Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan is crossing his fingers. With a little luck, he might get starting cornerbacks Samari Rolle and Chris McAlister on the field for the first time Saturday night against the St. Louis Rams.
Both have missed big chunks of training camp because of injuries, and this would be an ideal opportunity for them to get some playing time.
Most teams prefer to play their starters three quarters in the third preseason game and then play them very little in the fourth and final game before the season opener.
Ryan just wants to get his starters on the field once before the Ravens host the Cincinnati Bengals in the regular-season opener Sept. 7.
"I think you need to play in the preseason, especially the cornerbacks," Ryan said. "There is nothing like going out there and covering guys in game situations. Hopefully, Chris and Samari will get some reps."
This has been the first time that Rolle, McAlister and safety Ed Reed have practiced for an entire week together without an interruption, Ryan said.
It comes at a good time, because there was some concern about the poor performance of the secondary Saturday in the Ravens' 23-15 loss to Minnesota. The Vikings passed for 206 yards, 106 in the first quarter.
There was some miscommunication, but at times, the Ravens' reserve corners just got beat. Ryan will feel better with Rolle and McAlister in the lineup.
He would feel even better if they can play against the Rams.
"I certainly hope they play," Ryan said. "We won't have everybody because we won't have Ed, but we might have some of the other regulars. They have been working hard, so we'll wait and see what [trainer Bill Tessendorf] decides. The good news is that they have been working."
McAlister and Rolle know they have something to prove. Every time they have been mentioned in preseason publications, the words "veteran" or "old" appear before their names.
Last season, McAlister, 31, missed eight games because of a knee injury. Rolle, 32, missed 10 games because of symptoms related to epilepsy and a shoulder injury.
But Ryan has liked what he has seen from them this week.
"Having them back doesn't change what we do or what we have done so far," Ryan said. "It's preseason. Obviously, you don't run everything. But they do need to work. So far, Samari has been flying around all over the place, and Chris looks good, too."
