It seems like in the last year you’ve heard the phrase “overcoming adversity” a lot surrounding the Baltimore Ravens. Whether it has been the slew of offseason arrests that occurred in less than a month, or season ending injuries to key players, it’s been a tough year.
Now, news breaks today that Haloti Ngata is suspended for the rest of the regular season for violating the league’s performance enhancing drug policy. Ngata is arguably the defensive player the Ravens could least afford to lose at this point, and it’s devastating news for a team that likely needs to run the table to avoid missing the playoffs for a second straight year.
Injuries are part of the game and simply unavoidable, and to a degree so are the off-the-field arrests. Coaches and teams can’t be at a players side 24/7. They are adults who need to make their own choices. But this year the Ravens’ incidents regarding player conduct have been far from isolated.
As troubling as the amount of incidents has been, the lack of accountability on the Ravens part has been just as disturbing. That lack of accountability has resulted in Ravens players continuing to make poor decisions, which then have immense negative impacts on the team and their performance on the field.
The bottom line is these current Ravens lack focus, discipline and the intangible qualities that a team and its players need to exhibit in order to be successful in such a competitive league, and that at the end of the day that comes down to the coaches.
While words like maturity, accountability and responsibility have been used a lot by Harbaugh and his coaching staff the last couple of years, those words have never resulted in consequences. While some will make the argument that the Ravens cut Ray Rice, the fact is the choice was made for them when the second video was released in September. Aside from Rice’s release, with the exception of Lorenzo Taliaferro, the Ravens have held onto troubled players like Jah Reid and Deonte Thompson who have made virtually no impact on the field.
Wouldn’t it have made more sense to cut these players, and provide an example to the rest of the team that poor decisions won’t be tolerated?
On the field the lack of focus, discipline and accountability has resulted in a mediocre team. Here’s a fact: the Ravens haven’t won back to back road games in over two years. Week 11 and 12 of the 2012 season was the last time that happened, and that isn’t bad luck or evidence of how hard it is to play on the road. That is a sign of a team that lacks focus and mental toughness week to week in a league that demands it in order to find success.
Haloti Ngata’s suspension is the latest example of the Ravens having to “overcome adversity” in order for the Ravens back to get back to the playoffs. At some point hopefully the Ravens and their coaching staff begin to understand the difference between overcoming adversity, and enabling players to make poor decisions. Until they do, the suspensions and arrests will continue, and so will no January football in Baltimore.
