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Baltimore Ravens' Joe Flacco to see first action Saturday

By Todd Karpovich, The Sports Xchange
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco look to pass against the St. Louis Rams in the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland on November 22, 2015. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco look to pass against the St. Louis Rams in the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland on November 22, 2015. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

OWINGS HILLS, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco will play his first game since undergoing knee surgery last year this week against the Detroit Lions on Saturday.

Flacco tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee Nov. 22 against the St. Louis Rams, which ended his season. He spent the next eight months making sure he was ready for the start of this year's camp.

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While Flacco was on the field for the first day of practice, he was held out of the opening two preseason games because the knee admittedly was "not 100 percent." However, Flacco and the coaches are confident enough to give the knee its first real test.

It will also be the first game that Flacco plays with a protective brace on his left knee. He plans to wear that brace during practice and games throughout the 2016 season. Flacco expects to play the entire first half against Detroit.

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"Obviously, I had to go through a little bit to get here to this point to where I can go back out there and play with my guys," Flacco said. "That is really what I'm looking forward to -- just getting back out there in live action and being in a real huddle and just seeing everybody's eyes and how excited they are to get after it."

Flacco holds franchise records for most yardage (28,322), completions (2,479) and touchdowns (162). The Ravens' season might hinge on his ability to stay on the field.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said this third preseason game is important for all of the team's starters.

"I think it is definitely a big point of emphasis to go out there and (have) no mental errors -- just be on our stuff," Harbaugh said. "Especially getting Joe (Flacco) back, this will be the first time we have our starting quarterback in there. The offense will definitely look different just having a Super Bowl-winning quarterback back there."

--Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley, the team's first-round pick in this year's draft, will have some added pressure in this week's third preseason game against the Detroit Lions.

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Stanley will be protecting the blindside of franchise quarterback Joe Flacco for the first time. Stanley has earned solid ratings in the opening two preseason games and is yet to allow a sack. His coaches expect that success to continue this week.

"You watch him in practice, and you grade the tape," Ravens offensive coordinator Marc Trestman said. "You really don't talk about him very much when we are sitting there watching the practice and grading the guys. That is a good sign, in terms of how he is doing. Again, he has done really well with handling the different protection schemes that we have and picking up blitzes."

Stanley is on track to become the first rookie in Ravens history to start at left tackle. Hall-of-Famer Jonathan Ogden spent his rookie season at left guard.

--Despite missing all of last season and the beginning of training camp because of injuries, Ravens wide receiver Breshad Perriman never lost his confidence.

The former first round pick was taken off the PUP list earlier this week and is on schedule to play in the season opener Sept. 11 against the Buffalo Bills.

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"I am very eager," Perriman said. "I feel like it is coming real soon. I know that it will be worth the wait, in my eyes. I'm very eager."

In three years at Central Florida, Perriman had 115 receptions for 2,243 yards and broke the school record by averaging 19.5 yards per catch. He also scored 16 touchdowns in 39 games. He was taken by the Ravens with the 26th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Perriman is expected to provide quarterback Joe Flacco with a viable downfield threat. Baltimore also signed another speedy receiver, Mike Wallace, in the offseason and drafted Chris Moore from Cincinnati.

All three were on the practice field this week, which was a welcomed sight for coach John Harbaugh.

"It's definitely a positive to have them on the field," Harbaugh said. "To see those guys out there, you feel like you're making progress in that direction. But then from there, as a coach, it's not just being out there. There's a lot of work that goes into fine-tuning timing in a passing game, and those guys have had none of that. We still need a lot of work on our passing game with the guys who have been out there a bunch. We have a lot of work to do, and those guys have a lot of work to do to get to the point where we are going to win games with our passing game."

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