The Ravens made a couple bold moves this week, replacing two cornerbacks after the secondary gave up six touchdowns last Sunday in Pittsburgh.
Now new cornerbacks Danny Gorrer and Tramain Jacobs are coming in with one goal in mind: right the ship.
"It takes one game to turn things around," Gorrer said. "After this win this [next] weekend, nobody will even be talking about what's been going on. That's my job and that's the team's focus right now, to get back on track with winning football."
With Lardarius Webb as the only other healthy cornerback on the roster, Gorrer or Jacobs will be tasked with the starting role. But first, they have to quickly get ready for a game looming Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
While Jacobs has been with the team all summer and fall on the practice squad, Gorrer also has familiarity with the Ravens' defensive system.
He played in 11 games with the Ravens in 2011, so he still has recall from that. Plus, he most recently was in Detroit under former Ravens Secondary Coach Teryl Austin, who is now the Lions' defensive coordinator and runs a similar scheme. Gorrer said some of the language is the same between the two systems.
It's been a hectic 24 hours for Gorrer, as he was cut by the Lions, then claimed off waivers by Baltimore yesterday evening. He flew into Baltimore at about 9 p.m. last night and at practice Wednesday afternoon.
"This business is crazy, but my job is to hit the ground running and pick things up as fast as possible," Gorrer said.
Gorrer said he's improved his physicality since he last left Baltimore. He was one of the team's fastest players back then, but was released after the 2012 training camp because there was an abundance of talent at his position with Webb, Jimmy Smith, Cary Williams and Corey Graham.
"I've got unfinished business here," Gorrer said.
Jacobs is an undrafted rookie who impressed the Ravens in training camp with his competitiveness. Defensive Coordinator Dean Pees said last summer that Jacobs had great upside, and Harbaugh said on Wednesday that Jacobs has "been doing a heck of a job" and earned an opportunity.
"I'm young, I've got fresh legs," Jacobs said. "I've been watching the older guys in Webb and Jimmy. I feel like I'm ready for this opportunity."
The Ravens surrendered 340 yards to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was awarded with AFC Offensive Player of the Week. But it wasn't just a problem in Pittsburgh.
The Ravens had the NFL's 19th-ranked pass defense entering Sunday night's game, allowing more than 250 passing yards per game. After the loss in Pittsburgh, they dropped to 24th in the league.
First and foremost, the Ravens need to stop giving up big plays. According to ESPN, the Ravens have surrendered the most completions of passes that traveled 40 yards or more in the air (12) in the league over the past two seasons.
"We're a close group," Jacobs said. "We don't like the way we've been performing, obviously. But it's a long season and we've got a lot of games to go. Hopefully we can turn that around."
The Ravens rush defense ranks sixth in the NFL, allowing just 86.4 yards per game. If the secondary can get things together, Baltimore can shut opponents down. "We just have to trust and believe that the moves are the best thing for the team," outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said. "Maybe it is the spark that we need to shake things up a little bit."
