In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, we got to thinking of some relationships that could use a little loving.
There were a few high-drama matches this season alone, and of different varieties. There are long-term pairings that seem to never change, flings that quickly came and went, bonds still growing deeper and even one that required plastic surgery.
Here’s what we came up with:
What are your Ravens Valentine’s Day pairings?
LB Terrell Suggs & Patriots QB Tom Brady
This ongoing relationship budded on Oct. 4 last year, when Suggs was called for some illegal touching (or should we call it grazing?) of Brady’s knee. Brady asked for the penalty and promptly got it, leading to a critical Pats touchdown. Since then, Suggs has said the league favors Brady, critiqued his hairdo, and called Brady’s Super Bowl wins “questionable.” The two exchanged pleasantries during their Oct. 17 meeting and afterwards.
S Ed Reed & Steelers WR Hines Ward
These two are like a quarreling old couple. Their longstanding bond can be traced through questionable crack-back blocks from Ward, the 2009 Dirtiest Player in the NFL, and a 2007 hit that sparked a firestorm. Reed has delivered some big knocks – of the legal variety – on the chatty wideout as well. This year, Reed called Ward out for a “cheap shot” in their regular-season matchup. Then Ward got a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty in the divisional playoffs for tussling with Reed after the whistle. Ward, of course, said it’s nothing personal.
WR Derrick Mason, FB Le’Ron McClain & Dolphins LB Channing Crowder
This association was quick to heat up and die down. It began when Crowder called Mason “the old guy” before their Week 9 meeting. Mason responded, saying Crowder must not be paying attention if he didn’t know who he was. During the game, an on-field scuffled ensued and Crowder accused McClain of spitting on him. McClain denied the allegation and the NFL took no action after looking into it. After the Ravens’ 26-10 win, Mason said, “The first sign of respect is don’t disrespect your opponent.”
DT Haloti Ngata and Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger
This relationship got ugly, literally. Ngata incidentally hit Roethlisberger in the face during their Dec. 5 meeting, giving him a bloody, crooked nose. The Steelers’ signal-caller originally blamed defensive tackle Kelly Gregg, joking that he would send him the medical bill. After realizing the truth (and getting some plastic surgery), Roethlisberger said he would have to apologize to Gregg and admitted that it was “no way it was on purpose.” Flowers may further smooth this one over, although it may be too late for Roethlisberger’s olfactories.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell & NFLPA Director DeMaurice Smith
This may be one of those new relationships where both sides are still feeling each other out. Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and late NFLPA Director Gene Upshaw had a long, “constructive” relationship that allowed them to negotiate the last collective bargaining agreement. Goodell and Smith don’t have too much history yet, but met at an NFLPA event on Feb. 3 and Smith said, “I’ve got a great relationship with Roger. Without a good relationship between the two of us, this is never going to happen.” Let’s hope this connection blossoms into something beautiful.
