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Each week, Baltimore Sun reporter Jamison Hensley will answer fans' questions about the Ravens. To submit a question, e-mail sports@baltsun.com. Write Hey, Jamison in the subject field and provide your name, the city you live in and phone number so we can verify the e-mail.
HEY, JAMISON: Joe Flacco has thrown at least one interception in all but one game this season. Is anybody talking about this trend that he is falling into? Also, have the Ravens talked about using Kelly Talavou as a fullback in the "Jumbo" package? It's understandable that they wouldn't use Haloti Ngata, but the other guy is huge and used to hitting. Brandon Harrell Baltimore
HEY, BRANDON: Nobody is talking about Flacco's interceptions right now because there's already a long list of offensive concerns. There's Derrick Mason getting shut out on catches, Willis McGahee getting fewer touches, Jared Gaither's neck, etc. But this is a growing problem. Only five quarterbacks have thrown more than Flacco's five interceptions. The most critical ones were the picks in the red zone the past two weeks. When the Ravens get inside the 20, they need to come away with at least a field goal. In the past, we could just blame any offensive problem on Brian Billick. But we can't do that anymore.
As for the second part of your question, I am quite impressed that you know who Talavou is and spelled his name correctly. But the Ravens won't be using him in an offensive package any time soon because he hasn't been active to play his primary position at defensive tackle. He is the fifth defensive tackle, which means he won't suit up on Sundays unless Ngata, Kelly Gregg, Justin Bannan or Brandon McKinney gets hurt. If the Ravens want to go with a "Jumbo" backfield, they could easily put in Ngata.
HEY, JAMISON: How much longer is Demetrius Williams going to stay on the bench? We lack the tall, fast receiver, but we have one on the roster who has proved he can make plays when given the chance. Do you know what is going on here?
When can we start to see what the Ravens have in some younger players? Kelly Gregg is not what he was, and the Ravens have at least three good defensive tackles on the roster who deserve a chance. The Ravens also have a cornerback in Lardarius Webb who has shown flashes of what he can do when Chris Carr is not playing well.Ben Fried Potomac
HEY, BEN: This is a special moment because this is the first "Hey, Jamison" question that comes from one of my tweets (Commercial plug: You can follow me at www.twitter.com/jamisonhensley). Now, Let me answer your player concerns …
Demetrius Williams: Don't expect to see him on Sundays anytime soon. He had his shot at solidifying himself as the No. 3 wide receiver for the past couple of years but was limited by injuries. When he was finally healthy this summer, he was outplayed by Kelley Washington. Williams is about to be pushed from No. 4 wide receiver to No. 5 with the addition of David Tyree. Because Tyree plays special teams, Williams likely won't even suit up on Sundays.
Kelly Gregg: He didn't play well against Cincinnati. But removing Gregg won't fix anything. If the Ravens were going to make a switch with Gregg, they would put Justin Bannan in that spot instead of a younger player. I still can't believe that Gregg was able to return so quickly from last year's microfracture surgery.
Lardarius Webb: The Ravens like this rookie a lot. So, there is a chance Webb could see playing time on defense, but it probably wouldn't happen until after next week's bye.
HEY, JAMISON: I am a season-ticket holder, and while watching the game [Sunday] it was apparent that the Ravens are not where they need to be on both sides of the ball, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Our fans should sit back and enjoy this season, win or lose, and know that the Ravens are very close to building a great football team instead of dreaming that we are currently a playoff contender. What do you think?Don Gordon Pikesville
HEY, DON: The Ravens put themselves in a bad situation by doing so well last season. If they had gone 5-11 under a rookie coach and quarterback, the expectations this year would be a .500 season. Instead, fans - and even fellow Baltimore Sun reporter Ken Murray - predicted at Super Bowl appearance this year. (Side note: Murray has not picked against the Ravens this year, so I think he also predicted an undefeated season.)
But repeating success is hard in the NFL these days. Just look at the standings. Of the eight division winners from last season, only two are in first place five weeks into the season. My gut says we'll find out the mettle of this Ravens team in another month. That's when they play a key three-game stretch: home against the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers and at Green Bay.
HEY, JAMISON: Joe Flacco has thrown at least one interception in all but one game this season. Is anybody talking about this trend that he is falling into? Also, have the Ravens talked about using Kelly Talavou as a fullback in the "Jumbo" package? It's understandable that they wouldn't use Haloti Ngata, but the other guy is huge and used to hitting. Brandon Harrell Baltimore
HEY, BRANDON: Nobody is talking about Flacco's interceptions right now because there's already a long list of offensive concerns. There's Derrick Mason getting shut out on catches, Willis McGahee getting fewer touches, Jared Gaither's neck, etc. But this is a growing problem. Only five quarterbacks have thrown more than Flacco's five interceptions. The most critical ones were the picks in the red zone the past two weeks. When the Ravens get inside the 20, they need to come away with at least a field goal. In the past, we could just blame any offensive problem on Brian Billick. But we can't do that anymore.
As for the second part of your question, I am quite impressed that you know who Talavou is and spelled his name correctly. But the Ravens won't be using him in an offensive package any time soon because he hasn't been active to play his primary position at defensive tackle. He is the fifth defensive tackle, which means he won't suit up on Sundays unless Ngata, Kelly Gregg, Justin Bannan or Brandon McKinney gets hurt. If the Ravens want to go with a "Jumbo" backfield, they could easily put in Ngata.
HEY, JAMISON: How much longer is Demetrius Williams going to stay on the bench? We lack the tall, fast receiver, but we have one on the roster who has proved he can make plays when given the chance. Do you know what is going on here?
When can we start to see what the Ravens have in some younger players? Kelly Gregg is not what he was, and the Ravens have at least three good defensive tackles on the roster who deserve a chance. The Ravens also have a cornerback in Lardarius Webb who has shown flashes of what he can do when Chris Carr is not playing well.Ben Fried Potomac
HEY, BEN: This is a special moment because this is the first "Hey, Jamison" question that comes from one of my tweets (Commercial plug: You can follow me at www.twitter.com/jamisonhensley). Now, Let me answer your player concerns …
Demetrius Williams: Don't expect to see him on Sundays anytime soon. He had his shot at solidifying himself as the No. 3 wide receiver for the past couple of years but was limited by injuries. When he was finally healthy this summer, he was outplayed by Kelley Washington. Williams is about to be pushed from No. 4 wide receiver to No. 5 with the addition of David Tyree. Because Tyree plays special teams, Williams likely won't even suit up on Sundays.
Kelly Gregg: He didn't play well against Cincinnati. But removing Gregg won't fix anything. If the Ravens were going to make a switch with Gregg, they would put Justin Bannan in that spot instead of a younger player. I still can't believe that Gregg was able to return so quickly from last year's microfracture surgery.
Lardarius Webb: The Ravens like this rookie a lot. So, there is a chance Webb could see playing time on defense, but it probably wouldn't happen until after next week's bye.
HEY, JAMISON: I am a season-ticket holder, and while watching the game [Sunday] it was apparent that the Ravens are not where they need to be on both sides of the ball, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Our fans should sit back and enjoy this season, win or lose, and know that the Ravens are very close to building a great football team instead of dreaming that we are currently a playoff contender. What do you think?Don Gordon Pikesville
HEY, DON: The Ravens put themselves in a bad situation by doing so well last season. If they had gone 5-11 under a rookie coach and quarterback, the expectations this year would be a .500 season. Instead, fans - and even fellow Baltimore Sun reporter Ken Murray - predicted at Super Bowl appearance this year. (Side note: Murray has not picked against the Ravens this year, so I think he also predicted an undefeated season.)
But repeating success is hard in the NFL these days. Just look at the standings. Of the eight division winners from last season, only two are in first place five weeks into the season. My gut says we'll find out the mettle of this Ravens team in another month. That's when they play a key three-game stretch: home against the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers and at Green Bay.
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