When Does Will Hill Start, Sunday’s Bonus Stats

Dec 15, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants strong safety Antrel Rolle (26) celebrates an interception with free safety Will Hill (25) against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to Lunchtime Links, where we round up all the latest Ravens news from around the web for your convenient consumption.  Today we speculate about when Will Hill will start, the surprising play of Rolando McClain, and round up some various stats and notes for Sunday’s road showdown.

When will Will Hill start?

In spite of a new NFL drug policy, it appears at this point that Raven’s safety Will Hill will not see a reduction in his six game suspension.  With the team’s secondary, especially in regards to safety play, in shambles, how quickly can we expect to see Hill starting?  Jamison Hensley at ESPN agrees that the Ravens need Hill’s talent right now, but he believes that we won’t see him out there as soon as he is eligible.

Hill has been unable to practice since August 30th due to his suspension, so it’s reasonable to think that he has to round into game shape.  Hensley thinks that this could take weeks, but it really just depends on Hill and his desire to get on the field. Hopefully he has spent his time off wisely and will be physically and mentally ready when the time comes.  Hill’s natural talent is, without question, enough to get him on the field immediately.

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Hensley also points out that the excellent play of former Raven Rolando McClain is a big surprise to everyone.  After retiring twice and seeming like he had no interest in playing professional football for a living, McClain has gone on to not only start for the Cowboys, but he has played very well.  Like Hill, McClain’s question was never about talent.  Only a desire to adhere to the rules and the willingness to do what it takes to get on the field.

Interesting stats and notes for Sunday

Russell Street report has rounded up a bunch of interesting stats and notes for Sunday’s showdown with the Colts.  Among them is a huge disparity in penalties.  While the Ravens have only committed 16 penalties, which is second best in the NFL, the Colts have been called for 32, which is 25th in the league.

The disparity in total defense and offense isn’t as big a gap as you might imagine.  The Colts are number one in total offense, but the Ravens aren’t too far behind at number 6.  The two are separated by a mere 50 yards per game.  On total defense, the Ravens are 13th (394.3 yards allowed), while the Colts are 19th (356.0).

Interesting stuff, no doubt.  While everyone has made a big deal about how great the Colts offense and Ravens defense are this season, there isn’t a huge difference between the two when it comes down to rankings.  We’ll find out soon how these lauded units perform against each other.