Heading into the stretch run, the Ravens' title defense has taken another major hit.
Defensive end Michael McCrary told The Sun that he will be out for the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery yesterday. The defending Super Bowl champions have lost three starters this season, with McCrary joining injured running back Jamal Lewis and right tackle Leon Searcy.
McCrary, the Ravens' sack leader this season, described the procedure as a non-weight bearing surgery, meaning he cannot walk on the leg for a month. The knee injury, which occurred in the season opener Sept. 9, will keep him in a wheelchair and crutches until the middle of December.
"It sucks I'm out for the season," McCrary said. "I fought as long as I could, but I didn't have any more push [in the leg]."
Ravens officials declined to comment on the specifics of the injury yesterday, saying they would make a formal announcement today. That's when they'll likely put Mc- Crary on injured reserve, ending his season of perseverance.
Unable to participate in a full practice since the first week of the regular season, the nine-year veteran is fourth on the team with 64 tackles and seventh in the AFC with 7 1/2 sacks.
The team originally believed McCrary needed surgery to repair cartilage in the knee, an arthroscopic procedure that would have sidelined him one to three weeks (including a bye week Dec. 9). But the surgeons found more severe damage in the knee.
In Sunday's 27-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns, Mc- Crary finished with five tackles, an interception and a pass deflection. He proved his relentless attitude by making the final two tackles of the game.
"At first, I wasn't feeling it. It wasn't killing me," Mc- Crary said. "I was getting the knee drained every week before the game. The only reason I didn't tell anybody is because I didn't want the other team to know. I tried to go as long as I could, but when you can't even get up and go to the bathroom, you can only go so far."
A picture of consistency, Mc- Crary has had at least nine sacks in four of his past five seasons. His 60 1/2 sacks are the most in the NFL since midway through the 1996 season.
He had been the Ravens' iron man, starting in a franchise-best 72 straight games.
"He's a tough guy and he plays through it," defensive line coach Rex Ryan said. "I think what happens is that you always assume everything is OK because he plays so hard. You wish everybody has that kind of motor. We just have to wait and see."
