In his first public comments since not receiving any carries in last week's 34-3 shellacking of the Cincinnati Bengals, Ravens running back **Willis McGahee** said he is not getting frustrated watching others get the ball.
Even though he was active for the game, **Le’Ron McClain**
and Ray Rice split the rushing duties. That duo combined for 127 yards on 36 attempts, and McGahee is eager to join the action, perhaps this Sunday against the Washington Redskins.
"When my number is called, I'll be ready and be out there," McGahee said Wednesday. "But if not, Le'Ron and Ray are doing a great job. It's not like the running game is really struggling. I don't mind sitting back and watching."
After fighting through knee, eye, ribs and ankle injuries all season, McGahee affirmed that he was well enough to have played.
"Even though I've been plagued with injuries all year long – this is the most injuries I've had in a year – it's kind of rough," McGahee explained. "Nobody's really 100 percent on the football field. I can go out and play and do what I have to do, but they're resting, so I can't complain."
The six-year veteran thinks an extra week off could turn out to be a benefit.
"It's a positive," McGahee said. "The injuries that I have, it's given me a chance to heal my body and let it rest even more. It's adding another couple of years to my football life."
If not his career, the Ravens can at least look forward to having three healthy backs heading into a four-game December stretch where playoff implications are on the line.
Despite not playing in Cincinnati, head coach **John Harbaugh** has said that McGahee still figures into Baltimore's plans.
"We really like Willis McGahee," Harbaugh said in a press conference earlier this week. "We think he's a really good player, and we plan on Willis being a huge part of what we're doing in December.
"He's been practicing very well. He's getting stronger and stronger throughout the course of the season, and there's no question in my mind that Willis McGahee, a very talented back, is going to be a huge part of what we're doing here down the stretch."
McGahee is currently second on the team with 141 attempts for 489 yards and five touchdowns.
For his part, McGahee is taking his recent workload in stride.
"There's no need to be frustrated," he stated. "It's not going to get you anywhere. You can pout and cry all you want, but you're still not going to get on the field. Just be calm with it. Be glad that you are resting now, because I could tear my knee up even more. Then it would be drastic or something like that."
Injury Update
Offensive tackle **Jared Gaither**
(shoulder), safety Ed Reed
(thigh), and cornerbacks **Samari Rolle** (thigh) and **Fabian Washington** (shoulder) did not practice Wednesday.
Meanwhile, tackle **Adam Terry** was back out on the field after missing all last week with lingering effects from a concussion he suffered Nov. 23 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Terry was not listed on the injury report.
The Redskins had 11 players held out of their practice session.
Secondary Challenge
The Redskins come to Baltimore with the NFL's seventh-best pass defense due in large part to a cast of exceptional defensive backs.
Washington only allows 192.2 passing yards per game.
Rookie safety Chris Horton, a surprising seventh-round draft pick, leads the way with three interceptions, but there are definitely other playmakers Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco needs to consider.
The Redskins start talented cornerbacks Carlos Rogers and Shawn Springs, but they also have Fred Smoot and Pro Bowler DeAngelo Hall waiting in the wings.
And next to Horton is hard-hitting safety LaRon Landry, brother of Ravens safety Dawan.
"They have a group of guys at that back end that I don't think anybody else in the NFL has, with the] talent and experience,” said Baltimore wideout [**Derrick Mason**
. "They've got a lot of Pro Bowls between them and a lot of interceptions between all of them. They are a very, very good backend. They're probably the best that we've faced thus far."
Flacco, who has thrown 11 touchdowns and only two interceptions in his last seven games, isn't letting the challenge rattle him.
"Believe me, we know that they have good players, but we're not going to concentrate on that too much," he stated. "We know that we have the guys to match up against them, or at least we feel like we do, so we're going to go out there and try to prove that this week."
Heap Goes to School
Tight end **Todd Heap** joined third-grader Zachary Owings at Piney Ridge Elementary School in Sykesville, Md., for the NFL's "Take a Player to School" program.
Heap answered questions from an excited group of Owings' classmates before leading the children in a fitness session as part of the *NFL PLAY 60 *initiative, which encourages kids to be active for 60 minutes a day.
Fans Needed to Rock the Vote
The Ravens have three players leading their respective position in Pro Bowl fan balloting, which ends Dec. 9.
Fullback **Le’Ron McClain**
, safety **Ed Reed**
and inside linebacker Ray Lewis
all boast the top spot in their groups.
Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs
is fourth at his position with 160,131 votes as of Tuesday night.
Somewhat surprisingly among those in the Ravens' locker room is that punter Sam Koch
, guard **Ben Grubbs**
, offensive tackle **Jared Gaither**
, center **Jason Brown**
and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata
are not even in the top five of their position.
Vote your Ravens to the Pro Bowl here and for more information about the Ravens on the ballot, visit the Pro Bowl Bound? section.
Notable
The Ravens waived practice squad guard Nathan Bennett and placed defensive end **Bryan Mattison** on Injured Reserve (foot). To fill their spots on the practice squad, Bucknell defensive end Sean Conover and Mississippi guard Tre Stallings were signed. … Since 2003, the Ravens are 10-1 at home against the NFC, tying with Jacksonville for second among all AFC squads. … Baltimore has averaged a league-high 30.6 points over the past seven games. … In honor of the Redskins' first-ever trip to M&T Bank Stadium, the Ravens have created a limited-edition “Battle of the Beltway” t-shirt, which Flacco sported to the podium when he spoke to the media Wednesday. When asked where he got the shirt, Flacco shrugged and said, "They made me wear it," referring to Baltimore's public relations staff. The remark sparked loud laughter among the reporters in attendance.
