Bernard Pierce hurt?

[K-Dog]

it seems he disappeared early in the game.
Did he get hurt ?

[Moderator 3]

He was dinged up going into the game, limped off early on and never came back. I'm pretty sure he's hurt. Hope he heals quickly.

[cobrajet]

I hope he is OK, I was surprised they to see him as they announced that he was not playing.

[Bltravens]

He twisted up his ankle midway through the 2nd I think it was. Luckily we have the extra day to rest tomorrow so Pierce will be given 3 or 4 days rest of no practice I would imagine to heal up. I'll be shocked if he isn't ready to go next Sunday.

[raybaby]

he had an ankle injury before the game. he missed a couple practices and was limited towards the end of the week. hopefully they just wanted to avoid making it worse instead of this game making it worse.

[jimmypowder]

I firmly believe Pierce would have been more effective then Rice against the Broncos today .

We really need him healthy for the AFC Championship game

[Clayton Bigsby]

[quote name='jimmypowder' timestamp='1358049227' post='1308184']
I firmly believe Pierce would have been more effective then Rice against the Broncos today .

We really need him healthy for the AFC Championship game
[/quote]

On the carries Pierce got, he didn't get much. Overall, the run game still needs work. O-Line needs to open holes better. The thing I don't like about our zone blocking scheme is that it is very ineffective against very disciplined defenses that have great gap control and speed. It's something we need to look into fixing very soon.

[marylandmike12]

I hope he heals quick hes been a good backup the last two weeks with more yards than rice

[GrimCoconut]

Pierce will be critical regardless of who we play in the AFCCG. If we play the Patriots, then he is even more important. The Patriots have difficulty with RBs like Pierce. Not so much with Rice as evidenced by last years AFCCG.

I really want Pierce in this next game.

[flaccopoe]

Thank goodness Rice stepped up and put his postseason woes behind him! I was really nervous coming into the game about the situation at RB. Rice did a stellar job, rushing for over 100 and a TD!

[BloodRaven]

I would trust Anthony Allen behind this line.

[Guest RBates]

I'll bet it was the cold and the ankle. Those two don't mix.

[rayrayven]

[quote name='Clayton Bigsby' timestamp='1358050908' post='1308354']
On the carries Pierce got, he didn't get much. Overall, the run game still needs work. O-Line needs to open holes better. The thing I don't like about our zone blocking scheme is that it is very ineffective against very disciplined defenses that have great gap control and speed. It's something we need to look into fixing very soon.
[/quote]

Ravens are horrible run blockers. Ravens OL gets a push but they get all bunched up in the middle. Rice gets bottled up because there's nowhere to go - not even a slice of daylight. He cant even get passed his own blockers. Of course they are keying on Rice and that makes thinsg even harder (bit it makes for a better passing game. You can see on the 70 TD play what happens when the DBs attention is split bewteen guys going long and Rice running or getting ball under coverage. I always say Rice gets more defenders on him but he opens up the long passing game because DBs have to respect the run/short pass

[krrock10]

I really hope that Pierce is Ok. I much prefer him as a runner to Rice (I really like Rice in space).

But most importantly, I want 2 backs sharing the load. Rice was absolutely gassed towards the end of the Broncos game. It isn;t fair to ask Rice to carry that many times in OT, on a short week ,in the thin Denver air.

I guess the coaches would rather put the game on the line in Rice's hands than Allen, but, jeez, wouldn't hurt to have given Allen a shot with a few carries.

[wayne]

[quote name='krrock10' timestamp='1358113158' post='1310125']
I really hope that Pierce is Ok. [b] I much prefer him as a runner to Rice [/b](I really like Rice in space).

But most importantly, I want 2 backs sharing the load. Rice was absolutely gassed towards the end of the Broncos game. It isn;t fair to ask Rice to carry that many times in OT, on a short week ,in the thin Denver air.

I guess the coaches would rather put the game on the line in Rice's hands than Allen, but, jeez, wouldn't hurt to have given Allen a shot with a few carries.
[/quote]

IDK about saying that yet but I feel ya. Rice is still a good runner and they both bring two different styles to the table.

[The Raven]

Hurt. We will need him against the Patriots. We need someone who can emulate Ricky Williams' running style. Ricky played well against them last year. We need a one cut, down hill runner to run on them. I wouldn't be opposed to giving Allen some carries if Pierce can't go.

[izvoodoo]

[quote name='wayne' timestamp='1358113831' post='1310161']
IDK about saying that yet but I feel ya. Rice is still a good runner and they both bring two different styles to the table.
[/quote]
Strictly running Pierce. As an all around back Rice.

[krrock10]

[quote name='izvoodoo' timestamp='1358114245' post='1310172']
Strictly running Pierce. As an all around back Rice.
[/quote]
[quote name='izvoodoo' timestamp='1358114245' post='1310172']
Strictly running Pierce. As an all around back Rice.
[/quote]
Yeah, thats kind of my point. I really like the one cut runner in Pierce as I think it fits our O-line style. Im not hatng on Rice though, really like him overall.

[EricH]

Def want Pierce if we play the Pats.
IMO he will do better than Rice.

[BMORElegacy]

Any updates on his injury. I'm concerned a bit. I think he could be the x-factor for us. We all know BB eliminates one player from producing and we also all know that it is usually RIce he keys up on.

[Gordo52]

[quote name='BMORElegacy' timestamp='1358122980' post='1310491']
Any updates on his injury. I'm concerned a bit. I think he could be the x-factor for us. We all know BB eliminates one player from producing and we also all know that it is usually RIce he keys up on.
[/quote]
Agreed. But who knows, the way Joes been playing in the playoffs he might put alot more focus on him.

[dhstandard]

[quote name='izvoodoo' timestamp='1358114245' post='1310172']
Strictly running Pierce. As an all around back Rice.
[/quote]

I disagree. Pierce just fits better with this O-line. Birk can't do much in the middle so having Pierce power through works better than Rice's finesse.

[AsianRice]

I hope Pierce is good for next week cuz we really really need a bruising N%S RB in mixture of dancing Rice....

Get well Pierce.....

[cobrajet]

I hope he recovers this week. I really do!

[K-Dog]

Hopefully Anthony Allen is ready to put on his big boy pants.

[K-Dog]

Hopefully Anthony Allen is ready to put on his big boy pants.

[rayrayven]

[quote name='dhstandard' timestamp='1358123376' post='1310512']
I disagree. Pierce just fits better with this O-line. Birk can't do much in the middle so having Pierce power through works better than Rice's finesse.
[/quote]

What Pierce fits better is the defense he runs against. People keep assuming Rice and Pierce are running against the same defense when they aren't. Defenses stack the box vs Rice, assign players to him etc. Pierce doesn't get that. If a playoff caliber defense says "our #1 task is topping Pierce" then Pierce is going to get stopped with the Ravens hideous run blocking. Rice is not a "finesse runner". His calves are bigger thah DTs. He can run 2 feet off the ground and pounds the heck out of defenders shins. Rays trademark in college - as cited by Ozzie - was that when Ray Rice ran into a pile he always came out the other side. That's true - and a reason if Rice had returned a senior year he only needed and average year to set all-time NCAA D1 career ruishing record. The problem now is that with extra attention Rice gets the Ravens OL cant creat a hint of a running lane. Rice is trapped behind his own guys. But Rice still opens up the passing game because defenders have to play the line of scrimmage and leave the pass coverage more sketchy. Pierce doesn't do that either. Pierce is a good back. I posted his college highlights on my YouTube before he was even a Raven. He's a good change up off the bench but people who think hes a better runner than Rice don't really understand what's going on. They see two guys running with a ball and are oblivious to everything else.

[cwfRaven]

Been hoping for an update all day, but I guess no news is good news...and I suppose it's smarter to keep quiet and have him be a "game time decision" because I'm sure he hasn't gone unnoticed by the pats...but it sure would make me feel better to know he's ok.

Hey Harbs!!! If you are reading this, call me!

[BloodRaven]

[quote name='rayrayven' timestamp='1358139554' post='1311134']
What Pierce fits better is the defense he runs against. People keep assuming Rice and Pierce are running against the same defense when they aren't. Defenses stack the box vs Rice, assign players to him etc. Pierce doesn't get that. If a playoff caliber defense says "our #1 task is topping Pierce" then Pierce is going to get stopped with the Ravens hideous run blocking. Rice is not a "finesse runner". His calves are bigger thah DTs. He can run 2 feet off the ground and pounds the heck out of defenders shins. Rays trademark in college - as cited by Ozzie - was that when Ray Rice ran into a pile he always came out the other side. That's true - and a reason if Rice had returned a senior year he only needed and average year to set all-time NCAA D1 career ruishing record. The problem now is that with extra attention Rice gets the Ravens OL cant creat a hint of a running lane. Rice is trapped behind his own guys. But Rice still opens up the passing game because defenders have to play the line of scrimmage and leave the pass coverage more sketchy. Pierce doesn't do that either. Pierce is a good back. I posted his college highlights on my YouTube before he was even a Raven. He's a good change up off the bench but people who think hes a better runner than Rice don't really understand what's going on. They see two guys running with a ball and are oblivious to everything else.
[/quote]

They both have their roles and while there are more things that Rice does better, Pierce generates more momentum and is harder to stop.

[rayrayven]

"Pierce generates more momentum and is harder to stop."

No - runs againsty an easier defensive scheme. Surprised so many fans struggle with this.

Nice bit from ESPN:


"Rice finished with 94 yards and one touchdown in between the tackles, the most against the Broncos this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Denver entered this game with an NFL-best 3.52 yards per rush inside the tackles.

This marked the first time in seven playoff games that Rice gained more than 70 yards rushing. Rice, who totaled 131 yards rushing, also became the second player this season to produce 100 yards rushing and a touchdown against Denver. The only player to do so was New England's [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14028/stevan-ridley"]Stevan Ridley[/url] in Week 5,"

[url="http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/70535/ravens-ray-rice-is-tough-up-the-middle"]http://espn.go.com/b...h-up-the-middle[/url]

Pierce had 2.8 vs Broncos on 5 carries.