Lewis, Reed Avoid Fines

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and Safety Ed Reed will not be fined for their post-game remarks criticizing the officials in the team’s 27-21 loss to the Patriots. Who would’ve thought that there were no fines, I guess you could do anything you want now. Lewis for one just went off on the officials in the game. He just snapped in their face and at first thought he might’ve wanted to hurt them in some manner. But in reality, both players were criticizing the league’s recent moves to protect quarterbacks. As Lewis sees it, the new rules and interpretations make it unfeasible for a player to hit a quarterback without getting flagged.

No word yet on whether John Harbaugh will be fined for his in-game antics, which drew a personal foul, and his post-game remarks which were analogous to Lewis and Reed. I would expect Harbaugh to see a hefty fine by this week.

Ravens Showing Confidence in Subtle Humor, Irony

If you saw Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh’s press conference Monday afternoon, you couldn’t help but chuckle about the exchange he claims to have had with special teams stand-out Brendon Ayanbadejo. When asked his thoughts on Ayanbadejo’s increased roll on the team’s defensive sub-packages, Harbaugh was a little uneasy about the Pro Bowl linebacker’s mindset.

It is uplifting to see that even though the Ravens take their game very seriously, they don’t necessarily take themselves too seriously. A team that can enjoy with some good-natured ribbing shows that they have a assured level of confidence and trust in one another, which translates into performance come Sunday. Tight end L.J Smith is one more example. Smith had been fighting a hamstring injury since training camp and finally saw his first regular season game action last week against the Browns. After producing a first quarter reception for a first down, Smith came to the sideline and was quickly greeted with even more Raven spoof. If the Ravens go on and show thick skin, the result will definitely be more wins.