MASNsports.com is your online home for the latest Orioles and Nationals news, features, and commentary. And now, you can connect with MASN on every digital level. From web and social media to our new mobile alert service, MASN has got all the bases covered.
Get the latest breaking news direct to your phone with our mobile texting service.
Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron walked up to the podium this afternoon to meet with reporters, and before he was even asked a question, Cameron laid out the offense's top goal for Saturday's game against the Giants.
"First thing we need to work on Saturday night is ball security," Cameron said.
Eight fumbles in two games will have a coordinator thinking that way.
The Ravens put the ball on the ground four times in their preseason opener against the Panthers, and they followed that with four more fumbles against the Redskins on Saturday. They recovered four of the eight, but lost four as well.
As far as Cameron's concerned, that has to stop against the Giants.
"We think we emphasize it enough, but obviously we haven't," he said. "So we're going to try and get that corrected. That will be our number one goal coming out of the game Saturday night. We've got to find a way to be aggressive and still take care of the football."
The Ravens' eight fumbles have been spread around fairly evenly; only quarterback Marc Bulger has contributed more than one.
That could be seen as a positive - that one player isn't consistently putting the ball on the ground - but it's also a negative in that it's an issue which is widespread throughout the roster.
Running back Ray Rice had one of the fumbles last week against the Redskins, which is slightly concerning given that he finished last year by losing four fumbles in the Ravens' last seven games (including postseason play).
That ended Rice's previous streak of 25 straight games without a fumble, a run that the third-year back hopes to restart this year.
"It's just ball security," Rice said. "One thing I can do is control that. That's a mindset, I can control that. I've never been a guy to really fumble, and you definitely don't want to continue to have that name.
"I'm always trying to make a play. That comes with always trying to make a play when you get the ball in your hands."
Head coach John Harbaugh was asked earlier this week if he expects the fumblitis to be a problem as the Ravens work into the regular season.
"Well, it better not be if we want to win games," Harbaugh said. "Cam stresses it. Our defense stresses it. In other words, our defense tries to take the ball away from our offense. There's nothing more important to us.
"You can't handcuff the guys either. You can't sit out there and lay on the ball either. We want guys to be aggressive, and we want them to protect the football, and that's what you strive for."
The Ravens do a study each year where they review every turnover from the previous season and analyze how it was caused. Cameron said that what the team found this year was that the number one cause of fumbles in 2009 was the first defender to the ball-carrier making a big hit to knock the ball loose.
That contrasts with previous years' studies, which found that the second or third guy to the ball was the most likely to force a fumble.
Knowing that information helps the coaches as they come up with strategies to prevent fumbles in practice. The Ravens now hope that those strategies will start to pay off in game action.
"You're carrying this entire state, all the Ravens fans, and the entire the organization when you carry that ball," Cameron said. "That's who you're carrying with you.
"I think we've got the technique squared away, but I think now, we've just got to develop a mindset that under no circumstances, regardless of the hit, are we going to turn the ball over."
