The 2014 Ravens - Over & Out

Ok, I'm not going to elaborate on yesterday's Raven's loss. But I do want to touch on a few things. First off, the Patriots won. Raven fans need to accept that we were outplayed and out-coached. Hey, I can't stand Tom Brady or Bill Belichick either. But you have to admit, these guys are good. They deserved to win. The Ravens had 14-point cushions twice during the game but their secondary had no answer for Brady's "dinking and dunking" in the second half. The Pats quickly identified the Ravens' weakness and fully exploited it. You've got to give credit where credit is due.

The whining from Jim Harbaugh about being "deceived" is a bit over the top. Is Bill Belichick a classless dickhead? Of course, he is..Could some of his tactics in yesterday's game be considered "bush league"? I would say yes. But, as an opposing team and/or coach, you've to be ready for these things. Bitching about the other coaches' play-calls only makes you look like a sore loser. Raven fans, including this one, often criticize Tom Brady for being a whiny bitch. So, when our own coach does the same thing....well, let's just say that it's hard to defend.

I have several friends who happen to be Patriot fans. Yes, we gave each other a bunch of crap over the past week. But when the game is over and the dust settled, we're all still friends (I hope!). To those folks, I will say congratulations. However, I will certainly be rooting against the Pats in the next round!

With this being said, my buddy Ray brought up an interesting point yesterday. He pointed out that while fans often argue and hurl insults back and forth in an effort to "protect their players", the players themselves really couldn't care less about their fans. They can't even sign an autograph for a fan unless there's an fee attached. But still, we will practically go to fisticuffs with opposing fans to defend these guys. It's really kind of crazy when you think about it.....

With the exception of winning the Super Bowl, the end of the season is always a bitter pill to swallow for fans. The separation anxiety immediately kicks in as you're faced with the harsh reality of not seeing your team compete until next season. After several months of gathering with your friends on Sunday afternoons, you now have to find an alternate source of entertainment.

In my opinion, although they came up a little short, it was a great year for the Ravens. They were faced with a slew of injuries as well as the Ray Rice debacle. For them to to make it as far as they did was rather impressive in my opinion. And playing a tight game against the Patriots in Foxboro is no easy task. The Ravens hung in there until the very end. And even if you don't happen to be a fan of the purple birds, I think you've got to respect that.


kw