In Baltimore, Kyle Boller In My Rear View Mirror

One of the things that Head Coach Brian Billick and Offensive Coordinator Jim Fassel were looking in tonight's game against the Redskins was a sustained drive from the first team offense that ended with a touchdown. After going three and out on their first series, the Ravens put together what had to be the best drive of the preseason: 10 plays for 71 yards that climaxed with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Steve McNair to Mark Clayton. With that out of the way, McNair, who was 4/6 for 52 yards, was pulled in favor of second stringer Kyle Boller, who was promptly sacked for a 10 yard loss.

And speaking of Boller, I noticed that my NFL Fanhouse colleague Ryan Wilson had a chance to read a pretty positive feature by Camille Powell on Boller that ran in today's Washington Post. I had to chuckle a little when I read the piece myself this morning, as it really didn't give readers any inkling over the intensity of feeling -- both good and bad -- that Ravens fans have for Boller. One local resident who is now fan of Boller is Baltimore Sun columnist and Ravens blogger Mike Preston. Here's what he had to say on the eve of the preseason in response to one reader's question whether or not Preston would be picking on Boller this year:

Mr. Boller has not helped his case here in Baltimore by tripping over the lines, fumbling snaps, throwing off his back foot, throwing while falling backwards, and fumbling without anyone touching him. He has not helped himself by being inaccurate on short passes, long passes, intermediate passes and trying to hand the ball off from his knees.

Ouch. Preston's analysis is pretty simple: By the end of last season both the coaching staff and his teammates had lost all confidence in Boller, making a replacement at quarterback all but inevitable in the offseason. Of course, Boller has his defenders too, and they went hammer and tong with the "Boller Haters" in the subsequent comment string. But the bottom line remains this: Boller is the quarterback of the past; barring injury, McNair is the quarterback of the present and immediate future. Long-term, McNair is obviously on the back end of his career, but don't think of Boller as his heir apparent. At this point, he's just another #2 quarterback rolling up some nice stats in preseason garbage time.

In a way, the Post profile tells us half the truth about Boller: He's a nice guy who says all the right things, puts in the work, and doesn't make a spectacle of himself. If only he could match his off field demeanor with results on the field, Boller would be everything you could ask for in a quarterback. If only it were so.