BALTIMORE – Shorthanded at cornerback again due to mounting injuries, the Baltimore Ravens had to get creative in the secondary Sunday night against the New York Jets.
With nickel cornerback Chris Carr sidelined with a recurring left hamstring injury aggravated in practice late in the week, the Ravens started Lardarius Webb and Cary Williams at cornerback.
They used All-Pro free safety Ed Reed in the nickel package.
And defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano lined up Bernard Pollard at strong safety with usual starting strong safety Tom Zbikowski working in the nickel package. They also used cornerback Danny Gorrer in substitution packages.
It was an effective gambit as Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez completed only 11 of 35 passes for 119 yards, no touchdowns as Webb returned an interception 73 yards for a touchdown .He finished with a 30.5 passer rating.
“I think it’s pretty impressive with the fact that we had seven inactive guys who were all hurt,” coach John Harbaugh said. “To be able to run those guys into packages who really hadn’t been in those packages before, haven’t had a chance to play as much, I think that speaks to those guys and it speaks to our coaches and the job they did getting those guys ready.”
Carr has been bothered by the hamstring injury suffered early in training camp after signing a four-year, $14 million contract that included a $3.8 million signing bonus.
The Ravens placed cornerback Domonique Foxworth on injured reserve last week due to a slow recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered last year.
The Ravens were also playing without rookie first-round cornerback Jimmy Smith due to a left high ankle sprain. Smith is out indefinitely and is hopeful of playing after the Ravens’ bye week against the Houston Texans.
Gorrer finished with one pass deflection, and he drew praise from Harbaugh.
“Danny played really well,” Harbaugh said. “We asked Danny to play great technique, that’s what Danny does. He’s become a fundamentally excellent corner over the last year, and he can run and he has good ball skills. He’s going to be a really good corner. I think that this was kind of his opening salvo of his career.”
Promoted from the practice squad prior to the Ravens’ loss to the Tennessee Titans game, Gorrer stepped up in a key situation.
“It’s just a blessing,” Gorrer said. My number was called and I went out and played well. It was a real big game for us. I knew I would get some action and I took advantage of it.
“That’s what it’s about, getting the coaches and team’s trust in me. I feel like I can do anything. It was about not letting people down. It was very important. I think I took advantage of it.”
Meanwhile, left offensive guard Ben Grubbs missed his third consecutive game due to a right turf toe injury.
Grubbs practiced Thursday last week on a limited basis, but was unable to practice the following day. Grubbs had said he would be a game-time decision.
The Ravens started Andre Gurode in his place for the second week in a row.
“I’ve been giving it rest, so I’m going to continue the course and let it do its work,” Grubbs said. “It’s taking its time, but it’s getting better. The swelling is going down, so that’s a good sign, but it’s slow healing. It’s coming along.”
Grubbs said he wasn’t able to play.
“No, if I could’ve went, I would have, but I knew I wasn’t able to help my team out,” Grubbs said. “The last thing I want to do is hurt them.”
The Ravens also deactivated wide receiver David Reed (left shoulder), safety Haruki Nakamura (sprained right posterior cruciate ligament), linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (left hamstring) and wide receiver Lee Evans (left ankle).
Rookie second-round draft pick Torrey Smith started again with Evans sidelined.
Evans is optimistic that he’ll be able to return after the bye week.
KINDLE DEBUT: Out for his entire rookie season with a fractured skull, linebacker Sergio Kindle was active for the first time in an NFL regular-season game.
Kindle had been inactive for each of the first three games.
Kindle spent his rookie season on injured reserve after being drafted in the second round and suffering damage to his skull and experiencing hearing loss in his left ear.
Against the Jets, the former University of Texans star covered kickoffs and rushed the passer a few times as he finished with no tackles.
“It’s just a blessing to be active, to finally get some wear and tear on my cleats besides the practice facility,” Kindle said. “I got my feet wet, that’s what matters. I waited a long time for this. I would say it was emotional.
“I was excited, anxious, jittery, but just happy because it’s been a long, long time. I waited for this day for a long time and now it finally got here.”
Just a week ago, Harbaugh had suggested that Kindle needed to improve to get his shot.
“I say work hard and get better,” Harbaugh said. “If you’re not dressing, it’s because you’re not good enough yet. That’s a fact. I hate to say it that way, but the fact is, there are better players right now.
“Sergio is young, he’s talented, he works hard and he wants to be a good player. So, his challenge is that, when his opportunity comes, he needs to be ready. That’s what he’s working for right now. It could be this week. It could be five weeks. It could be 10 weeks. We really don’t know.”
ROUGH NIGHT: The Jets briefly replaced undrafted rookie center Colin Baxter in the second quarter after he had issues snapping to quarterback Mark Sanchez, sliding over left offensive guard Matt Slauson.
Baxter wound up returning to play at center later in the quarter.
There was an issue with an exchange between Sanchez and Baxter and an errant snap that was recovered by Ravens defensive end Paul Kruger.
“He wasn’t ready for this,” Ravens nose guard Terrence Cody said. “We knew he was the weak link on the line. We tried to attack him.”
Baxter was playing because Pro Bowl center Nick Mangold was out again with a high ankle sprain.
The Jets inserted Vlad Ducasse at offensive guard in place of Slauson.
MOMENT OF SILENCE: The Ravens observed a moment of silence before kickoff to honor the memory of the late Baltimore offensive tackle Orlando “Zeus” Brown.
The 6-foot-7, 380-pounder was found dead late last month at his Baltimore apartment of unknown causes.
He died at age 40 and is survived by three sons.
“God, it’s such a tragedy,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “He’s a young man; he’s 40 years old. You know, he’s got children. He is just such a great guy. As soon as you mention his name, you get a smile on his face. You know, he’s a tough guy and everything else, but he was a sweetheart.
“He cared dearly for his teammates, loved to play the game. I think anyone who knows Orlando Brown knows that this world lost a great person. I’m certainly going to miss him.”
Brown was known for his intensity on the field and for being a strong leader in the locker room, and a good friend to many.
“That was a tough one,” Jets linebacker Bart Scott said. “It almost brought me to my knees thinking about a 40-year-old guy that loved life so much, loved his kids. I wasn’t just a teammate of ‘Zeus,’ I was a friend of ‘Zeus.’ We spent time when I was there, off the field, and we always shared words of advice.
“I think it just caught everybody by surprise. He’ll be greatly missed, and I think it’s a big void in a lot of people’s lives, because not only was he a great football player, but he was a great person. Just a big teddy bear. He’ll be sorely missed forever.”
KRUGER, MASON SCRAP: There was a brief shoving match between defensive end Paul Kruger and former Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason in the third quarter.
Following a Mason reception, Kruger tackled him shy of the first-down marker on third down.
And that was followed by Kruger and Mason mixing it up.
Apparently, there were no hard feelings.
“It’s football,” Mason said. “I wish I had the opportunity to talk to him afterwards and ask him why he did that. I am only 150 pounds, and he is about 300 and he pushed me at the end. It’s football, and I like it that way.
“He’s a good guy. I don’t take it personally. What happens between the lines stays between the lines. When it’s over with, they are back to being buddies again.”
INJURY UPDATE: Strong safety Tom Zbikowski left the game with a concussion and didn’t return.
QUICK HITS: The Ravens’ game captains were punter Sam Koch, safety Ed Reed and offensive guard Marshal Yanda. … The Jets’ game captains were all former Ravens: wide receiver Derrick Mason, linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonhard. … The Jets’ other inactives were quarterback Kevin O’Connell, wide receiver Logan Payne, safety Emanuel Cook, running back Bilal Powell, fullback-tight end Josh Baker, center Nick Mangold (high-ankle sprain) and defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis. … Country music star Martina McBride sang the national anthem. … Rookie kick returner LaQuan Williams fumbled the opening kickoff, but it was recovered by special-teams ace Brendon Ayanbadejo. Williams had issues against the St. Louis Rams reading blocks. “I thought LaQuan the first opportunity we had, he ran it exactly the way we wanted it run,” special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg said. “He set it up well and he burst to the outside. We wish he had read the last block a little bit better. All and all, I thought it was a really positive start. He actually asked some good questions about that and we were able to answer. So, it was a real positive experience in the end.” … Jets linebacker Garrett McIntyre left the game with a concussion and Jets linebacker Bryan Thomas left with an ankle injury and didn’t return.
