Reserves struggle against the Rams Aaron Wilson
ST. LOUIS -- Dannell Ellerbe strutted and showboated, pausing for a swaggering moment on the cusp of the St. Louis Rams' end zone as he returned a Keith Null interception.
Then, the Baltimore Ravens' reserve inside linebacker leaned the football into the end zone with an exaggerated motion across the goal line to conclude a 57-yard touchdown in the second quarter that was greeted by loud boos from the Rams' small assemblage of diehards announced as 42,327 at Edward Jones Dome.
Seconds later, a clearly furious Ravens coach John Harbaugh was in Ellerbe's face mask spitting out words probably not fit for print as he chastised the second-year linebacker.
Ellerbe's touchdown off a pass deflected by cornerback Cary Williams was easily the Ravens' top individual showing during an ugly 27-21 loss to the Rams on Thursday night during an ugly preseason finale defined by sloppiness from the Baltimore reserves.
Between quarterback Troy Smith’s erratic showing and a poor decision by rookie punt returner Prince Miller, a series of bumbling, embarrassing miscues defined the Ravens’ performance.
“Anytime you don’t win a football game, you’re disappointed,” Harbaugh said. “I am looking for positives and I’m proud of the way the guys fought. Now, we move on and the next thing is the regular season.”
Ellerbe’s athletic display was tempered by the extreme lack of discipline from Ellerbe. It obviously didn't help matters that Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur were colleagues of Harbaugh on the Philadelphia Eagles’ staff.
“It was my first one,” Ellerbe said. “I had a lot of stuff going through my mind. I didn’t know what to do, but I always wanted to do that. He said I needed to do it with more class.”
Harbaugh confronted Ellerbe immediately and made it abundantly clear that he wouldn’t tolerate a repeat performance. Ellerbe remained in the game, though, replacing Jason Phillips at middle linebacker on the next series.
“I loved the play we made on the interception, but I didn’t like the finish to that because that’s not who we are,” Harbaugh said. “To his credit, the guy who did that realized it right away and said, ‘I can do better than that.’”
Besides Ellerbe’s individualistic display, it was a rough night for what amounted to the Ravens’ junior varsity as they didn’t play any starters. The Ravens (3-1) ended their seven-game preseason winning streak.
The Rams definitely didn’t follow that memo about resting their top players heading into the regular season, playing several starters during the first half.
The Ravens used 41 players to the Rams’ 75.
Other than rushing for 56 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries, it was a tough night for the former Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State.
He completed only 18 of 38 passes for 237 yards for the game with no touchdowns and two interceptions for a paltry 45.6 passer rating. He was sacked three times.
Smith struggled with deflected passes behind a makeshift offensive line comprised of Ramon Harewood, Joe Reitz, Bryan Mattison, Stefan Rodgers and Devin Tyler.
Plus, his accuracy and judgment were suspect as he threw into coverage several times.
“There are definitely some things as a quarterback I wish I could take back,” Smith said. “It’s been a while since I’ve had four quarters. I’m leaving this stadium with my head held high and I’m okay.”
He was intercepted twice, including a pass intended for Demetrius Williams that was tipped and picked off at the Rams’ one-yard line on fourth-and-goal to end the first half.
Linebacker Chris Chamberlain nearly ran back the interception for a touchdown before running back Jalen Parmele chased him down at the Ravens’ 12-yard line after an 83-yard return.
In the first half, Smith completed just 6 of 14 throws for 63 yards for a 26.8 passer rating.
Smith is fighting to make the team as the Ravens’ third quarterback, and this was an opportunity to showcase himself for the rest of the league.
“Troy competed out there,” Harbaugh said. “I’m sure there are a few plays that he would want back. It’s hard. Sometimes, you have more time than you think. He will look at the tape and say, ‘I could have hung in there and thrown it here,’ and other times he couldn’t. There are tough circumstances.”
The Ravens kept three quarterbacks on the roster during each of Harbaugh’s first two seasons in Baltimore, but they could get by with two this year considering the presence of starter Joe Flacco and two-time Pro Bowl selection Marc Bulger as his backup.
Smith bolted into the end zone up the middle for a two-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to cap the Ravens' scoring.
Smith expressed confidence that he’s done enough to not be released.
“There’s no doubt,” Smith said. “I think what we have here is tremendously special. I think it can’t be matched anywhere because we’ve been through the tough times and we’ve been through some great times, too. This team is tremendously talented. We’ve got a chance to do some special things.”
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