Ray Rice looking good on the field

The embattled Ravens running back, Ray Rice has faced plenty of difficulty this offseason after a difficult season last year. Coming into this season with a lower weight and being completely healthy, it is hoped that Rice can regain some of his former glory.

After the 2013 season in which Rice rushed for only 660 yards with a 3.1 yard per carry average, Rice went to work this offseason slimming down after being bulkier last season. The hope is that he can combine with Bernard Pierce, also coming off an injury, to be a 1-2 punch at running back. Rice missed his trademark burst last season to go along with poor offensive line play in which Rice frequently bounced off an offensive lineman and went to the ground.

On Thursday, Rice could be seen making cuts and catching passes out of the backfield. Head coach, John Harbaugh talked about Rice:

He looks good. It's not really total football right now, so you can't say that much. He's in shape. He's worked hard that way, and he's excited to get out there.

The football field is a place, it's a safe haven for him right now. And he likes being out there. But he needs to do a good job, just like they all do.

Rice is coming off a terrible offseason in which video surfaced of him carrying his unconscious fiance out of an Atlantic City casino elevator in February that led to assault charges being filed. Rice is likely facing suspension from the NFL for the incident in addition to being accepted into a pretrial diversionary program that acts a lot like probation, but clears his record in a year's time.