At the beginning of the season, the one player the Ravens could ill afford to lose was quarterback Steve McNair.
Now, near the midseason point, it has to be cornerback Chris McAlister. Going in to Monday night's game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh, it is questionable whether McAlister will play.
If he does, you have to wonder how much he can give on an injured right knee that he severely strained earlier in the season.
Even without McNair and other injured starters such as offensive linemen Mike Flynn, Jonathan Ogden and Adam Terry, tight end Todd Heap and defensive end Trevor Pryce this season, the Ravens have been competitive.
But without McAlister, the Ravens are extremely vulnerable to big pass plays. As the shutdown cornerback, McAlister is responsible for playing against the other team's top receiver.
Maybe he occasionally gave up a big play, but McAlister has been pretty consistent the past three seasons. If he can't play, veteran Samari Rolle would replace McAlister as the shutdown corner.
Rolle has played better this season compared with last and has been solid in his past two games, but he doesn't have the same physical skills McAlister has.
And if Rolle matches up with Pittsburgh wide receiver Hines Ward, that leaves the Steelers' Santonio Holmes against Ravens cornerback Corey Ivy.
Uh-oh. That's not a good matchup for the Ravens. Holmes can fly. He leads the Steelers in receptions with 26 for 426 yards and four touchdowns.
In other words, McAlister needs to heal fast.
Wrong move
The Ravens' decision to waive quarterback Derek Anderson two years ago might come back to haunt them even more.
After being drafted in the sixth round by the Ravens in 2005, Anderson was having an impressive training camp. The Ravens, though, still waived him. Cleveland Browns general manager Phil Savage, a big Anderson fan when he was the Ravens' director of player personnel, claimed Anderson off waivers.
Now, Anderson seems to have Cleveland on the upswing.
Meanwhile, Baltimore is the only team in the AFC North without a quarterback of the future. McNair's best days are behind him, and backup Kyle Boller is just that: a backup. The Ravens have rookie Troy Smith on the roster, but he is considered a project.
Also, with the Ravens' record of drafting or signing free-agent quarterbacks, they might have to invest in another one in April for insurance.
