When the Ravens open their season on Sunday against the team that essentially knocked them out of the postseason last year for the first time under head coach John Harbaugh, all eyes will be on quarterback Joe Flacco and the new offense.
Flacco, who is entering his seventh season under center for the Ravens understand the importance of getting the season started with a bang, considering that the team starts with three straight games against division foes. The former Super Bowl MVP is looking for his 28th win at home in the friendly confines of M&T Bank Stadium this Sunday though, and his concentration remains strictly focused on Cincinnati.
“We’re worried about this one and that’s it,” Flacco explained when asked about starting with Cincy, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. “At the end of the day, you play your division opponents two times each [year]. It doesn’t really matter when [the games] fall. They all have the same weight at the end of the day. So, all we can do is focus on this one and take on the other ones as they come.”
For a Ravens offense that was revamped over the offseason, it’s time to show just what Gary Kubiak and company have in store for opposing teams, now that the “bullets will be live,” so to speak.
“I think we ran all of our [plays in the preseason], but the biggest thing is game-plan specific things, getting back to preparing for a week and having to react to all the little nuances in a game plan that you’re putting in strictly for [the opposing team],” Flacco went on. “And you have to be able to come out here during practice and translate what you’ve heard for the first time, and in some cases you have to translate it very well here so you feel confident doing it in a game.”
“You have your base plays, but there [are] probably 20 plays that are game-plan specific, and you have to be able to operate those at just [as] high of a level as all the other plays, and I think that’s what’s exciting about game-planning and it keeps everything fresh and it keeps you excited for the games, too.”
Pierce Ready, Willing and Able
Running back Bernard Pierce took to the podium following practice on Wednesday, and he has a clean bill of health and appears ready to shoulder the workload in the offensive backfield on Sunday.
“I’m good,” Pierce said when asked about his health. “I would say the concussion last week was minor. I started practicing the week after and am full throttle now.”
Pierce, who will get the starts while running back Ray Rice serves his two game suspension, is certainly looking for redemption after last year’s 436 rushing yards on a career high 152 rushing attempts, a mere 2.9 yards per carry. He understands what’s expected of him in Kubiak’s run-friendly offense.
“I would say we’re definitely confident, as an offensive whole,” Pierce stated. “It’s definitely going to be exciting to see what this offense does in the first week. Like I said before, all we can do is just keep getting better in the run game. So, we’ll see Sunday.”
Quick Hits
– Outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil (73) needs 2 sacks to reach 75 for his career and one more forced fumble to have 20 in his career.
– Wide receiver Jacoby Jones (194) needs six catches to hit the 200-career milestone.
– Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (496) needs four total tackles to reach 500 for his career.
– Wide receiver Steve Smith needs just 14 more catches to become the 19th player in NFL history to record 850 receptions.
– Torrey Smith (2,824) needs 176 receiving yards to notch 3,000 for his career.
– T-Sizzle (94.5) needs 5.5 more sacks to reach 100 for his career.
-2013 team MVP Justin Tucker is just 23 points shy of surpassing Billy Cundiff (294) for the second-most points in franchise history. Currently ranked fourth in team history, Tucker needs just 13 points to pass Jamal Lewis (284) for third.
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