Stanley, T. Williams using bye to rest
Mosley climbing franchise list for most tackles; extra week off for Montgomery
Ravens starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley said Tuesday morning that his injured left ankle is “coming along,” and his aim is to be healthy enough to return for the team’s next game, against the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 18 at M&TBank Stadium.
“We’ll see,” said the 6-foot-6, 315-pound Stanley, who was injured in a 36-21 loss at the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 28 and was replaced by 6-4, 335-pound Jermaine Eluemunor in a 23-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. “I’m going to do everything I can to be ready for that game, and that’s going to be up to Coach.”
Stanley, who walked around the locker room without the walking boot he wore after the Panthers game, is oneofafewplayers who are onthe mendandhopingto take advantage of the bye week to improve physically.
Outside linebacker Tim Williams still wore a walking boot to protect the right ankle he said he injured in the loss to Carolina, but said it is improving.
“Everybody would love to be out there, but you’ve got to know your body,” said Williams, who has made two sacks but did not play against Pittsburgh. “You’ve got to take care of your body.”
Slot cornerback Tavon Young suffered a right ankle injury late in the fourth quarter against the Steelers andlimped into the locker room. But after a few minutes, he returned to the field, and he said Tuesday he would have played if the game had gone into overtime.
“I thought the offense was going to score,” he said. “I wasgoing to comebackinthe game and help.”
Cornerback Maurice Canady, who was mentioned by coach John Harbaugh Monday as a potential candidate to return from injured reserve, said he is hoping to be available for the game against Cincinnati.
“That’s my expectation as well,” said Canady, who was placed on injured reserve Sept. 17 because of a hamstring injury. “I’ve been working hard these past weeks that I’ve been off. I’ve been getting ready to get back into the swing of things. So yeah, I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited.” Mosley moves into top five: With seven tackles in Sunday’s loss to the Steelers, Ravens middle linebacker C.J. Mosley moved into fifth place in franchise history in all-time tackles with 529, passing outside linebacker Jarret Johnson (523 tackles) and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (528).
“It’s a blessing,” Mosley said Tuesday morning of the achievement. “I saw the paper with the list of the players that I passed. I was looking at Haloti, and I saw [outside linebacker Terrell] Suggs up there [at No. 2 with 929]. I think it was J.J., Jarret Johnson. If you just look at their careers and the legacy they left here, I’m just going into my fifth year, and I passed some great Ravens. So it’s just another thing where when you take a loss or think everybody’s down, there’s something that can keep you going and keep you motivated.”
The feat is one more thing Mosley and his representation can cite when they negotiate with the front office for a new contract after this season. Mosley, who is in the final season of his rookie contract, has been a Pro Bowl selection three times in four years since the organization selected him in the first round of the 2014 draft.
Mosley is 132 tackles away from catching free safety Ed Reed. Unless he averages more than18 stops in the team’s final seven gamesof the regular season, it is unlikely Mosley will pass Reed this year. But that won’t stop him from trying.
“I’ve got a while before I get to 2,000,” Mosley joked, referring to Ray Lewis’ team record of 2,643 tackles. “So I’ll just focus on the next man up.” Montgomery gets rare second bye: The bye week has a familiar feel to Ty Montgomery, who is one of a few players who are enjoying a second bye this season. He was a member of the Green Bay Packers, who had their bye in Week 7.
“I can’t say whether or not that will give me an advantage,” said the running back-wide receiver, whowasahealthy scratch Sunday. “I “I’m going to do everything I can to be ready for that game, and that’s going to be up to Coach,” Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley said about possibly returning Nov. 18. definitely feel fresh, and … having a bye week already and not playing muchagainst the [Los Angeles] Rams [in Week 8] and now not playing for twoweeks, that will definitely help the body.”
Montgomery said he intends to use the bye to immerse himself in the offensive playbook so that he can be active for games. But he declined to suggest he can serve as a catalyst to a rushing unit that ranks 27th in the NFLin yards per game (92.7) and 31st in yards per carry (3.6).
“I almost feel like if I answer that question, that’s mesaying this offense needs a spark,” he said. “I don’t know. I’m going to do whatever’s asked of me, wherever they put me, whatever they tell me to do, and I’m going to help the team any way I can.” Extra points: After preventing opponents from scoring a touchdown in the second half in each of the first six games, the defense has surrendered four second-half touchdowns over the past three games — all of which have been losses. The culprit, according to Harbaugh, is a red-zone defense that has given up 10 touchdowns in 13 attempts. “To me, that’s the biggest issue if you want to talk about why they are scoring touchdowns,” he said. “We were stopping them in the red zone earlier in the year, and we haven’t been now. It’s play-to-play as far as why they’re scoring, but it’s our job to put a stop to that. Andwehaveto put a stop to that, especially in the red zone. We’ve been a great red-zone defense here for many, many years. For us to have this stretch where we’re not stopping people in the red zone is something that’s kind of ticking us all off a little bit, and we all want to get better.” ... Former Ravens and Maryland wide receiver Torrey Smith announced via Twitter that Torrey Smith Park in his hometown of Colonial Beach, Va., will open this week. “Thankful for the opportunity to contribute back to the lil country town that made me,” said the Panthers wide receiver, who referred followers to the park’s website (colonialbeachfoundation.org) for more information. “I did my part and the community is continuing progress forward.” team success. The Ravens are winless in his three starts this season, but his accelerated emergence could hasten other changes, big and small.
“The fact that you have one more piece into the puzzle [with Brown], so to speak, kind of bolsters all the other pieces,” Harbaugh said. “That’s going to be fun to watch.”