Ravens need answers from McGahee, not questions

Let us count the ways. The options behind McGahee include rookie Ray Rice and third-year man Cory Ross, who has spent the majority of his first two seasons off the roster or on the inactive list.

In his four seasons since recovering from a devastating knee injury suffered in his final collegiate game at Miami, McGahee has failed only once to crack 1,000 yards rushing in five seasons.

He is coming off of his only Pro Bowl after gaining nearly 1,500, all-purpose yards in his first year as a Raven.

In the minds of Coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, the Ravens intend to be a physical, smashmouth offense, ideally looking to run the ball around 40 times a game.

And they want McGahee to be the unit’s mule.

Considering the glaring question marks at quarterback and offensive tackle, that’s a logical identity to adopt. The Ravens want to play to their defense and special teams, win the battle for field position and put little pressure on their passing game.

They want to grind, work the clock, shorten the game, let their young linemen to fire off the ball and give McGahee room to pound it inside or slash outside. In short, they want McGahee, between running and receiving, to have the ball in his hands about 25 times a game.

All of which points to the most ominous development emanating from Camp Harbaugh.

After McGahee refused to attend voluntary offseason workouts, showed up for training camp out of shape and reported late to his first practice, he reinjured his left knee.

For more than a week, the Ravens publicly were saying the knee simply required some rest, but privately expressing more serious concerns. Then, they decided to have it surgically cleaned up, after which they said they expect McGahee to be ready for the season opener against Cincinnati on Sept. 7.

Hmmmm.

This is where the prognosis gets a bit sticky.

Even if McGahee is ready to suit up against the Bengals, how effective could he be? There’s a good chance he might not even practice hard before Labor Day.

In that case, McGahee probably would need a few weeks just to round into football shape, just so can play the pivotal role of the mule. And that’s probably the best-case scenario.

Arhthroscopic surgery has become a medical miracle, as players’ recovery times are reduced to weeks and months instead of a years.

But this much seems clear: McGahee is — at the very least — in for a season of soreness and swelling and constant treatment.

That’s not exactly the best set-up for 300 carries this fall.

The Ravens had to do something — and their first move was a head-scratcher, in a sense.  Signing veteran fullback and battering ram Lorenzo Neal was a solid move. It gives the Ravens much-needed depth behind second-year man Le’Ron McClain, who has had an excellent training camp.

The Ravens envision McClain and Neal in the same backfield at times, with McClain, at 6 feet and 260 pounds, taking snaps at running back.

Interesting. That sounds like a beefy, effective option in short-yardage and goal-line situations, but  little else.

Defenses at the NFL level have too much speed, and would simply load up the line of scrimmage to neutralize the battering rams, thus putting more pressure on the quarterback to make a play.

Gulp.

McGahee has not exactly endeared himself to Harbaugh, whose first season is as much about weeding out the malcontents as it is about winning games. McGahee’s best answer is to show up on Sundays and produce an average of about 100 all-purpose yards.

In order to win more than four or five games, the Ravens need a productive McGahee, which means they need a healthy McGahee and not a disturbing question mark.

Gary Lambrecht writes about the NFL, Major League Baseball and college sports. He can be reached at glambrecht@baltimoreexaminer.com.