If we start (yet ANOTHER) season with Jitters McJumpy aka Boller behind center I am going to be absolutely livid.

Same here, I am not shocked. But I am sure Troy Smith will start the next preseason game.

I am not so sure Troy Smith starts next week...

But the key question was who will start the final game this season - if it's not Joe Flacco, then something went wrong with the planning...

Boller starts this season...Smith will be back-up this year, and for as many years he is a Raven as Flacco will be the starter in '09. Smith's head is much bigger than his erratic talent, so I wouldnt expect to see much of him unless: a. the season tanks quickly
b. Boller gets hurt

Flacco will not start behind a crappy line, nor should he.

Starting Kyle probably makes more sense. Just imagine Troy going in and playing well. Another Cleveland Brown situation.

"if it's not Joe Flacco, then something went wrong with the planning..."

No, then everything went right with the planning. They don't want Flacco starting at all this early, the coaches have said that themselves. When it starts getting into mid-October, then we can start looking for Flacco to possibly start.

Forget about QB, who do these guys have to throw too? Thjs team lacks a deep threat in the worst way. I think the club needs to give strong consideration to bringing Chris Henry in. The kid has a load of talent & good WR's are very hard to come by. Bring him in on a two year deal. We are no longer the NFL's bad boy & could probably get by bringing a suspect character guy in. Perhaps a positive influence like Ray Lewis could turn him around?

Bring in the deep threat

Give the kid one last chance. What's the worst that could happen? Honestly...

No one is going to make the case that any one of these QB's is inherently better than the other 2. Mike Preston is dead on. You'll rattle the confidence of the "veteran" if you pick a rookie or a second year starter.

Ronnie S. -- Wouldn't it be great if Smith played well? How is that a bad thing?

It doesn't matter who starts the pre-season games. Flacco will be the QB for the next 15 years as of the 7th game of the season (Ravens at Miami).

Boller is the best option. He has his issues, but he's tough and experienced and our quarterback is going to need to be this year with our young line. Smith wasn't a late rounder for nothing. Mark my words, he's never going to be a starter in the NFL. He's at best another Anthony Wright or Stoney Case, only smaller in stature while coming from a larger program. Flacco should sit until we get an O line and he gets a year of practicing, watching and learning under his belt.

So much for an interesting year if Kyle "missed the barn" is the starter!

I really can't see any one of the three QB's staying healthy very long with the present set of offensive tackles.

When I was at training camp last Thursday, Boller looked the best to me out of the three.

I was a big fan of KB at the outset, unfortunately he's damaged goods in this town. He should be traded.
Troy has produced when he's had a shot and if Flacco is the QB of the future don't throw him to the wolves as BB did with KB. Where's management when McGahee is a flop. Get rid of this guy and get help with the savings.

Questions, Questions, We had throw it in the dirt 6 yards McNair or we can go with a little Jitters. Boller has not started for years and was put in on occasion and towards the end of last year. LET him either WIN or LOSE the job, he deserves at least that much!

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You heard it here first: Boller is going to have a breakout season. Think Drew Brees' last season in San Diego.

Im thinking somewhere along the lines of starting each QB one game for the preseason, then for the forth..pick your true season starter...i honestly dont care who it is...i will cheer whoever...i just want the one that will help us winn football games, not lose embarassly

Somebody explain this to me. This is Boller's 5th year, Smith's 2nd, and Flacco's 1st, if none of them distinguish themselves from the others to me that is a worst indictment of Boller's unworthiness to start. HE HAS BEEN THERE 5 YEARS AND HE CAN'T DISTINQUISH HIMSELF FROM A ROOKIE??? WHAT MORE DO WE NEED???

Boller has proven to be a "journeyman" at best the past 5 years. At best it will be interesting to see how he fares under the capable tutelage of Cam Cameron and his system. My guess is that there will be no perceptible change in his mechanics, pocket "jitters" and consistent inaccuracy.

Henry is not suspect!!! He is a moron, he knew that he was already on thin ice and the fool went ahead and hit someone.

Any QB who played behind the inept pass blocking lines Boller has played behind would be jumpy (even with Ogden and Mulitalo, the line was built for run blocking, as that was our game, and the right side couldn't stop anyone his first three seasons. He's also had lousy receiving corps to throw to. Last year, he played behind the worst line of his career (primarily rookies and second year players, with different personnel seemingly every week, yet completed 61% of his passes. And he's had five games of 100+ QB ratings in his last 16 games. How many did McNair have in 2006, and why didn't he show up against the Irsays?

Boller can do the job if he gets decent protection. So can Smith, and Flacco looks like he'll also be able to. It all depends on pass protection. Look what happened to Brady in the Super Bowl, the one game he didn't consistently get all day to throw. If our line can't pass block again this season, it won't matter who the QB is - he'll struggle.

right call? we deserve better....he had his chance let him show he deserves this troy smith deserves this..we need a fresh start

Just the beginning of a long month of August, if questioning who starts at QB in 1st exhibition game...woo.. sounds like the overly analytically, low intelligent redskin fans I usually deal with...As bad as Boller has been he mirrors in Trent Dilfer in Tampa...oh yeah Super Bowl Champ for...that right say it out loud...

Boller's the sacrificial lamb behind an inexperienced offensive line. The Ravens won't risk losing Smith or Flacco to a line full of holes. Its not that Boller's better, it that he's expendable.

I am sooooo anxious for the day to come that Troy Smith starts and ALL OF YOU look sooooo foolish for claiming him as our savior before he's played one real NFL game...that counts!!!! don't give me this steelers crap, they had their bench in and they had nothing to play for... i will completely over run everyone of the Sun's blogs making sure all of you know how stupid you are for swearing Troy Smith is the answer, just because he's not Kyle Boller... No need to wait to find out, i have the answer... and it's NOT TROY SMITH!!!!!! you're all just dumb is all

This is hilarious. After half a decade of bashing Billick and My Man Kyle, suddenly a coach's decision to start Kyle (in any game!) is "the right call"!?!?!?!? What a joke.

Boller's the starting QB, the veterans are either getting assigned days off, or conveniently nursing mysterious ailments on the sideline, there's no clear cut leader at the QB position, the defense is manhandling the offense on a daily basis, and not a negative word. If Brian Billick was still the coach, with the same things going on in Westminster, can you just imaging the headlines? "Billick made the right call". Yeah... not in a million years...

i agree with al I think Kyle deserves a chance to work with a decent ol. i think he will prove to be more than adequate. just give him some protection.

I remember being surprised that Smith beat out Drew Olsen who looked much more NFL ready at the time. People from Columbus all talk about what a great kid this guy is and how he wins people over all the time. But being charismatic and popular and having everyone loving you to death doesn't make you a great NFL QB.

I watched all his Ravens' games last year and I remember thinking he looked okay but also remember thinking that it looked a lot like preseason-basically playing out the string, garbage time. I can see how people might find him a refreshing change from previous Ravens QB's , though he does remind me of Anthony Wright and Eric Zier. Smith fans seem to desperately want him to succeed because he has so much charm and personality and they seem to under the delusion that if we could just get anyone besides Boller in there, all would be right with the world.

Smith has apparently won everywhere he's been but this is the NFL. At Ohio State, Smith's offense was usually quite superior, individually and collectively to the opposition. So he is used to driving a Bentley, while the other guy is in a KIA. In the NFL the Ravens' offense will not have a huge talent edge over the opposition.

He has grit,toughness and smarts but his competition has those qualities as well. Flacco probably had the entire Delaware program on his shoulders and he seems to have handled it well. Boller has spent most of the past 5 years fighting for his professional life in the NFL, in a town that despises him, against much tougher conditions than Smith has ever seen. So it comes down to talent and Flacco and Boller have more QB talent potential than Smith. Elusiveness in the pocket just isn't enough (see Vince Young) and not being Kyle just isn't enough. As a Ravens fan, I hope Smith proves me wrong but he just doesn't look like a full time NFL QB to me.

LET'S SEE,
A 5 year vet in Kyle Boller, and he is equal in performance to a guy who only played in 2 NFL games and a guy who played in 0 NFL games. Can the people of Baltimore do MATH?
HELLO, WAKE UP PEOPLE.

I was hoping Boller started the first preseason game and Smith the second. Its a decision, but I can't say that this is a GOOD decision. Despite the fact that he is a 19th overall draft pick. Despite the fact that we have watched every division rival find and nurture a productive quarterback after we selected Boller (one from our own roster). How can it be a good decision to start a quarterback, who in his 6th season cannot distinguish himself from a guy who has only two starts and a rookie who has no starts? If this was the season opener, I'd be worried.

Our organization has gotten a little smarter with our new coaching staff. But everyone still seems to lack the understanding that "HE WHO HAS THE BEST LINES WIN THE GAMES.
Having the best O line should be the top priority for an offense. How soon we forget. When we won the Super Bowl our D line was better than any O line in the League + having the best linebackers didn't hurt either. In Jamal Lewis' last season here people blamed him for lack of production when the O Line was suffering under a bad O Line coach. Hate to say it but a lot of our fans are about as smart as a rock.

Well, I agree that Boller should make this start. It's on the road in hostile territory and Boller has played there before in Foxboro. Flacco though has to be the guy at the end of the year but I wouldn't mind seeing Boller try to have a good year. Smith is a project, and he is like Seneca Wallace, he's going to run more than he is going to pass and teams will learn that quickly. Boller should start the season and Flacco should take over if "Bad Boller" flops which we Raven fans have come to expect with Brians Boy.

All I can say is: Smith was a winner in college and he showed last year that he has composure in the NFL. If nothing else, he gives us reason for optimism. Can anyone seriously say the same thing about Boller? I mean, come on, he fumbles snaps and trips over his own feet. That's downright embarrassing.

I support Boller up first! Process is veteran up first, and Smith goes in next game 1st. It's possible that with a new coach, cordinator, and plays that Boller may fair out. of course the O line has fallen early and McGahee not helping matters and NO play makeing WR yet! With all this you want Flacco this year? No, do not concur until "09".

Sure, makes perfect sense. Start the experienced guy you know is a flat out awful qb, I get it.

One thing that sticks out in my mind is that the entire time that Billick was here, I found that he, nor anyone he had on his coaching staff, had no clue of what a good QB was. Also, he and said staff had no ability to develope one. Why don't we wait so see what Cam C. can do to improve KB's skills. Someone else eluded to the fact that Troy only started games that really did not mean anything. They are right. I really think that Kyle is the right choice at this time because he does have more experience and after taking two years off sitting behind McNair, he should be in good physical shape. How about giving KB a real second chance now that he has a "real" Offensive coach to teach him?

For myself, I only want one thing, and that is to NOT see Joe Flacco start until the offensive line has proven itself. If that doesn't happen this year, then so be it. If Joe is all he's hoped to be, then it makes little sense to run a gamble with him when you already have two game experienced QBs to run things while the O line comes together. I think that there's a lot of potential there, but until it bears fruit, it pays to be careful and conservative.

Much a-do about nothing. The only thing to get upset about during pre-season games is the regular season prices!

The roster will work itself out, but my wallet may never recover!

Who cares if Boller starts the preseason... it will be interesting to see how he does, but Troy Smith should be the starter come the regular season opener vs the Bengals. As some of you mentioned, our O-Line is beat up and young. Troy Smith can scramble and run around, which is what we need because whoever our QB will be will have a lot of rushers comin at him. And we dont need chris henry, demtetrius williams is emerging as a very good deep threat, as well as mason and clayton, plus our draft picks Marcus Smith and wheelwright..... we dont need WRs... and i think it's too early to be saying when Flacco should be our starter.... let's wait and see how he progresses

I said it earlier ....Boiler will shine this year.... just watch......Boiler is better than people give him credit for... i know football.....watch.....He has been plague by bad decisions and a heck of dropped passes his hold career...but he is tough as nails....5th year he will shine ....

Behind a porous O-line (which was not at all addressed in the off-season) the QB's will be dropping like flies.

Kyle has proven he can take a hit, some say it's his best feature. He will start the season, but I'd be very surprised if he makes it to the half-way mark without a substantial injury.

It will then be Troy's turn to take the beatings. I doubt he will be as durable as Kyle.

Unfortunately we will see Joe before this season is over, and before he is ready. Bet on it.

brooksie78

Troy plays well is a good thing granted, but how do you pay both of them

Jeff Garcia. Harbaugh is familiar with him. May be a cap problem though and would definitely be a one year rental.

Oh my God! I can't believe we're even having this discussion! Anyone above who made a comment even vaguely suggesting that Boller could even be a "journeyman" QB should report immediately to the women's football 101 given by the Ravens as a PR stunt. Jesus, anyone with any football knowledge knows that KB will NEVER even play for another team as a backup after we eventually get rid of him. He does not have a QB bone in his body. I am shocked that he was not released immediately when the new staff arrived. This is like getting bamboo shoved under our fingernails for 6 years.

Boller won't be the Ravens starting QB against the Bengals. Two important qualities that he lacks are 1) mental toughness (the ability to think quickly, look at defenses and change plays-if he could), and 2) the ability to scramble due to the lack of protection from the OL. When he is fortunate to have protection, he can't hit the open receiver. Let Smith start the season and then Flacco if the OL improves later in the season. If we start the regular season with Boller, we deserve to be "the laughing stock of the NFL."

I just want to add one more thing bout Boller... that kid played ridiculously well against the Patriots during the regular season

good luck man

Smith will have the starting job week 1. If he shows he can't produce then we have a somewhat capable backup in Boller. Last year Boller had to step into starting quarterback and did a decent job but let's get this straight, HE IS NOT A STARTER, he will never be a starter. He has great skill but terrible field vision and pocket prescence. He also also the jitters which no starting quarterback in the nfl can have. Quarterbacks are suppose to be the leaders and when they act jumpy and scared the offense will not get behind them. That is why Smith will start, Boller will backup, and Flacco will learn, which is what I am comfortable with, right now.

Any QB who played behind the inept pass blocking lines Boller has played behind would be jumpy (even with Ogden and Mulitalo, the line was built for run blocking, as that was our game, and the right side couldn't stop anyone his first three seasons. He's also had lousy receiving corps to throw to. Last year, he played behind the worst line of his career (primarily rookies and second year players, with different personnel seemingly every week, yet completed 61% of his passes. And he's had five games of 100+ QB ratings in his last 16 games. How many did McNair have in 2006, and why didn't he show up against the Irsays?

I think you hit the nail on the head Baltimore's offense for many years was based on two guys Johnathan Ogden and who ever was in the backfield. I just hope these young guys on this line a ready to fight. I wanna see Marshal Yanda knock a fool out like that Iowa state game.

Any QB who played behind the inept pass blocking lines Boller has played behind would be jumpy (even with Ogden and Mulitalo, the line was built for run blocking, as that was our game, and the right side couldn't stop anyone his first three seasons. He's also had lousy receiving corps to throw to. Last year, he played behind the worst line of his career (primarily rookies and second year players, with different personnel seemingly every week, yet completed 61% of his passes. And he's had five games of 100+ QB ratings in his last 16 games. How many did McNair have in 2006, and why didn't he show up against the Irsays?

I think you hit the nail on the head Baltimore's offense for many years was based on two guys Johnathan Ogden and who ever was in the backfield. I just hope these young guys on this line are ready to fight. I wanna see Marshal Yanda knock a fool out like that Iowa state game.

Hey...all of you KB Bashers are tards...this guy has as much TALENT as any QB in the league and tougher than most of the OL and defense who are on HIS team. If given a true opportunity to succeed (yeah, this means a viable OL and a marginally decent receiving corps), this guy would flourish...and another thing..with all the "Chinco Cinco", "TO" or criminals that line up to play on Sunday (and a few on THIS team as well), KB brings an air of "charm" to this city with his heart,toughness and overall "good guy" feel. There should be more of him on this team and throughout the NFL...Go KB!! You still have one TRUE FAN...I wonder how many of you "KBBashers" out there are going to jump on his bandwagon when he rallies this team...KBFC