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The Ravens are our biggest rivals in the same sense that in three years the Texans might be our biggest rivals.
1. Jets
2. Colts (will always be due to historic Brady-Manning rivalry, but in danger of falling if we don't play them enough)
3. Dolphins/Bills
4. Whoever happens to be good when we're good (Steelers, Ravens for now- Chargers a few years ago)
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I would say that in order for a team to be classified as your rival, you have to have a built in hatred for that team, a la Sox/Yankees.
I would charectorize the Raven hatred as more contrived. We have butted heads all decade and in doing such there have been comments and momments that have made us grow to hate some of them. Pollard and Suggs topping the list. So I would say it has kind of created itself this decade which given enough fuel moving forward this could be the foundation for that built in hatred.
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"We go down to New Orleans, and ain't anybody give us a chance? Nobody! And what did we say to them?"
This year, so far, I would say that the Texans are our biggest rivals. The Ravens defense, sans Terrell Suggs, doesn't look like what it could be without him. The Eagles hung over 400 yards of total offense on them last week and they looked inept in Week 1. The Texans, on the other hand, have been playing lights out football so far, albeit against the Dolphins and the Jags. But they've been doing what good teams are supposed to do, hammering weaker teams. If Schaub stays healthy, they will be our biggest competition and then the Ravens. The Texans can run the ball well, they have weapons in the passing game, they have a good O-Line, and their defense is extremely good.
If it comes down to biggest rivals this year, I don't see any bigger threat than the Texans in the AFC so far this season...
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Sorry...but in my book rivals are more determined by within the division first because those games almost always have huge repercussions to the playoff picture.
So it J-E-T-S Jets jets jets since NY is VERY arguably the second most talented in the division.
And who comes up with the word Rivals in relation to the Texans?...thats a dumb word....its not 'rivals'...its 'top challengers' or 'top threat'
and as far as my opinion goes....In the early going ,the AFCs best teams are...
1) Houston
then
2) Baltimore
and right now a tie for third
3A) New England 3B) San diego
Last edited by PATRIOTSFANINPA; 09-20-2012 at 12:29 PM..
After all, with so much pride at stake and the knowledge that the whole country is watching, the Patriots and Ravens will be out to send a message to the other sideline and the rest of the league. That’s what adds to the intrigue of this growing rivalry.
“It’s kind of like our rival.” Gronkowski said. “They’re a great opponent. It’s always competitive, always close, and it’s always physical.”
The Globe has a nine-page slide show with a photo and a couple of sentences about each game ever played between the two clubs.
Over at PFT, Florio picks the Ravens to win Sunday night because "the Ravens have had the Pats' number lately."
Obviously, there's no problem with him picking Baltimore to win. But since the Patriots have won seven of the eight games the teams have ever played, I guess "lately" is the playoff game three season ago.
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"And the anger and the yearning, like fever in my veins, set the fire burning ..." WZ
Over at PFT, Florio picks the Ravens to win Sunday night because "the Ravens have had the Pats' number lately."
Obviously, there's no problem with him picking Baltimore to win. But since the Patriots have won seven of the eight games the teams have played, I guess "lately" is the playoff game three season ago.
Apparently Florio is like the many delusional fans of certain other teams that have convinced themselves that the Ravens won the AFCCG regardless of what the final score was?
It's funny how many seem to feel that way, but don't use the same logic universally - e.g., to the 49ers "beating" the Giants in the NFCCG.
Sorry...but in my book rivals are more determined by within the division first because those games almost always have huge repercussions to the playoff picture.
So it J-E-T-S Jets jets jets since NY is VERY arguably the second most talented in the division.
And who comes up with the word Rivals in relation to the Texans?...thats a dumb word....its not 'rivals'...its 'top challengers' or 'top threat'
and as far as my opinion goes....In the early going ,the AFCs best teams are...
1) Houston
then
2) Baltimore
and right now a tie for third
3A) New England 3B) San diego
A rival is someone that is in a position to dispute the dominance of another. New England is the dominant team coming off of a Super Bowl appearance last year. Houston looks to be the top team to be able to dispute that.
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As defined by Webster, a rival is “One of two or more striving to reach or obtain something that only one can possess.”
It doesn’t say anything about competitive balance, animosity or geography.
It says nothing of tradition or level of importance.
Therefore, if an adult chooses to wrestle with a 3-year-old over the last Oreo in the house, that is, by definition, a rivalry.
When applied to sports, however, the term seems to be open to interpretation, and virtually every sports fan has their own interpretation of what it truly means.
For many, a great rivalry must contain some or all of the following ingredients.
• The two teams must be on a par with one another, with the victory tally being relatively close.
• They must have dislike for one another, usually created by close proximity or frequent competition.
• The rivalry must go back several years and be steeped in athletic lore.
• The game must consistently carry a high level of significance.
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Re: Are the Ravens our biggest rivals?
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