PITTA PRACTICES, HAS THREE WEEKS TO RETURN
Tight End Dennis Pitta returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since suffering a gruesome dislocated hip injury in training camp, and now has three weeks to be placed on the 53-man roster if he is going to return this year.
Pitta was said to be “closer than ever” by Head Coach John Harbaugh two weeks ago, but speculation is beginning to grow about whether or not Pitta will, or even should return this year, with the Ravens sitting at 4-6 and 2.5 games behind the Cincinnati Bengals in the division.
Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun wrote earlier this week that there is a chance that the outcomes of the next three games could impact Pitta choosing to return or not this year. If the Ravens can win the next two or three games in a row at home, they will stay in the hunt for a wild-card berth.
It is also worth remembering that Pitta is a free agent after this season, and may want to play even if the Ravens are out of playoff contention simply to show that he is healthy and that he is deserving of a lucrative contract after the season.
Regardless, it is very good news for Joe Flacco and the offense that Pitta has returned to practice. Pitta was Flacco’s security blanket last year down the stretch and in the playoffs during the Ravens’ run to the Super Bowl.
OGDEN TO BE HONORED SUNDAY
It has been a good year for the Ravens’ first ever draft selection Jonathan Ogden, who was inducted into the Pro football Hall of Fame last August. Now, J.O. will receive his Hall of Fame ring at a special halftime ceremony this Sunday when the Ravens host the New York Jets.
According to Stephen A. Perry, the President and Executive Director of the Hall of Fame, Ogden’s bust, presented to him when he was inducted to the Hall of Fame, will be sent to Baltimore to be used in the ceremony as well. Fans will also be given an opportunity from 10 AM- 1 PM to take pictures with the bust on Ravens Walk.
Ogden tweeted out about his excitement earlier this week, saying that he can’t wait to receive his ring, and called Baltimore’s fans the best in the NFL.
Ogden’s fingers are getting full. He already has a Super Bowl ring from his time in Baltimore (XXXV) and also received a ring from Super Bowl XLVII, given to him for being a member of the Ravens’ Ring of Honor.
HARBAUGH CONSIDERED DEFERRING IN OT
It’s almost a given in the NFL to elect to receive the kickoff to start overtime, but with the newer OT rules, coaches have to think a bit. but Harbaugh gave thought to electing to defer and putting the wind at the Ravens backs instead.
Harbaugh told the Baltimore Sun that “We thought real hard about taking the wind; it’s not so much deferring. You would take the wind is how you would do that.”
However, there was a disagreement on the sideline about what direction the swirling Chicago winds were even blowing, and Harbaugh decided it would be tough to decide what side would even be advantageous to the Ravens, which led him to elect to receive.
It would have been interesting if Harbaugh had elected to not receive, as no coach has deferred the overtime kickoff in the last few years since the NFL changed the rules of overtime to allow each team one possession, unless the first team to get the ball scores a touchdown.
RAVENS CASTOFF WINS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Despite the struggles the Ravens have had running the ball this year, there is little question that over the last five years, Ray Rice has been one of the best running backs in all of football. Throw in the success that Bernard Pierce had in his rookie season, and the Ravens, understandably, felt like they were set at the position.
This made it hard to justify keeping Bobby Rainey, who was an undrafted free agent signing of the Ravens before last season. Rainey was cut and resigned to the practice squad before eventually being promoted to the active roster last season after Lardarius Webb’s injury. He was inactive however for the rest of the season before eventually going on injured reserve in November.
Rainey was cut by the Ravens again before the 2013 season, and spent the first seven games of this year with the Cleveland Browns before being released after averaging only 2.6 yards per carry.
Rainey then signed with Tampa Bay, and after injuries to Doug Martin and Mike James, got a chance to be the team’s featured back. He did not look back as he rushed for 163 yards on 30 carries and scored three total touchdowns last Sunday to win NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
It is always nice to watch former Ravens get opportunities to succeed and capitalize on them. The only question is how the Ravens and Browns, both near the bottom of the league in rushing, didn’t want to give such an electric player a chance this year.