OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- For the first time since 2008, the Baltimore Ravens are starting a season without knowing who will be their featured running back.
The release of Ray Rice on Monday puts a major question mark in the Ravens' backfield. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he doesn't have to make a decision on who'll be the team's top back in Thursday night's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers or the other 14 remaining games on the schedule. The play of the running backs will provide the answer for him.
"You go with guys that are making plays at those positions," Harbaugh said, "probably more so at running back than any position, when you have a number of guys kind of in the same spot.”
As I touched upon Monday, the Ravens will likely go with a running back by committee approach because there is no established starter. The three tailbacks on the roster -- Justin Forsett, Bernard Pierce and Lorenzo Taliaferro -- have a combined nine NFL starts. That's a stark contrast to Rice's 80 career starts.
Forsett is the favorite to start Thursday night after he gained 70 yards on 11 carries in the season opener and played most of the snaps in the second half. Harbaugh explained that Forsett got the chance because Pierce fumbled in the second quarter, but Forsett's production kept Pierce on the sideline.
"It’s just [that] Justin was rolling," Harbaugh said. "He was making good decisions; he was picking up pass protection. We had confidence in him at that time more so than the other running backs."
Pierce remains in the Ravens' plan at running back despite being benched for the entire second half Sunday, Harbaugh said. Of all of the Ravens' backs, Pierce figures to be the back who ends up with the most carries by the end of the season.
He has more size than Forsett and more experience than Taliaferro, a rookie fourth-round pick. It should be noted that Pierce's fumble was the first of his career; he previously had a stretch of 265 carries without one.
"You don’t lose faith in a player because of a bad play," Harbaugh said. "Bernard is still on his way to becoming, I would say, a very good player, and I’ve been saying that all along. I have the utmost confidence in him. He’s going to fight and battle. He’s not going to be perfect -- none of us are -- but Bernard Pierce is a big part of what we’re doing, just as are Justin [and] Lorenzo [Taliaferro] as well.”
The Steelers have just as many question marks regarding their run defense. Pittsburgh allowed 183 yards rushing to the Browns on Sunday, and Cleveland's top two backs (Terrance West and Ben Tate) combined for 141 yards on 22 carries (6.4-yard average).
"If you saw our run defense last week, you know that we have respect for anybody’s ability to run the football," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "We have a lot of work to do in that regard.”