Ray Rice as slot receiver?

**AirFlacco** · 05-03-2013, 01:14 AM

Before you call me stupid - I'm just asking but think about this.

As everyone knows Ray didn't run too well in the POs but I contend there
weren't a lot of holes for him to run thru but he always beats you
catching the ball. Remember 4th and 29 in SD he took a short pass
and got the first down that set up Tucker's winning FG?

Why not put Ray in the slot, at least some of the time. We have a
capable backup with Bernard Pierce to run. We could even alternate
Rice with Pitta in the slot while moving Ray back to RB.

The Baltimore Colts did this with Lenny Moore. He was a great WR and then played
RB. As a young RB he looked in fear as the Eagles linebacker Bednarik and a pal
picked up Allan Amechie, carried him out of bounds and slammed his body down on the
training table but Lenny still became a great runner in addition as a receiver.

Like I said with Rice, they alternated Lenny between RB and WR and he even played
some CB which is what he was when they drafted him out of Penn State.

Ravens could utilized Rice the same way while still playing Doss or
Thompson.

With so many worried about the WR position, this might be a great option. I know Ray
doesn't have the height and size of a WR but but
he always gets open on those short passes and Caldwell can work
the middle with both him and Pitta in the slot.

BTW, Lenny wears two rings. One is his 58 Championship ring and the other is his HOF
ring. When asked which one is most important, he pointed to the championship ring and
said it took the entire team to get this ring.

Then he pointed to the HOF ring and said I got this one on my own. LOL

AGain, I'm just asking but fire away men.

http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/me...?PLAYER_ID=155

**leachisabeast** · 05-03-2013, 01:19 AM

We pretty much already do this tbh, I just expect to see it happen a little more this year because of the loss of Boldin.

**Spider Webb** · 05-03-2013, 01:45 AM

I hope we see more of Rice in the slot this year. He's a mismatch problem and playing more WR will prolong his career.

**AirFlacco** · 05-03-2013, 01:58 AM

Just like with Lenny Moore.

Thanks for the comments everyone.

**lobachevsky** · 05-03-2013, 03:46 AM

Originally Posted by AirFlacco

Remember 4th and 29 in SD he took a short pass and got the first down that set up Tucker's winning FG?

Nope, don't remember that at all.

I do remember something similar that happened with 1:57 left in the 4th quarter to set up Tucker's game-tying FG. The team still had to stop the Bolts a couple of times before he could kick the game-winning FG about 20 minutes later, with 1:07 left in OT.

How soon the mists of misremembrance cloud our minds...

Anyway, keep in mind that that pass was a dumpoff to R2 who had slipped out of the backfield into the flat. Jaws noted out in his analysis that when he caught the ball & turned upfield, the nearest defender was 27 yards away. That's the antithesis of the kind of pass you throw your slot receiver--with a LB or DB in close pursuit, if not draped all over him--& expect him to catch.

Rice in the slot, particularly as the 4th receiver in a long-yardage situation, creates matchup problems for the defense. Rice out of the backfield in the flat creates similar problems when a run, draw or screen is a viable threat to keep the defense guessing. I'd prefer to see the former sparingly & the latter much more often.

**AirFlacco** · 05-03-2013, 05:12 AM

You're right but at my age Im lucky to remember it at all. It's like I told the judge, I'm
too old to go to jail at my age. I'll be dead before I get there.

Ray wasn't in the slot on that play. It was a short pass from out of the backfield.

Yup, he even said he caught the entire defense leaning the wrong way to his right so he
cut left. That's called reading the keys.

And JJ was one of those guys caught flat footed-lol.

Here it is. I thought it was late in the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-fUeS8ry9I

**londonraven** · 05-03-2013, 06:25 AM

The fact that many of Rice's catches are check downs when he leaks out bumps his catching stats. I think it is not that often that he lines up in a place where he has to beat a man with route running and makes the catch.

I don't know if this is an available stat somewhere.

I look forward to alot more chaos on offense under caldwell, its the part about the ravens, I am looking forward to seeing most.

**wickedsolo** · 05-03-2013, 06:41 AM

I really want to see shotgun formations with Rice on one side and KJ on the other.

**Paintballguy** · 05-03-2013, 06:47 AM

He pretty much is like a slot receiver. I can see Caldwell having Rice and Pierce in the backfield at the same time in either an I formation or split back. Then, he could motion Rice out to the slot and either pass or run out of it.

Originally Posted by wickedsolo

I really want to see shotgun formations with Rice on one side and KJ on the other.

Yep that too. There are so many possibilities of what Caldwell can do to get mismatches.

**HoustonRaven** · 05-03-2013, 07:27 AM

Can we move Webb to safety too?

**wickedsolo** · 05-03-2013, 07:33 AM

Originally Posted by HoustonRaven

Can we move Webb to safety too?

**Kyle Cactus** · 05-03-2013, 07:47 AM

I'm not as enthused by this idea as some of you. I'm fine with motioning him out to receiver from time-to-time, but the bulk of his receiving production seems to come when he lines up in the backfield and then sneaks out for a dump off. In this scenario he usually has space to turn and make the first guy miss.

Running routes from the line of scrimmage he's going to be in and amongst the defense as he catches the ball, and many time he'd just get tackled before he can turn up field. Not to mention that his height is a liability if your asking him to run pass patterns into the defense.

I'm not saying it can't work. I just think he's better suited for the dump offs out of the backfield.