Claim from another thread about the Ravens not being willing to start rookies, and I thought that deserved its own thread...

I totally don't understand where this claim comes from. It's flat out not true. Nevermind the "Smith wouldn't be starting if Evans didn't get hurt," which is at best an impossible to prove claim. It's easily arguable that with how poorly Evans played and how well Smith was playing, he'd have been starting after four or five games.

But beyond that, the rest of it just isn't based on anything factual. In the Harbaugh era:

- Flacco has started every game in his career. Again, he got in due to injury early in the year, but he still would have seen playing time as a rookie.
- Rice got over 100 rushes and 30 catches as a rookie, despite having signed McGahee to a huge contract the year before.
- Nakamura may not have started, but he played in every game as a rookie.
- Same with Zibikowski.
- Oher started every game as a rookie.
- Webb played 14 games as a rookie and started four.
- Dickson played 15 games as a rookie and started three.
- McPhee didn't start any, but he had serious playing time in all 16 games last year.
- Jimmy Smith played 12 games and started three, missing four due to injury.

In every single case of players not playing their rookie season, you can point to a player or players in front of them who were either great players (say, Webb and Williams in front of Smith last year) or had just signed huge contracts when it comes to first or second round players not starting. But not getting playing time? Harbaugh having an aversion to playing rookies? I don't think this is even debatable that it's not true...

- C -