Ravens Rookie WR Zay Flowers Enjoys 'Fun' Debut
If you were playing preseason fantasy football on Saturday night, one can only be advised to play responsibly and maybe avoid Zay Flowers.
Many have pegged the Baltimore Ravens' premier pick as a favorite for the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year title, but he certainly won't take home any proverbial preseason weekly honors after a muted debut on the statsheet. Officially, Flowers contributed a mere single yard to the Ravens' 20-19 exhibition victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday night, granted a first quarter chance on the ground immediately after he was flagged five yards for a false start on the Baltimore's first offensive play from scrimmage.
“(Quarterback Josh Johnson) snapped the ball fast,” Flowers jokingly said in a humorous attempt to deflect blame, per Kris Rhim of The Baltimore Banner. “He called the play, and he snapped the ball like two seconds later.”
That wasn't the only Flowers play to draw yellow, however, but they were occasions the Ravens could certainly live with. Baltimore (1-0) went three-and-out on the opening drive but a five-play, 64-yard scoring trek on their second possession was built primarily through Justice Hill in the open field and Philadelphia turning to illegal affairs to contain Flowers, well-regarded for his big-play ability with a different brand of Eagles at Boston College. He was the victim of an illegal hands-to-the-face penalty on the second snap and yellow flew again when he was the subject of defensive holding. Two plays after that latter penalty, Devin Duvernay caught the Ravens' first touchdown of the night
Though "flags forced" isn't a stat that shows up in the box score, the couple that Flowers earned the approval of head coach John Harbaugh.
“When you’re hard to cover, guys tend to grab sometimes,” Harbaugh said. “That’s probably the basic premise of the whole thing. He’s hard to cover. He’s got great feet, great acceleration, change of direction. And the defensive back, if he’s in coverage, has to match that. It’s the same in tackling; you’ve got to match that, as well. So that’s what good players do, and I’m excited to see him continue to grow.”
Armed with one of the uncannier streaks in NFL history, as Saturday marked their 24th consecutive preseason victory, summer exhibitions carry a unique aura of joy in Charm City. It has certainly left an instant impact on Flowers, who called Saturday's appearance "fun" despite his lack of fantasy impact.
"It was a little bit faster, not too much faster though," Flowers declared. "I can handle it. It was a good experience for the first time.”
Flowers and the Ravens will have to be a little patient for their next chance to extend their preseason perfection, as their next game lands next Monday night against the Washington Commanders (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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