Chuck Pagano already faced enough pressure trying to follow in the footsteps of some of the game's best defensive coordinators, but now he has to patch together an injury-riddled secondary.
Starting rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith is out for a couple of weeks with a high ankle sprain. Top backup Chris Carr is still nursing a sore hamstring, while one-time starter Domonique Foxworth is slowly recovering from major knee surgery a year ago.
So when asked who would be starting Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, Pagano wasn't evading the questions to fool the Titans. As of early Thursday morning, he still didn't know.
Really.
"A key for us is that we kept some of the young guys around this season," said Pagano, the Ravens' first-year defensive coordinator. "We're going to have to elevate some of them and see what happens. But we have some flexibility this year as opposed to a year ago when we weren't as deep."
The best news for the Ravens (1-0) is that they are playing Tennessee (0-1). Under first year coach Mike Munchak, the Titans are searching for an offensive identity. If the Ravens were playing New England's Tom Brady or Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, the Ravens might be worried. With Matt Hasselback as the Titans' quarterback, there is concern, but not any fingernail biting.
"Against Pittsburgh, we had Jimmy down and Chris down, and then Cary [Williams] is waving for someone to replace him because he is down," said Pagano. "We're looking along the sidelines for another corner and we didn't have one. Fortunately, Haruki [safety Haruki Nakamura] played nickel for us last season and he stepped in with zero reps, and did an outstanding job.
"Now, who do we have coming back this week? I don't know yet."
Overall, though, the Ravens appear to be in great shape. Lardarius Webb started opposite of Williams against the Steelers, and played perhaps the best game of his three year career. Webb punished the Steelers' receivers after catches, and several times separated them from the ball to cause incompletions.
Williams struggled with cramps last week and says he'll be ready for the Titans with better hydration. Foxworth wasn't sure how much action he was going to see last week, but played more than expected and had a strong performance.
Regardless of the starting rotation Sunday, Foxworth says he'll be ready for the Titans.
"Last week, I really didn't expect to play much," said Foxworth. "But I got the opportunity and thought I played well. Every week, there is an improvement and I will always be prepared to step out on the field. Right now, the knee feels good enough for me to play through any discomfort."
According to Pagano and Foxworth, he probably would be at 100 percent if it weren't for the lockout. Both agreed that Foxworth was ahead of schedule before the lockout, but couldn't get the proper instruction for rehabilitation once The Castle closed down, and team trainers weren't available.
"A lot of the rehab work is mental," said Pagano. "The nature of the position causes you to plant, drive, burst and you want to see yourself do it before you regain that confidence. Fox is regaining that confidence, but the process has been slowed because of the lockout."
Nakamura played the nickel position at the start of last season when Webb was recovering from a knee injury and Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed was out for several games with a neck injury. When the call went out for a new nickel back last week, Nakamura didn't hesitate.
As a safety, he is supposed to know every position in the secondary.
"Chuck had a lot of trust in me to just throw me out there," said Nakamura. "For me, it was no big deal. Playing nickel is just like being an extra linebacker. For a guy like me, I don't care where they play me. I just appreciate getting on the field and running around out there."
It's a deep group, one filled with interchangeable parts. If needed, the Ravens could play starting strong safety Bernard Pollard at nickel. Reed can play anywhere in the secondary. The big loss will be for Smith.
"The hardest part will be keeping him in the game, keeping him involved," said Pagano of Smith, the team's top draft pick. "He's not playing now, but he has to keep coming every day for rehab and go to the meetings. He has to prepare just like he is playing and take the mental repetitions so that he is ready to play when he returns."
The Titans will be a test because they are aware of the Ravens' injuries.
"I think, as much as you're able to," said Hasselback of exploiting the injuries. "Sometimes the defense will do a nice job of understanding where they're weak and where they're strong. … It's not so much that you're picking on a guy, but you just have a tremendous amount of respect for a guy on the other side or the guy in the other position. Certainly, I think all teams look at injuries and look at that stuff and take it into consideration."