Headlines September - October

Flacco's future on Baltimore's mind

The Ravens love rookie QB Joe Flacco’s poise, something they believe he has in ample reserve for a first-year player. And they love his skill set. But they are wary of the hard lessons he might endure after being thrust into the starting lineup because of a season-ending shoulder injury to Kyle Boller and a tonsil infection that kept Troy Smith off the active roster in Week One. The way we hear it, it will not be a surprise if the Ravens bench Flacco if he struggles once Smith is back in the fold. Flacco did get off to a winning start, though, helping lead the Ravens to a Week One win over the Bengals. He completed 15-of-29 passes for 129 yards and didn’t turn the ball over. He also ran 38 yards for a TD. In short, the Ravens have Flacco’s long-term future in mind as well as the present. In the meantime, Flacco is being asked to run an offensive package that isn’t quite as expansive as the one the Ravens would run with Boller or Smith.


McClain's emergence gives Ravens' RB depth a big lift

Le’Ron McClain carried 37 times in four seasons at Alabama, a total befitting a fullback best known for his blocking. When the Ravens picked him in the fourth round of the 2007 draft, the role of lead blocker was the one he was pegged to play. But that role has been altered, thanks to his success carrying the ball, and it has significantly bolstered the Ravens’ RB depth.

McClain was one of the feel-good stories of Week One. He carried 19 times for 86 yards as Baltimore beat favored Cincinnati, 17-10. The Ravens employed a run-first attack throughout to both protect rookie QB Joe Flacco and wear down the Bengals’ defense, and the strategy paid dividends.

With RB Willis McGahee ready to return to the lineup after not playing in the opener as he recovered from arthroscopic knee surgery, we hear the Ravens’ grind-it-out attack is likely to become a staple. Head coach John Harbaugh indicated McGahee, McClain and rookie Ray Rice can all expect to see work.

“With all the backs, I think it’s always going to be a situational ballgame,” Harbaugh told Baltimore reporters. Each of [the running backs] has a certain skill set that you try to put in that situation where that skill set can thrive based on the game plan and game situation.”

Interestingly enough, we’re hearing that McGahee’s return might have the biggest effect on Rice’s workload, not that of McClain. Rice is a smaller, shiftier back than McClain, but he boasts similar skills to McGahee, Baltimore’s usual starter. The 6-0, 260-pound McClain isn’t going to run by many defenders, but he will run over them, which makes him an asset in short-yardage situations.

So how did McClain get into the mix for carries? We hear RB coach Wilbert Montgomery, the former Eagles star, was among those who took note of McClain’s run skills. McClain also had no qualms volunteering for the job, and he has no shortage of confidence.

That’s how the Ravens found a rather unlikely solution to a potentially big problem.


Anderson likely to push Terry at right tackle for Ravens

The way we hear it, it’s more a matter of when, not if, Willie Anderson will push Adam Terry for the starting role at right tackle. Were he to lose his job, Terry would likely serve as the top backup at both right and left tackle. We're told the Ravens are unlikely to push young OLT Jared Gaither out of the starting lineup unless they're given a compelling reason to do so. Both Terry and Gaither helped their cases with solid play in Week One, not allowing a sack and helping the Ravens rush for 229 yards vs. the Bengals. In Week Three, the Ravens allowed only one sack and the team rushed for 151 yards. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has indicated that all three tackles could be given playing time. “We’ve got three tackles that we’ve got a lot of confidence in,” Cameron said. “There could be some scenarios where Adam is in there at left and Willie goes to right. With Jared Gaither, it’s kind of a three-man situation.”


Relatively good health for defense helps Ravens get off to fast start

The Ravens' defense has endured a few injuries this season, most notably the neck injury suffered by SS Dawan Landry in Week Three and the knee injury that has sidelined DT Kelly Gregg. But their replacements, S Jim Leonhard and DT Justin Bannan, have played well. (Bannan's solid play is especially important, given that head coach John Harbaugh has said Gregg's injury status will be determined on a weekly basis after Week Four.) What's more, even if CB Samari Rolle's shoulder injury affects his play, the Ravens have a capable backup in Fabian Washington. Contrast this situation to the 2007 campaign, when a wave of injuries to the secondary compromised the defense. At present, this is a deeper and healthier group, which is allowing defensive coordinator Rex Ryan to turn up the pressure. Ryan's complicated system demands cohesion, and the Ravens have had that early this season, as evidenced by the defense's No. 1 ranking entering Week Four.


Ravens likely to get TE Heap more involved in passing game

As surprising as it was to see TE Todd Heap catch only seven passes in Baltimore's first four games, it would be an even bigger surprise if he weren’t a bigger part of the offense in the weeks to come. Several factors contributed to Heap’s lack of catches early. He frequently has been utilized as a blocker as the Ravens try to protect QB Joe Flacco. Also, Flacco frequently has targeted WR Derrick Mason — who has 12 more catches than any other Ravens pass catcher — while spreading the ball around otherwise. That said, it’s likely Flacco will look for Heap more in the weeks to come. He has had three seasons of 68 catches or more in his NFL career, remains an important part of the offense, and the Ravens don’t want him to lose sight of that. “Sure, we want him catching more balls, and we’re going to keep working on it to make sure that happens,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said recently.


Stover's slow start doesn't entail a loss of job security

Ravens PK Matt Stover missed three field goals in his first four games of the 2008 season, more than he missed in the entire 2006 season and as many as he missed in all of the '04 campaign. In short, the Ravens aren't used to seeing Stover struggle. This has led to speculation about whether Stover, 40, had finally hit the downside of his career after kicking so well in his mid- and late-thirties. But the way we hear it, Stover's job is unlikely to be in any immediate danger; a fixture with the franchise ever since it moved from Cleveland, Stover, a free agent at season's end, will get the benefit of the doubt. What's more, his leg strength is not a concern, either, given that he was, entering Week Six, averaging more than 63 yards per kickoff for the third consecutive season. In short, if Stover can recapture the form that has made him one of the NFL's most consistent kickers over the years, he won't have many job security concerns now and in the immediate futire — especially when you consider how some coaches won't trust any kickers but veteran ones.


Loss of Yanda a potentially big blow to Ravens' offensive line

In the offseason, the Ravens moved Marshal Yanda from right tackle to right guard, and the shift served to help player and team. Yanda was faring well at his new spot on the Ravens’ line, which was exceeding expectations after looking to be one of the club’s weak spots entering the 2008 campaign. But Yanda suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week Six, and replacing him will not be easy, the way we hear it. ORT Adam Terry is a candidate to move into Yanda’s spot for the rest of the season, but Terry has been bothered by a knee injury. This means the Ravens had to turn to Chris Chester, a 2006 second-round pick recently moved to tight end after failing to impress at center or guard, last week. But Chester at least has starting experience at right guard, having started three games there in ’06 and four in ’07. The majority of Terry’s pro starts have been at tackle, and he would be learning on the job at guard.


Ravens CB McAlister's demotion unlikely to be long-term one

At his best, CB Chris McAlister is the Ravens’ top cornerback, and he played an important role in Baltimore’s surprise start, intercepting three passes in his first five games. But he barely played in Week Seven at Miami, and he missed the club’s Week Eight game vs. Oakland with a knee injury. In one of the surprises of the Ravens’ season to date, McAlister did not start at Miami. Head coach John Harbaugh was vague as to the reasons Frank Walker replaced McAlister in Miami, but did say it wasn’t an injury that had kept McAlister on the bench. The Ravens’ head coach also brushed aside the notion that McAlister was in the “dog house.” We hear the decision to sit McAlister for much of the Miami game appeared to be multi-faceted, with McAlister’s struggles at Indianapolis in Week Six one factor. It might not have helped McAlister’s case that he violated the team’s pregame dress code before the Dolphins’ game.


Ravens' opponents have to prepare for Flacco and Smith

By unveiling a package of plays for QB Troy Smith, the Ravens accomplished a couple of objectives. One, opponents have to prepare for the possibility that Smith, who saw his first on-field action in the Week Eight win vs. Oakland, will get a handful of snaps per game. (Indeed, Smith also got some playing time Week Nine at Cleveland.) Smith is more mobile than starter Joe Flacco, but he also has a strong arm, and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron can employ him in a variety of ways. Using Smith off the bench — and keeping him in the game plan — has the added benefit of keeping the Ravens’ backup quarterback sharp. Smith was likely to win the starting job if not for a tonsil infection that knocked him out of the final two preseason games and drained his strength. Now he’s back, and again an important part of the offense — a win-win prospect for team and player.