Travis Thomas: Do The Ravens Have The Heart Of A Champion?
As somebody who covers sports professionally there have been a few cardinal rules that I never break. Number one is never questioning if a player is "faking" an injury. The other is questioning the "heart" of a player. This past Sunday against the Texans the Ravens absolutely made me reconsider the second notion.
First of all, anybody who watched the Chargers vs. the 49ers on Saturday night can recall the guts that Phillip Rivers displayed. Not only was his team down and conceivably out, but Rivers was bruised and battered. Despite all odds being stacked against him Rivers continued to fight and willed his team to a crucial comeback win in a must win game.
Even in defeat some of the most elite signal callers in the game always go down guns blazing. Despite being dominated by the Texans, the Ravens were never out of the game, it wasn't a blowout, and they had a chance to seize this game and momentum at any moment. What I saw in Joe Flacco was quit.
What about Justin Forsett? Has anybody noticed the last month of the season? The Ravens have leaned on a man built like Darren Sproles to carry the load all season. Unfortunately for Justin Forsett, his slight build has caught up to him and this team down the stretch.
There are a few consistent players on this team that you can count on to show that fire when the team needs it. Steve Smith and the front seven of the defense. Unfortunately for the Ravens these guys can't will them to win every big game. Even Head Coach John Harbaugh didn't have his team ready for the intensity and energy of a road playoff type of game.
My fear is that this team will still undeservingly make the playoffs, but if to the core the Ravens are what we all witnessed Sunday against the Texans, no doubt it will be a short lived playoff stay.
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