Jamison Hensley from the Baltimore Sun wrote an article asking the question if perhaps the Baltimore Ravens are being “overscrutinized” by the NFL and it’s officials.

From the Baltimore Sun:

The questionable roughing-the-passer penalties in the Ravens’ 27-21 loss Sunday to the New England Patriots have spurred a national debate on whether Tom Brady is being overprotected by officials.

But there is another issue: Are the Ravens being overscrutinized?

I don’t think it’s possible to “overscrutinize” (is that even a word?)  the Baltimore Ravens defense, especially linebackers Terrell Suggs or Ray Lewis.

They try to hurt people.

Terrell Suggs once went on a Baltimore radio show and spoke about how the defense puts “bounties” on opposing players. They aren’t content with merely making sound tackles and good football plays, they want to hurt people.

Ray Lewis is a thug, on and off the field.  Before games he attempts to pump up his teammates by leading them in ridiculous chants about knocking people out.  These Lewis led spectacles are routinely televised for the viewing public, which I’m guessing is one of the reasons they happen in the first place.  Personally speaking, I don’t want to see anyone get “knocked out”.  I think it’s a bad thing when a player gets hurt and lays motionless on the field.  I for one don’t want to see it.  The goal should be to make these type of events far less common than they currently are.

Even once is too much.

Football is entertainment.  Nothing more, nothing less.  I don’t want someone to get paralyzed (or worse) for the sake of my entertainment.  It’s the main reason I don’t watch professional wrestling anymore.  Too many guys were getting paralyzed or even killed fake-fighting for the sake of entertainment.

I don’t think the officials calling the game should ever give these two players, Suggs or Lewis, the benefit of the doubt when it comes to late hits or unnecessary roughness.  When it comes to either Suggs or Lewis, when in doubt, throw the flag.

It will be the right thing to do far more than not.

I watched the Cincinnati Bengals play the Baltimore Ravens yesterday afternoon.  Living in Maryland, my choices in watching football are extremely limited.  How ironic it was that a dirty, helmet-to-helmet hit by Ray Lewis on a defenseless Bengals player who did not even have the ball gave the Bengals 15 yards and even more importantly, another first down. The Bengals were able to continue marching down the field and they eventually scored a game winning touchdown.

Made possible because Ray Lewis couldn’t control himself.  He wanted to knock someone out and his team lost the game because of it.