Ravens Team Report

INSIDE SLANT

The Ravens lost their first starter of the season when cornerback Fabian Washington(notes) tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Washington is expected to miss the rest of the season, coach John Harbaugh said Monday.

Washington suffered the injury during the fourth quarter of the team’s 17-15 loss to the Indianapolis Colts when he lowered his shoulder in an attempt to force running back Joseph Addai(notes) out of bounds. Washington appeared to land on his left leg awkwardly and had to be carried off the field.

Washington, who was using crutches after the game, is scheduled to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam sometime Monday, but the Ravens are preparing for the worst.

“It looks like he has an ACL tear,” Harbaugh said during his weekly news conference. “We’ll find out later today. Maybe the MRI will come back and tell us something different, but as of right now, we’re proceeding as if he’ll be done for the season.”

Washington was having an up-and-down season for the Ravens. He was benched Oct. 18 at Minnesota because of his performance, but he had bounced back in his past three games.

This was Washington’s second season for the Ravens, who acquired him from the Oakland Raiders for a fourth-round pick. In 22 regular-season games, Washington had one interception.

It could mark the last time Washington played for the Ravens. He is an unrestricted free agent after the season.

The Ravens haven’t officially named a replacement for Washington.

Barring the Ravens signing a veteran, it’s expected that rookie third-round pick Lardarius Webb(notes) would take over Washington’s spot.

“Lardarius is going to be a big part of the plans,” Harbaugh said. “I’m not sure exactly how we’re going to set that up right now. Of course, Chris Carr(notes) is in the mix, and Frank Walker’s(notes) in the mix, and we’ll see if we bring somebody else in at corner to kind of bolster us up a little bit. But we’ll be sharing the duty a little bit with that. Obviously, Lardarius has played well, so he’ll be a part of that.”

NOTES, QUOTES

—Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs(notes) refuted an ESPN report that said he would miss the next month with a sprained right knee.

“Don’t believe everything you read,” Suggs said with a smile before walking away.

Jameel McClain(notes) is starting in Suggs’ place.

• Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata(notes), who had missed the past two games with a sprained ankle, helped the Ravens defense control the line of scrimmage and limit the Colts to 76 rushing yards. But he was also flagged for unnecessary roughness when he landed on wide receiver Pierre Garcon(notes) after he had been tackled for a 7-yard loss on a reverse.

“I didn’t know if he was down,” said Ngata, whose penalty led to the Colts’ game-winning field goal. “I know he got tripped up, and I just wanted to make sure he was down. I thought I was kind of airborne before he was down. But it is what it is.”

• Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle(notes) said he hasn’t made a decision about his future in football.

The cornerback has undergone fusion surgery on his neck twice in less than a year, but he said he doesn’t know whether he will retire.

“I’m just waiting to see how it feels,” Rolle said. “I’ve just got to go off of the best advice I get, really, when it settles down and see what they say. I thought I’d be able to play this year.”

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Player Notes  

• CB Cary Williams(notes) was added to the Ravens’ active roster from the Titans’ practice squad, and FB Charles Ali(notes) was signed from the UFL. They replace starting CB Fabian Washington (knee) and reserve RB Matt Lawrence(notes) (knee), who were placed on injured reserve.

Washington was tied for second on the Ravens with eight passes defensed. Lawrence was tied for fifth on the team with 16 special teams tackles.

• CB Lardarius Webb could make his first NFL start against the Pittsburgh Steelers because Fabian Washington is out for the season with a torn ACL. Webb was Baltimore’s third cornerback last Sunday.

• WR Mark Clayton(notes) has two catches for 25 yards in his past three games. He has had six passes throw in his direction during that time.

• LB Terrell Suggs is expected to miss his second straight game with a sprained knee. Jameel McClain would start in Suggs’ rush linebacker spot.

• QB Joe Flacco(notes) hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in three games, the longest drought of his career.

• CB Samari Rolle said he still hasn’t made a decision whether he would retire from football. He is dealing with a neck injury.

Report Card Vs  . COLTS

Passing Offense:   C—Joe Flacco threw his worst pass of the season, forcing a red-zone pass into triple coverage. He was intercepted by linebacker Gary Brackett(notes), which cost the Ravens a chance to take a fourth-quarter lead on a short field goal. It was a tough game for Flacco, who was late on his throws all game. Only Derrick Mason(notes) and Ray Rice(notes) continue to get open on a regular basis.

Rushing Offense:   C—The Ravens had success running the ball against the Colts, producing 98 yards as a team. Ray Rice broke a 14-yard run, and Willis McGahee(notes) had a 16-yarder. But the Ravens failed to punch the ball in from the 1-yard line. McGahee was stuffed on second and third downs.

Pass Defense:   B—The Ravens held Peyton Manning(notes) to 299 yards passing (which is an achievement against the three-time NFL MVP) and intercepted him twice. It was an admirable job considering the Ravens were without their top pass rusher (Terrell Suggs was injured). The Ravens also forced tight end Tom Santi(notes) to fumble at the Baltimore 1-yard line.

Rush Defense:   B—Joseph Addai gained a season-best 74 yards, but the Ravens contained him for most of the day. Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata returned after missing two games with a sprained ankle to dominate the line of scrimmage. Addai, though, faked out Ray Lewis(notes) at the 3-yard line before scoring the Colts’ second touchdown of the game.

Special Teams:   C—In his first game with the Ravens, Billy Cundiff(notes) tied a team record with five field goals. But he missed on a 30-yarder, which proved costly in a two-point loss. On the Ravens’ last punt return, Ed Reed(notes) made a haphazard lateral that led to a fumble in the final minute of the game. Lardarius Webb averaged 26.3 yards on three kickoff returns.

Coaching:   D—With about two minutes left in the game, coach John Harbaugh used a timeout before throwing out the red flag. After he lost the challenge, the Ravens used up their last two timeouts of the game. It was coaching blunder. Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison is finding his niche with the players. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has to figure out how to get Flacco back on track.

54 Comments

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  1. RS
    54. Posted by RS Fri Nov 20 9:42am EST

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    Posted by #20, James B.:

    "Look out Ravens it seems Pittsburgh is the team to beat once again. I only hope you can still make the playoffs so that Pittsburgh can send you home again!"

    No, the Bengals are the team to beat. I predict that the Terrible Tools will not sweep us again this year, and we will be taking the wild card spot. Can't wait to see that happen, seeing as Pittsburgh fans are the most obnoxious of them all.
  2. RS
    53. Posted by RS Fri Nov 20 9:38am EST

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    Posted by #5, Scott:

    "You must be a suckeye if you think that Troy Smith is as good as Flacco. How many Heisman trophy winning QBs are starting in the NFL? You won't need your whole hand to count them."

    Actually, we're playing one this Sunday. His name is Peyton Manning (though I do agree with you that Flacco is better than T. Smith).
  3. Baron of Bop
    52. Posted by Baron of Bop Fri Nov 20 7:29am EST

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    Eric, Quinn was fined 10 grand.
  4. Eric
    51. Posted by Eric Thu Nov 19 10:56am EST

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    How much was Brady Quinn fined for taking out Pro Bowl LB, Terrell Suggs? Anyone know? Should be more than the fine levied on Ray after his jolt on Ocho! At least Ocho got right up and continued to play. Suggs is out at least one week, right?
  5. purple and black attack
    50. Posted by purple and black attack Thu Nov 19 8:00am EST

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    lets hope Paul Kruger can step up and be the beast he was in college,I hated to see Haushcka go but he just wasn't ready for the big leagues. The Flaccman needs to spread the throws around like he did against KC and SD. he threw to 7 different receivers. He needs to remember that clayton and Heap are out there,too. Mason is being taken out of the mix meaning somebody must be free.Remove the blinders again and see the other receivers that are out there.
  6. Eric
    49. Posted by Eric Tue Oct 27 10:45am EDT

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    Come on folks! There's 10 games to go and we've got a great team who have gotten a few bad breaks! Let's forget the past and focus on the single game that lies ahead. Let's roll those Broncos over and go from there! Go Ravens!!!
  7. thomas s
    48. Posted by thomas s Tue Oct 20 6:40am EDT

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    don't worry ,that comeback on sunday, was a historic comeback,the ravens will be back,better than ever,trust me,believe.
  8. <i>jravens727</i>
    47. Posted by jravens727 Wed Oct 14 9:18am EDT

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    F for the coaching staff. If Mason is being doubled, why not go to a 4 WR set to loosin up coverage on Mason and that will give Ray Rice and Willis McGhee more room to work one on one with the LB's who can not stop these guys. I am dissappointed in Cam. He was like Brain Billick and Matt Cavenaugh in the last two games. We are much better than we played the last 2 gms. Give Demetrius Williams a shot. Tyree is garbage, bad pick up. No one else wanted him. What are we doing? But I trust Ozzie. So show us what you got Tyree.
  9. <i>t1quigley</i>
    46. Posted by t1quigley Sun Oct 4 12:44pm EDT

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    anyone know if mason is playin?
  10. purple and black attack
    45. Posted by purple and black attack Thu Oct 1 8:25am EDT

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    Our pass rush needs to step up and keep Brady moving,while at the same time watching for the screen.If we can keep Brady off balance,the game wil be in the bag,but be careful of being too self-confident.
    By the way,the steel curtain is showing quite a bit of rust these days. Maybe Big Ben wil be more successful in the ring than in the pocket.
  11. Blake
    44. Posted by Blake Sat Sep 19 9:49pm EDT

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    I'm here in downtown San Diego to see my Ravens KICK SOME ASS!!!!!!!! I know they won't let me down!!! You will see me in my number 5 jersey!!!!!! Let's do this!!
  12. d rock
    43. Posted by d rock Thu Sep 17 7:04am EDT

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    well i will tell you what is fun.....getting a chance to look at posts that were made a month ago and asking the people who made them what they think now.....so, Rhoe Jaque Swift, man did FLACCO have a terrible first game, what being the 5th rated passer in all the NFL and stuff.....you hit that right on the head. And as for Vinjennzo V, I agree that the d line was not healthy at all last year and that the secondary is much better this year, but dont make excuses for why we lost in the AFCCG, it sucks but we lost and pit was the better team on the day, so lets just go out and win it this year so we dont have to make any excuses.
  13. Philip
    42. Posted by Philip Sat Sep 12 7:55pm EDT

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    “We don’t believe in 100-yard rushers.”

    This is totally absurd! The Giants put up 210 rushing yards on them last season! Keep not believing in those 100yd rushers.
  14. purple and black attack
    41. Posted by purple and black attack Fri Sep 11 7:59am EDT

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    gonna be a great season
  15. Chrissie
    40. Posted by Chrissie Thu Sep 3 2:44pm EDT

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    Bring stover back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  16. Raymond R
    39. Posted by Raymond R Wed Sep 2 8:37am EDT

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    Lets go Ravens, Crush the Seelroids!
  17. T.J.
    38. Posted by T.J. Mon Aug 31 5:22pm EDT

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    This season is gonna be legendary!

    F the Refs!

    GO RAVENS!
  18. Rodney
    37. Posted by Rodney Sat Aug 29 10:29am EDT

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    John Beck is the one who is trade material. We would be crazy to let someone go who is more familiar than Flacco with the offense for an unproven commodity. This idiotic notion could certainly come back to haunt us if proceed in this direction. If Flacco were injured, then the only one who could take us to the proverbial promised land is Troy Smith. Think about thIs LONG AND HARD, MINUS EMOTIONS.
  19. Vinjennzo V
    36. Posted by Vinjennzo V Fri Aug 28 5:08pm EDT

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    I still can't believe football fans has yet to understand the RAVENS played all last season with their second string defence. That is the true reason why pittsburgh won the AFC championship. pittsburgh will be lucky to get to the playoffs this year.
  20. Justin K
    35. Posted by Justin K Wed Aug 26 5:27pm EDT

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    he's referring to matt stover. oh well, its business, look what tennessee did ti mcnair
  21. purple and black attack
    34. Posted by purple and black attack Tue Aug 25 4:58pm EDT

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    flyingforreal what player are you referring too? Ray Lewis is still with us (praise God) Ogden retired, who are you upset about? Certainly not the baggage train known as Chris mcAllister.Mr disfunctional?We're a much better team without him.hey,row jackass smith, Troy is very good but the flacman is the future of this team.Learn it and get over it.
  22. <i>flyingforreal</i>
    33. Posted by flyingforreal Fri Aug 21 12:19pm EDT

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    Here's hoping the Ravens lose every game by 2 points. You don't just dump a guy that's been your bread and butter for 13 years and not pay for it.
  23. Rhoe Jaque Swift
    32. Posted by Rhoe Jaque Swift Wed Aug 19 4:19pm EDT

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    Facko (I could careless about spelling his name correctly) will flat out have a terrible first 3 games then its Troy's team from there on out.
  24. John
    31. Posted by John Sat Aug 1 4:24am EDT

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    Both Players' union and owners are a disgrace. I think of the need for fair, living wages for the working stiffs, then see the crap taking place in the NFL and I begin to consider that 10 dollar tickets to see local HS teams play is by far a better option. The owners will get their way soon and the pre-madona players will be beyond sympathy. We are responsible for this mess. Lets take our wife and kids to real football games and bankrupt the NFL
  25. RAVENOUS1
    30. Posted by RAVENOUS1 Fri Jul 31 1:02am EDT

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    The team has succeeded in doing more with less; and now we don't have to. Watch out Zittsburg and the rest of the league. Last year we ran by committee; this year we'll catch by the same measure and still win the AFC North. Quote the Ravenous1.....Nevermore.
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