Gregg Rosenthal pointed out Sunday that the onus is on Joe Flacco to carry the Baltimore Ravens' flawed collection of receiving talent following tight end Dennis Pitta's season-ending hip injury.
While general manager Ozzie Newsome insists the Ravensaren't panicking over Pitta's injury, his quarterback is not taking the loss in stride. Flacco was "walking around the Ravens' complex looking disconsolate," TheMMQB.com's Peter King reported Monday.
As King notes, Pitta was slated to be Flacco's go-to target in key situations with Anquan Boldin out of the picture. Pitta also is Flacco's best friend on the team.
Newsome conceded to SI.com's Don Banks that the Ravensdon't yet know their offensive identity, hinting that the passing game might transition to a vertical attack that heavily relies on play-action.
It's a plan that makes sense, as Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce are two of the NFL's top 20 running backs. Furthermore, the Ravens have deep speed to spare at wide receiver but lack proven chain-movers.
Keep an eye on second-year burner Deonte Thompson, whom Newsome mentioned in the same sentence as Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones. If the drop-prone Thompson fails to open eyes in training camp, though, Newsome won't be afraid to pull the trigger on a trade or signing.
"We have a history of making moves just a week or two before the season starts, to be able to put the final pieces together," Newsome told Banks. "We don't play Denver tomorrow, and the season is 16 games long. What you worry about is needing to play real good football going into November and December."
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.