If there has been any more recycled theme this week than “John Harbaugh and Joe Flacco and Terrell Suggs and the Ravens are not afraid of the Patriots and of playing in Gillette Stadium.” I don’t know what it could be.

Great analysis, guys.

Is it just me, or has almost all the local “analysis” this week been about how the Ravens can beat the Patriots rather than how the Patriots can beat the Ravens?

(Eagerly awaiting the “you’re a admitted Patriots loyalist!” emails like the one that came yesterday.)

I, for one would like to hear just how the Patriots can beat the latest incarnation of the ’85 Bears that will be invading Gillette Stadium tomorrow. Yes, these Bears Ravens are NOT AFRAID of the Patriots. Have you heard that? I didn’t know that. I thought all teams were scared of the Patriots and just bowed before them.

It’s ridiculous. Moving on.

herald-usoc

The only thing worse is the amount of kvetching and whining about a possible Olympics in Boston for 2024, after the USOC picked us as it’s candidate to host the game. Guys, you’ve got nine years to figure out how to avoid the city that month. I think you can handle it.

Some links? OK, Five.

What if Bill Belichick said no? Meet Bob Kraft’s second choice, Gary Crowton – If I tell you who wrote this, you won’t click on it. But if I don’t tell you, and you click on it, you’ll probably be pissed at me. OK. It’s John Tomase. It’s a good story, with details I haven’t heard before, such as that Crowton was told by Bob Kraft that if they couldn’t get Belichick from the Jets, they would hire him. And that Crowton probably would’ve brought Chip Kelly with him. And that he wasn’t impressed at all with Tom Brady at the combine.

Facing playoff opponent for first time doesn’t faze Patriots – The Patriots haven’t played the Ravens yet this season. Alex Speier looks at whether that means anything for tomorrow.

Darrelle Revis covers all the bases – Jackie MacMullan with a feature on the well prepared cornerback.

Rob Gronkowski able to join fun – Karen Guregian has the All-Pro tight end looking to make a healthy contribution to a postseason for the Patriots.

ESPN was a ratings hit during a sad week – Chad Finn looks at a record week for the cable giant, and also has some criticism for Mike Felger for the Pedro Martinez allegations earlier this week.

Published by Bruce Allen

Automattician.

46 thoughts on “BREAKING: Ravens Are “Not Afraid” Of Patriots, Source Says.”

  1. Best way to beat the Ravens: put a woman who “has a mouth on her” somewhere outside the stadium. They’ll all rush away to beat the shit out of her.

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    2. Good one. Seriously, I know I’m a homer, but I can’t fathom how a team that employed or has employed the likes Ray Lewis, accessory to murder (at least), Ray Rice and Terrell Suggs, domestic abusers, is more popular than the Patriots with the “non-aligned” NFL fans out there. Yes, I know about Aaron Hernandez, but at least the Pats cut him immediately after he was even suspected of being involved with Oden Lloyd’s death. Lewis kept his job until retirement and is now a “beloved” figure in Baltimore and even among the NFL’s media elite. Suggs still works for the team, and Rice was still employed until the first elevator video turned up. Still, I’m sure if you polled fans in the other 30 NFL cities, at least two-thirds of them would say they were rooting for Baltimore in this game. Steelers fans? Probably not. And maybe not fans in the other NFC North cities, but who else would be rooting for the Pats in this game?

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  2. As a kvetcher and whiner about the possibility of Boston hosting the Olympics, I must retort: It has zero to do with personally handling the experience. It’s all about the monetary cost not being worth it. Cities spend decades digging out from the financial debt of hosting the Olympics. And I don’t want to hear any nonsense about it being completely privately funded. It would never happen. My taxes as a resident of both Boston and Massachusetts will go towards paying for it. And that’s unacceptable. We are already overtaxed and that money is already being wasted in countless ways. Spending billions for a two week tourist industry orgy is just plain stupid. And insulting.

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    1. I heard a caller from Montreal on D&C this morning claiming the city just recently finished paying off the debt for the 1976 Olympics.

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      1. They paid it off in 2006. Because those were 30-year bonds. But it didn’t bankrupt the city – the city’s mismanagement almost bankrupted it. The bonds were actually paid almost in full by a special tobacco tax earmarked for them. The mistake in Montreal was overpaying for an elaborate stadium that wasn’t necessary, then demanding above-market rents to use it. Shockingly, that didn’t work out well.

        The games themselves pretty much broke even.

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        1. Yes. this whole “we will be paying off the Olympic debt for decades” argument is fatuous. That’s how municipal/public finance works, typically with 30-year bonds. Just like most people don’t use cash to buy a house, the state sells long-term bonds to finance infrastructure improvements. Are all homeowners with 30-year mortgages fiscally irresponsible?

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      2. I heard that as well. Nagano was thrown into a recession post Olympics due to the debt. Greece spent 5% of it’s GDP to host the Olympics and it hasn’t recovered. Vancouver’s Olympic village turned into a ghost town because after converting the village into residential homes no one bought them. Montreal’s Olympic Stadium took 11 years post Olympics to complete and took 30 years to pay off it’s debt post Olympics. The only way the Olympics works for a city is if the city needs something that the Olympics could help expedite . For example Atlanta got the highway that runs through the city expanded,a new stadium for the Braves, Olympic Park continues to be a very popular park down there, and GT and UGA got brand new dorms. We will not get a new Fenway out of this. I have no faith that the roads could be fitted in time to support the additional traffic, and if past history is an indicator of future behavior then the 10 Billion or so cost to do this will cost us 150 billion. Not to mention the 7 years of traffic hell we all have to go through while the roads are upgraded. No thanks, no thanks.

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  5. Carefully picking up the pieces of the hottest of takes while scanning the radio dial today…

    –Anyone else notice how we were supposed to be afraid of the Steelers, a team the Pats have dominated in the regular and post season because, well because? However, when it became Baltimore, we had to fear them because of the past. The past doesn’t count against Pittsburgh but it does against Baltimore (except the recent past, that’s a non-story). Got it.

    –The only team hosting a divisional game to lose a regular season home game where they were actually playing their entire roster was Seattle. You don’t hear that story because “12th man”.

    –“The Patriots SHOULD win this game at home. There NO reason YOU should lose this game at home.” Hold up, I thought the Ravens were the team to be scared of, to worry about, who have come in here and won and will do it again.

    –Why has not one media person (who I have heard) mentioned that Baltimore got lit up by Heath Miller, a nice tight end but no Gronk, last weekend? 6 catches, 76 yards, he was open a few more times and Ben went for the big play. One thing we know for sure, Brady doesn’t need Gronk to be open to look to him.

    –Jeff Green and Rajon Rondo have been traded, who is the next Celtics media whipping boy? Kelly Olynyk?

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  7. Bruce:

    Simple question on the Tomase story. How do we know it isn’t all made up? That is why you should not link that piece of poo. He has no credibility. I can’t speak for anyone else but when he writes anything about the Patriots…anything…if a way if…I don’t believe a damn thing he is writing. So unless you called Gary Crowton and confirmed the story with him…I believe that it is another made up yarn from the mind of John Tomase.

    This is what WEEI has wrought. They brought in a guy who might telling the truth…however there is a better chance he is making this up. They should not let him write anything about the Patriots. NOTHING. Why even do a story on what might have been. Please just make Tomase go away.

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    1. I just checked on Amazon in the fiction sports section some writer has a book out about when the rams leave for L.A.. That the Bob Kraft is moving the pats to St.Louis… . Yes weei. I haven’t been on your site since you added fiction writers to your site

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  8. Simple enough: Boycott Tomase. Don’t link to anything he’s written. Spread the word. If Jet fans can oust Idzik, why can’t we oust Tomase?

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    1. Maybe I used to avg three clicks a day to weei. I haven’t since fiction writing is showcased on that site….. oh well maybe they don’t care about one schmuck

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  9. Quick show of hands….who knew that Felger would lose his mind over the signings of Cannon, Bolden, and Chung and how it relates to RESIGNING REVIS, MAZZ!? What are they doing?! They’re using that money Brady gave back to them for signing ponies!

    So G-D predictable….

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  10. Be careful if you are listening to eei. I heard a commercial today driving to get supplies for the game.TOMATO ASS WAS DOING A PROMO WITH BRADFORD for a another clothing store I will never give $&$ cash to…… Hello Miltons you too..
    I had my son in the car so I quickly changed the station to 98-5 only to hear Bertrand saying some crap… click

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  13. Well, it didn’t take long for the Ravens to start crying about New England’s “deception” during the game (Harbaugh was too smart to call it “cheating” because he knew the media would take care of that for him once he used the words “deception” and “the NFL will take a look at that”). It took even less time for the thousands of “Cheatriots” trolls to come crawling out of the woodwork. The ex-Browns really are a contemptible organization. In 2011, their kicker shanks an easy game-tying FG attempt and they try to blame chicanery by the Gillette Stadium scoreboard operators for the kicker’s choke (“you never know what may be going on when the Patriots are involved”). This year their coaching staff is completely unprepared for an offensive formation that the officials apparently deemed legal, and they cry foul again. Oh, and they continue to employ serial domestic abusers and count an accessory to murder as their franchise’s greatest all-time player. Ozzie Newsome is the only individual with even an ounce of class on that team’s organizational chart. Can’t wait for the moralists in the anti-BB media to chime in on how those play calls in the third quarter were somehow akin to “poor sportsmanship” on BB’s part. Goodell should rot in hell for what his ego did to the Pats’ reputation over that misdemeanor rules violation 7 years ago. It’s already becoming hard for me to enjoy this post-season run because I’ve seen the word “Cheaters” appear on my computer screen about 5,000 times since Flacco’s Hail Mary pass fell incomplete on Saturday night.

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    1. Apparently the Titans used something similar earlier this year vs the Jets. I wonder if the Pats saw that on film when studying the NYJ.

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    2. So while Harbaugh is bitching about being out thought did he have any comments about the first Revis PI which was a horrible, horrible call that gave the Ravens a prime opportunity to stay in the game? I thought not. I am sure that was a great call in his mind. The pats needing to beat both the Ravens and the Refs annoyed all who were watching that game.

      I feel bad for Harbaugh…he had to take an Unsportsmanship Penalty to get the Refs attention rather than calling a time out or waiting until the next stoppage and talking to the ref about the formations. He is so sanctimonious I lost all respect for him.

      Glad the Ravens got bounced the way they did. Glad we will not have to see them till next year. Glad their reputations as wife beaters and murders stays in tact.

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    4. I suppose the Patriots should have told the Ravens that Edleman was going to be QB2 on that trick play, too.

      It’s not enough that the stadium PA guy announced it, or that the refs CLEARLY told the Ravens “Don’t cover #34!” on the replay. STFU. You got outcoached and blew TWO 14pt leads.

      Get ready for the off-season and start prepping to cover up more crimes committed by your players and front office personnel.

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    5. What’s great too is, if the Ravens had outsmarted the Patriots in the same fashion, Belichick would never have that response after the game. He would tip his cap to the Ravens and blame himself for being out-coached. He does it ALL THE TIME in his “boring” post game pressers. He also wouldn’t have taken a stupid penalty by reacting to the formation like Harbaugh did. He would’ve used a timeout. John Harbaugh is the most unlikeable coach in the NFL, and maybe in all of professional sports. His smugness is loathsome. Guy has a SB title, has beaten the Patriots twice in road playoff games, and basically says the Patriots cheated because they didn’t tell him exactly what play they were planning to run. Yup, they deceived the Ravens — COMPLETELY WITHIN THE RULES. Deception is part of the game, especially in coaching and play calling. But Harbaugh throws out a codeword for cheating because he’s a sore loser who was pantsed by that formation. Stay classy, you POS.

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    6. It’s every fan base. You know how many people have come out and called the Seahawks cheaters since they’ve been winning? The taunt of “PEDhawks” has become common place.

      And I’m sure you’re familiar with the “SteAlers” that people love to used, and how they’re discredited in 2005 for their SB win because of the refs. Not to mention the steroid use in the 70s

      Giants haters calling their SBs flukes.

      Dolphins of the 70s and how people will point to his politicing in the rules committee and field/turf conditions

      Saints for Bountygate

      And let’s not even get on the Cowboys and how people are convinced Jerry Jones is paying off Goodell, or whatever other nonsense.

      Problem is, you win, everyone hates you and will do ANYTHING they can do discredit you, in order to make themselves and their teams shortcomings feel better. And since the Patriots CONSISTENTLY win, we consistently hear it. This is a good thing, It shows we MATTER. It shows this team is a big deal and a team no one wants to face because they know they can lose.

      But hey, whatever. As a fan base, we simply need to show class and intelligence in the face of this and not demean ourselves into becoming boorish. That story in 2007 was a big joke and just somethin to talk about; if it were Jaguars, who wouldve cared? No one. We have the best team in the NFL and it’s something I am proud of and will continue to enjoy for as long as it lasts.

      By the way, if social media was around in the 50s, 60s and 70s, you better believe the same kinda cheating whines would have been touted towards the Phins, Steelers, Bears, Packers and other dominant teams.

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      1. All valid points. I think what separates this Patriots dynasty, or whatever you want to call it, from the rest is the fact that it was the first NFL dynasty of the Internet era. True, the ‘net existed when Denver won back-to-backs in the late 90s (with an illegal roster, by the way); but, back then the use of it wasn’t as widespread, there was no “instantaneous” stuff like Twitter, and there certainly were no hand-held/mobile devices that today allow idiotic reporters to tweet out their biased “feelings” and fans to spew their venom across the wordwide web as the game unfolds. While those other teams you cited were hated, today’s technology and, most importantly, today’s “celebrity” media types (most of whom hate BB) have helped all the Pats haters out there to gain an unusually loud voice as compared with the haters of other teams. Also, while I have heard the “PED-hawks” stuff, unlike Spygate, I NEVER hear it brought up by the media…..some media jackals are STILL pushing the Spygate and “the Patriots will do ANYTHING to win” crap, even today. Just this morning I read an article that, while explaining that the NFL confirmed the “deceptive” formations they used Saturday night were legal, stil claimed the Pats “pushed the envelope” of the rule. Says who? Did a league official say that? Nope. The media hack who wrote the article said that, interjecting his own bias and also dropping a Spygate reference at the same time. I may be hyper-sensitive, but it still seems to me that, at least wtih the media, there’s still one standard for the Pats and another standard for the other 31 teams.

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    1. I thought the writers observations of Collingsworth’s comments about Goddell were spot on. I had a similar reaction when i heard it live…telling the all in the living room that I was amazed NBC would even comment not he Mueller report as it was obviously a piece of garbage.

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      1. Outside of the prepared statement, expecting nothing more from NBC, I was surprised they didn’t prop up Costas or Peter King to lecture us that the league is good and fine, Goodell is great, and that we’re dumb if we don’t believe or accept the report. Unless they did? Even if I am at home, I go do stuff until the 2nd half starts.

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    2. I wish I had the links, but when the stuff did break, I recall some of the local people there questioning everything. They were guys outside of the rights-holders, so I guess they could.

      Chad Finn also touched on it today:

      http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/01/11/announcers-script-sounded-forced/k0MQ4YchGmYNEEJygeSeSI/story.html

      He mentions the Deadspin article, which they had a hot mic, of him talking to the producer (wonder if that was someone’s intentional protest?) NFL can’t be happy there.

      http://deadspin.com/nbc-carries-nfls-water-with-pre-written-statement-on-mu-1678746476

      I wonder if the entire segment there was scripted. Goodell, man of the people, bearing the cold.. Could have sat in Kraft’s heated box but chose to relegate himself to the elements in the cold? I have to think there were plain-clothes security all around there, though.

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    3. Michaels and Collinsworth aren’t Ravens fans? Yikes! Did the sports editor clear that article? What an embarrassment! And you know that is never even written if the Ravens win.

      My take on the TV broadcast (other than the obvious Goodell shilling that everyone agrees on): Michaels and Collinsworth pretty much went back and forth burying each team as the moment swung.

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  15. Just a quick aside as it pertains to Westwood One – it’s funny to me how they have the BEST and WORST guys calling games. I could listen to Kevin Harlan read the drive-thru menu at McDonald’s. He is poetry. So many nuances he adds to a broadcast that you just don’t hear anywhere else. He’s Picasso on the radio.

    Then you have James Lofton, who thinks he’s Shecky Greene working on his stand-up act. He literally adds nothing to a broadcast. Terrible, lame, horribly unfunny one-liners instead of offering a coherent, professional opinion on what just happened. Instead of telling me the “extra L in Luke Willson’s name is what makes him faster” or that “Seattle probably wants to score here and extend their lead” maybe, I dunno, offer some substance?

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      1. Of course Fouts is fantastic. He honed his broadcasting skills calling Bobby Boucher’s miracle performance in the Bourbon Bowl…..”It’s because they didn’t hold anything back!!”

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  16. Lock of the Week: Felger hyper-focusing on Brady’s late first half INT
    (F: “This is a reoccurring problem, Tony, isn’t it?” M: “Mike, he’s a
    liability!”) while glossing over, if not outright ignoring, how great TB
    played in that game. I mean, it was vintage Brady. How long has Felger
    been saying that TB doesn’t play like he used to in the playoffs?
    Look, other guys made big plays. No denying it. But Tom Brady made
    some of the biggest when they absolutely needed it (the rushing TD when down 14 in the 1st quarter and an absolutely PERFECT pass to Lafell for the game winning TD in the 4th quarter with the game on the line [Btw, how many guys in this league can make that throw??]). All this, mind you, when the Patriots had ceded the running game. The Ravens KNEW that NE would be passing on every down, and Brady still killed them.

    And for those people who post on here about this site/comment section being a bitch fest: Tomorrow and the upcoming week is why we have a problem with the Boston sports media. Instead of it being about an incredible game and a gutsy win by the Patriots, instead of it being about how this game shows why the Patriots could win the SB (neither the defense nor offense played its best, but they still won), it’ll be revisionist history on the Ravens and listing reasons why yesterday’s game shows the Patriots are vulnerable.

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    1. My money will be on “The Colts went into Indy and beat a team YOU couldn’t beat there. They will not be afraid.”

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    1. Yup. “Going for it all” is wonderful in theory, but what happens when you go for it, and then your #1 guy suddenly starts playing like a 38-year old with an aging arm weakened by multiple neck surgeries? Manning sounded like a guy who had one foot in retirement after the game today, but even if he does come back next year, Denver (and Elway) have some major cap-related decisions to make before they can formulate a roster for 2015. I’m not sure “going for it” can even be part of the equation for them next year, even though we all know that the cap is crap. Oh and by the way–Wes Welker had one catch for 20 yards well after the outcome had been decided. Manning hardly even looked his way for most of the game against an Indy secondary that was laser-focused on stop Sanders and the two Thomas’s. Sorry Boston media, but BB was right: being a year early dumping a guy is better than being a year late. Denver is the team that’s going to have to be a year late.

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      1. All year we have been lectured on how the Broncos “all in” approach is superior to the Patriots, and that per the scoreboard last year, the Broncos approach was and is superior to the Patriots. Even though the Broncos had the same playoff record as the Pats over the last 2 years and failed to win the Super Bowl (we all know how getting to the Super Bowl and losing around here is treated as though it does no good). And at least when the Pats lose in the Super Bowl, it comes down to a single fluky play, not a 30+ point blowout.
        Over the Manning in Denver era, the Pats are 3-2 in the playoffs and the Broncos are 2-3, with two one and dones (none for the Pats over that time period). Patriots also have the superior head to head record over that time period.
        Seems pretty clear cut to me. Scoreboard. The Pats method is better.

        Media lock of the year that this will not be mentioned or admitted though. Felger has already admitted on the air in the past that he wants the Broncos to beat the Pats so he wouldn’t have to admit that the Pats method was better.

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        1. Felger really proved what a complete fraud he is last year when, after the Broncos’ completely embarrassed themselves in the Super Bowl, he said on TV: “But Denver still won this year over the Patriots.” This, of course, is the same guy who has completely dismissed out of hand the Patriots’ two AFC titles since 2004, because they “didn’t win the championship.” Hey Felgie: only frauds move the goalposts to fit their narratives. You are a FRAUD.

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