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.
Podcast Audio Vault
- 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
Share the Post:
Right Now in Baltimore
Any list of questions for Bisciotti should begin with Tucker – and anything else we've missed since Lamar was drafted
Do you have your own "Dear Steve Bisciotti" list of questions? We do. And we will, as Luke Jones will be in The Castle on Tuesday afternoon as the Baltimore Ravens owner and general manager Eric DeCosta will address (some of) the local media and take some questions about the search for a new coach after the firing of John Harbaugh this week. Plenty of depth here about the culture of the building in Owings Mills and the future leadership of the football operation.
Bloom: Adding Alonso brings credibility and playoff push power for Orioles
Longtime MLB insider and baseball author Barry Bloom joins Nestor with an offseason primer with Nestor in discussing payrolls, 50 years of labor beefs and what the Orioles new ownership has done to wash away the ghost of Angelos by signing Pete Alonso to a big contract this winter restoring some hope in Baltimore. Now, about the pitching...
The changing games through the years and betting on the future
After the Ravens' sudden elimination and the end of another season, we all need the comfort of old friends. It's a bit of 'Friends and Family' week as Nestor welcomes longtime media cohort and two-decade WNST hockey insider Ed Frankovic back for a 2026 sports reset as Ovechkin remains on the ice, the Ravens search for a head coach and the Orioles try to get baseball fans like us back to Camden Yards. Oh, and "Why does Nestor deserve a press pass?"





















