Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett badly outplayed fellow tailback Bernard Pierce in the team’s season-opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.
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However, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh refused to name Forsett (or Pierce) his starter for Baltimore’s Thursday night contest versus the Pittsburgh Steelers when asked about the situation on Tuesday, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com.
Harbaugh said:
"“Bernard Pierce, Justin Forsett — they’ll both play a lot. Lorenzo Taliaferrowill be a big part of it, too.”"
Forsett rushed for 70 yards on 11 carries against Cincinnati, while Pierce, who started the game, rushed for 14 yards on six carries and fumbled the ball. The rookie Taliaferro did not have a carry in the opener.
Still, while Harbaugh was unwilling to anoint Forsett his starter, Hensley speculates that the 28-year-old will get the first crack at carries on Thursday.
"But, since no one in the backfield is an established starter, Harbaugh will likely go with the hot hand each game. The approach is probably a running-back-by-committee, so Harbaugh would be right in naming everyone a starter.Forsett, though, deserves the first shot after showing more burst and elusiveness than the Ravens’ other backs. The question mark with Forsett is how long he can hold up considering he’s a small back at 5-foot-8 and 197 pounds."
The Ravens certainly hope one of these backs can emerge as a true threat; however, given their track record, it’s unlikely. Forsett had just six rushing attempts in 2013 with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pierce rushed for a less-than-stellar 436 yards on 152 attempts in 2013 with Baltimore.
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