NFL Admits Fault for Browns’ 4th Timeout
The hit that sent Browns wideout Josh Cribbs to the hospital, the same hit that cost defensive end Dwan Edwards a $5,000 fine, never should have even had the chance to occur.
In this NFL.com video, vice president of NFL officiating Mike Pereira admits that the Browns-Ravens Monday night officiating crew mistakenly gave Cleveland an extra timeout that eventually allowed the Browns attempting one last play in which Cribbs was injured.
NFL Network’s Rich Eisen asked Pereira, “A team in the NFL got a fourth timeout. How did that happen?”
Said Pereira, “Well, I mean, it happened because we as a group — as a crew — failed to record. … Everybody on the field basically forgot to record the penalty — I mean, the timeout — and the scoreboard did, too.”
“All our fault. It’s not the scoreboard operator’s responsibility. It’s our responsibility to record all timeouts. … These types of administrative things should never happen, and we accept responsibility.”
Yesterday, defensive coordinator Greg Mattison was asked if the Ravens knew about the blunder.
“We were aware of that,” Mattison said. “[Linebackers coach] Vic [Fangio] was upstairs and he was adamant about the fact that that was the fourth timeout.”
Colts Goin’ Down?
There are very few brave souls who will go on record and predict a Ravens victory over the undefeated Indianapolis Colts. In fact only ESPN analysts seem to believe in Baltimore, as five out of their eight experts predicted a Ravens win.
It will be an uphill climb, but oddsmakers seem to think this will be a closer matchup than the entire Baltimore Sun staff believes. The action on the Ravens-Colts game opened with Baltimore listed as a one-point favorite.
Baltimore Sun: six of six pick the Colts
WJZ’s Mark Viviano: Colts, 31-21
Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager: Colts, 33-24
ESPN: five of eight pick the Ravens
Yahoo! Sports: three of three pick the Colts
The Sporting News: six of six pick the Colts
USA Today: seven of eight pick the Colts
Sports Illustrated’s Peter King: Colts, 27-23
“The Blind Side” Premiers
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell appeared Tuesday night at a gala premiere for “The Blind Side,” the life story of Ravens tackle Michael Oher, at New York’s Ziegfeld Theater.
Goodell’s attendance at the movie premiere, which opens in theaters nationwide today, is only fitting since the story ends (SPOILER ALERT) with the commissioner on stage at Radio City Music Hall announcing Oher as the 23rd pick in the 2009 NFL draft.
Sophomore Slumps
In his first eight games, Joe Flacco threw for 12 touchdowns. In his last two games, Flacco hasn’t notched a single touchdown, but has thrown two interceptions.
Flacco’s two-game slump is nothing compared to his fellow 2008 first-round draft selection, quarterback Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons. Halfway into his sophomore season, Ryan is suddenly playing like a freshman, says Nate Davis of USA Today.
“Second-year quarterbacks are expected to struggle in the NFL,” Davis said. “However Ryan, who won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2008 while helping the Atlanta Falcons to 11 wins and an unexpected playoff berth, seems to be slightly regressing instead of progressing as he battles to get over the performance bar he raised with his stellar first-year play.”
Ryan, who owns a 5-4 record, has been picked off 11 times in his last six games, which matches his total for the entire 2008 campaign. With 12 interceptions in 2009, Ryan is tied for third-most in the league with rookies Mark Sanchez and Matthew Stafford.
Gridiron Sing-Off
Ray Rice and Kelley Washington are hosting a live Gridiron Sing-Off on December 15th, in which Baltimore football players will show off their musical side. Fans are invited to cheer on their favorite contestants to raise funds for the charity of the players’ choice. This event should provide a healthy dose of laughs and entertainment at Rams Head Live.
I Couldn’t Resist
Periodically, fans will send in their favorite Ravens-themed pictures. Some are more interesting than others, but I couldn’t resist sharing this photo of Shirl Younger who won a Halloween costume contest in Westminster, Md. Her Raven outfit took more than three weeks to make and included 1,000 individually-glued feathers.
That is awesome, Shirl!
