FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - For almost a half, Kyle Boller almost turned me into a believer. I was about to forgive him for his five previous years of bad football. I was going to forgive him for his fumble nearly midway through the first quarter and give praise to new offensive coordinator Cam Cameron for possibly turning Boller around in a short time.
And then reality set in. With 6 minutes, 38 seconds left in the first half, Boller didn't see New England Patriots linebacker Shawn Crable, who stepped in front of intended receiver Adam Bergen and picked off the pass. About three minutes later, New England converted a field goal.
Haven't we been here before?
Boller started for the Ravens last night in the team's 16-15 win. It was a vintage Boller performance. He made some really great throws, put the ball where only a receiver could catch it. He showed mobility and a command of the offense.
And then he did some really stupid things, such as failing to tuck the ball away or staring down a receiver, which led to the interception.
You don't always put a lot of stock in preseason games, especially the first one. And there were some things to like about the Ravens' offense and Boller last night.
But the bottom line is that few people trust him, including most of the fans and, most importantly, his teammates. Because no matter how well Boller plays, we all keep waiting for that reckless Boller moment.
You could see it on Cameron's face immediately after Boller came to the sideline after throwing the interception. It's the same look that has been on our faces at various times during Boller's first five seasons with the Ravens.
How could he? What in the world was he thinking?
"Kyle did OK," Cameron said. "He was in control and was sharp at times. He'll be fine, and he knows better than anyone that we have to protect the ball."
I understand why first-year coach John Harbaugh started Boller last night. I agree with him. Boller is a former first-round pick, and the Ravens have invested a lot of time and money in him. Boller has the most experience, and he deserves one more opportunity to earn the starting job.
Plus, it's nice to keep Boller in that No. 1 spot for now as possible trade bait. But sometime in the next couple of weeks, Harbaugh's going to have to make a decision on Boller and whether he should be the starter over second-year quarterback Troy Smith.
