The good news for the Ravens is that they enter the bye with a 5-2 record and five of their remaining nine games at home. But the bad news is that problems on kickoff returns continue to haunt the team, which is tied with the Miami Dolphins for 23rd in the NFL with a 21.3-yard average.
The Ravens are tied with 10 other teams with zero returns of 40 yards or more, and they are tied with four teams for the most fumbles on kickoff returns with two.
The unit's troubles were punctuated Sunday when Josh Wilson was stripped of the football, and the Buffalo Bills converted the turnover into a field goal to take a 10-3 advantage with 2:01 left in the first quarter.
The issues prompted an emphatic response from coach John Harbaugh during his weekly news conference Monday.
"If you look at our special teams, I think we're playing really well — except for the return game, specifically kickoff returns," he said. "That's been tough. Putting the ball on the ground was really, really a problem. That should never have happened. Josh will tell you that. There's no reason for it to happen. It was not well-blocked. They did a nice job of covering and making some blocks miss. But at that point in time, you minimize. You get it up to the 20-yard line, and the offense goes and we'll be in good shape.
"To me, the returners are trying a little too hard to make a play," Harbaugh continued. "That's the big thing. Make a good, solid play, run the ball north and south, protect the football high and tight, and we'll get it blocked, and there'll be some plays there for us. But don't make an average play into a bad play. That's kind of the cardinal sin."
Punt returns have been absent, too. The Ravens rank 31st in average yards (5.7) and with Tom Zbikowski sidelined by a bruised heel, the team elected to use Lardarius Webb even though Harbaugh had expressed a desire to keep Webb off of special teams to avoid risking a setback to his surgically repaired right knee.
"As far as putting Lardarius back there, he's a guy that's got some talent and some ability," Harbaugh said. "He's a good returner, and we felt like he was our best option in this game. I do feel confident that we do have some guys that can do it as we go forward. Obviously, Zibby will be coming back, Chris Carr's an option back there, Donte' Stallworth will be coming back, [Derrick] Mason's been in my ear to do it. So guys want to help. Guys want to be a part of it. So we'll try to get that thing going."
Although he settled for a fair catch and did not get another shot at punt returns, Webb said he had no objection to playing special teams.
"They just know what I do," he said of the coaches. "I do a lot of things. You just don't know. … I'll play anything. I just want to win and get better."
Mason has not returned a punt since joining the organization in 2005, but he went to his first Pro Bowl in 2000 as a member of the Tennessee Titans after leading the NFL in punt return yards (662) and ranking second in average yards on kick returns (27.0).
Committed to McGahee
The decision to make running back Willis McGahee one of the team's three captains for Sunday's game was partly based on McGahee meeting the team that chose him with the 23rd overall pick in the 2003 draft.
But after McGahee did not play against the New England Patriots Oct. 17 for the first time since Nov. 30, 2008 and was the subject of trade rumors before Tuesday's trade deadline, the organization wanted to send a message about McGahee's status with the Ravens.
"I also felt like it was important to let everybody know how important he is to our football team," Harbaugh said. "He didn't play the week before as much. I take responsibility for that. He should've played the week before, and he's going to play a lot going forward. That's a little bit of a statement that way."
Disappointment over Gaither
In his first comments on the subject of Jared Gaither, Harbaugh said the inability to pinpoint the exact issue with the offensive tackle's thoracic disk injury in his back and the Ravens' need for a roster spot necessitated moving Gaither to injured reserve last weekend.
On Saturday, the team placed Gaither on injured reserve, ending his attempted comeback from a back injury that flared up on Aug. 5 and allowed him to practice just once — albeit on a limited basis — during the regular season. Moving Gaither and waiving linebacker Edgar Jones allowed the Ravens to activate free safety Ed Reed and linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo from the physically-unable-to-perform list.
"I'm disappointed for Jared, and I'm disappointed for our team," Harbaugh said Monday. "It's just one of those things where we were never able to solve the back issue. He'd be the first to tell you that it's not right, and the roster spot became necessary for us to make the change. I just feel bad for Jared more than anything."
Cundiff continues stellar season
