Until backs make plays, it's bombs away on Ravens defense

NFL teams spot weakness and exploit it, Rolle, Woodson say

Any relief the Ravens might have gotten in the secondary is nearly gone as veteran cornerback Samari Rolle contemplates retirement. Rolle, though, has one major piece of advice for his partners in the defensive backfield.

And Rod Woodson, the former Pro Bowl safety and cornerback with the Steelers and Ravens, agrees with him. There is no way to compensate for a weak secondary that is ranked No. 22 in the NFL, allowing 241 yards per game.

Somebody has to make plays.

"Everybody in the NFL watches film," Rolle said from his home in Florida. "If you can't stop the run, they'll keep running on you. If you can't stop the blitz, they'll keep blitzing you. With us, it's the deep ball, and until we make some plays, they're going to keep throwing on us."

Bombing might be a better way to describe it. The Ravens have allowed six pass plays of 40 yards or more, and the average rating of the opposing quarterback is 89.1. Twenty-two pass plays have gained 20 yards or more.

Fort McHenry didn't take this kind of pounding.

"The only playmaker they have in the secondary is Ed Reed," said Woodson, a Hall of Famer and commentator for the NFL Network. "Once you find out where Ed is, the rest is easy. Even when they go to nickel or dime packages they have less, because those guys don't make plays either."

Rolle, 33, was expected to help, but that hope ended three weeks ago when he had fusion surgery on his neck for the second time in less than a year. Rolle suffered the injury in a game against the Cleveland Browns last season, but never felt 100 percent even as the 2009 training camp opened.

Rolle never stepped onto the field in full gear. He has to wear a neck brace for two more weeks to complete a six-week cycle. He hasn't announced his retirement, but that could change soon.

"I'm going to sit down with my family and listen to what my doctors have to say," said Rolle, a 12-year veteran. "I've had two neck surgeries, and at my age, unless they show me something scientifically that says I can't hurt myself again, then I'm done.

"I've been blessed to play this game, to play in a Super Bowl, play on the No. 1 defense in the league a few times, play in a Pro Bowl and play for two great franchises," Rolle said. "I've been playing this game since I was 9, so I'm going to stay away from it for six months to a year and then decide what I'm going to do."

Rolle's presence in the lineup could have significantly improved the Ravens. Despite being diagnosed with epilepsy in 2007, he has been one of the team's top cornerbacks since joining the Ravens in 2005.

The Ravens had relegated Rolle to nickel back going into training camp, but he probably would have been a starter if healthy. Opposing quarterbacks respected Rolle. He still had the speed and quickness to run with any receiver in the league.

Just as important, Rolle was respected in the locker room for his toughness.

"He has money, played longer than the average career in the NFL and established himself," Woodson said. "There is a time when you have to do what is best for the family, and he is doing what is best for them."

According to Woodson, the Ravens need to work on fundamentals. He watched in shock as Ravens cornerback Frank Walker lined up against Minnesota receiver Sidney Rice in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

Woodson said Rice was only 3 to 4 yards off the sideline as he lined up. He said he was surprised when Walker still took the outside position.

"He could only have run a slant, a go or a back-shoulder fade down that sideline, so why do you take the outside?" Woodson asked. "As soon as they snapped the ball, I just said, 'Throw it Brett,' and he threw it on a straight line to Rice for the long catch.

"What was [Walker] doing on that play?" Woodson asked. "As soon as the ball was snapped, Walker bailed and started running. Regardless of blitz zones, spy zones or whatever you want to call them, if you don't have corners who are going to make plays, you're going to get beat."

The Ravens aren't unusual, according to Woodson. A lot of NFL teams spend more time running through plays and schemes instead of going over fundamentals.

"Whatever happened to lining up 7 to 8 yards off the line of scrimmage? You play press coverage or whatever, but you hold until you're 12 to 15 to 20 yards off the line of scrimmage before you turn," Woodson said. "Sooner or later, somebody has to be accountable for the poor play, regardless if you're a player, the position coach or the defensive coordinator."

Woodson understands what might be going on with Reed, a Pro Bowl safety. Reed has gambled several times this year and lost. Woodson played the same style.

"Ed is an aggressive player, and I can't fault him for that," Woodson said. "I know what he is thinking: 'If I don't make a play, then who will?' "