ExtremeRavens Posted August 8 Posted August 8 The Ravens might have found a missing ingredient from their championship seasons in 2000 and 2012. His name is LaJohntay Wester, a rookie sixth-round draft pick out of Colorado. Wester had an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter of the Ravens’ 24-16 preseason win over the Indianapolis Colts at M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday night. He also had another return for 17 yards. Wester gives the Ravens something they’ve lacked in the past couple of seasons — a bonafide threat as a return specialist. A year ago, the Ravens were indecisive about when to return a punt, but Wester, 23, appears to have the green light to go, at least for now. In 2000, the Ravens had slot receiver Jermaine Lewis return punts and he averaged 16.1 yards per return. He also had an 84-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second half of the Ravens’ 34-7 win against the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. In 2012, it was Jacoby Jones who electrified fans as he led the league with 30.7 yards per kickoff return, including two touchdowns. Wester has the same move as Lewis — a juke step to one side, then a quick change of direction to allow his blockers to set up. On his punt return for a touchdown, Wester started to his left, took a hard jab stab to that side and then reversed to his right to score as he broke several shoe-string tackle attempts. The last time a rookie caused this type of excitement was outside linebacker Peter Boulware in 1997 in the final preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. After a five-to-six-week holdout, Boulware had two sacks in that game. He’s back Running back Keaton Mitchell had nine carries for 68 yards before he was pulled at the beginning of the second half, but one of his featured runs was a 22-yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter. But let’s forget about the touchdown. Let’s talk about other things, like the power the 5-foot-8, 190-pound Mitchell showed breaking through several tackles and the body lean he displayed going into the end zone. The third-year back showed good bounce to the outside. He showed no signs of the severe knee damage, which forced him out for most of the 2024 season. Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell showed impressive burst in his return from a knee injury that cost him most of last season. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Left guard battle If the battle for the starting left guard position was close, then Andrew Vorhees created more distance between him and Ben Cleveland, his closest competitor. Vorhees had several decent seal blocks while pulling and looked good and versatile getting around the corner. He worked off double-team blocks well and held his ground in pass protection, even though he was uncovered sometimes. Cleveland struggled in pass protection and was only effective in short-yardage situations and straight-ahead blocking. Coach John Harbaugh said that this was a close competition, but not after Thursday night. QB concerns Reserve quarterback Cooper Rush needs to pick up the pace and play better. Rush was successful as a backup to Dak Prescott in Dallas, where he played in 38 games, started 14 and finished with a 9-5 record. But with the exception of a practice or two, Rush hasn’t played well in training camp and completed only two of four passes for 16 yards against the Colts. His first pass was underthrown to receiver Dayton Wade and picked off by cornerback Alex Johnson. The Ravens signed Rush to a two-year deal worth $6.2 million in March that could climb to as high as $12.2 million. So far, he hasn’t proven that he would be effective as a starter if star quarterback Lamar Jackson gets hurt. Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush threw an interception in his first preseason game with the team. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Now or never Fourth-year cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis needs to have a big year, and he played well in the first half against Indianapolis. He broke up three passes and covered well. He was also involved on special teams, which means he probably has a spot on the 53-man roster if he continues to play well in the preseason. Learning curve Rookie linebacker Teddye Buchanan played well against the run, but struggled in pass coverage. At times, he looked a little lost. As for some others who played well, rookie fifth-round pick Carson Vinson and fellow guard Darrian Dalcourt held their own, even though they both seem more destined for the practice squad than the starting lineup. Sour taste I felt compassion for defensive end Brent Urban. The 34-year-old journeyman is in his 12th season, yet he was out there playing in a preseason game. That stinks. As for a bad taste, Harbaugh can’t even win a challenge in the preseason. He lost out on a disputed catch by the Colts with just over eight minutes to play. Ravens vs. Colts in preseason opener | PHOTOS | Photos Got beef? The hopes are still high for 6-6, 370-pound defensive tackle C.J. Okoye. He never played college football but is still a load to move in the middle. Pass rush promise Rookie outside linebacker Mike Green played well. The second-round pick was in on a sack, and he had a couple of pressures. Granted, it was against the Colts’ second- and third-team players, but he had a presence while out there. Green, though, gets swallowed up when the Ravens rush him up the middle. Quick takes How could the Colts look so impressive in Tuesday’s scrimmage against the Ravens, yet play so poorly Thursday night? Been telling anyone who will listen to watch rookie fullback Lucas Scott from Army. He has game. The Ravens had three full-time starters on the offensive line to open the game, but neither right guard Dan Faalele nor right tackle Roger Rosengarten were overly impressive. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article Quote
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