Baltimore’s Next Third String Quarterback?

  

According to Baltimore Ravens.com, the team is pretty secure in the first two slots of the depth chart at quarterback but there is heavy competition for the title of thrid string quarterback. The question here is why is there competiton for the thrid spot only? Why isnt the second string QB position up for grabs?

Everyone knows that without question, Steve McNair will be the Ravens’ starting QB in 2007. However, the second as well as the third string position should be contested. While Kyle Boller may be more familiar with the offense, that does not mean that he is necessarly the best choice to back up McNair. Who’s to say that Troy Smith, Drew Olson, and Cullen Finnerty cannot out perform and outlearn Boller in training camp? These three guys have the ability to surprise, impress and upstage.

Here’s my take on the three signal callers.

Drew Olson- One valuable attribute of Olson is his experience on the Ravens’ practice squad last season and his time in NFL Europa. Olson’s snaps on the practice squad   increased towards the end of the season . In Amesterdam, Olson completed 170 of 310 passes for 1,967 yard and 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. On the surface, this line does not look impressive.  However, if Olson can  change the way he reads defences, he could develop in to a strong and solid quaterback. Since the Ravens’ D is the best and feared in the league, Olson should really hang around these guys and really learn what to do and what not to do.

Troy Smith- If you have followed Buckeye Football for the past three or so years, you already know what this guy is about. You already know about the Heisman and leading the team to the BCS champioship last season. What you don’t know (and what OC and QB coach Rick Neuheisel does) is that Smith has the metality of an NFL veteran. According to BR.com, the coaches were impressed with his confidence and leadership as well as his arm and feet.  It’s a shame that he had to drop  four rounds in the draft because of a superficial and retarded reason as height. Hopefully, he will use the slight as motivation to move up the depth chart.

Cullen Finnerty- This guy only lost 4 games as a starter duing the span of  four years (51-4), accumlated  a 169.32 effecency rating, Completed 195 of his 343 passes for 3,220 yards and 41 touchdows during his senior season at Grand Valley State, and yet became undrafted.  On paper, it looks like Ravens have a steal with this guy.  Look for this guy to use his circumstances to prove some folks wrong.

Out of the three quarterbacks, I believe that it will be Smith vs Finnerty for the second string positon while Boller duels with Olson. I can only imagine what will happen during training camp.