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QB Troy Smith (2006 Heisman Trophy Winner)

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Smith, Boller struggle on first day
I know it's only the first day of passing camp, but it was hard on the eyes watching quarterbacks Kyle Boller and Troy Smith throw in practice. Smith had the better day, not because he looked good, but because Boller performed so poorly. Boller had several passes knocked down and underthrew and overthrew receivers.

Smith wasn't as erratic, but he had no touch either. Smith's lack of arm strength was clearly evident when he had to throw sideline passes to the far side of the field. The objective is to throw high and hard so that if the receiver doesn't catch the ball, it goes out of bounds. Smith threw several passes inside, and they would have been picked off and returned for touchdowns.
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baltimoresun.com - Ravens Central: Smith, Boller struggle on first day

Ravens? Troy Smith ?sharp? at practice

By Aaron Wilson, Times Staff Writer Thursday, May 29, 2008

OWINGS MILLS ? With his helmet on a swivel, Troy Smith identified his target, planted his cleats and delivered a tight spiral into the waiting fingertips of rookie wide receiver Justin Harper for a touchdown.

As the Baltimore Ravens? quarterback lofted the football behind two defensive backs to hit Harper in stride during a Wednesday passing camp, it was a prime example of the improvement the former Heisman Trophy winner has displayed this offseason in making a viable bid for the starting job.

With first-round draft pick Joe Flacco absent due to an NFL-NCAA rule and former starter Kyle Boller having a rough day with batted passes and inaccuracy, Smith took advantage of the opportunity as he operated the first-team offense for the majority of the snaps.

Smith had his moments, especially in contrast to Boller?s shakiness, but also uncorked some intermediate and deep throws that lacked ideal timing and zip.

"Troy had a good practice," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "He was sharp. He competed. He had a good time.

"Troy is a leader. Anytime you?ve won the Heisman Trophy, anytime you?ve been in a national championship game, you obviously know how to lead an offense and lead a team."

For the compact former Ohio State star, there are few concerns about his intangibles. He brings a definite swagger into the huddle.

Where the Ravens are seeing growth in Smith?s development from his rookie year is in his leadership and knowledge of the offense.

"He?s taken more of a leadership role, he has an abundance of confidence," wide receiver Derrick Mason said. "But sitting down for a majority of the year, you start to question what?s going on and start to question whether you can play at a high level. The last three games that he played in, the more comfortable he felt. Then, the leadership started to show again. Basically, it spilled over into these minicamps.

"What I like about him is that he?s eager to learn. If I did something wrong, he?s not scared to come up to me and say, ?Mase, you messed up and let?s get it done.? That?s what you respect in a player. Not only is he going to go up to the guys that are second and third-stringers, he?s going to come to the first-stringers and say, ?Let?s get this going.? That?s what you want in a guy that is going to be the focal point of your offense."

Smith doesn?t lack boldness, a quality that has served him well since his days as an afterthought recruit from Cleveland who fought his way to college football?s top individual prize.

"I think he did an admirable job last year, he?s just trying to take the next step forward," linebacker Bart Scott said. ?I think this thing is wide open and he has a tremendous opportunity to start at quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens."
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Carroll County Times: Westminster, Maryland
 
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Baltimore Ravens News - Passing Camp Notes & Observations

Behind the first team offensive line throughout practice was Troy Smith. If there was a star in this relatively workmanlike practice it was the former Heisman winner from Ohio State. Smith looked poised and appeared to know where to go with the football when his primary passing option was covered. His ball skills were sharp during exchanges with Willis McGahee and he sold the play action effectively. Three passes that stood out during practice were as follows:
  • Smith to Figurs on a 15 yard sideline route to the left between two defenders...Smith dropped the ball over the defender covering the short zone outside the left hash and in front of the safety rolling over in coverage.
  • Smith to rookie Justin Harper...Harper was able to get behind two defenders, one of which was fellow rookie Haruki Nakamura. The completion went for a 20 yard score just to the outside of the numbers on the right side of the field. Smith's throw had touch dropping into the outstretched arms of Smith and away from any defender.
  • Smith to Todd Heap...Stepping up in the pocket to avoid outside pressure from the left, Smith delivered a perfect strike to Todd Heap who was working his way towards the right hash mark from the right flank about 20 yards downfield. Smith placement couldn't have been any more precise as he avoided the shallow defender (linebacker) and the deep defender (safety) to hit the tightly covered Heap in stride.
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Kyle Boller took all of his snaps with the second unit and for the most part Boller had a pretty miserable day. He didn't force any throws into tight coverage or commit multiple turnovers but he was high, wide and late throughout the day. Passes deep down the right sideline were thrown over the receiver's outside shoulder and out of bounds. One deep ball down the left sideline fell short of an open Marcus Smith and was intercepted just shy of the goal line. Boller's ball skills have never been very good and nothing seems to have changed there. His body language was that of a player who recognized that Troy Smith was creating some space in the race for the starter's job. Boller had a tough time particularly with backs circling out of the backfield and dragging towards the middle of the field from right to left. Pro Bowler Willis McGahee stayed late and worked with Boller on that route under the guidance of Cam Cameron.
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Buckeneye;1173861; said:
We all know what Troy can do, but if he ends up being the answer for Baltimore and a helluva NFL QB, then I'm gonna promptly write my friend Phil Savage a letter saying he fucked up with his QB draft.
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May I ask why? I'm as big a fan of Troy as anybody else, but his draft stock was low and Savage made moves to get a guy who was in talks to be the #1 overall pick days before the draft. No reason to write Quinn off yet and Savage deserves credit for finding a Pro-Bowl QB in the scrap heap.

Another question...how does Kyle Boller still have a job?
 
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Second-year quarterback Troy Smith and Kyle Boller also performed well. Smith has made good progress from a year ago. He is still inaccurate at times, but he has other intangibles. He has a presence with the veteran players and a grasp of the offense. Boller performed just as well, so it should be an interesting battle going into training camp. If the competition is close, I'd start Smith because he has a greater upside than Boller, who has only a year remaining on his contract.

I can't see the Ravens starting Flacco unless Boller and Smith get hurt. The Ravens learned their lesson by forcing Boller to play as a rookie. Plus, the Ravens are in need of offensive tackles.
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baltimoresun.com - Ravens Central: Flacco impresses
 
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Troy Smith-QB- Ravens Jun. 5 - 6:57 pm et

NFL Network's Adam Schefter reports that many in Baltimore believe Troy Smith has a "legitimate chance" to be the Ravens' Week 1 starter.

Schefter says Smith has done his best Derek Anderson in offseason work. Kyle Boller is running the first team, but Smith has reportedly impressed with twos. The team should know what it has in Boller (a backup), so evaluating Smith and Joe Flacco is likely the current priority. By starting Smith, the Ravens would at worst be picking a guy who has his teammates' backing.
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Troy Smith

Here is the video of Schefter's report...

NFL Video Galleries
 
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No surprise at all that Troy has the backing of his teammates. He's a natural born leader and a winner. What I've been reading and hearing is quite similar to the stories we all heard going into TS's Heisman season. He's a worker and a film junkie, so it looks to be paying off again. Couldn't be more proud.
 
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