2024 Outlook for Ravens RBs - Does the arrival of King Henry signal the end of the perpetual RBBC ? (1 Viewer)

FantasyTrader said:

Interesting quote from Rice yesterday (via CBS Sports). Reading between the lines, sounds to me like a polite urging of his O-line to step it up.

-----

"The Ravens' locker room has been abuzz since the acquisition of left tackle Eugene Monroe from Jacksonville. However, running back Ray Rice offered a fresh perspective and said adding one player won't completely solve the team's rushing woes.

Baltimore is ranked 28th in rushing offense, averaging 64 yards per game.

"We have to match the other team's intensity when we go out there to even want to be able to be effective in the run game." Rice said, per ESPN. "I don't have one guy on my offensive line on this team saying, 'We're going to screw this play up.' But what we're doing is, sometimes a guy wants it a little bit more on the other side. That's what we have to do, we have to fight that. We have to match the other team's intensity. Because everyone's getting a hat on a hat. We've just got to hold the blocks a little longer and we'll be fine."

Click to expand...

Bernard Pierce (thigh) is listed as questionable for Week 6 against the Packers.

Pierce was limited in practice all week. He's coming off an 11-carry game against the Dolphins, but Ray Rice handled a season-high 33 touches. Pierce can only be treated as a handcuff. He'd be a poor flex option this week.


Oct 11 - 3:34 PM

Click to expand...

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- You can no longer blame the Baltimore Ravens' struggles in the running game on Ray Rice's hip injury. The Pro Bowl running back declared himself at full strength heading into Sunday's game at the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"There is no way you can't call me full strength," Rice said after Friday's practice. "When I had a chance to hit the hole, you've seen what I did and when I ran down Dallas Clark (following Clark's touchdown). When I get a chance to hit it, you'll see I'm at full strength."

Rice injured his hip late in a win over the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 15, but he hasn't been listed on the injury report for the past two weeks. This injury has played a part in Rice's worst start to a season since becoming the team's featured back in 2009. He's on pace to gain 525 yards rushing, which would be the first time he didn't crack 1,000 yards since his rookie season.

In talking to reporters for the first time since last Sunday's loss, Rice said he's no longer frustrated and acknowledged the Ravens may have been "too predictable" in the run game. Ravens coach John Harbaugh indicated earlier in the week that the Ravens will make scheme changes to the run game, but Rice described them as "minor tweaks."

"Without going into too much detail with it, you'll see a lot more of the changes on Sunday in terms of what we're going to do," Rice said. "We're running the same stuff. It just might be out of a different formation or something. We've just got to execute. It's not the play calling. It's just the way we got to execute."

Rice, though, did provide his opinion on the play calling when asked if he's been given enough opportunities to get the ball in games.

"Sometimes we might have been a little too predictable," Rice said. "I think now we've changed it up a little bit and get some things going and spread the ball a little bit. We'll start getting the creases we need to get. We've identified our problems, we're eager to fix them and we got to get ready for Sunday."

One criticism of Rice is his lack of explosion. His longest run this year has been 14 yards.

Rice dismissed the notion that he's been carrying too much weight.

"For me, I've never had a problem with my weight or anything," Rice said. "I come into the season at a certain weight. Actually, I do my best to keep it on. It hasn't been a problem with me in terms of my conditioning and everything else. For me, it was just going out there now for this year [and] battling through what I had to get through. I knew what I was capable of doing. I knew I was limited. But now that I'm back at full strength, I'm looking forward to making an impact in the pass and run game."

The Steelers traditionally have one of the best run defenses in the NFL, ranking in the top 10 for the past nine seasons. But Pittsburgh ranks 22nd against the run this season, giving up 114.8 yards on the ground per game. The starting running back for opposing teams have gained at least 70 yards in all four of the Steelers' losses this season.

The Ravens are 4-1 against the Steelers since 2009 when Rice gets 18 or more carries. But he's eclipsed that number of rushing attempts just once this season.

Can Rice handle such a workload?

"I've been through a lot of adversity in my life," Rice said. "This is an injury I'm going through. It's not going to faze me. This is the first year I've had to deal with something like this. But I'm back."

Click to expand...

hines said:

of course it depends on who you are picking up but I think Pierce is droppable especially for non-Rice teams. he has 0 flex value on his own so you are hoping for Rice to get injured, which looks like it would get you a RB who would rank in the mid teens each week. so right now Pierce is a guy with a 10% shot at a couple weeks of RB2 value and a 5% shot at rest of season RB2. I think he's droppable for Percy Harvin, defenses with great matchups, QBs to cover your starters bye week, etc. Among handcuffs I'd rather have Helu, Tate, Brown, and maybe Hunter if any of those guys aren't rostered. I'd rather have Aaron Dobson going forward also.

Click to expand...

Speaking last Sunday, Ray Rice said his leg is "feeling a lot better."
Rice has noticeably lacked burst throughout the season en route to 2.81 YPC, but he seems to think it has to do with the strained hip flexor he sustained in Week 2. "I told you [last week] that I felt good. I have my burst back," Rice said. "I've got everything that I needed to get back. I wouldn't kid you if I said I was feeling good. Obviously I've got my step back, and that's exciting for me going into the second half of the year." Now Rice has had the bye week to get even healthier and will face the Browns in Week 9. The Ravens have a history or riding their feature back hard after byes.

Source: Carroll County Times

Click to expand...

Ravens signed RB Bernard Scott.
Scott slides in as the No. 3 back as the Ravens come out of their bye. He's depth in case Bernard Pierce (hamstring) is limited or can't play against the Browns in Week 9. Ray Rice says he feels as good as he has all season right now.

Related: Bernard Pierce

Click to expand...

Just three NFL running backs have accrued at least 75 rushes this season with a per-carry average of less than 3.0 yards. All three will be on the field Sunday when the Baltimore Ravens travel to the Cleveland Browns.

It has been even worse for the Ravens, as Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce entered the Week 8 bye ranked first and second in the NFL in percentage of runs that have generated two yards or fewer.

There is reason for optimism coming out of the bye, however.

Pierce said earlier this week that this is as collectively healthy as the backfield has been since Rice injured his hip in Week 2.

The week off apparently did wonders for Rice's lower body.

After a lengthy conversation with the running back, WBAL-TV's Gerry Sandusky relayed to NFL Media's Andrew Siciliano on NFL Network's "Around the League Live" that Rice's early-season injuries were more significant than he was letting on. Rice emphasized that he finally is back to 100 percent and can't wait to prove it to those who deduced that his dip in production was the beginning of the end of his career.

We never suspected Rice's career was on the downslope, but we did address his noticeable decline in lateral agility on Friday's "Around The League Podcast". He simply hasn't made tacklers miss in the open field.

The Ravens' ground attack will have to get jump-started without left guard Kelechi Osemele, who is likely out for the season with a back injury.

Rice is undaunted, though, telling Sandusky that he is "just getting started and ready to hit the 'on' switch coming out of the gate Sunday in Cleveland."

We preview every Week 9 game in the latest "Around the League" Podcast.

Click to expand...

cubbie5150 said:

Glad I traded out of this fugliness last week. So glad, and very lucky.

Click to expand...

The Man With No Name said:

Since the start of the 2010 season, when Ray Rice gets 18+ carries, count on the Ravens to win. They are 27-2 when that happens in the regular season counting the one game in 2013. Needless to say, their record when he doesn't is not good. The coaches must be dummies not knowing stuff like that, Give him the ball........and win the game.

2010- 10 times had 18+ carries. They won 9, lost 1.

2011- 11 times had 18+ carries. they won 11, lost 0.

2012- 7 times had 18+ carries. They won 6, lost 1.

2013- 1 for 1

*did not look at postseason

Click to expand...

There are many reasons why the Baltimore Ravens' defense of their Super Bowl hasn't gone as planned. The struggles of Ray Rice are right near the top of that list.

Rice has fallen off a statistical cliff in his sixth season. The three-time All-Pro enters Week 10 with 259 yards on 97 carries, numbers that yield a scary bad 2.7 yards-per-carry average. Pro Football Focus ranks Rice as the game's worst halfback this season.

What gives? Has Rice, at 26, lost a step?

"Everybody has these situations," Rice said, via the Ravens' official website. "A down year is not going to make or break me as a person. I've been through a lot worse than averaging what I'm averaging in carries. I got broad shoulders. I'll take it."

"If you watch the film, you'd understand that we've been playing pretty good fronts," he said. "We've got eight games left, and that's my focus now."

Rice insists he's physically healthy. He suffered a hip flexor strain in Week 2, and it was clear the injury affected his explosiveness. He said before his Week 9 matchup against the Cleveland Browns that he was feeling better than he had all season. Then he went out and finished with 17 yards on 11 carries.

It was the fifth game this season in which Rice was held to 36 yards or fewer on the ground.

"I've been working on my health. My health is there," he said. "And now it's time to keep pushing for these next eight games, and win the ones that we have at home."

Rice should have some opportunities to get going in the next two weeks. His assignment against the Cincinnati Bengals got a lot less daunting when Geno Atkins went down with a season-ending knee injury last Thursday. That's followed by a date with the Chicago Bears, a run defense that made Brandon Jacobs look formidable this season.

If the old Rice is going to show up, it should happen soon.

The latest "Around The League Podcast" previewed "Thursday Night Football" and "stuck a fork" in the Raiders' 2013 chances.

Click to expand...

towney said:

I hope he shows up soon otherwise I got to start Mike James. Just seems the coaching staff is under utilizing him.

Click to expand...

Ray Rice rushed for 30 yards on 18 carries in Baltimore's Week 10, 20-17 overtime win against the Bengals.
Rice caught all six of his targets for another 26 yards. He's now been held under 50 yards rushing in seven-of-eight games this season. Rice continues to look like he's not 100 percent healthy. Matt Vensel of the Baltimore Sun described Rice best by saying he "looks like a little kid in a snowsuit while running in the open field." Rice's offensive line also isn't doing him any favors. He's hard to trust as anything more than a flex option right now. The Bears are up next for Rice and the Ravens.

Click to expand...

Faust said:

Rotoworld:

Ray Rice rushed for 30 yards on 18 carries in Baltimore's Week 10, 20-17 overtime win against the Bengals.
Rice caught all six of his targets for another 26 yards. He's now been held under 50 yards rushing in seven-of-eight games this season. Rice continues to look like he's not 100 percent healthy. Matt Vensel of the Baltimore Sun described Rice best by saying he "looks like a little kid in a snowsuit while running in the open field." Rice's offensive line also isn't doing him any favors. He's hard to trust as anything more than a flex option right now. The Bears are up next for Rice and the Ravens.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

The Man With No Name said:

Since the start of the 2010 season, when Ray Rice gets 18+ carries, count on the Ravens to win. They are 27-2 when that happens in the regular season counting the one game in 2013. Needless to say, their record when he doesn't is not good. The coaches must be dummies not knowing stuff like that, Give him the ball........and win the game.

2010- 10 times had 18+ carries. They won 9, lost 1.

2011- 11 times had 18+ carries. they won 11, lost 0.

2012- 7 times had 18+ carries. They won 6, lost 1.

2013- 1 for 1

*did not look at postseason

Click to expand...

The Man With No Name said:

Faust said:

Rotoworld:

Ray Rice rushed for 30 yards on 18 carries in Baltimore's Week 10, 20-17 overtime win against the Bengals.

Rice caught all six of his targets for another 26 yards. He's now been held under 50 yards rushing in seven-of-eight games this season. Rice continues to look like he's not 100 percent healthy. Matt Vensel of the Baltimore Sun described Rice best by saying he "looks like a little kid in a snowsuit while running in the open field." Rice's offensive line also isn't doing him any favors. He's hard to trust as anything more than a flex option right now. The Bears are up next for Rice and the Ravens.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

The Man With No Name said:

Since the start of the 2010 season, when Ray Rice gets 18+ carries, count on the Ravens to win. They are 27-2 when that happens in the regular season counting the one game in 2013. Needless to say, their record when he doesn't is not good. The coaches must be dummies not knowing stuff like that, Give him the ball........and win the game.

2010- 10 times had 18+ carries. They won 9, lost 1.

2011- 11 times had 18+ carries. they won 11, lost 0.

2012- 7 times had 18+ carries. They won 6, lost 1.

2013- 1 for 1

*did not look at postseason

Click to expand...

That makes Baltimore 2-0 in 2013 and 28-2 since 2010 when Rice gets 18 or more carries,

Click to expand...

Bernard Pierce - RB - Ravens
Coach John Harbaugh indicated Monday the Ravens are willing to consider a hot-hand backfield moving forward.
Harbaugh said he doesn't think demoting Ray Rice and starting Bernard Pierce is the cure to Baltimore's running woes, but did tell reporters both Rice and Pierce "are going to play and whichever guy is going to play better should get more carries going forward." Both Pierce and Rice are under 3.0 YPC on the season. They'll be mere flex options in Week 11 against the Bears.

Source: Jeff Zrebiec on Twitter

Click to expand...

Ray Rice - RB - Ravens
Coach John Harbaugh said Monday there is "no doubt" Ray Rice is still dealing with his early-season hip injury.
Beat writer Matt Vensel recently compared Rice's open-field running to a little kid in a snow suit. He has no lateral agility or burst, and the problems are exacerbated when the Ravens' offensive line can't open a running lane. Statistically, Baltimore is fielding one of the most anemic running games in league history this season. They do face a porous Bears run defense in Week 11, perhaps creating a pre-Week 12 sell-high opportunity for Rice owners.

Source: Aaron Wilson on Twitter

Click to expand...

Bernard Pierce (toe, knee) is practicing in full this week.

Pierce always seems to be on the injury report with a minor issue, but he's in no danger of missing Week 11 against the Bears. Coach John Harbaugh indicated Monday that Pierce could see increased work, as the Ravens are considering going with a hot-hand approach. Pierce is nothing more than a flex play.


Source: Aaron Wilson on Twitter

Click to expand...

Ray Rice rushed for 131 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries in the Ravens' Week 11, 23-20 overtime loss to the Bears.
Rice added three catches for 17 yards. It was his first 100-yard effort of the season. The 131 yards on the ground accounts for over 31 percent of Rice's season total. He rushed for 56 yards and the touchdown on five carries ahead of the two-hour weather delay. On his 47-yard opening-drive run, which set up Rice's one-yard score, he looked much more decisive and showed some quickness that we haven't seen from Rice in weeks. All it took for Rice to get going was a Chicago defense that has been ravaged by injuries. Rice has a date with the Jets' top-ranked run defense next week. It'd be a good idea to sell high.

Click to expand...

Bernard Pierce rushed for 18 yards on ten carries in Week 11 against the Bears.
Pierce wasn't a factor in the passing game. The ten carries were the most he's seen in a game since Week 5. But on a day we saw Ray Rice come back to life, Pierce couldn't find any running room and remained grounded. Soldier Field turned into a sloppy mess following a two-hour weather delay, and the Ravens kept handing it off to Rice, who saw 25 carries. Neither running back is going to have fun next week against the Jets. Pierce won't be a recommended flex play.

Click to expand...

Ray Rice managed 30 yards on 16 carries in Baltimore's Week 12 win over the Jets, "adding" one reception for -3 yards.
Rice's Week 11 blowup game against the Bears was indeed exposed as a matchup-based fluke in Sunday's bout with the Jets' league-best run defense. The Ravens still came away with a much-needed victory, but their running game continues to run in place. They tried to kick start it by giving Tyrod Taylor a bunch of playing time in Wildcat-type packages, but it only worked once. Rice will be a dicey flex play in Week 13 against Pittsburgh.

Click to expand...

Bernard Pierce rushed 11 times for 30 yards in the Ravens' Week 12 win over the Jets.
Pierce is a fairly blocking-dependent talent, which doesn't work well behind a Baltimore offensive line that can't clear alleys right now. The Ravens will continue to give Pierce complementary carries behind Ray Rice, but he only has handcuff fantasy value. The Ravens face the Steelers next.

Click to expand...

Ray Rice rushed for 32 yards on 12 carries in Baltimore's Week 13 win over the Steelers.

Rice caught six of his seven targets in the passing game for an additional 38 yards. After taking advantage of the Bears in Week 11, Rice has predictably gone back into the gutter with 62 yards rushing on 28 carries the past two games. He also isn't scoring, leaving him as a mere flex option. Rice has a very favorable matchup next week against the Vikings. He'll be an RB2 in Week 14.

Click to expand...

Bernard Pierce rushed for 35 yards on nine carries in Week 13 versus Pittsburgh.

Pierce had three more yards on the ground than Ray Rice on three fewer carries, but he's still not doing much with the little room that he's getting behind a weak offensive line. Pierce caught all three of his targets out of the backfield but turned them into just four yards. He's going to continue to see his 7-10 weekly carries but remains a player that isn't start-able in fantasy.

Click to expand...

amnesiac said:

Rice a good buy low in dynasty?

27 going into next year, say he gets healthy, and Baltimore addresses the Oline?

or does he really look like he's toast?

Click to expand...

amnesiac said:

Rice a good buy low in dynasty?

27 going into next year, say he gets healthy, and Baltimore addresses the Oline?

or does he really look like he's toast?

Click to expand...

socrates said:

amnesiac said:

Rice a good buy low in dynasty?

27 going into next year, say he gets healthy, and Baltimore addresses the Oline?

or does he really look like he's toast?

Click to expand...

There is enough history on Ray Rice for me to believe this season is an anomaly, and more the product of poor run blocking and scheming. There have been suggestions that Rice's early-season hip injury have robbed him of his speed and explosiveness; however, I see no indication that Ray Rice has suddenly lost the physical skills to produce at a high level.

Undoubtedly, this has been a very disappointing season for Rice and the Ravens.

The Ravens are starting only two of the O-linemen who plowed the way for Rice in their Super Bowl run last season. Also, like Flacco, Rice has missed Dennis Pitta. Pitta is a far superior blocking TE to Dickson and Clark. Rice has been unable to get to the edge on both runs and screen passes like he has done in previous seasons, forced instead to turn many of those inside where there has been no room to run. Right now, there is a lack of chemistry and cohesion in the trenches. Not only is Rice unable to get going, but Pierce too has run poorly and Flacco has been sacked a whopping 39 times.

I have to believe the Ravens address their woes on the O-line this offseason.

Rice has a nice schedule for the fantasy playoffs; however, he cannot be relied upon as much more than a flex. That said, the potential exists that Rice's dynasty value could trend upward with his favorable fantasy schedule.

I like the idea of buying on Ray Rice for dynasty teams. At only 26, I still believe he has some quality seasons left in him.

Click to expand...

Bernard Pierce rushed for 21 yards on seven carries in Monday night's Week 15 victory over the Lions.

Pierce hasn't topped 35 yards rushing since Week 5 and is averaging less than 3.0 YPC on the season. He'll continue to see 7-10 carries each week but is really struggling to find running room. Pierce can safely be dropped with Ray Rice healthy for fantasy Super Bowl week. Better days lie ahead for Pierce in 2014.

Click to expand...

Ray Rice rushed 12 times for 56 yards in Baltimore's Week 15 win over the Lions on Monday night.

Rice caught just one pass for eight yards on four targets. He had a couple of nice runs. Rice had a lengthy gain around the edge in the first half, and then sealed the game up with a 19-yard run up the middle on the game's final play. Rice could have easily turned it into a 43-yard touchdown but instead chose to take a knee and run out the rest of the clock. He's looked better in recent weeks, but Rice is still nothing more than a flex option for Week 16 versus the Patriots.

Click to expand...

Ray Rice blames his lack of production this season on injuries.

Rice has battled a nagging hip issue ever since Week 3. He's averaging a pathetic 3.07 yards per carry and career-low 5.4 yards per reception. We haven't seen any of the jump-cutting, wiggle or burst that used to make Rice special. "Everybody plays through different things, and my numbers are what they are, but I'm doing what I can do to help my team," he said. "The injury I had this year wasn't something that you just bounce back from."


Source: Baltimore Sun

Click to expand...

Ray Rice (thigh) returned to practice Thursday.

Rice has been battling through nagging injuries all season long, playing a part in his one 100-yard game and brutal 3.07 YPC mark. He'll be a low-end RB2 type against the Patriots Sunday.


Source: Aaron Wilson on Twitter

Click to expand...

Ray Rice (thigh) is listed as questionable for Week 17.
He's expected to play through the "Q" tag against Cincinnati after a limited practice week. The Ravens need all hands on deck in the must-win game.

Click to expand...

Ray Rice vows to prove he's still a "premier running back in the NFL" next season.

"I still have to focus on this year and finishing out this year as strong as I can, and next year will be next year," Rice said Thursday. "I’ll make sure I’ll come back in the best shape, bigger, faster, stronger, whatever you want to call that stuff, to prove myself again." Rice is averaging a pathetic 3.1 yards per carry, but has dealt with injuries much of the season. He remained limited in Thursday's practice by a thigh issue. Going on 27, Rice is signed through 2016, and due $4 million in 2014. He'll enter next summer's fantasy drafts as a high-risk, high-reward RB2.

Dec 26 - 4:42 PM

Source: Baltimore Sun

Click to expand...

Zdravko said:

Rice owners hate hearing this, but their guy is drifting towards 3rd down / GL back role. On another team, he might have kept the lead role despite slowing down, but the Ravens have Pierce, who shows visibly more burst and more aggression behind this bad O-line. Baltimore is a pretty loyal franchise, so don't think they will be cutting Ray Rice regardless of salary, but my guess is he loses early down work by middle of next season.

Click to expand...