It was the opening game of the 2005 season and the Ravens in their full black uniforms hosted the Indianapolis Colts wearing their all-whites. The Ravens struggled mightily on offense and didn’t score until the very end of regulation to make the final tally 24-7 Colts.
The beating was far worse than the score might suggest. Kyle Boller couldn’t muster a point against a team really not known for defense.
And Boller took a beating of his own as he lay writhing on the ground at M&T Bank Stadium. It was then that he received something he had not experienced up to that point in the game – cheers.
In front of a national audience on Opening Night some from the hometown crowd decided to release their inner-Cleveland and cheer because their struggling quarterback was down with an injured foot. How embarrassing. How classless.
Some fans believe that when they purchase their tickets it gives them the right to boo. Don’t count me among them. For me it just gives the opposing team more confidence and undermines the potential for a comeback.
But cheering an injury? C’mon man!
This week M&T is back in action as the Ravens host the Detroit Lions. Among the many things that I’ll be locked in on will be the way the Ravens defend Megatron, aka Calvin Johnson. I will also be curious to see how the fans respond to Billy Cundiff.
Should he miss there’s little doubt that the boo-birds will be singing.
And should Justin Tucker connect the ovation for even modest success will far exceed the worthiness of the accomplishment.
Sometimes fans forget the human element of being a player and they justify their behavior towards players by rationalizing that it (the booing) goes with the territory. After all (they further rationalize), they make all that money so what’s the big deal?
Be classy B’more. Don’t be like the unruly mob by Lake Erie.
I get that Cundiff’s miss last year may have cost the team a trip to Super Bowl XLVI. But so did Joe Flacco’s misfiring on long passes to Torrey Smith and the inability of Messrs. Grubbs, Birk and Yanda to control Vince Wilfork. The list goes on.
Teams win and teams lose.
Cundiff was a big part of the team’s success in 2010. So ok, he’s no longer the answer and it looks like for the moment that Tucker will get the nod. If you want to applaud the rookie, that’s great. But if it comes to this, booing Cundiff does nothing positive for the team.
Just accept that it’s time for a once productive player to move on – and do it in silence.
It’s the classy thing to do.
