Player Spotlight: Danny Pinter
A look at how the Ravens potential starting center performed against the Eagles.
Offensive line has never been the sexiest position group in the NFL, but it’s certainly one of the most important. That’s doubly true for a Ravens team that has seen some shaky play at positions along the line the last several seasons, and paid dearly for it with big game blunders, and injuries to their starting quarterback.
You can’t blame too much of that on former starting center Tyler Linderbaum, but unfortunately for Baltimore, the Pro Bowler priced himself way out of their market, and they’ve found themselves starting over at the position. One of the candidates to take the job is seven year veteran Danny Pinter, who comes over from Indianapolis with a nice combination of experience, and still untapped potential.
Offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford has talked up Pinter’s athleticism, and some of the exciting things he’s seen on tape from the 6’4", 305 pounder. Veteran guard John Simpson has been equally impressed, recently noting Pinter’s mental handle on the position that requires a lot of X’s and O’s acuity:
"He's been great, man," Simpson said. "He's coming in, communicating well, just knowing his stuff, and he's playing at a level I feel like where we can get up there. He calls it out, and we just go, and that's what you need from a center."
As a possible nod to him having the inside track at the starting job which he’s mainly competing with Ethan Pocic for, Pinter got the start in the Ravens first preseason game against the Eagles on Saturday. There’s some good and bad to dive into, but after the two series he was on the field for, it’s hard not to walk away pretty encouraged by what you see.
