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Playoff debate
Tuesday, we discussed who had the advantage in the passing game.
Today's topic: Which team will complain more about the calls?
Kevin Van Valkerburg: Chris, Ravens fans believe about the only way this game will be fairly officiated is if Roger Goodell takes a page from Vince McMahon's playbook and lets Bridget Moynahan serve as a special guest referee. And you know what? They might be right. Outside of Mike Krzyzewski, I'm not sure anyone manipulates the referees as blatantly as Tom Brady and Co.
Breathe on his knee? Out comes Brady's best Meryl Streep. If there is a lamer highlight this year than Brady pointing at his leg and pumping his fist after Terrell Suggs was flagged for tearing the ruffle on his designer skirt, I haven't seen it. But it's not just Brady. Bump into Randy Moss because you didn't anticipate he'd quit on his route so quickly? He throws up his hands, and out comes the flag. It's a shame Wes "Scrappy Do" Welker is out with a knee injury, because his tantrums on phantom pass interference usually make Christian Bale seem calm and rational.
And let's not forget the tortured fans of Pats Nation. Choke away the Colts game by going for it on fourth and 2 and not getting it? It was the referees fault for a bad spot! Plus the pass interference call the previous drive was unfair! OMG, it's Black Monday! No fan base has ever suffered like us!
It's gotten to be so ridiculous, at this point, I suspect the Patriots would demand someone throw a flag if the Ravens were caught looking at Internet pics of Gisele Bundchen. Come to think of it, Bill Belichick is probably mumbling about that on Roger Goodell's voicemail right now.
Gasper: Boo-hoo, Kevin. I'd give you a hankie to dry your eyes after all that crying, but I'm sure you could just borrow a yellow flag from one of the Ravens. They have enough of them. Baltimore led the NFL in penalty yards this season (1,094) and was tied for third in penalties with 115. The Ravens get flagged for waking up in the morning.
Coach John Harbaugh had to applaud his team for not drawing a ton of flags against the Raiders. That's like giving a gold star to a student who spells his name right. Seems fitting because Baltimore has supplanted the Raiders as the NFL's resident Bad Boys. The only complaint the Ravens should have is that the league showed them "The Longest Yard" instead of the NFL officiating video in training camp.
Baltimore's strategy is like the mid-1990s New York Knicks, just keep hacking away because they can't call them all. Then complain when they call any of them.
The last two times the Ravens have played the Patriots, they've been flagged 22 times -- not including the one former Raven Bart Scott launched into the stands at the end of the 2007 meeting -- for 185 yards.
Even when the Patriots have been flagged against Baltimore, it's been beneficial. The greatest false start in the history of football was committed by Russ Hochstein in that 2007 game. It wiped out a fourth-and-1 stop by the Ravens. Well, the second fourth-and-1 stop, the one that came after Rex Ryan called the worst timeout since Chris Webber in the 1993 NCAA men's basketball title game. Complaints about calls? That's one call I think the Ravens have a case on. Luckily for them, Rex Ryan is now with the Jets.
The word
Diva
...that's the word former Patriots linebacker and current NFL Network analyst Willie McGinest used to describe the attitude of Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker. Slapped with the franchise tag by the Patriots, Welker implied Tuesday he would not be attending the team's mandatory mini-camp in June if he didn't have a new long-term contract. Part of McGinest's rationale was that Welker's earning power and production -- really one and the same -- are the product of playing for the Patriots and playing with Tom Brady. Since joining the Patriots in 2007, Welker leads the NFL in receptions (554) and is fourth in receiving yards (6,105). It's fair to debate how much of his success and value as a slot receiver is tied to being Brady's favorite target in a pass-happy offense. (By the way, Willie, Welker did catch 111 balls in 2008, when Brady was out for the year.) It's not fair to denigrate Welker's attitude, work ethic or commitment. Grossly underpaid almost since the moment he joined the Patriots, Welker has desired and deserved this new contract since 2009. However, he has not once withheld his services or publicly lashed out at the Patriots, traditionally the only ploys that get the team's attention. He returned from a torn ACL in seven months in 2010, when he could have babied the injury to protect his value. Last year, in training camp he said he felt the best he had in his career and backed it up by setting a franchise record for receiving yards (1,569). Welker is the antithesis of a diva wide receiver. He is a player who is understated, underpaid and has over-performed.
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