle Boller — or even Joe Flacco — proper protection? And who will be running the ball if Willis McGahee can’t start the engine at running back? And will the old Todd Heap suddenly appear and catch 60 balls, giving opposing defenses mismatches in the secondary on virtually every play?

On the defense side, age, injuries and depth have suddenly popped up in Ray Lewis’ contract “walk” year. Will we even see the actual starters all on the field at once?

So many questions and so few answers thus far in the preseason.

The Ravens play their third preseason game tomorrow night against the woebegone St. Louis Rams in the Gateway City. This is generally the game where teams rev it up a notch and have their starters play past halftime to get them in game shape for the real opener, which comes on Sept. 7 at home against Cincinnati for the purple.

Next Thursday’s yawnfest and final tune-up at M&T Bank Stadium against Atlanta might be made a tad more interesting if head coach John Harbaugh decides to start first-round rookie “Bazooka” Joe Flacco.

But the main debate for the fans always comes down to wins and losses (and for some, whom to take on their fantasy squads, of course). The Ravens organization is bristling that many local media members (and most of the national press corps) are picking the Ravens to be somewhere between not good and awful. I don’t think I’ve spoken to anyone outside of a Ravens Roost who thinks the team can win eight games.

But in the building in Owings Mills, as expected, hopes are high and expectations are now pinned on the arm (and hopefully not so much on the legs) of the Ohio State Heisman star, Troy Smith, who has looked less than sensational running for his life the past two weeks. It’s hard to candy coat 3-for-5 for 25 yards and an interception.

The confident Smith will get a great opportunity to win — or maybe even lose — the starting job tomorrow night against the Rams. Boller, who didn’t look awful two weeks ago with the first team against the Patriots, is waiting in the wings.

I have a sick feeling that this might become a weekly theme for Harbaugh. “Who’s starting at QB this week?”

And if that indeed becomes a season-long question, we already know the answer to the other question, the one about their record. Winning teams never have to ask the quarterback question, right?

Nestor Aparicio is the owner of WNST-AM 1570. His column appears Mondays and Fridays. For more, go to wnst.net

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