The Baltimore Ravens drafted safety Matt Elam and linebacker Arthur Brown in the first two rounds of the April draft with the hope they'd both start right away, effectively replacing Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. Elam might have to wait.
James Ihedigbo started over Elam for the second consecutive preseason game Thursday night. The journeyman veteran has practiced with the first-team defense for much of camp. Elam had a nice performance overall with five tackles, including one for a loss in the first half.
Brown started over Josh Bynes at inside linebacker, although that might be partly because the Atlanta Falcons opened the game with three receivers. Brown is expected to play on passing downs, but it's uncertain if he'll be the starter in the Ravens' base formation. For all the hand-wringing in Baltimore, Brown and veteran pickup Daryl Smith could be an upgrade over the team's inside linebackers last season.
Some other notes from Thursday's games:
» By all accounts, the Chicago Bears' rookie offensive line tandem of Kyle Long and Jordan Mills played very well on the right side against the San Diego Chargers. Look for that duo to stick.
» It's hard to imagine Max Starks as San Diego's left tackle after his latest performance. Look for King Dunlap to win the job.
» The Philadelphia Eagles still have a lot of questions on defense, but it looks like Patrick Chung has sewn up one starting safety job.
» DeAngelo Williams had 12 carries against the Eagles. With Jonathan Stewart unlikely to be 100 percent anytime soon, Williams might get a huge workload early in the Carolina Panthers' season.
» The Buffalo Bills' official website wrote that rookie Robert Woods is slated to be the team's No. 2 wide receiver. Not a surprise there.
» Based on usage during practices and Thursday's preseason game, Mikel Leshoure looks well behindJoique Bell in the Detroit Lions' running back rotation. Bell also has displayed impressive tackling technique when stray streakers hit the field.
» Matthew Stafford has seven first downs in eight offensive drives this preseason. Still, the Lions aren't happy with their receiver depth and could pick up a veteran cut by another team.
» Reggie Bush touched the ball or was targeted on 15 of 27 first-half plays by the Lions. It resulted in 44 yards.
The Around The League Podcast is now available on iTunes! Click here to listen and subscribe.
