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Thursday's preseason opener is quickly approaching, and the Ravens coaches are formulating a plan for which players coming off of injuries will play, and which ones will get the day off.
In general, the team will be cautious with its injured players, choosing to give most some extra rest rather than run them out there for the first of four exhibition games.
That will likely be the case with offensive tackle Jared Gaither and cornerback Chris Carr, who are battling back and hamstring injuries, respectively.
With Gaither, head coach John Harbaugh said that the tackle hasn't gotten enough practice time over the last couple weeks to be ready for game action. As for Carr, Harbaugh said that the sixth-year corner could play, but the team just isn't sure if it wants him to risk further injury.
Cornerback Fabian Washington continues to practice just about every other session as he makes his way back from a torn ACL, and while he looks good and healthy, the team hasn't decided if he will play on Thursday.
"He's ready to go, it's just a matter of whether we want him to go," Harbaugh said. "I think we'll take him out there in pregame and see how much work we can get done, and just decide. But we're not going to push it, I can tell you that."
Washington says that while he would like to strap on the pads and give it a go on Thursday, he understands that the team wants to bring him along slowly.
"I'm going off what coach Harbaugh says," Washington said. "If it's up to me, yeah [I would play], but I'm not the smart one out of the two. It's up to coach."
Special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg has decided to let Shayne Graham and Billy Cundiff split the kicking duties on Thursday, rather than give each guy a half of action.
Graham and Cundiff will alternate kicks, and likely will do the same for kickoffs as well.
"He feels like it will keep both those guys in the game for the whole game, and give them a fair amount of reps," Harbaugh said. "So we're looking forward to that."
So who will get the call the first time the field goal team is called upon, Graham or Cundiff?
"You'll have to ask Jerry that," Harbaugh said. "That's up to him."
