Hey Baltimore Ravens fans….. just R.E.L.A.X

In light of all the bad news for the Baltimore Ravens, fans need to take a step back and relax. This team is going to be fine.

The Baltimore Ravens haven’t even finished a full day of team practices and people are in panic mode.

It didn’t help with the recent news of Joe Flacco’s injury and John Uschel’s retirement. By the reaction of some people you might think the world is ending.

There’s no doubt the Ravens have uncharacteristically unlucky this offseason. Losing Tavon Young, Dennis Pitta and Kenneth Dixon hurts, but fans need to take a step back here. Like Aaron Rodgers said, R.E.L.A.X. Everything is going to be fine.

There’s still a lot of football left to be played.

Flacco should be fine

Reports have been flying around about Joe Flacco’s recent back injury. According to reports he injured it lifting and got an MRI taken. Since then we’ve heard his timetable from anything to 1 week all the way to 6 weeks.

Yesterday we heard promising news from head coach John Harbaugh about the situation. During a  press conference Harbaugh said that Flacco will sit out this week’s practice as a precautionary measure. He’s expected to be just FINE.

You hear that? Joe Flacco is going to be just fine.

Back injuries are nothing to mess around with, but it’s not like Flacco can’t walk. The Ravens are definitely being overcautious with this situation. It’s better that something like this is being handled at the start of training camp rather than right before the start of the season.

If Flacco only misses 1-2 weeks of practice, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. He’s entering his 10th season, so it’s not his first time around the block. This will be a good time for players like Ryan Mallett to get more reps in training camp that he normally wouldn’t.

From what we’ve heard he should be ready for the start of the season and that’s all that matters.

John Urschel can be replaced

Surprising news came out of Ravens camp yesterday morning when lineman John Urschel announced his retirement. At only the age of 26, Urschel is the 14th player 30 or younger to retire this offseason. It’s a disturbing trend in the NFL, but it’s obvious Urschel made the right decision on this one.

While losing Urschel isn’t ideal, he can be replaced. He was a solid backup lineman, but a solid backup at best. For most of Urschel’s career with the Ravens he’s been in the backup role. He was set to compete for the starting center spot this offseason, but there was no guarantee he’d win the job. Ryan Jensen and Matt Skura are both just considered just as good of options. Now they head into camp battling for the starting spot. Not to mention, the possibility of signing Nick Mangold is still an options.

The point here is that John Urschel was a serviceable lineman, but he’s replaceable. It’s not like the Ravens were losing an All-Pro on the offense line. It’s a next man up kind of mentality and the Ravens will work with what they’ve got on the roster.

The Bottom Line

I get the some of the concerns, but let’s not call the season just yet. In the age of technology and social media, people are quick to overreact to any breaking news. Sometimes it’s not always as bad as we think.

And to be honest, the Ravens could be in a much worse position. Would you like them to be rebuilding this season like the Jets or the Browns? Of course not. The Ravens are still very much in contention for a playoff spot this season. They’ve still got a ton of talented players on the field.

Next: Baltimore Ravens: Potential replacements for Kenneth Dixon

The Ravens have yet to even play their first preseason game. Let’s give it some more time before we make any real judgements.