It was reported yesterday that Ray Rice has a serious knee contusion, but could possibly play this weekend against Pittsburgh.
That should not happen.
Rice appears to me to be a gamer, and somebody that will attempt to play if thinks he can at all. You can look back to his College days at Rutgers, and see the massive amounts of rushing attempts he piled-up. This is a player that wants the ball, and wants to help his team win.
The most important thing Rice can do to help his current team, is making sure he is available for most of this season. Going into Pittsburgh with a serious contusion, is akin to walking into a cage with a Lion with raw meat strapped around your neck. It never matters what the records are between Pittsburgh, and Baltimore; the end result is always a physical game with pain involved.
Absolutely it is a very important game for the Ravens. You would love to get that divisional win, and especially the road win over Pittsburgh. If you lose, you have already dropped two divisional games and will force yourself into must wins at home in the rematches against the Steelers, and Cincinnati.
Someone though has to remind Rice that as important as this game is, it still only Week 4 of the Regular Season. If the injury was made worse, and he missed significant time that would jeopardize the season. With McGahee, and McClain (and Parmele) you should have the depth needed to play a game or two without Rice. Afterall, you are playing a Pittsburgh team that is finding ways to win without their QB. That is the perfect example of a team adjusting to a lack of personnel.
There is no way I would play Rice this weekend, and I would consider having him miss the Denver game at-home next week as well. My goal would be to have him ready for the trip to New England on the 17th.
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Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.