The Ravens’ preseason has finally ended. Now we have to gear up for the rough road ahead. I’m not sure what—if anything—was figured out Thursday night. It felt like the whole thing was forced. The Ravens didn’t want to be there, the Falcons didn’t want to be there and the fans didn’t want to be there (and most of them weren’t).

A lot of talk today is that Flacco made a case to be the go-to man against the Bengals. Maybe I missed something, because what I saw was a rookie trying to capitalize on an opportunity. The operative word in that sentence being “rookie.” The guy looked young and inexperienced because—face it, Baltimore—that’s what he is. He is not going to be our Adrian Peterson. He is not going to turn everything around, at least not yet. He showed poise last night and he has come a long way since the first preseason game, but he still has a long way to go.

What he showed me last night was that he will get there one day. Seeing Flacco and Ray Rice line up in that backfield was a glimpse into this club’s future. We have two great foundations to build on, but what those two kids need most is time, and Baltimore needs the patience to give it to them.

More than ever I think Troy Smith is our man for this season. Not so much because of where he can take the team this year, but because he can help this team progress for future seasons. Troy Smith will be a great second option at QB for many years to come and he will grow if he starts for the team every week for a tough year. Meanwhile, Flacco will continue to learn and grow and realize the big picture of what it takes to carry an NFL team through a season.

The offensive line is improving steadily. The receiving corps is still a work in progress but they do have big play capabilities. The defense is not what it used to be, but it is still good enough to keep us in games. And we have a rookie tailback who looks legit. If John Harbaugh and the city of Baltimore can let all of these components grow together naturally, then I think we’ll have a great football team. Next year.

As for the Bengals, I say Ravens win by 10.

(Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr)