Ravens RB Ray Rice Could Get 4-6 Game Ban
The Baltimore Ravens endured a rough season with Ray Rice and the running game in 2013. Now they might have to work their way through struggles in the backfield without him, too.
According to various reports, the star running back could be facing anywhere from a four to six game suspension for his part in a domestic dispute with his fiance’. Rice apologized publicly for the February assault on his then fiance’, who he has since married.
While Rice appears genuinely sorry and is ready to move forward, the NFL may not be so quick to forgive. With recent criticism that the league has been coming down overly hard on supposed minor violations (driving under the influence and marijuana consumption), Roger Goodell and co. may feel it is necessary to set a precedent for any kind of physical abuse toward a woman.
An exact ban remains to be determined, which still opens the door to it being substantially less (or even more) than many are speculating currently.
With that out of his control, Rice is still preparing as if he’s going to play in week one. The Ravens have already stated that he will have an opportunity to retain his starting role in their rushing attack, and that he would likely get an opportunity to take it back, even if he did have to serve a suspension to start the season.
Rice has reportedly dropped 20 pounds to stay lighter and quicker, as he was noticeably sluggish and lacked explosiveness during a down 2013 season. Rice had by far his worst season as a full-time starter a year ago, as he compiled just 660 rushing yards on 214 carries (a meager 3.1 yards per carry average).
In his defense, Rice was bogged down by nagging injuries for a good portion of the season, while the entire Baltimore offense simply was out of sync for most of the year.
Rice should be quicker and more explosive at a lighter weight this year, but the lessened body mass could also leave him more vulnerable to injury. Of course, at the moment, his weight is the least of his or the Ravens worries heading into 2014.
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