Fan Bias

As I sit here at home in Baltimore City with the snow outside continuing to pile up and two tickets to this weekend’s Ravens-Bears game laying on my desk, here’s what would make my trip to M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday (Monday?) worth the inevitable difficulties I’m sure to encounter en route.

Certainly, a win by the Ravens is a must, especially if the team wants to ensure that it controls its destiny as it tries to secure a wild card berth. But, I’m looking for more, especially on the offensive side of the ball…

Quarterback Joe Flacco is a future star in this league but one thing is clear in his second season in the NFL — he’s not ready to lead his team quite yet. He’s shown more than flashes of brilliance and even the ability early in the season to lead the team for long stretches of time. But, with a wide receiving crew that is slightly above average at best and an offensive line that hasn’t always done a good job of protecting Flacco, I believe offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has relied too much on the University of Delaware product.

That over-reliance on Flacco has been accompanied by an infatuation with running back Ray Rice. Again, there’s no doubt that this year has been Rice’s coming out party as one of the top running backs in the league and I’ve been high on him since his Rutgers days. But, the offense going through Rice and Flacco has become much too predictable.

Interestingly enough, the remedy for the team’s offensive woes (and let’s be real here, last week’s 48 points came against the Lions) does not involve a new wrinkle or any sort of innovation — instead it only requires looking back to the past. What I propose is returning to the team’s 2008 use of running backs Willis McGahee and Le’Ron McClain.

Last year, the three-headed monster at running back eased Flacco’s rookie year and led the Ravens to the playoffs. So, why abandon a system that clearly worked in the past?

I understand that Rice is a superstar in the making. But, McGahee has been – and continues to show that he is — a productive starting-caliber running back himself. And let’s not forget that McClain led the Ravens in rushing last year, gaining much of his yards up the middle and late in games, often breaking the spirit of Ravens foes.

While both McGahee and McClain have the ability to gain the tough yards, especially in short yardage situations, they don’t have the explosiveness or pass-catching ability of Rice. Still, the Ravens have struggled mightily this year in goal-line and short yardage situations, opting to use Rice more often than the other two in such situations, and that has been a problem for which McGahee and McClain are the perfect answer.

So, here’s what I propose in terms of how to use the three running backs:

• Outside the 20: Primarily use Rice in ways that exploit his ability in the open field with a sprinkling of McGahee and McClain on short-yardage plays.
• Inside the 20: Primarily McGahee and some McClain.
• Inside the 5: Equal parts McGahee and McClain.

Couple this running strategy with taking some of the pressure off Flacco to win games for the team and I think the Ravens’ struggling offense will flourish. The defense will be on the field less as the running game eats up clock and Flacco’s mistakes will be limited.

With three very winnable games remaining this season against teams with losing records, the Ravens are poised to make the playoffs for the second straight year under Coach John Harbaugh. But, instead of putting the offense in situations it’s not prepared to handle right now, why not simply refer to the successful blueprint laid out in Harbaugh’s first year — run often, spreading the carries among three very capable running backs, each with his own unique skill set?