Ravens: Teams Must Beat Pats and Refs

By Chris Mottram
When you’re 4-8, and arguably the most disappointing team in the NFL, you’re going to tend to be a little bitter about things. But the Ravens have every right to be upset with last night’s officiating.
[img=http://aycu06.webshots.com/image/34205/2002963275561591548_rs.jpg]
The key call that handed the game to the Patriots was ruling Jabar Gaffney’s catch in the endzone a touchdown. The ball was clearly still moving as Gaffney went out of bounds. It wasn’t even close to be questionable. It was a no doubter. The call should’ve been overturning in about five seconds. Instead, it stood.
Oh, and there was also an illegal contact penalty late in the fourth when Randy Moss basically ran straight into the cornerback. Naturally, it wasn’t Moss who was penalized.
Some of the reactions from the Ravens:
-- Chris McAllister: “It’s hard to go out there and play the Patriots and the refs at the same time. They put the crown on top, and they want them to win.”
-- Terrell Suggs: “It’s kind of the feeling of the 2001 tuck rule. That is the NFL for you, man. When they got a guy like [Tom Brady] that is selling a lot of tickets, you want to keep him selling tickets.”
-- McAllister again: “The refs, they’re horrible. That’s the bottom line. They made a lot of bad calls and it is what it is. They’ll send in their little report to say that we made a mistake on this one, and this should have been that, but it’s too late.”
-- Derrick Mason: “It’s kind of like that old Bulls team when they were running the table. You were playing against Jordan, Pippen and the bunch and it was hard to beat them because everyone was on their side. That’s the way it is now. You’ve got Brady and the bunch. It’s hard to beat them when you’re playing against them and extra people.”
So yeah, I’d say the team is a little upset. But you probably already knew that after Bart Scott received 30 yards worth of personal foul penalties after the game-winning touchdown. One for taunting, the second for throwing the taunting flag into the stands, which may have been the most awesome thing I’ve even seen from a linebacker.
> Quoth the Ravens: Refs the Difference | Boston Globe
UPDATE: Ravens’ Rolle claims one of the officials called him “boy” during the game. Apparently, this is highly offensive.
-------------------------
Chris Mottram is the Community Manager for SportingNews.com and is the co-author of his personal blog Mr. Irrelevant.↵