Here Comes Musa Smith

If I had told the average Ravens fan a few weeks ago that franchise running back Jamal Lewis would be held out of the final two preseason games with a sore hip, I'd expect most of them would have felt a chill down their spines. After all, many of the Ravens troubles on offense the past few seasons could be attributed to injuries that caused the back to miss all or part of the last few seasons.

But 2006 promises to be a little different. While the team does expect Lewis to be ready for the season opener against Tampa Bay on September 10, the Ravens have a little extra insurance in the backfield this season. First of all, they signed two-time 1,000-yard rusher Mike Anderson from the Broncos. Besides experience, the veteran back also brings some versatility into the mix, as he's lined up as both a halfback and a fullback over the course of his career.

But the real revelation of training camp 2006 has to be the emergence of Musa Smith. Out of the lineup for about half of 2004 after suffering horrific broken leg courtesy of a collar tackle from Roy Williams of the Dallas Cowboys, Smith made only one appearance in 2005 -- one in which he never had a carry, and clocked only three receptions for a measly five yards.

But in the preseason, Smith has been making the most of his chances. In the opener against the Giants, he rushed for 61 yards on just four carries, including one 37-yard romp in the second quarter, and added 15 yards on four receptions. And last Thursday night he carried four times for 55 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown run, and grabbed a 36-yard reception where he hurdled a fallen teammate for a big gainer. Head coach Brian Billick likes what he's seen so far:

"He's practicing with such joy," Billick said. "He's loving being out there, and he's playing the same way. It's great to see him having the success he deserves."

As for the future, it looks like Smith is going to get a lot of touches this season as the team's third down back, with the potential for more playing time if he keeps up his level of play. While some folks might be surprised at Smith performance, we really ought to know better. After all, the Ravens have established a reputation for finding talent in the draft that others have overlooked, and that would include Priest Holmes, who only rushed for 1,000 yards in a half season for the Ravens before being displaced by Lewis as the starter back in their Super Bowl year.

When Chester Taylor signed with the Vikings in the off season, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed. But after seeing the performance that Smith has turned in so far, I can understand why the Ravens let Taylor go, and why they rebuffed a rumored trade offer from the New York Jets as well.