Just prior to kickoff on Sunday, Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun reported an interested tidbit about a meeting between several Ravens players and head coach John Harbaugh during practice last week. According to Preston’s, a few players voiced their concerns about run game coordinator Juan Castillo’s new blacking scheme to Harbaugh.
According to the source, several players met with Ravens coach John Harbaugh on Monday following the Ravens’ 19-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers. The Ravens have the 27th-ranked rushing game in the NFL averaging only 72.7 yards per game. They had only 47 yards rushing against Green Bay.
At the meeting, the players told Harbaugh that they were unhappy with the new blocking scheme instituted by run game coordinator Juan Castillo and they wanted to go back to last year’s scheme. According to the source, Castillo has lost influence in “the room” and Harbaugh told the team they were going back to the formula that helped them win the Super Bowl last year.
Preston’s source also says that both Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce are have still not recovered from injuries suffered in the preseason. Sounds like whoever is leaking information to Presto seems to think the offensive line is to blame for his down season. Personally, I think it’s a combination of Rice being on the downside of his career and a poor o-line.
As a team, the Ravens rushed for 82 yards on Sunday in Heinz Field and averaged 3.2 yards per carry. Ray Rice totaled 45 on the ground on 15 carries. On the year, Rice has totaled 242 yards, averaging 2.8 yards per carry.
