Ray Rice

[dc.]

I think this team can run and he can do it.

 

I'm starting to wonder if... much like with the preseason... Cam was holding Ray back with the intent of having him ready for a stretch run. It seems entirely implausible (and in some ways beyond Cam's depth of thinking), but in other ways, I could believe it.

 

Ray carried the ball 31 times today and caught several more... including some HUGE plays and long runs. And he looked fresh all game long. Most RBs don't look like that in Week 16. Especially not in the AFC North.

 

And even though I have never bought the argument that Ray 'couldn't hold up,' he certainly seemed fresh and feisty today. Would he have been on his game in the same way if we had been running him 30 times a game all season? Maybe not.

 

Where this doesn't hold water is clear: if you're going to save one back, there's no reason to save the entire running game. No reason we weren't using Willis or LeRon to get the yards before. I know we tried, but failed.

[vmax]

After Ray got that personal foul and stopped the drive he changed gears. He ran like a man possesed...probably because he was upset he let the team down.

 

On one play he made a move only Walter Payton could make and followed that with a Barry Sanders move.

He looked just like them.

 

[vmax]

This is a good picture to see how difficult a catch this was for Ray. The throws perfect but Ray can only see it last second because he's short and the defender is taller blocking his sight line. Ray doesn't have huge Randy Moss mits...I'm very impressed with this play.

 

 

[Spen]

Ray Rice pretty much was the offense today. He did it all. That was a beautiful TD catch. Awesome throw by Flacco too. Willis was pretty good too. We ran well most of the game.

[vmax]

On one of Rays runs I counted 6 broken/missed tackles!

 

Coach is happy...

[papasmurfbell]

The OL needs to man up like Sunday the rest of the way.