How important is Gregg's injury?
Ravens fans know who Kelly Gregg is. They just might not know how important he is.
Gregg, going into his ninth NFL season, has quietly become one of the most dominant interior defensive linemen in the league. He clogs up the middle, taking on multiple offensive linemen, freeing up more space for Ray Lewis, Bart Scott and Terrell Suggs, and allowing them to move around and make plays.
Entering this season, Gregg has more tackles than any interior lineman since 2002.
Gregg does his job without much fanfare, and he does it consistently. He's started all 16 games each of the last three seasons. But he is still recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, and is listed as doubtful going into the season opener against the Bengals.
He participated in some drills with the team yesterday, but I think defensive coordinator Rex Ryan and head coach John Harbaugh are coming to grips with the fact that there's a good chance Gregg won't play on Sunday.
If he can't go, Justin Bannan and Marques Douglas will fill in.
"People don't really notice him until he's not in there," Ryan said of Gregg, "and then you're definitely going to notice him."
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