NOTEBOOK: RICE WANTS TO ROMP; BROWNS' GORDON MAKING PLAYS

By Joe Platania

OWINGS MILLS -- These are facts:

- The beleaguered Ravens' defense -- ranked 28th overall and third worst in the league against the run, formerly a Baltimore staple -- has had only six players start all seven games so far, a rather low number for the midway point of the season.

- Three young players who could be future keys to the unit -- defensive end DeAngelo Tyson, defensive tackle Bryan Hall, cornerback Asa Jackson -- have combined for 19 man-games on the inactive list, even though Hall and Tyson did get their first action during the pre-bye Houston loss.

- A big reason the Ravens' record isn't worse than 5-2, despite those problems, is they have one of the 10 best red-zone touchdown percentages allowed in the league.

Defensive coordinator Dean Pees he the constant changeover was a way to get a feel for the team's depth.

"We're starting to get a feel for it," he said Thursday afternoon. "But you got to tell guys to concentrate on [certain spots] and not move around.

"A problem is when you tell a player [in meetings] to practice at this position, and then you go out to practice and there's somebody missing from another spot, that's a problem. It's like telling a guy who's a safety to practice at cornerback and on Sunday, he's playing safety."

The Ravens' defensive merry-go-round started early in 2012.

With Terrell Suggs out and the pass rush diminished, the team was looking to 2009 second-round pick Paul Kruger to step up and assume a starting role at the "Rush" linebacker spot.

But Kruger's evident lack of development -- not to mention a back injury -- and the concurrent rise of rookie Courtney Upshaw forced a lineup change at that spot during the season's second week. In turn, Upshaw was displaced when Suggs returned in Houston.

Then, because of a combination of injuries and ineffectiveness among the defensive line, specifically concerning nose tackles Ma'ake Kemoeatu and Terrence Cody, Arthur Jones earned his first start against the Texans in place of hobbled end Pernell McPhee.

Speaking more specifically to Pees' point, Jameel McClain was moved from weak-side linebacker to the middle when Ray Lewis went down with his torn triceps injury.

The secondary hasn't been quite as torn apart, but Lardarius Webb's season-ending knee injury opened up a spot for former sub-package man Jimmy Smith.

Not only that, starting safeties Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard -- who have started every game -- are playing through injuries of their own that could remove them from future lineups, as is defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (see "Practice Report, Infirmary," below).

But this situation isn't new to the Ravens' defense.

Only seven players started all 16 regular-season games in 2011, thanks mainly to Pollard's acclimation process and Lewis' toe injury. Two years ago, just five players started every game because of injuries and ineffectiveness in the secondary and a revolving door on the defensive line.

On the other side of the ball, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has not had as much to do at the chess board, as most of his pieces have remained in place.

Eight of 11 spots have had the same player starting all seven games, with extenuating circumstances playing a role in the few changes that have taken place.

At left guard, Bobbie Williams assumed the job many thought would be his when he signed during the offseason. But an injured ankle had to heal before he could take over for upstart Ramon Harewood, who played reasonably well during the season's first five games.

The no-huddle offense has diminshed the field presence of fullback Vonta Leach, who has only four starts. At tight end, the effectiveness of both Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson make them practically interchangeable.

"Continuity is huge," Cameron said. "We were working on how to make that better during the bye. We are at our best, not just when we're executing well, but when we get guys involved ... the whole group.

"The more continuity we have, the better we'll get."

For the Ravens' coaches, these are facts.

***

JOEY P'S TRIVIA TIME: Today's question:

When the Cleveland Browns held their expansion draft to stock the roster upon their 1999 return to the NFL, five of the 37 players selected had Baltimore or Maryland ties.

Can you name them?

The answer will be revealed at the bottom of this entry.

***

PRACTICE REPORT, INFIRMARY: Predictably, the Ravens' injury report is crowded this week, what with the $20,000 fine the team had to pay for not listing Ed Reed's torn labrum before the Oct. 21 game in Houston.

But the Ravens are happy to see the practice field even more crowded than the list of ailments.

So far, only defensive end Pernell McPhee's thigh problem has kept any player entirely off the field, while defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (shoulder), wideout Jacoby Jones (foot) and cornerback Jimmy Smith (abdomen) have worked through their problems in a limited fashion.

Eleven other players have practiced fully, despite the bumps and bruises that are so common this time of year and that usually don't get placed on the injury reports.

The secondary and special teams units have been unusually hit hard, what with listed injuries to players such as starting safeties Bernard Pollard (chest) and Ed Reed (shoulder, ribs), backup safety James Ihedigbo (hand) and cornerback Chykie Brown (ankle), who has proven to be a good punt-coverage gunner.

Despite Ray Lewis' probable season-ending absence, the linebackers are basically healthy. Terrell Suggs (Achilles, ankle) and Dannell Ellerbe (hand) are the ones that bear watching the most. Up front, nose tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu (knee) is the main concern.

Like the secondary, the offensive line takes up four lines on the report, but it's no surprise given the physical nature of being a lineman.

Tackles Michael Oher and Kelechi Osemele are dealing with minor ankle problems, with backup Bryant McKinnie (thigh) and starting right guard Marshal Yanda (shoulder) also being closely watched.

On the Browns' side of the ledger, promising defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin sat out the week's first practice with a calf injury and former starting cornerback Dimitri Patterson was rested with an ankle problem.

Cleveland listed 17 total players on its report, including Rubin and Patterson. They even accounted for long snapper Christian Yount, who practiced fully.

Besides Rubin and Patterson, among those Browns whose status bears watching are running back Trent Richardson (chest/ribs), strong safety T.J. Ward (hand/shoulder), and linebacker and Maryland grad D'Qwell Jackson (toe).

***

RUN, RAY, RUN: There was a strong reaction to how close together the Ravens' games against the Steelers are this season -- they face each other in Pittsburgh Nov. 18 and then meet in Baltimore Dec. 2.

But last year, there weren't many complaints about Baltimore's two games against Cleveland during a four-week span. The Ravens won both against the Browns, with Ray Rice rushing for 291 total yards, including a career-single-game-high 204 during the win at Cleveland, the site of Sunday's game (1 p.m.; WJZ-TV; WIYY-FM).

Rice also scored two touchdowns against the Browns, including a short rushing six-pointer on the Cleveland Browns Stadium grass.

"Last year, we caught them in a rainy situation," Rice said. "I love playing on grass. It's a little different surface. Obviously, when you're cutting, you get better traction on the turf. Any running back will tell you on grass, you can't overpursue as much, because the cutting is different on that grass."

The Ravens played on grass at Memorial Stadium in 1996 and 1997 before using it again for five more seasons when the facility now known as M&T Bank Stadium opened in 1998.

In 2003, the stadium took on its current name and a new SportExe Momentum Turf surface, over which Jamal Lewis romped for a then-NFL-record 295 yards -- predictably, against Cleveland -- during the first regular-season game played on it.

But no matter what the surface, Rice has averaged 91 yards per game against Cleveland; his 824 yards versus the Browns are the most he has against any opponent.

"We just went out there and ran the ball really well last year, but that's last year," Rice said.

This year, Rice's total touches are again an issue, but if he gets enough of them Sunday, he could help re-write the Ravens' record book.

Rice needs one touchdown to tie Willis McGahee for fourth on the team's all-time TD list with 35 and two rushing scores to tie him for second on the Ravens' chart. Two scores would also give Rice 210 career points, tying him with McGahee for fifth all time.

***

CLEVELAND CHATTER: At first glance, Browns receiver Josh Gordon appears to be a typical 21-year-old NFL rookie.

He's big (6-foot-3, 225 pounds), fast and versatile, which is what rookies have to be to earn their keep. During the season's first few weeks, he lined up as an extra tight end and an extra fullback, and he would be the third or fourth wideout whenever the Browns wanted to flood a defense with receivers.

But Gordon, a former Baylor player taken during the second round of this year's supplemental draft, also likes vintage sneakers and vinyl records. He also has an old-fashioned work ethic that has helped him vault to a full-time starter in the wake of Mohamed Massaquoi's hamstring injury and the need for Josh Cribbs to be an explosive return specialist.

Now, Gordon starts opposite split end Greg Little as the "Z" (flanker), or possession receiver. But such terms are getting blurred these days -- witness downfield threat Torrey Smith's mastery of shorter routes in Baltimore -- just as Gordon seems to be blowing by defenders as if he were a blur himself.

Gordon is averaging a team-high 22.3 yards per catch with four touchdowns, second on the team to Trent Richardson's six.

"He's definitely coming into his own," Little said of Gordon. "I attribute a lot of that to just how he is practicing. How you prepare through the week is definitely going to be [directly reflected] on Sundays."

During the Browns' first meeting with the Ravens, quarterback Brandon Weeden targeted Gordon just once. But it was during the fourth quarter, and the 16-yard pass, following a 40-yard punt return, helped set up a field goal that brought the Browns to within seven points.

Gordon has exploded onto the scene since, with a 71-yard catch against Cincinnati during a Browns win and two touchdowns during a road shootout with the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants.

"They're getting better, and their receivers are getting better," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. "[Gordon] is really improving and is becoming a big-play threat for them."

***

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Strong-side linebacker Albert McClellan has quietly had a fine season setting the edge against the run while playing Jarret Johnson's former position.

Like Johnson, McClellan -- who attended the same Lakeland, Fla., high school as teammate Ray Lewis and former Orioles reliever Alan Mills -- also has his mind on more important off-the-field matters.

"I would like to be an athletic director at the college or high school level [after football]," McClellan said recently. "[I want to be] helping the kids get out of our area, since the crime rate is up. ...

"That would be my goal, to better the kids' lives."

***

JOEY P'S TRIVIA TIME ANSWER: Here's what we asked you earlier in this entry:

When the Cleveland Browns held their expansion draft to stock the roster upon their 1999 return to the NFL, five of the 37 players selected had Baltimore or Maryland ties.

Can you name them?

ANSWER:

The first of the locally tied quintet didn't hear his name called until the 16th pick of the expansion draft, and it was short-term Ravens receiver Justin Armour.

Armour was a Denver Broncos wideout left unprotected in the expansion process; each team had to leave a number of its players in limbo to conform to the draft rules.

Eventually, the Browns cut Armour and he landed in Baltimore, where he caught 37 passes -- second on the team to current radio analyst Qadry Ismail -- including an overtime game-winner in Atlanta from quarterback Stoney Case.

The Browns' 24th expansion pick was former University of Texas and Ravens guard Ben Cavil, part of the Ravens' revolving door at left guard before Edwin Mulitalo took over that same year.

Three picks later, the Browns snagged ex-Minnesota Vikings guard Orlando Bobo, who later wound up in Baltimore and won a Super Bowl ring as a backup. He is one of several former Ravens who have since passed away, having done so in his early 30s.

With the 29th pick, Cleveland signed former Maryland quarterback and Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal-caller Scott Milanovich. Two years later, he became the first player signed by the short-lived XFL.

And with the last of their 37 selections, Cleveland provided a homecoming for former Browns and Ravens cornerback Antonio Langham, who played for Art Modell's franchise in both cities from 1994-97.

Posted Nov. 1, 2012