Rumor is that the reason we saw Baltimore Ravens All-Pro cornerback Chris McAlister on the sidelines most of the day and only on the field for eight plays in Sunday's 27-13 win over the Miami Dolphins, was that he did not abide by team rules. The way I read it was that when he came down to the lobby of the hotel to get on the bus for the ride to the stadium on gameday, he was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, while the rest of the team was in their required suits.
Coach John Harbaugh obviously doesn't take kindly to bucking the rules and trying to test the limits of the system. I respect the coach for that. Let's see how McAlister responds to his discipline. It was great to see Fabian Washington back in the mix Sunday, as I think he's our #2 corner behind C-Mac, even if Samari Rolle was healthy. Frank Walker still looks like the deer-in-headlights and every other team knows to exploit him at every chance. That is, unless Corey Ivy is on the field, then you can take your pick as we hold our collective breaths.
A new head coach always has his boundaries tested, especially by a few select veterans who have always needed to test the limits of a coach's patience. At the same time, there is always turnover as a result of the battle to see where the breaking point is. If C-Mac can eat some humble pie, then good for him and us, as I want him on the field as much as possible, especially with the stretch of games coming up against decent passing offenses (Cleveland, Houston, NY Giants), as well as this weekend against the Raiders.
If he doesn't want to "toe the line" then wave goodbye, as we'll find something else in the offseason, be it free agent or through the draft. Every team needs a leader on and off the field. Ray Lewis is ours on the field and Harbaugh must be it off the field. He cannot have anyone make him look bad or disobey even the most irrelevant team rules. Hopefully, Chris has learned and stay out of sitting on the sidelines in "timeout!"