Synovia

No, whats BS is that a couple days before the game Brady mentions who the umpiring crew is, and that they have a history of calling things very tight, and the Ravens, again, don't seem to realize that going into the game.

Penalties correlate to one thing, and it isn't the teams. Its to the umpiring crews.

mayoclinic

We don't make the rules - our friends Mr. Polian and Coach Fisher do that, and they don't go out of their way to do us any favors.

I didn't see the Ngata penalty. It sounds like it was a bit of a micky mouse call. But the refs are very tight about anything suggestive of a blow the the QB's head, and have been for a long time. We've been on the receiving end of that penalty for minimal contact several times. Players have to recognize that that's going to be called, right or wrong.

As for the "Brady rule", it was instituted by the league to protect QBs after Brady's injury. We've been hurt by it before, notably in game 1 when Vince Wilfork was penalized for sacking Trent Edwards deep in Buffalo territory on what was clearly a legal hit above the thighs. That kept a Buffalo drive alive that ended in a TD. Again, players need to recognize that that's going to be called, rightly or wrongly. I'd personally rather let the players play short of clear cheap shots and attempts to hurt people, but I'm not on the Rules Committee.

There's lots of stupid rules and lots of areas where the refs are inconsistent. You're not the only team that's had calls go against them. You sound like a spoiled 2 year old who doesn't want to share and then cries when someone else won't share with them, and that's how your team sounds. Ed Reed (one of the greatest defensive backs of all time, BTW) whining about the spot on the McGahee 4th down carry is ridiculous, for example. The Pats clearly stopped his forward momentum well short of the 1st down spot and his knees were down, then he tried to reach forward and place the ball at the marker. "Awful call" my *ss.

Sure, we fans complain about what we think are poor calls. I've done that from time to time. But our team doesn't go out and publicly blame the calls for losing, instead of taking responsibility for not executing. And I personally think that if you want to get to the elite level and be taken seriously, that your team needs to get beyond that kind of crap. JMHO, "ridiculous" though it may be.

You played a great came, it was very close, you just missed making a few key plays, and some close calls and bounces didn't go your way. It happens. Learn from it and grow and you may very well beat us next time around. Whine and moan about how you were robbed and I doubt you'll progress to the level of a championship calibre team.

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shmessy

Do you know why you are a complete fraud in this argument?

You 100% ignore the penalty on Wright. As if it never happened. Oh yeah, they only called it on ONE team? Honestly, fella, wake up from the nap.

We all accepted it as the correct call to the rule. You can hate the rule, but the call is correct. And they called it on BOTH teams.

The Pats had it called TWICE in the Buffalo game.

It is what it is.

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jamesdcj

Hi everyone. This is my first post on a forum ever, so I'm hoping this goes well.

I'm a die hard raven's fan. I feel that officiating in the NFL is below the level that it should be at. But, this doesn't mean that I'm going to complain and say that the ravens lost the football game because of officiating. I agree that every team in the league has bad calls for them, and against them. It's part of the game. The fact of the matter is that we lost the football game because Mark Clayton has stone hands. But, for me, losing the football game is not the most frustrating part of this situation.

It seems that, outside of the general fans, the ravens lack the support in Baltimore that we need. A prime example of this lies within our own fantastically glorifying Sun paper.

The picks: Ravens vs. Patriots -- baltimoresun.com

The Patriots have a dynasty. Even when they lose their star quarterback for an entire season, they are still a top team in the league. The Ravens are hoping to build such a dynasty, and it's hard for us big fans to swallow defeat. This was supposed to be the defining moment in our season. I guess we'll just have to hope for another week to get our moment.

Thanks for reading!

mayoclinic

Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting.

I would have to respectfully disagree that Baltimore doesn't support the Ravens. The town is fanatically pro Ravens - just a bit nervous about being let down. Contrast that with the Boston media, where there are a number of Boston reporters who seem to actively hate and work to undermine Bill Belichick and the Patriots, such as Ron Borges and John Tomase. At any rate, I wouldn't let the mediots worry you.

The Ravens seem to be a team worthy of having fans. They have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. Flacco and Rice are dynamic players, Mason is a classy and wily vet, your OL is excellent. Your defense speaks for itself. Harbaugh has turned things around. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to sustain playing at a top level.

It's very hard to stay consistently at the top. Only the Pats and Colts have been able to do it this decade without having down years in between. The Steelers won 2 superbowls but have had bottom-10 teams as well. The Giants were horrible at times in between SB appearances in 2000 and 2007. San Diego looked destined for greatness 3 years ago, and now their window is closing fast. It takes tremendous organizational effort and commitment to winning to stay consistently on top in the NFL. The Ravens have been near the top, but have still had 6-10 and 5-11 seasons.

We're kind of used to everyone hating us for staying at the top, and gunning for us. Every week someone comes to town wanting to take on the top dog. We're the Jets "Superbowl" in week 2 of the regular season. It takes tremendous preparation to maintain the intensity necessary to not let down.

The NFL season is a long one. It's not about one game. It's a season of attitution, and champions are forged not by how they blow out opponents but by how they handle adversity. This game was your first taste of adversity this season. I was very impressed with how your team played, but frankly not very impressed with how they handled the outcome afterwards. If they can learn from adversity and use it to better themselves, they could definitely join the ranks of the elite teams. If not, they will continue to run hot and cold, and leave fans frustrated with tastes of what could have been.

After 9 years of Bill Belichick, when we lost to the Jets in week 2 most of us were pretty sure how the Patriots would respond to adversity. The Ravens don't have that tradition. They need to build it. I'll be curious to see how the team responds over the rest of the season. I'd be happy to see them do well, right up to the AFCCG, where they will hopefully lose to us again.

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mayoclinic

This from BB's press conference as reported in the Globe: "As part of their preparations for games, the Patriots -- like many NFL teams -- chart tendencies of referees. The topic came up today after Tom Brady mentioned on WEEI that Bill Belichick told the team that Ron Winter's crew, which worked Sunday's game, led the NFL in penalties in 2007 and 2008 and had the second-most in 2009. Said Belichick: 'To be the top penalty-calling crew over the last three years, it tells you the game is going to be called tight, and they did call it tight.' "

Mike Reiss' blog - Bits from Belichick's press conference - ESPN Boston

Being prepared means knowing whether the refs will let you take the gloves off or call it tight. The Pats didn't pick the officiating crew. But they did make adjustments based on who would be calling the game. The Ravens obviously didn't. So what the Ravens and their fans are calling "poor officiating" actually represents a failure in preparation on their part.

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reflexblue

By what he posted
it sounds like your addressing a fifteen year old.

mayoclinic

I'm not sure what you're saying. If your implying that my post was condescending, I apologize. It wasn't intended that way.

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jamesdcj

Pshew. That went a lot better than I thought it would.

I see what you're saying about Baltimore having good fans. And I also ignorantly(somewhat understandably) forgot to factor in the media in your city. I'm not sure how it is in New England, but in Baltimore, it's pretty tough to walk down the street without seeing a Steelers hat. Walking the hallways at school, I see as many Steelers jerseys as I do Ravens. And if there is one thing I hate more than Kyle Boller, it's the Steelers.

I understand your points about everyone wanting to beat the Patriots, and I agree fully.

I know that the season is 16+(hopefully) games in our season, and we cant expect to win every one, but it sure would have been sweet to beat you guys in Foxboro

I guess who really is the better team in the AFCCG wont we ;D

mayoclinic

If we both make it that far. It's a long season and a lot can happen.

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