| | By John Clayton
ESPN.com
After making due with a Rent-A-Wreck offense, Ravens coach Brian
Billick wanted to test out his new Mercedes Friday night.
Jamal Lewis was set to make his NFL debut at FedEx Field in a scrimmage
against the Washington Redskins. Team drills commenced and Lewis was ready
to display his 231-pound rare combination of size and speed. The Redskins
defense clogged Lewis' running lane and brought him to the ground with his
left arm extended.
"Somebody came in from the back and dislocated it," Lewis said of his left elbow, which team trainers popped back into place on the sideline.
Doctors determined that Lewis will be out four-to-six weeks, leaving Priest
Holmes the starter but Billick looking surprisingly calm.
|  | | The Ravens are banking on Tony Banks being their QB of the future. |
Unlike a year ago, one injury doesn't devastate the Ravens offense.
The Ravens have depth enough to survive. Or at least they think they do.
Third-year receiver Patrick Johnson broke a clavicle and will be out six
weeks, but Brandon Stockley has started coming on with a challenge to be the
third receiver.
And don't forget that the Ravens still have Travis Taylor, the 10th
pick in the draft, unsigned. Once he comes to camp, the hope is that he
could be on a fast track to a starting job.
"The thing we had in Denver is guys who cared about each other,"
tight end Shannon Sharpe said. "We wanted each other to do well. We didn't
care who had the commercials or who had the endorsements. We realized that
there is a lot to go around."
Still, life would have been much easier with Lewis in the backfield.
He has been the camp star. Quarterback Tony Banks raved about Lewis's
warrior-like willingness to practice through fatigue.
"Honestly, he physically reminds me of the speed and size of
Lawerence Phillips," Banks said. "That type of talent, speed and size is
rare. He's got the savvy that he doesn't want to be beaten. He's also got
the nasty streak in his running that players like."
But life must go on, at least temporarily, without Lewis. The most noticeable
aspect of Friday's scrimmage was how relaxed Banks looked. For a change, he
realizes there is more talent around him. That makes his job easier.
When in trouble he has two all-decade tight ends -- Sharpe and Ben
Coates -- ready to bail him out.
"A quarterback is only as good as your supporting cast," Banks
said. "It took me a long time to realize it. These guys are legit. In the
past, I tried to put too much upon myself. Now, I'm on the best team I've
been on. It's got some depth."
Coates gave a preview of coming attractions in the early part of the
scrimmage by making a one-handed catch in the back of the end zone. Sharpe
still has that uncanny knack for getting open and making plays.
"When you add two veterans like Shannon and Ben to an offense, you
add somebody for a quarterback to look to," Billick said. "You are talking
about two all-decade guys at tight end. Last year we had two guys who aren't
in the league."
Talent is one thing. Chemistry is another. The Ravens defense has
that championship caliber chemistry about it. They hit. They gang tackle.
Once they can put Lewis and Taylor on the field together with the
two tight ends and the rest of the offense, the Ravens might be considered the
most improved offense in the NFL.
"I think Tony Banks can be real good especially with the weapons he
has,"
Sharpe said. "He doesn't have to throw the ball 80 yards down the field.
He can get the balls to several guys. John Elway really became a better
quarterback once he had Terrell Davis, Rod Smith, Ed McCaffery and my self
around him. It really elevated John's game. I think Tony can be the same
way."
Billick is noticing that Banks doesn't feel as much pressure to make a
play. That could translate into less mistakes and more big plays.
"He's making better decisions when to throw the ball away,"
Billick said. "That's been part of the problems of the past. He's been
through so many different systems. He's had a problem where he'd cough up
the ball trying to make a play. He's getting the ball off and when nothing
is there, he's throwing it away."
The loss of Lewis was a setback, but the Ravens have time to regroup.
John Clayton is ESPN.com's senior NFL writer.
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