It has become a rite of August. NFL fans love to complain about the four preseason games that are included in their expensive season-ticket packages before throwing them up on StubHub or some other secondary internet marketplace for next to nothing.
Right now, you can get a pretty good ticket to Thursday night's preseason opener between the Ravens and the NFC champion Carolina Panthers for maybe 20 bucks. If you wait until close to game time, somebody might drive to your house and give you one.
Of course, it's a weeknight and the Olympics are all over your cable package and, yes, it's a preseason game that most of the Ravens top stars will be watching along with you, but this one is going to be worth your time for a number of reasons.
The future, for instance.
The Ravens will be debuting what they need to be a landmark draft class, because some of those injured veterans who will be standing on the sidelines are going to be replaced in the next couple of years.
If you need any proof of the importance of this year's rookie class, just remember the collective shudder of the fan base when top draft choice Ronnie Stanley walked out of Saturday's public workout with athletic trainer in tow.
The Ravens entered this year's draft needing to get their mojo back and they believe the group of 11 players they selected — and maybe even an undrafted rookie or two — will produce some key members of this year's team and some cornerstone players for the future.
The process for determining whether that view is correct begins in earnest at M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday night.
Stanley, who left the field Saturday with what team officials characterized as a soft-tissue injury, returned to practice Tuesday and his status for Thursday's game was described by coach John Harbaugh as "probably a game-time decision."
Fans at the public practice got to see a lot of rookie running back Kenneth Dixon and they are going to see a lot of him during the four preseason games. The Ravens appear to have solid depth at the running back position, with Justin Forsett returning from injury and several young backs that got reps in his place late last season.
Still, for the third year in a row, the Ravens drafted a running back in the fourth round, giving them a lot to look at between now and their Sept. 11 opener against the Buffalo Bills.
Thursday night's game also will feature the professional game-action debut of popular Navy star Keenan Reynolds, who is attempting to make the transition from triple-option quarterback to punt returner and slot receiver. He got off to a difficult start in camp, but will have a chance to make a big impression sharing punt return duties with Kaelin Clay.
Reynolds also should get a lot of receiver reps, because a huge chunk of the Ravens receiving corps will not be available.
The rookie defensive player getting much of the attention in early camp has been linebacker Kamalei Correa, who was drafted with in the second round out of Boise State. The Ravens love his aggressiveness, but had to reel him back a bit after he got a little too physical in the team's first public workout. He'll be able to let it all hang out against the Panthers.
It won't all be about the rookies. The Ravens also will be debuting some well-known veterans. Wide receiver Mike Wallace is hoping to bounce back from a statistical downturn in 2015 to provide the team with an experienced deep threat. Ben Watson signed during the offseason to provide a veteran presence at tight end after a career year in New Orleans. And safety Eric Weddle has brought additional experience and toughness to the defensive secondary.
Harbaugh has not explicitly ruled Joe Flacco out of the game, but it appears highly unlikely he'll take any snaps and – along with Terrell Suggs and Steve Smith, Sr. – conceivable could stay on the sidelines for all four preseason games. Flacco has looked very good in camp, but there is no logic to putting him on the field for an early preseason game.
Clearly, Harbaugh is more interested in player development at this point and he's looking forward to watching the new rookie class line up against one of the teams they watched in the Super Bowl.
"It's going to be a big test for us, and not just for us, but mostly for our young players,'' Harbaugh said Tuesday. "It will be mostly our young players playing. It will be guys that we want to find out about. They're going to be in there from the beginning playing the game, and we're going to be looking forward to seeing who makes the blocks and who makes the tackles and who makes the plays. That's where we're at."
Read more from columnist Peter Schmuck on his blog, "The Schmuck Stops Here," at baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog and follow him @Schmuckstop on Twitter.
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