Down the hallway from the Ravens locker room, I could hear the Pittsburgh Steelers hootin’ and hollerin’.  “60 minutes of football, that’s how the Steelers play!”  They pulled off an improbable fourth quarter comeback to take the lead in the final minute in a 13-9 victory that clinched the division title for Pittsburgh.  The game-winning touchdown was awarded when the original call was reversed following video review, making for deeper pain for the team in purple.   To their credit, few Ravens complained publically.  Those I spoke with didn’t like the call and didn’t agree with it, but few openly protested the ruling or cried conspiracy (as was the case in controversial losses last year to Cleveland and New England). 

            I see a couple of reasons for the muted response.  First of all, as unpopular as the decision of referee Walt Coleman was- it’s possible his call is justified.  I don’t expect a Ravens player, employee or fan to agree with me (and it’s my opinion that the video evidence probably wasn’t sufficient to overturn the original ruling) but there are angles that Coleman saw that he could conclude a touchdown was scored.  Unpopular doesn’t necessarily equate to “wrong.”  So, in part, I think the tempered response of the Ravens is rooted in a reluctant admission that the ref could be right.

            Another reason why the Ravens weren’t openly crying foul: it’s not their style anymore, and that’s a directive from new head coach John Harbaugh.  He yelled at Coleman and pleaded his case on the field, but once the game was over- other than voicing some exasperation over the situation, Harbaugh set the tone for accepting the loss and moving on.  The coach kept to his leadership model the next day when he said his opinion on the call just didn’t matter anymore, and the focus was already on the next game.  Well played, coach.  I see it as a good example of handling a undesirable result with dignity (again, contrast that with the aftermath of the Browns and Patriots debacles of a year ago).

Posted on Monday, December 15th, 2008 at 9:58 pm.
Categories: Mark's Blog.
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