Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden might have provided the Baltimore Ravens some bulletin board material on Thursday. Haden didn’t say anything wrong, just that the Ravens weren’t their normal selves. That is to be expected when they lose some of the franchise players they did this past offseason like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.
“The Ravens aren’t the Ravens of old,” Haden said, via The Plain Dealer. “They’re still really good, a real talented team, a division opponent, but at the same time, our team is a whole different team. It’s a different squad. We still haven’t gotten over the hump, but there’s no reason why we can’t.”
The Ravens caught wind of Haden’s comments and have responded. They didn’t necessarily take exception or fire shot backs, they understood to a certain degree.
“Everybody saw it,” tackle Michael Oher said. “I trust in the guys upstairs. We’ve got great guys upstairs. If you’re in this organization as a player, you’re a great player and we’re here for a reason. I’m looking for great things in the future for this team the next nine weeks.”
“I mean, I think it’s safe to say,” wide receiver Torrey Smith said.. “It’s not the same team. It’s not like I’m going to take anything to him. We’re still built the same, but it’s not the same guys. That’s just fact to it.
“It’s not like we’re going to take it like, ‘He said this, they’re not the same team,’ because anybody can go out there and get beat any week. At the same time, we play the way we’re capable of playing, we’re still the Ravens and we’ll get to that point and other teams will know it.”
Oher said players received an e-mail with Haden’s comments. While they might not be taking shots at the Browns, the Ravens certainly look like they’re using it as motivation.