OWINGS MILLS, Md. — After several reports saying cornerback Lardarius Webb is dealing with a toe injury that could sideline him for a few weeks, Ravens coach John Harbaugh stated otherwise on Monday afternoon.
It’s up to you to choose whether you take what he says at face value.
When asked about the status of injured linebacker Ray Lewis, who’s missed the Ravens’ last four games with a turf toe injury, Harbaugh provided an answer similar to what we’ve heard over the last month with his star defensive player sidelined.
“The Harbaugh scale would be very hopeful, very hopeful for his return,” Harbaugh said. “He’s doing a good job.”
Reports have indicated for a few weeks that Lewis and the Ravens are targeting a potential comeback for the 36-year-old linebacker against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday.
However, the Baltimore coach continued — unprovoked — to discuss his team’s overall health in what sounded like a preventative measure to avoid any questions regarding the status of his No. 1 cornerback who leads the Ravens with four interceptions this season.
“As far as injuries go, to answer your question, there’s nothing serious coming out of that game,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve got bumps and bruises. There may be some guys that we rest throughout the course of the week — practice-wise — but we anticipate everybody that was playing last week — healthy-wise — to be healthy this week. And we’re hoping to add some [returning] guys. We’ll see. You’ve got guys like [Lewis], Chris Carr off the top of my head. You can help me with anybody else.”
At that point, a reported asked Harbaugh about Webb’s status for San Diego, and the response was brief in reiterating what he had already said.
“Lardarius played last week, so you have that answer,” Harbaugh said, “but those other two guys would have a chance for this week. We’ll just have to see.”
Draw any conclusion you’d like, but Harbaugh covered himself by using the word “anticipate” in discussing any players who played in Sunday’s game being ready to play against the Chargers. By suggesting players may receive rest during practices this week, the Ravens coach may have bought himself a few days regarding Webb.
If Webb does appear on Wednesday’s injury report — as you would expect him to at this point — Harbaugh can point to what he said on Monday and technically say he wasn’t being misleading.
Whether Webb plays this Sunday or not, it’s clear the Ravens coach had no intention of revealing his hand so early in the week.
As a result, we’ll be left guessing until the middle of the week.
Visit the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault to hear Harbaugh’s Monday press conference in Owings Mills right here.
