Ravens Talk Of The Country?

[ravenz_fan]

FINALLY!!!! some positive talk about the ravens nationwide,, yet i do feel it pumped up the ravens hearing "they can't do it" always wanna make fools of the commintators

[rastaman831226]

[quote name='theFRANCHISE' date='20 September 2009 - 02:03 AM' timestamp='1253426599' post='237441']
Question asked to Ray Lewis before the Super Bowl: "How long have you been surrounded by thugs?" ([url="http://images.si.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0701/gallery.nfl.SBfunnyquestions/content.9.html"]SI.com[/url])

Not to mention the backlash after Bart Scott's meltdown against the Pats in 2007. And after the Ray Lewis murder trial. And after the Jamal Lewis drug charge. And so on, and so forth.

All of that, coupled with the stigma surrounding a defensive-minded football team, gave the team the label of "thugs" during the Brian Billick era. Sure, we Ravens fans knew better about our guys, but it didn't help that there was (and still is) a small segment of the fanbase that equated swagger to thuggish behavior. There's a HUGE difference between [i]playing[/i] with an attitude and [i]having[/i] an attitude.
[/quote]

<[i]personal insults removed--please abide by the Code of Conduct[/i]>

Football, like hockey or boxing is violent game played by large, fast, violent men. Historically, violent language, violent acts on or off the field are part and parcel of the game with many of its' many personalities- get used to it. The term " thugs " when applied to those who play this game at this level by those who do not are ( A ) those who do not appreciate the game, ( B ) those who cannot nor have ever played the game, or ( C ) those whose sensibilities are more attuned to tennis, golf, tiddlewinks, or checkers. <[i]personal insults removed--please abide by the Code of Conduct[/i]>

[theFRANCHISE]

[quote name='rastaman831226' date='20 September 2009 - 09:34 PM' timestamp='1253496892' post='238921']
Football, like hockey or boxing is violent game played by large, fast, violent men. Historically, violent language, violent acts on or off the field are part and parcel of the game with many of its' many personalities- get used to it. The term " thugs " when applied to those who play this game at this level by those who do not are ( A ) those who do not appreciate the game, ( B ) those who cannot nor have ever played the game, or ( C ) those whose sensibilities are more attuned to tennis, golf, tiddlewinks, or checkers.
[/quote]
I would hardly characterize Reggie White, Haloti Ngata, Jerry Rice, Drew Brees, or Darrell Green as being violent. Great players at their position, but certainly not violent men by nature.

I don't see the point you're making. Are you saying that it's necessary to have a poor attitude to play this game at a high level? [i]I[/i] never called the Ravens "thugs" myself, but the catcalls came out whenever Ray Lewis laid someone out and did his signature fist pump, or when Ed Reed allegedly tried to hurt Chris Johnson, or when Terrell Suggs had his "bounty" on Hines Ward, or when Bart Scott threw his penalty flag into the stands, or when Suggs was ejected from the Lions game in 2005 while the team racked up a team-record 21 penalties.

Image is everything when it comes to how the refs treat you; sad, but true.

I love that John Harbaugh has changed the culture of the team and has made the rest of the league [i]respect[/i] us. Wasn't it not too long ago that Jerry Jones wanted the Ravens to be the Cowboys' final opponent in the last game at Texas Stadium? Did he want an "easy win" against a team that people perceived to be the "bad guys" while his Cowboys were supposed to be the "shining knights in armor" or some crap like that? (paraphrasing a radio interview) That's the kind of disrespect that comes with having a negative image.