Lardarius Webb Unlikely to be a Raven in 2015, Sunday Questions

Sep 21, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins (16) tries to break free from Baltimore Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb (21) during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Ravens won 23-21. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-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 entertain the notion that Lardarius Webb is unlikely to be a Raven in 2015, round up all the questions facing the Ravens for Sunday’s game against the Bucs, and various news and notes for game day.

Lardarius Webb unlikely to be a Raven in 2015?

"I don’t see cornerback Lardarius Webb on the Ravens’ roster next season. With the way Webb is playing, it’s hard to justify paying him $8 million in salary in 2015. The Ravens can gain $5 million in cap room by cutting Webb. Of course, Webb has time left this season to make a convincing argument that he should stay. There’s also the possibility that the Ravens will approach Webb about taking a pay cut. The Ravens just can’t have any confidence that Webb will be healthy enough to play week to week. He has missed three of the Ravens’ five games this year. For his career, Webb has been sidelined for 20 percent of the Ravens’ games (including playoffs) because of injuries. I don’t know how the Ravens can commit that much money to a player who gets hurt this often."

John Harbaugh faces balance questions

"Balance is the goal in the NFL. It keeps defenses off-balance. It makes offenses multi-dimensional.Last season, the Ravens were forced to abandon the run game because it was struggling so mightily, resulting in 619 passing attempts to 413 rushes.This year is a different story, as Baltimore has enjoyed successes with its three-headed running attack in the backfield.Head Coach John Harbaugh assured questioning reporters that the Ravens will run the ball this year, and cautioned them about putting too much stock in game-to-game balance. There is no magical number.“If I would believe what you [reporters] and some others write, I would think we would have to have a certain number of passes every game, where we not be balanced,” Harbaugh said. “But then I wouldn’t know much about football.”"

All the stats for Ravens vs. Bucs in one place

"The city of Tampa has been pretty kind to the Ravens in their brief history. Of course, their first Super Bowl championship, back in Super Bowl XXXV in January of 2001, was played at Raymond James Stadium. In addition to that, they also posted a monumental beatdown of the Buccaneers there in 2006. There was a loss sandwiched in there though, a 22-10 whooping at the hands of the Bucs in 2001. All time, the Ravens are 2-2 against Tampa and 2-1 in games played in Raymond James. Here’s hoping for 3-1 come Sunday evening."

More from Ravens News

Gameday preview: Ravens at Bucs, 5 questions

"1. How well will the Ravens’ offensive line protect Joe Flacco?Flacco was sacked four times in Week 5 against the Colts, and left tackle James Hurst had a tough day. Hurst will be starting again in place of Monroe, and even if Osemele plays, he may not be 100 percent. If pass protection on Flacco’s blindside is an issue, the Ravens may have another inconsistent day offensively."

Vincent Jackson to threaten Ravens secondary?

"Since being humiliated on Thursday night football against the Falcons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have bounced back positively. Second year quarterback Mike Glennon has replaced injured veteran Josh McCown as the starting quarterback and played well. The Bucs have been involved in two shoot-outs since that loss to the Falcons, beating the Steelers in Pittsburgh 27-24 before losing in overtime in New Orleans to the Saints, 37-31. With McCown as the starter, Tampa had failed to score more than 17 points in a game. With Glennon, they average 29 over those last two games."

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