Beaten in the opening of the season against the reigning champions of Kansas City, the Baltimore Ravens are having a hard time digesting the defeat. In a press conference, Jim Harbaugh's players were talkative.
First up, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley. The Ravens were penalized 5 times for poor positioning on the line of engagement (Illegal Formation). Stanley alone contributed 3 penalties.
“I really felt like the refs were trying to make an example of me and they targeted me to do it. From what I saw, they didn't call fouls for either team (Editor's note: the Chiefs were penalized only once for the same reason). I know I was well positioned for the majority of the penalties that were called. I'm going to review the game film and make sure we send a clip to the league.”
Ronnie Stanley then emphasized the difference with the Chiefs.
“I watched their tackles, especially on the right side (editor's note: Jawaan Taylor). I know very well that I was better aligned than him, and they didn't penalize him once. It drives me crazy, I feel like I don't know where to line up anymore. The referees have to be held accountable. If it turns out that these penalties are huge mistakes, then they have to face the consequences.”
John Harbaugh (Ravens head coach) echoes the same sentiment:
“I'm interested to see if they call those penalties consistently all season. I challenge them to do that.”
Harbaugh said the referees had warned that the players' alignments would be closely scrutinized.
On another note, Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely wanted to criticize his opponents:
“It's probably the worst game we've played all season. If that's really their best level, I want to say 'Good luck in the play-offs'.”
Not sure that prodding Mahomes is the best thing to do.
