Bruises in Baltimore

Some injury news out of Baltimore this weekend. None of it is great. Only one of them has me worried. 3) Willis McGahee and his lower-left-leg injury are on the sidelines. There is no word on how long he'll be out, though Willis has said that he doesn't expect to be sidelined for too long. Regardless, this injury doesn't have me too worried. I was high on McGahee when the team picked him up from Buffalo, but my appreciation for his game has mellowed somewhat. Nothing that he did, and in no way is it indicative of his performance on the field. Rather, I suspect it's because Jamal played so well in Cleveland, and also because we have Ray Rice. Yes, Ray is small, but when Marshall Faulk says a running back is good, you listen. That's because Marshall knows what he is talking about. You probably sit at a desk all week and then on a couch all weekend, and the last time you probably broke a tackle was in 10th grade running from the cops. So don't trip. If Willis is out, Lil Ray is in. 2) Left tackle Jared Gaither sprained his right ankle. This is worse news than McGahee's undisclosed leg injury. Who can take Gaither's place? Adam Terry? Terry has failed to excel at any spot on the offensive line, and protecting the QB's blindside is not a job that should be left to a guy whose career has spent disappointing people. I'm not saying Gaither is Ogden II, but he definitely is a better choice than Terry. The Ravens have invested a lot of energy (i.e. draft picks) in the offensive line over the past few seasons (e.g. Grubbs, Yanda, Gaither); however, there is little room for error. These guys are young, inexperienced, and will struggle to gel if they continue to plug-and-play between roles. 1) Ngata Ngata Ngata good. Superman DT Haloti Ngata has a sprained MCL. This is the only injury that makes me cringe up my face and cuss silently. If it were the regular season already, I'd be cussing audibly. Coach John Harbaugh had this to say: "We don't think it's serious, but we've got to find out as we go."