Ellerbe, who appears to trail Gooden in the inside linebacker hierarchy, provided great underneath coverage in defending a red zone pass from Marc Bulger to David Reed. The second-year linebacker excels in defending the run, but he needs to improve his pass defense to climb into the starting lineup. Ellerbe started the last three games of the regular season and both playoff games to conclude his rookie season.
Tom Zbikowski continues to look very comfortable in place of Ed Reed at the free safety position. He picked off a Joe Flacco pass in the end zone during a red zone drill, though it appeared receiver Anquan Boldin was late in turning his head around on the play. Later in practice, the safety bit on a double-move by Todd Heap in 1-on-1 drills but stripped the football away after Heap made the catch.
He won’t provide the big play capability that Reed has brought throughout his Hall of Fame-caliber career, but I get the sense the Ravens are quite comfortable with Zbikowski filling in at free safety. Of course, it’s easy to say that when it’s only August 4th.
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
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- Anquan Boldin, Baltimore, Chris Carr, Dannell Ellerbe, david reed, demetrius williams, derrick mason, ed reed, fabian washington, Jameel McClain, Joe Flacco, John Harbaugh, K.J. Gerard, Marc Bulger, matt birk, McDaniel College, michael oher, Ravens, Roger Goodell, Tavares Gooden, Todd heap, tom zbikowski, Tony Moll, Westminster
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