Scott Brown, ESPN Pittsburgh Steelers reporter 10y

Ray Rice won't detract from Ravens' focus

PITTSBURGH -- Fallout from the Ravens' release of running back Ray Rice on Monday -- and his indefinite banishment from the NFL for domestic abuse -- has prompted questions of whether it will distract Baltimore as it prepares for the first of its two games with Pittsburgh.

And on a short week no less.

But Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward said the siege mentality that has probably taken root at the Ravens' practice facility could actually bring Baltimore's players closer together -- and sharpen their focus on the 8:30 p.m. ET game Thursday night at M&T Bank Stadium.

"It's probably chaotic over there," Heyward said, "but you've just got to stay together as a team, focus on the task at hand and just continue to grow."

The Steelers did that a season before Heyward joined the team.

They played the first four games in 2010 without Ben Roethlisberger and closed ranks when the four-game suspension of the Steelers quarterback added TV cameras at the team's practice facility.

The Steelers went 3-1 without Roethlisberger, and only a late touchdown drive that Joe Flacco engineered at Heinz Field prevented them from winning all four games.

One reason the Steelers were able to play so well at the beginning of 2010 is they had ample time to prepare for the opening stretch without Roethlisberger. A dominant defense that took it upon itself to carry the team while Roethlisberger was out didn't hurt either.

The same holds true for the Ravens -- at least the part about preparing for the first part of the season without Rice.

"The simple fact (is) nothing changes because we knew he wasn't going to be able to play this week," Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said.

Indeed, Rice had been suspended for the first two games of the season before this week's video surfaced. It's not like his release has led to even longer hours this week for coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak.

The Rice saga will only bring the Ravens closer together, as counterintuitive as it seems that a distraction could actually galvanize a team.

If the Ravens lose Thursday night, it won't be because of Rice.

"It definitely kind of blindsided us," Suggs said. "Ray is our brother and we're not going to abandon him internally now. We still have a job to do. The season must go on and we're getting ready to play the Pittsburgh Steelers."

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