Monday, January 23, 2012. It’s a foggy morning in January, the kind where visibility is low and the mist from the low-lying clouds dots your windshield.
It’s a quiet Monday morning; a Monday after the Baltimore Ravens lost in the final seconds of the game to the New England Patriots.
To some, it’s a sad day. To others, it’s a day to rejoice. A day to reflect on all of the things you dislike about the Ravens, ball it up into quick one liner jokes and poke fun at a team you despise.
Many will call this jealousy. Many will call this being a poor sport. I, on the other hand, call it serving justice.
SO MANY people on Facebook and Twitter couldn’t accept the fact that their beloved Ravens didn’t win the game. The blame game immediately initiated and the finger-pointing began as soon as the clock said 0:00.
The blame game soon turned to blaming all other NFL team’s fans for the Ravens loss. Suddenly, the hate and anger from the loss was directed to any and every person who made fun of the Ravens losing a big game, on a big stage, in front of millions of viewers. This, my friends, is what many would call, an EPIC FAIL.
Many used the same old, worn out comment such as, “Whatever…I don’t remember seeing your team in the playoffs,” or “Shut up…Your team just sucks and you wish you could’ve made it to the AFC Championship,” and lastly, “We beat Pittsburgh twice this season, so shut up Pittsburgh fans.”
And all I can say is this, and I quote, in bold, all caps, to make a sarcastic, smart-ass point: IT DOESN’T MATTER. It doesn’t matter that my team didn’t make it to the playoffs. It simply doesn’t matter that my team finished 5-11. And it definitely doesn’t matter that your team may have beaten their biggest rival twice in the regular season.
Here’s what matters, in sequential order:
- The Ravens disappointed their city and entire fan base with their loss in the AFC Championship.
- The two times you beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the regular season mean absolutely, positively nothing! NOTHING!
- The Ravens did not live up to the expectations many experts discussed at the start of the season.
- The better team prevailed in the AFC Championship game.
Here’s my rebuttal to any negative comment you may be brewing in your head to formulate this terrible opinion about me that is otherwise untrue; unless you truly mean it, then I guess you’re probably right, so we can end the argument and move on.
But for those who want to continue reading and hear my opinion (the truth), turn your ears this way and glue your eyes to these next few paragraphs.
Rebuttal of Comment #1
You can’t be “proud” of your team if they finished below your expectations. Point blank. End of story. You can be happy they made it that far, but they ultimately failed; and because of that, it’s heartbreaking. And I know all about heartbreak, I’ve been a [Insert Color Here]skins fan for all of my life. But my expectations for my favorite team were set extremely low, which didn’t allow this season to disappoint. It was the complete opposite for Ravens Nation.
Rebuttal to Comment #2
Granted the two wins against Pittsburgh helped your chances of making the playoffs; to use this line directed at Steelers fans after losing the AFC Championship game is ludicrous. Yeah, the Ravens beat them, but you know what? Just like Steelers fans, Ravens fans will be on the couch (along with the fans of 30 other NFL teams) on Super Bowl Sunday, dreaming of next season. Ergo, those wins mean nothing!
Rebuttal to Comment #3
Ravens + Expectations = Super Bowl. If we follow the fundamental laws of common algebra, we can see that when we carry the Ravens over to the Super Bowl, adding the two, we are left with the Expectation that the Ravens will be in the Super Bowl. However, in order for this equation to compute, each factor needs to be isolated individually as its own variable, and held responsible for its value.
- Ravens Value – Really good team; can they win when it matters most?
- Expectations Value – High
- Super Bowl Value – AFC Champion vs. NFC Champion
The Super Bowl holds its value. The expectations remained high for the Ravens. And the question was answered: The Ravens cannot win when it matters most. Therefore, this equation cannot hold up and the Ravens did not live up to their expectations.
Rebuttal to Comment #4
You can blame the loss on Lee Evans. You can blame the loss on Billy Cundiff. But for some reason, no one is looking at it from the other perspective (maybe they are, but I don’t have time to read sports news all day). The New England Patriots had the better team. Better coaching; a much better QB that underperformed; and an alright defense. Of course the Patriots aren’t a “lights out” defense like the Ravens, but they’re hard-nosed, scrappy players. This was proven when Moore stripped Evans of the touchdown that should’ve been…He wanted it more. The better team wanted it more. And the better team won!
So, Ravens fans, I invite you to join all other 30 NFL teams that didn’t make it to the Super Bowl and reminisce, laugh, cry; whatever you need to do to realize the dream for this season is over…And as every [Insert Color Here]skins fan says, “We’ll get ‘em next year!”
Regards – RJ
Things of that Nature 