Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Rice told the Baltimore Sun, ”Now that guys know that I’m a threat out of the backfield, I got to use my hands a little more. I get pushed a lot coming out of the backfield, and that’s a sign of respect, but if I can get my hands and get out on pass routes and continue to get open for Joe Flacco.

The main point here is that Rice realizes that his immense success as a pass-catcher is obviously leading to more teams scheming against him and hitting him up in the backfield early and often on pass plays. Rice will not only have to be astute in holding onto the football once he makes the catch, but he will also have to use the traits that make him a successful running back in order to continue to get yardage after the catch. Defenses will continue to key in on Rice, and that means it’s going to be harder for him to get open and to get loose after making the reception.

Last season, Rice hauled in 61 passes, but that was actually the lowest in his career since his rookie season. Rice had 78, 63, and 76 receptions respectively in the three previous years, so the numbers seem to back up the fact that Rice is getting tougher looks in coverage from defenses.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter for more NFL updates and analysis @SorianoJoe.

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker Ray Lewis (52) celebrates with inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (59) after winning Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Thus far in free agency, the Baltimore Ravens and their fans have witnessed several substantial losses to their team in general, with defense in particularly weak shape, at least to the general observer’s eye. As it stands, the Ravens have lost their leading sack specialist from last season in OLB Paul Kruger, to a division rival no less, in the Cleveland Browns, as well as another key LB in Dannell Ellerbe who took his respective talents to South Beach (Miami). In addition, the Baltimore Ravens have traded WR Anquan Boldin to John Harbaugh’s younger brother and the San Francisco 49ers –ironic, isn’t it?– for a 6th round pick. And today they’ve just released starting safety Bernard Pollard, where they’re set to be a lot of change in that secondary pending on what happens with future HOF Safety Ed Reed. However, their biggest loss by far this off-season has been losing LB Ray Lewis to retirement, the face for the Raven’s franchise for nearly 2 decades.

So…they’re in panic mode, yes?

If you ask that to a Ravens fan, they’ll probably stuff a hot pit beef sandwich down your throat and tell you to pipe down.

First off, I’d like to say I highly admire their fan base, as they’re certainly one of the most loyal bunch of fans I’ve ever hung around with. And, their franchise is one that deserves the utmost respect, as Ozzie Newsome now owns a pair of Super Bowl rings to go with his Lombardi Trophies. They have already locked up their QB in Joe Flacco, signing him to a 6-year deal worth a whopping total of $120.6 mil, $52 mil of which is guaranteed. This was a deal I initially and heavily, criticized seeing how he’s earning more total money than QB Drew Brees, who safe to say is still a superior QB. But, to the Ravens at least, stats don’t matter, as they’ve been in the playoffs for all 5 years of Joe Flacco’s career as their starting QB. And now, they’re Super Bowl champions under the leadership of Joe Flacco, with plenty of contributions coming from their defense of coarse.

Speaking of which, they signed former Giants DL Chris Canty to a 3 year deal yesterday, and despite the heavy loses suffered to their starting line-up, that unit still has plenty of talent to win games with. I speak of coarse about LB/DE Terrell Suggs, who definitely seems like he’s not going anywhere this off-season. Also, there is Haloti Ngata, an elite DL in his own right. While discussing their front 7, one must include the exciting prospect in Courtney Upshaw, he’s a player who can line up virtually anywhere on the DL or their LB corps. In addition, CB Corey Graham has turned into a smart signing by the Ravens’ management, being able to cover some of the better receivers the league has to offer. And, there is the prospect of Ed Reed returning to finish his career where it started. Plus, this is no longer a team that solely depends on defense to win games. The first move I mentioned, is one that signifies what could very well be the transition from Defense first, to Offense first.

This offense the Baltimore Ravens have built, mostly from their own drafts, is full of young and talented players at all phases. Ray Rice is one of the best RBs in the NFL, where his versatility is unmatched. Having someone that can take the load in the running game, then to see the same player convert on 4th and long with a short RB screen, is something to truly marvel.

Then, there is WR Torrey Smith, who is swiftly developing into a dynamic deep threat much in the way Mike Wallace developed for the Pittsburgh Steelers. By the way, Ravens fans won’t have to worry about Mike Wallace anymore, as he too took his talents to South Beach. Back on topic, there is a player I really like watching in TE Dennis Pitta, who the Ravens were wise to slap a 2nd round tender on before the beginning of the new league year. Dennis Pitta, is just a flat out football player. He blocks, he runs, he catches, and he scores TDs. He is just an all-round weapon that is set to develop into a serious threat in the NFL. Their OL has some promise, too, as OT Michael Oher isn’t the absolutely dominant force most fans have expected him to be, but he is an OL that deserves plenty of respect. Oh, let’s not forget about their best OL in Marshal Yanda, who happens to be one of the best linemen in the game. Now, this along with their LB corps is an area that needs serious attention, but then again this OL performed lights out in the playoffs, so only time will tell as to what happens in pass protection.

Of course, this is by far not a perfect team, and as just mentioned they have needs like all the other 31 teams have to attend to.

A general rule of the NFL these days, is you win through the draft, not free agency. While free agency provides to teams opportunities to supplement their rosters and solve critical problems with proven veterans, a long-term dependence on signing free agents from other teams will only result in bad cap management, and over-inflated salaries. You win long term by drafting and coaching your own players.

That, for the most part, is exactly what the Baltimore Ravens have done.

They have on occasion added players through free agent signings or trades, but for the most part, their roster is “home grown” in a sense. John Harbaugh is one of the best coaches in the NFL for a reason, he does his job, coach and develop players. His entire staff in general has done a good job in turning rookies into starters.

As of right now, the Ravens don’t have a lot of cap space to bring in free agents, so a strong draft is a must come this April. And if Ozzie Newsome should ever make a claim for being the best at what he does, then he would simply point to the players he has selected through the draft.

Overall, he has done a sensational job throughout his career of evaluating talent, and bringing that talent to his coaching staff for development. If you ask me, LB is their top need for this next draft, and there is expected to be plenty of talented LBs available in this next draft. In addition, they could also look to bolster their OL with one of their earlier picks, or perhaps add another speedy weapon for Joe Flacco to launch a bomb to. Despite the circumstances, the Ravens have options, and Ozzie Newsome has a plan. All I as well as any fan should do, is sit back, and watch what happens. After all, they are the defending Super Bowl champs.

Of course Rice was the best. But I didn’t have a problem with what Moss said. Sure, even prima donna egomaniac Hall of Fame WR Michael Irvin thought it was ridiculous to not give Rice his due. But so what? Moss is a future Hall of Famer, and he certainly changed the way teams started drafting receivers who could (almost) do what he did, and corners who could (try to) stop it.

It was the typical non-story that really didn’t deserve much time, even during the hype of Super Bowl media day. But I found it amusing to watch the media and/or former players falling over themselves with this self-righteous faux outrage… about sports! Mostly because it was so easy to be right. Rice has the rings, records, stats, AND the intangibles and documented work ethic!

The whole thing was stupid. It was the kind of garbage you’d expect in the doldrums of the off season… and so here we are. Speaking of stupid, since Jerry Rice has resoundingly maintained his grip on the title of Greatest Receiver of All Time, let’s see what else we can award him with.

I know: let’s make him not only THE greatest WR of all time, and among the best football players ever, it’s time we declare Jerry Rice The Greatest RICE of All Time.

With apologies and all due respect to his San Francisco neighbor Rice-A-Roni, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice, former Sectetary of State Condoleeza Rice, as well as musicians Tony Rice and Damien Rice, Uncle Ben, author Anne Rice, and that woman who slept with Gary Hart, Donna Rice, we’ll try to just stick to athletes.

If you’re reading this, you already know about the legendary career of Jerry Rice, and all his stats, records, and rings are readily available. (And Super Bowl week gave us all a nice refresher.) But I’ll just add this little tidbit: after breaking the career TD record, he then went on to amass 10,950 more receiving yards. Which is more than the entire careers of Anquan Boldin and Greg Jennings.

The Short List of Other Great Rices:

HOF Baseball player Jim Rice. I’ll put him first, cuz he’s a Hall of Famer and I’m really not into baseball but I knew his name immediately as an all-time great so I’m pretty sure he was at least very good and possibly legendary.

Rice University Alumni: Hall-of-Fame WR Don Maynard, former Raven O.J. Brigance, Seattle Sonics guard Ricky Pierce, Patriots Pro Bowler and Super Bowl Champion LB Larry Izzo, Vikings QB Tommy Kramer, former defensive lineman N.D. Kalu, baseball stars Lance Berkman and Jose Cruz, Jr.

You might not think so when you first read this sentence, but NBA star Glen Rice could be considered a borderline hall of famer. And he slept with Sarah Palin when he was in college!

Next up we get back to the NFL with dominant DL Simeon Rice. He was the AP and PFWA Defensive Rookie of the Year (1996), a three-time Pro Bowler (1999, 2002, 2003), four-time All-Pro selection (1996, 1999, 2002, 2003), Super Bowl champion (XXXVII), and a member of the 100 Sacks Club (13th among 29). Yea, that’s good Rice.

As for active players, Ravens running back Ray Rice just got a ring and he’s that rare breed of player who’s great in real life AND in fantasy football. He’s relatively young, but RB’s don’t last long. If he can add a ring and continue this statistical pace with some longevity, and maybe add another ring, he’s a potential hall of famer.

After that we start getting to the likes of  Seahawks WR Sidney Rice. Decent young player, but for the most part a signal that it’s time to start wrapping things up.

So, despite the impressive list presented here, Jerry Rice is in fact The Greatest Rice of All Time. And of course still the greatest wide receiver in NFL history. But rest assured, Randy, it’s safe to say that model Kate and WR Santana notwithstanding, you’re certainly The Greatest Moss of All Time.

Dec 23, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice (27) runs for a touchdown against the New York Giants in the second quarter during the game at M

Bernard Pierce will be getting the rock for the Ravens, and the rookie out of Temple has been great this season when given the chance to carry the ball. Pierce is averaging over five yards per carry (5.2 to be exact) and had a huge game last week against the New York Giants. The rookie back carried the ball 14 times for a whopping 123 rushing yards, and he will likely have another big day against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Rice also had a huge game against the Giants with 107 rushing yards on 24 carries in a workman-like performance, and the star also managed to haul in six passes from Joe Flacco for 51 receiving yards and a touchdown. If Rice does indeed miss today’s game against the Bengals, he will finish the season with 1,138 rushing yards (a solid 4.5 yards per rush) and ten total touchdowns (nine rushing, one receiving). He has caught 61 passes for 478 receiving yards this season as well and continues to be arguably the best all-purpose back around.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

November 25, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice (27) watches from the sidelines during the second quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Normally, when an individual is forgotten, it appears that they are not important or not needed. But in the time of need here comes the, ‘oh yeah,’ do not forget about such and such – factor.

The Baltimore Ravens have one of the best playmakers in the NFL in running back Ray Rice, but he appears to be more of an ‘oh yeah’ factor than a – factor.

One of the things that a NFL coach does not want to be called out on is their play calling, which is understandable because no one outside of them know their situation better than they do.

However, for Ravens’ offensive coordinator Cam Cameron to only use Rice, one of the most electrifying backs in the league, 13 times, including just 12 carries for 78 yards, in Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was totally disgusting.

The arrogance of Cameron is truly unbelievable.

Is Cameron is good coach, absolutely. Does he use common sense most of the time, no?

Rice was on fire against the big bad Steelers Sunday, and after his 34-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, one would think that with a seven point lead the Ravens would stick to the ground game in the fourth quarter to control the clock and take their shots down the field when the chances were there, especially in a contest where quarterback Joe Flacco struggled.

Nope!

It was as if the coaching staff told Rice that, ‘oh yeah, you played well after your 12 touches and you will not be needed in the fourth quarter.’

“I don’t know how many touches,” said Ravens’ head coach John Harbaugh after Sunday’s loss to the Steelers, 23-20. “Yes, you can write that story if you want, but that’s not the factor in the game. We got the ball to guys, and Bernard Pierce looked pretty good. I thought our guys … We did fine.”

In perhaps the play of the 2012 NFL season where Rice picked up the first down on fourth and 29 against the San Diego Chargers, the dump off pass to Rice appeared to be an, ‘oh yeah, there he is,’ play.

Nov 25, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice (27) is tackled by San Diego Chargers linebacker Andrew Gachkar (59) and defensive end Corey Liuget (94) during the second quarter at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

It is one thing to lose a game when a team comes up short after they gave all their effort. Now, to lose after not given all their effort, by not legitimately exercising all their options, is unacceptable.

“My touches go with the game flow. Obviously, I turned up a huge bunch of yards today, and we could have ran the ball a little bit more,” said Rice. “But you know what? Situational football came into play. We put ourselves in the best situation to try and win the game. It was all about execution today. We just fell a little short. Our offense is still a young, growing offense and we’re going to continue to try and get better each week.”

The Ravens have lost games unnecessarily due to not using all their options, mainly their best option in Rice. Baltimore’s lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2 for uncalled for after only using Rice for majority of the first half with a total of 16 carries.

Could the Ravens still have won that game against the Eagles? Yes, after a questionable push off by wide receiver Jacoby Jones late in the fourth quarter that negated a touchdown. Clearly, if the Ravens would have controlled the game on the ground by eating clock, the situation to throw the ball deep late probably would not have been necessary.

Dating back to last season, the Ravens lost senseless games where Rice was not used properly in contests that were not out of reach:

Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans, Rice carried the ball 13 times, Week 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had eight carries and five catches and in Week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks, he carried the ball five times, not including eight catches, – but only five times, that is laughable.

The Week 15 matchup against the Chargers, the Ravens were never in that game – but Rice touched the ball 10 times.

There is one thing that all these losses had in common, Flacco struggled.

Dec 2, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) pressured by Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Palamalu (43) at M

No one is expecting Flacco to be solid each game, as all quarterbacks struggle from time to time. Flacco is not that type of signal caller that can throw his way out of a slump as he needs all his components around him to click. This is when Rice and the running game should be used to take pressure off Flacco, especially if the game is not out of reach or the Ravens have the lead.

It appears, at times, that the coaching staff does not believe in their system. Coaches around this league get caught up in the deep ball so much that they will air the ball out to become something they are not.

To name a few, the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons are built to throw the ball. The Ravens are not, and for Cameron to allow Flacco to air it out, when they do not have to, is foolish.

When Flacco is struggling, he force bad throws, under throws, get indecisive, and hold the ball too long. Flacco is at his best when he is relaxed and Rice helps balance things out for the Delaware grad.

There is a time when a team should be conservative or aggressive. However, a coaching staff needs to be wise at the opportune time when they should be and able to be conservative or aggressive.

It is easy to be aggressive against the Oakland Raiders because they were an inferior opponent as the Ravens destroyed them in Week 10, 55-20. Moreover, the Ravens must know the signs of the players’ abilities in concern situations to be conservative or aggressive against better squads, which take skills.

Rice will always give the Ravens their best opportunity to win. This is why the coaching staff cannot afford to exclude him at any point of a game.

Because of Cameron’s desire to be a passing team, one cannot help to wonder if Rice is truly an ‘oh yeah, let’s use him’ factor or – a factor.

Barry Barnes is the founder of LockerReport.com and you can follow him @2BSports

November 18, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice (27) wears a terrible towel on his head as he returns to the locker room after the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. The Pittsburgh Steelers won 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was public enemy number one in Pittsburgh after taking a Terrible Towel following the team’s win over the Steelers on Sunday Night Football. Steelers fans saw Rice’s move as a sign of disrespect to the towel which has been an iconic symbol that is related to the team.

It may have appeared to be disrespectful on the surface, but Rice wanted to clear the air on the situation.

Rice exchanged the gloves he wore during the game with a Steelers fan in exchange for the Terrible Towel. He wanted it to add his collection of memorabilia that he is beginning to build in honor of his NFL career. He wanted a towel to add to the collection to help commemorate the most important rivalry in his career.

“I apologize to those who saw it as disrespectful. For me, I thought it was a pretty cool gesture, exchanging my gloves with a fan and walking out with it. Obviously, getting a victory there was cool and I leave it in the past. Their fans are great, the organization is great and the rivalry is always going to continue to be great,” Rice said, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

“To have something in your basement to know what the rivalry is all about is pretty cool. I’ve been exchanging jerseys with guys. My basement is geting pretty colorful down there with other teams’ stuff. [Having the towel was] not maliciously, just more out of respect.”

Many athletes build collections of memorabilia and it appears that Rice is just adding to his.

Steelers fans should respect the man gathering items to commemorate his career in the league. Your playing career doesn’t last forever, so you always should have little mementos to remember the time you were out playing the game you love.

Aug 3, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans running back Arian Foster (23) talks to running back Ben Tate (44) during training camp at Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE

Need help with preparing for your fantasy football league? The Fantasy Guru is here once again to give you a few tips on how to play the crazy game of fantasy football.

Another week of preseason games and we are now that much closer to the NFL season. To help you guys as much as I can, I’ll now be doing a mailbag every week on top of other fantasy posts to try and keep on top of the questions you guys are sending in. I have five emails to answer today so let’s get right to it.

Q: In your rankings you have my favorite running backs ranked low. Why so down on Arian Foster and Ray Rice? – Ravjit Singh from Mumbai, India

A: I’m actually writing about Rice this week so I’ll focus on Foster who I have ranked fifth. I’ll admit – I came very close to dropping him below both Chris Johnson and Tom Brady as I have genuine concern that Foster will not live up to standard. I have three main points of concern with Foster: injury risk, returning players and Ben Tate.

I remember last year seeing Arian Foster pull up lame early in the year and the result was that many fantasy players were selling him relatively cheaply. While Foster did come back and post good numbers, he did have injury issues throughout the year and I wonder if this is only the beginning as we have seen with some backs. Then there is the fact that you have both Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson returning from injury. I do expect the Texans to remain the running team they have become, the presence of Schaub and AJ could bring the team towards a more balanced attack. Then there is Ben Tate who stormed onto the NFL scene last year in Foster’s absence and cemented his place on the team and forcing Houston to employ a far more even timeshare.

Here’s a few facts for you – last season Arian Foster had only seven games of 20 or more carries and overall didn’t play three games. Of the games he did play, Foster had seven games with less than 4 yards per carry and six of those games were under 3.5 yards per carry. Perhaps the most disturbing stat however is the fumbles – in his final five games, Foster had five fumbles with three of them lost and then had a bad fumble in the second playoff game. This trend continues into this year’s preseason as we saw Foster lose a fumble in the game against Carolina the other night.

Foster is ranked fifth but if this were any other year I’d rank him much lower. Luckily for Foster, he is the recipient of this year’s lack of rushing depth.

Q: Here’s a quick one – who’s your favorite player that you didn’t rank and why? – Linc Mastironi from New Brunswick, New Jersey

A: It may be a quick question but it’s a tough one. If I had to name just one it’d probably be rookie Alshon Jeffery. In the past I’ve always been slightly cautious of these flashy rookie wide receivers as they rarely shine in their first year but Jeffery has looked pretty good in camp with his big body and has shown good hands while being able to make spectacular aerial catches using all of his 6 foot 3 frame and 36 1/2 inch vertical leap. Jeffery is worth a late flier in most leagues but you should still wait and see before deploying him.

Q: Yesterday I saw an article you wrote about the Chiefs offense. Should I be investing in Matt Cassel? – Jon Bridges from Bridgeport, Connecticut

A: In my report yesterday, I did have some pretty glowing remarks about Cassel who has looked very good this preseason and has in the past shown the ability to be a borderline fantasy starter. The problem with this is that there are a bunch of quarterbacks out there in the lower rounds who are capable of much the same thing. Now previously Cassel has been in that group of quarterbacks you shouldn’t draft and I believe you can now take him out of that group and into the backup tier with names like Sam Bradford, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Alex Smith. Aside from that it really is personal preference. Don’t reach for Cassel but if you don’t have a backup quarterback by the time you reach that 130+ range then he should definitely be on your radar.

Q: 12 team league, 4 keepers, $250 budget. I am keeping Cam Newton for $8, Wes Welker for $22 and Victor Cruz for $1. With my remaining keeper slot I want to hold onto a running back. Should I go Stevan Ridley for $5, Shonn Greene for $14 or reinvest in a big name by keeping Chris Johnson for $52? – Kevin Johnson from Long Island, New York.

A: First off, forget Shonn Greene – I don’t buy into him at all and with that Jets offensive line starting to look really bad there’s a sense that the bubble has burst on that situation.

The other two is a very interesting discussion because while Ridley is cheap and should give you good production, it is a reality that if you go into the draft with your elite lead running back locked up you are automatically in good shape. The problem with that is that it has also committed a good chunk of your budget also which can give you a disadvantage if other owners have cheap keepers.

Personally I’d roll the dice and lock up Chris Johnson while you can – you just never know what can happen in an auction and with the prices the top running backs could go for you may end up having your lead back at a high but reasonable price.

Q: Jake Locker and Ryan Tannehill have won the starting QB job for their teams. If you were writing rankings today, would either make your top 150? – Hayden Smith from College Station, Texas.

A: I’m going to frank here – Ryan Tannehill is not an NFL quarterback in my eyes. Not yet anyway. Back before the NFL draft, I made it very clear that I was opposed to any team drafting him in the top 10 and that hasn’t changed. Don’t go near him because I believe he’s headed for disaster.

Jake Locker is a quarterback I do like quite a bit but he has some maturing to do as well. He’ll be surrounded by a good running game and a very solid offensive line so things should be relatively comfortable for him despite not having much of a receiving corps. He’s another of these quarterbacks in that 15-22 range that I wouldn’t reach for but is definitely worth a look late in drafts. Just be aware that his accuracy issues will be there for a while yet but if he sorts that out midseason you might just get a nice reward later on.

———————–

That’s it for this week. As always you can send your questions to SZSuperLeague@live.com and I’ll answer more of them in next week’s fantasy mailbag. Also, keep an eye out later this week for my piece on Ray Rice – just be wary that it won’t be a fantasy specific report but there’ll be plenty of good information all the same.

Until next week, this is the Fantasy Guru signing off.

Jan 22, 2012; Foxborough, MA, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice (27) carries the ball against the New England Patriots during the third quarter in the 2011 AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE

At the very last minute before today’s 4:30pm EST deadline for franchise tagged players to sign long term, the Baltimore Ravens and star running back Ray Rice have agreed to a new deal worth $40 million over the next five years with $24 million guaranteed.

Details on the deal are pretty simple and offer something for both sides – Rice will receive $17 million in 2012 and a further $8 million in 2013 with the final three years being worth $15 million. This deal is good for both sides as not only does Rice get an $8 million per year average but Baltimore gets some security on the back end of the deal that should Rice’s production fall off the ability to cut him wouldn’t be too painful.

Ray Rice ran for a career high 1364 yards in 2011 with 12 touchdowns while hauling in 76 receptions for 704 and an additional 3 touchdowns.

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Jan 22, 2012; Foxborough, MA, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) takes the field prior to the start of the game against the New England Patriots in the 2011 AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE

Earlier in the offseason, it appeared that the Baltimore Ravens and quarterback Joe Flacco were set to negotiate a long-term extension. However, it appears that the two sides remain very far apart and Flacco could end up playing the final year of his rookie deal without the expected extension.

According to a Baltimore Sun report, negotiations with star running back Ray Rice have taken the precedence.

You can’t blame the Ravens for their stance. Flacco has not developed over the past few years and he remains to play at a level of mediocrity. Rice and the Ravens defense have carried the team, while Flacco has held back their progress.

If Flacco wishes to lock up a long-term deal, he needs to show the team this season that he is more than capable of becoming their franchise quarterback. If Flacco remains to be a middle of the pack quarterback, it is possible that the Ravens could look a new direction in 2013.

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Dec 18, 2011; San Diego, CA, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice (27) sits on the bench during the second half against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice has been absent from team workouts early this offseason but he has told Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times that, while he misses being with his teammates, he isn’t worried that missing the workouts will slow him down once the season starts.

“I miss it,” Rice said. “That’s one thing you miss is the camaraderie with the guys. As far as playing football, I know I’m always going to be up to speed. The best thing about my situation is that we have the same offensive coordinator. I miss the camaraderie. It’s sort of like the lockout last year. I know the guys are working hard.”

Rice and the Ravens still remain very far apart in contract talks, but the two sides have until July 16th to get something done.

If the Ravens and Rice can’t agree to terms, he will either choose to sign his franchise tender that would pay him $7.7 million for the 2012 season or prepare for a lengthy holdout.

Whenever Rice finally decides to rejoin the team, he should be ready to go. He is familiar enough with the offense and a top notch player that always keeps himself in shape. As long as the Ravens get him a contract and get him back on the field, the fans and team have nothing to be worried about when it comes to Rice being prepared to contribute on the field.

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