2024 Outlook for Ravens RBs - Does the arrival of King Henry signal the end of the perpetual RBBC ? (3 Viewers)

Both coach Jim Harbaugh and Ray Rice said the running back's Week 17 snaps were slashed due to strategy, not his quad or hip injury.

Rice stood on the sideline for nearly the entire first half, watching Bernard Pierce and Bernard Scott carry the mail in a must-win game for the Ravens. It puts an exclamation point on a season that saw Rice's lateral burst sapped en route to a pathetic 660 yards and four touchdowns on 214 carries (3.08 YPC). A return to full health and possible upgrades on the offensive line will help, but betting on a bounce-back year from a runner who already has 1,799 career touches is risky business.

Source: Baltimore Sun

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Ravens coach John Harbaugh indicated the team is interested in spreading out its 2014 backfield into more of a timeshare.

Ray Rice dropped off precipitously in 2013, and Bernard Pierce was arguably worse. "Yes, I think we need to diversify as much as we can what guys can do," said Harbaugh. "Big backs, fast backs, quick backs, route-running backs that you see around the league, we want to chase all those guys." The Ravens' biggest offensive problem remains the line, but the 2014 backfield could devolve into a three-man committee if more talent comes aboard.


Source: Baltimore Sun

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Zdravko said:

You mean ypc? I think both have horrible rates, but Pierce might be slightly better. Either way, I wouldn't put too much stock into a 3.1 vs 3.3 ypc difference or whatever.

You can just watch the Rice carries vs. Pierce carries. Rice looks harmless. Yeah, he hits the hole seemingly hard, but never makes it through. He might be breaking tackles, but I don't see it. When he bounces outside, I don't remember the last time I saw him reach the corner before contact. By comparison, I can recall 2-3 solid Pierce runs through the middle per game. I haven't studied them in detail, but I doubt the blocking is somehow better than when Rice is on the field.

Sure, Rice is only 27, so perhaps the warning signs need to be heavily discounted or attributed to line play. However, the only RB I can think of that put up good numbers after showing the slow-down signs is MJD. Arguably, he benefitted both from lack of internal competition and from relentless commitment from his coaching staff to feed him the ball, game in and game out, no matter the results.

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A source tells the Baltimore Sun that Bernard Pierce needs right shoulder surgery.

The surgery will repair Pierce's rotator cuff, and comes with 4-5 months of rehab. He's expected to go under the knife later this month to ensure he's 100 percent for training camp. Battling shoulder, hamstring, knee, and toe injuries this season, Pierce rushed 152 times for 436 yards (2.86 YPC) and averaged just 1.8 yards after contact. He's capable of much more. As a rookie, Pierce averaged 4.92 YPC and 3.4 yards after contact. Getting back to 100 percent will go a long way toward earning an even timeshare and stealing even more carries from Ray Rice.

Related: Ray Rice

Source: Baltimore Sun

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Ray Rice has vowed to play at a lighter weight in 2014.

Rice essentially admitted he wasn't in peak form this season, blaming quad and hip injuries and saying he'll get back in optimal condition this summer. "I think he learned that adding 10 pounds to his frame made him less elusive, not more powerful," owner Steve Bisciotti said. Rice desperately needs to get his lateral agility and burst back if he doesn't want to completely fall off the cliff like so many workhorse running backs before him. As it is, he only projects to be part of a committee in 2014 after averaging 3.08 YPC in 2013.


Source: Baltimore Sun

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Releasing Ray Rice this offseason "makes no sense" this offseason due to the way his contract is structured.

Rice is owed $4 million, so cutting him wouldn't be a cost-efficient move until after next season. The Ravens will instead cross their fingers that Rice regains running juice by losing weight and getting healthy, and rediscovers past form at age 27. It's unlikely, but the best the club can do. Coach John Harbaugh has also hinted at employing more of a backfield committee approach.


Source: baltimoreravens.com

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Faust said:

Rotoworld:

Releasing Ray Rice this offseason "makes no sense" this offseason due to the way his contract is structured.

Rice is owed $4 million, so cutting him wouldn't be a cost-efficient move until after next season. The Ravens will instead cross their fingers that Rice regains running juice by losing weight and getting healthy, and rediscovers past form at age 27. It's unlikely, but the best the club can do. Coach John Harbaugh has also hinted at employing more of a backfield committee approach.


Source: baltimoreravens.com

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Wise Old Owl said:

Faust said:

Rotoworld:

Releasing Ray Rice this offseason "makes no sense" this offseason due to the way his contract is structured.

Rice is owed $4 million, so cutting him wouldn't be a cost-efficient move until after next season. The Ravens will instead cross their fingers that Rice regains running juice by losing weight and getting healthy, and rediscovers past form at age 27. It's unlikely, but the best the club can do. Coach John Harbaugh has also hinted at employing more of a backfield committee approach.


Source: baltimoreravens.com

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What is this. If you believe, as I do, that the Oline being garbage and Rice was dealing with a relatively undisclosed injury led to the down year, a Rice rebound is hardly "unlikely"

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bicycle_seat_sniffer said:

Wise Old Owl said:

Faust said:

Rotoworld:

Releasing Ray Rice this offseason "makes no sense" this offseason due to the way his contract is structured.

Rice is owed $4 million, so cutting him wouldn't be a cost-efficient move until after next season. The Ravens will instead cross their fingers that Rice regains running juice by losing weight and getting healthy, and rediscovers past form at age 27. It's unlikely, but the best the club can do. Coach John Harbaugh has also hinted at employing more of a backfield committee approach.

Source: baltimoreravens.com

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What is this. If you believe, as I do, that the Oline being garbage and Rice was dealing with a relatively undisclosed injury led to the down year, a Rice rebound is hardly "unlikely"

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I think a rebound is very unlikely, when RBs hit the wall they hit it hard and fast, the kid has a ton of carries on those legs.On my early do NOT draft lists

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Ray Rice's 131 rushing yards against the Bears in Week 11 represented 20 percent of his 2013 total.
In other words, 1/5 of Rice's yards came against a run defense that was far and away the league's worst. If you're looking for a silver lining, Rice "improved" to 3.9 yards per carry in December after averaging 2.87 over the season's first three months. It was a calamitous year, but reporter Jamison Hensley agrees with BaltimoreRavens.com's assertion that Rice won't be a cap casualty. Due a reasonable $4 million heading into his age-27 campaign, Rice will get a chance to prove 2013 was a fluke.

Source: ESPN.com

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The Baltimore Sun reports Bernard Pierce will be sidelined 4-5 months after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair the rotator cuff in his shoulder.
The surgery has been planned for awhile, but will limit Pierce's access to new OC Gary Kubiak in OTAs and any other pre-training camp activities. Pierce's status for camp is not in doubt. Still, it's fairly concerning for a player who took a major step back as a sophomore following a highly impressive rookie season. His YPC dipped from 4.92 to 2.86, failing to capitalize on Ray Rice's struggles. When healthy, Pierce projects as an outstanding fit in Kubiak's zone-run scheme. He needs to get on the field to have a realistic shot at stealing Rice's job.

Source: Aaron Wilson on Twitter

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Ray Rice said he "should have thought twice" about playing through a hip injury last season.
Rice blamed the injury for his lack of burst and insists he has "a lot of game left" at 27. Rice only averaged 3.1 YPC behind one of the worst run-blocking lines in the league in 2013. If Baltimore can address its offensive line woes and Rice can get healthy, the diminutive back could turn into a draft-day value. We still think Bernard Pierce has a heck of a chance to eat significantly into Rice's touches. Pierce projects as a great fit in new OC Gary Kubiak's zone-run scheme.

Source: Fox Sports

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Wise Old Owl said:

Faust said:

Rotoworld:

Releasing Ray Rice this offseason "makes no sense" this offseason due to the way his contract is structured.

Rice is owed $4 million, so cutting him wouldn't be a cost-efficient move until after next season. The Ravens will instead cross their fingers that Rice regains running juice by losing weight and getting healthy, and rediscovers past form at age 27. It's unlikely, but the best the club can do. Coach John Harbaugh has also hinted at employing more of a backfield committee approach.


Source: baltimoreravens.com

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What is this. If you believe, as I do, that the Oline being garbage and Rice was dealing with a relatively undisclosed injury led to the down year, a Rice rebound is hardly "unlikely"

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Ray Rice - RB - Ravens
New OC Gary Kubiak told the Ravens' website that he's committed to kickstarting Ray Rice after his career-worst 2013 season.
Rice averaged a career-low 3.08 YPC in 2013, a figure that drops to 2.80 if you leave out his Week 11 game against the Bears' league-worst run defense. "I think as he goes, we’ll go," Kubiak said of Rice. "Our goal is to get him going." Greg Schiano ran Rice 910 times in three seasons as a college player, and including playoffs he has amassed 1,621 more across six years in the NFL.

Source: baltimoreravens.com

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Bernard Pierce - RB - Ravens
New Ravens OC Gary Kubiak told the team's website he intends to utilize two running backs in his 2014 offense.
Kubiak also noted a similarity between Pierce and Arian Foster, to whom Pierce was commonly compared coming out of Temple. "Size wise, they're a lot alike," Kubiak observed. "I think in this league nowadays you need a couple of guys. It’s hard to hand it to one guy 30 times a game; they just get worn down." Pierce is currently rehabbing from a pretty major rotator cuff surgery, though he's expected to be healthy before training camp.

Source: baltimoreravens.com

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Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome insisted after Ray Rice's weekend domestic violence arrest that Rice remains a "big part" of Baltimore's 2014 plans.
The Ravens would take a $5.5 million cap hit to release Rice this offseason, so he isn't going anywhere. "When I left my office 20 minutes ago and John (Harbaugh) had been in there 15 minutes before then, Ray Rice was still a big part of what we plan to do in 2014," insisted Newsome. ESPN Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley expects Rice to remain Baltimore's starting tailback in 2014.

Source: ESPN.com

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Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome admitted the video of Ray Rice dragging his unconscious fiancée out of a casino elevator "doesn't look good," but is reserving his comments until he gets a chance to talk to Rice.
"Up until we get all of the facts, we will allow the process to run its course. We will let the facts determine what the consequences will be," said Newsome. "Right now, I feel very good about his side of the story, but I also feel very good about what he has done since that to help himself to not allow himself to get in a situation like that again." The Ravens seem to be in Rice's corner regarding this incident. Rice could be facing a suspension, but his roster spot does not seem to be in jeopardy.

Source: Baltimore Sun

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Ravens coach John Harbaugh wants Ray Rice to play at closer to 210 pounds in 2014 after checking in near 217 last season.
It's crass for the Ravens to be talking about anything other than Rice's off-the-field issues, but they were on Friday. "Ray didn’t get fat," Harbaugh said of Rice's 2013 struggles. "Ray just got big and thick. Too much muscle mass." That could have been part of Rice's problem, but was far from the sole culprit. Now 27 with a ton of tread peeled off his tires, Rice's career could be past the tipping point.

Source: Aaron Wilson on Twitter

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slackjawedyokel said:

Wondering if Pierce is the way to go right now? Worried about the surgery but Rice might have 2 effective years left. He's ran the ball a ton.

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SI's Peter King says Ray Rice will "likely face team or league discipline" if he did indeed lay a hand on fiancee Janay Palmer.

TMZ has reported that police have video of Rice striking Palmer. So even though Rice has no history of off-field issues or arrests and was previously known as one of the league's good guys, it looks like he's going to have trouble avoiding a suspension. Meanwhile, the Ravens have stood behind their veteran, with GM Ozzie Newsome saying he feels "very good" about Rice's side of the story.


Source: SI.com

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Ray Rice has reportedly lost 15 pounds since the end of the 2013 season.
Rice was tipping the scales at 225 pounds at season's end but, as of Friday, he was down to 210. "He was definitely too heavy last year," Rice's trainer said. "He definitely came back this year and said, ‘I feel heavy. I feel bloated. I don’t feel like I’m moving as well.'" Rice's goal is to play at 205. Coach John Harbaugh expressed a desire to see Rice cut some weight following the season.

Source: Carroll County Times

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Ray Rice has been indicted on one count of aggravated assault for his alleged assault of his fiancée in February.
It's an upgrade on Rice's original simple-assault charge, and carries a potential 3-5 years in prison. The simple-assault charge against Rice's fiancée has been dropped. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti "aggressively stood by" Rice on Monday, but the case doesn't appear likely to go quietly. In addition to whatever the court decides, either via a plea deal or trial, Rice is facing a suspension.

Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter

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bicycle_seat_sniffer said:

Yikes?

Ray Rice indicted on assault charges Thu Mar 27, 04:29 PM

Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice was indicted on third-degree aggravated assault charges Thursday, March 27, for last month's incident at an Atlantic City casino. The charge carries a three- to five-year prison term.

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cstu said:

bicycle_seat_sniffer said:

Yikes?

Ray Rice indicted on assault charges Thu Mar 27, 04:29 PM

Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice was indicted on third-degree aggravated assault charges Thursday, March 27, for last month's incident at an Atlantic City casino. The charge carries a three- to five-year prison term.

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He'll only get probation.

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JohnnyU said:

cstu said:

bicycle_seat_sniffer said:

Yikes?

Ray Rice indicted on assault charges Thu Mar 27, 04:29 PM

Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice was indicted on third-degree aggravated assault charges Thursday, March 27, for last month's incident at an Atlantic City casino. The charge carries a three- to five-year prison term.

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He'll only get probation.

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Hell, if Plaxico Burress can go to prison for shooting himself in the leg, you would think Rice deserves some time for beating on a women, but you're probably right. However, I suspect he's in for lengthy NFL suspension.

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Bernard Pierce (shoulder) confirmed he expects to be ready for training camp.
Pierce is three months removed from shoulder surgery and won't be available for OTAs. He remains on track with his mid-July timetable, but the Ravens haven't ruled out adding a running back in the draft or free agency. Pierce could push for an even timeshare with Ray Rice this season and is a strong fit in OC Gary Kubiak's zone-blocking scheme.

Source: Aaron Wilson on Twitter

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The Baltimore Sun reports the Ravens were interested in "adding at least one running back" even before Ray Rice's legal issues.
Rice's legal issues aside, the Ravens would be smart to look for help at running back. Rice is coming off his worst season as a pro, and heir apparent Bernard Pierce did now show much better in 2013. Baltimore may look to sign a free agent like Andre Brown and will certainly take a running back in the middle rounds of next month's draft.

Related: Bernard Pierce

Source: Baltimore Sun

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The Baltimore Ravens have talked for months about adding bodies to a backfield that leaned on an ineffective, two-man rotation of Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce last season.

That plan remains in place, according to NFL Media's Albert Breer, who said on NFL Network's "NFL Total Access" on Tuesday that Baltimore's front office still considers the position "in flux."

With Rice facing possible NFL discipline for his Atlantic City arrest and Pierce coming off shoulder surgery, Breer was told the team will continue to add competition.

Baltimore signed Justin Forsett earlier this month, but we can't help but wonder about the biggest free-agent name left: Chris Johnson.

We've heard nothing linking Baltimore to CJ2K, who visited the Jets on Tuesday, but he's a more tantalizing target than Michael Bush, Ronnie Brown or the rest of the league's available free agents.

The Ravens also have young Cierre Wood on the roster, but Breer was told the team isn't finished. Put it all together, and Baltimore doesn't appear comfortable leaning on Rice as its bell-cow back in 2014. Baltimore looms as a solid bet to mine May's draft for new blood.

The latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast" covers the Aldon Smith arrest and analyzes the offseason movers and shakers in the NFC East and NFC South.

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Cookiemonster said:

Cookiemonster said:

Actually, I am selling Rice wherever I can. I think the combination of the defense losing some big players, Flacco's maturity, addition of Pierce and loss of a fantastic FB leads to decreased stats. He still pulls in top 12 dynasty value, and I think he starts to slip to the top 15, then 20. He has had a lot of tough yards and has been very resilient, but (see MJD) it can't last forever. As a guy that doesn't have elite physical traits, I don't think he ages well either. In dynasty, it's time to sell. In redraft he is a safe pick but may be overdrafted by 5-10 spots.

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Thinking I may have pulled the trigger on him too soon. Defense looks as good as it was, and maybe even better. Leach came back. Pitta down shifts some receptions back to the RB. Rice should be in the discussion for top 5 again this year. Wish I could reneg on those trades I made a month ago.

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GM Ozzie Newsome said the Ravens planned to add one or two running backs even before Ray Rice's assault charges.
The Ravens poked around at free agent backs like LeGarrette Blount, but ended up only signing Justin Forsett. Expect them to address the position on Day 2 or 3 of next week's draft. Rice is facing a possible suspension, he produced cliff-diving tape last season and Bernard Pierce is coming off serious shoulder surgery.

Related: Ray Rice

Source: Jamison Hensley on Twitter

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Ray Rice pleaded not guilty on a third-degree charge of aggravated assault in New Jersey Thursday.
Rice allegedly struck Janay Palmer, his then fiancee and now wife, unconscious at an Atlantic City hotel. He's applied for Pretrial Intervention Program, a diversionary program that permits certain defendants (typically first-time offenders like Rice) to avoid formal prosecution. If approved, Rice would receive probation without jail and undergo anger management. The prosecution has also offered a plea that includes probation. Either way, Rice isn't going to land behind bars. But even if he ends up without a true conviction, Rice can still be suspended under the league's Personal Conduct Policy.

Source: Jamison Hensley on Twitter

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Ravens selected Coastal Carolina RB Lorenzo Taliaferro with the No. 138 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft.
Taliaferro (6-foot 1/4, 229) was the 2013 Big South Offensive POY, finishing his two-year stay at Coastal Carolina with 356 carries for 2,086 yards (5.9 YPC) and 32 touchdowns. He caught 27 passes in 27 games. Taliaferro helped himself at the Combine with a 4.58 forty and 9-foot-10 broad jump. A hard-charging runner with experience in pass protection, Taliaferro is limited laterally and is more of a buildup speed back than explosive accelerator. He's a name to monitor, but not get excited about.

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Ravens signed fourth-round RB Lorenzo Taliaferro to a four-year contract.
Taliaferro toted the rock 356 times for 2,086 yards and 32 touchdowns across two seasons at Coastal Carolina. He wasn't blessed with freakish athleticism but can get what's blocked and possesses good acceleration. With Ray Rice looking at a possible suspension, Taliaferro is a guy to watch this summer.

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