It wasn't a great year for Ray Rice in 2013, and 2014 isn't starting off much better. Things got especially poor over the weekend, when he was arrested after a physical altercation with his fiancee.
According to the Baltimore Sun, the two were arrested outside an Atlantic City casino after striking each other. More details will no doubt follow; Rice's agent calls it a "very minor physical altercation." The two were released and returned home together following the incident.
Even if the fallout from the arrest turns out to be minor, there's plenty of reason to have concerns about Rice. His yards per carry has dipped from 4.7 to 4.4 to 3.1 over the last three seasons. Rice himself has blamed injury for his poor 2013, and it should be noted that backup Bernard Pierce was just as bad (2.9 yards per carry) last season. Maybe injury, maybe the offensive line; it wasn't all Rice.
New offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, at least, is talking about a Rice turnaround in 2014. “I think as he goes, we’ll go,” Kubiak told the team website. “Our goal is to get him going, and he’s excited to get going and put last year behind him.”
Rice also will want to put this past weekend behind him. Regardless, strictly based on the on-the-field stuff, Kubiak's view looks optimistic. Rice is only 27 years old, but it's a heavily-used and worn down 27.
In the article, Kubiak concedes he'll likely use Rice and Pierce in a committee. "In this league nowadays you need a couple of guys," he says. The past weekend's events aside, Rice looks like he'll be drafted too high in most fantasy leagues in 2014.
--Andy Richardson