Steve Davis: What Running Game?
One of the things the Ravens were convinced they were going to improve upon this year was the running game. John Harbaugh brought in his old coaching colleague from Philadelphia, Juan Castillo, who is a highly regarded offensive line coach. For whatever reason, the running game has regressed.
Is that because of Castillo, the retirement of Matt Birk, the lack of passing threats which are allowing teams to stack the box, or maybe even a lack of commitment considering that it is Caldwell's offense, which was hardly a run-based attack in Indianapolis?
It could be some combination, but all I know is this: Ray Rice is your best offensive player and he had 6 touches in the game. That's it.
If he wasn't healthy, he shouldn't be playing. If he was healthy, this is inexplicable. The running plays that were drawn up were not only not working, but they weren't diverse. In a game that that the Ravens were never behind more than 2 scores, it defies logic that they only rushed the ball 9 times.
