From today’s b, the paper

I think we can all agree that the NFL preseason stinks. The game action will be forgettable and the outcome will be forgotten before the closing credits tonight in New England.

RAY RICE {thanks, ap}

But there are many reasons for Ravens fans to watch with great interest as the next era of purple football gets started with jobs on the line and a little bit of drama in an otherwise meaningless game.

First — before I tackle the players to watch — the most significant issue in any preseason game is to walk away without suffering any serious injuries.

New coach John Harbaugh has been anything but soft on the new group, and the injuries have already mounted in Westminster with as many as 21 players on an injury report last week.

If the Patriots don’t add to that tonight, then it will be a true victory. But it’s hard to hurt the starting players more when they haven’t practiced to begin with. It’s been ugly so far at McDaniel College.

Every offensive snap the Ravens take tonight will be heavily scrutinized by the fan base, with a three-way quarterback battle simmering this month.

Kyle Boller will get the start as the incumbent, but footsteps will come in the third quarter when Troy Smith gets his turn and even later into the game when No. 5, first-round draft pick Joe Flacco, makes his purple debut.

That alone makes it must-see TV for any personal-seat-license holder.

But what will any of these guys have to work with? The offensive line is a mess with Adam Terry and Jared Gaither injured. Running back Willis McGahee won’t dress tonight. Tight end Todd Heap and receiver Mark Clayton haven’t practiced this week.

So, I’m not so sure they’re setting any of the quarterbacks up for success. But it’ll be fun to watch rookie Ray Rice get the lion’s share of the carries at running back.

The defense is in no better shape, with Chris McAllister and Samari Rolle out and Haloti Ngata not dressing. Many other veterans have missed practices and have been held out, including safety Ed Reed, who is becoming a larger concern.

Sure, it’s an NFL game, we get to wear our purple for a night, the beer will be cold and the plot lines will be thick, but with so many core players unavailable, it’s impossible to evaluate most of this mess.

It is, however, a great testing ground for many of the younger players on the expanded roster who are trying to get noticed.

And it would be especially impressive for a youngster to step up against the almost-Super Bowl champion Patriots, who play at a pretty good pace even in August under coach Bill Belichick.

Nestor Aparicio, owner of WNST-AM 1570, writes about sports and more. For more, go to wnst.net.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.