By now it’s not news after winning the Super Bowl the Baltimore Ravens will be opening the season on the road playing their first game in Denver, since the Orioles have a home game on September 5. The NFL and the MLB couldn’t work out an agreement which would grant the Ravens to opportunity to play at home, so a decision was made.
The Ravens, although they would want to play at home, were able to look at the cup half full since playing on the road gave them a nine-day layoff before their next game. However one person particular with close ties to Baltimore, took offense to the Orioles taking home field.
The Head Coach of the New York Jets Rex Ryan, who was once an assistant for the Ravens for ten years, didn’t appreciate the fact the Ravens would have to play on the road their first game of the season.
“I think as a fan of football I see that first game where Baltimore is away against Denver,” Ryan said in a conference call with reporters yesterday. “I certainly understand that is going to be a great game, but for the Ravens not opening at home. … I understand the Orioles are playing a game at home. Well, who really cares? You’ve got 81 of those things at home. Maybe you could have done the right thing and given one up and played 82 on the road and only 80 at home.”
“I really don’t think people are going to care about that game. You have a chance to have the defending world champs open up the season at home where they rightfully should. I think that’s unfortunate.”
When asked if he was suggesting that the NFL was more important than the MLB, Ryan had the following to say:
“I could tell you this, you’ve got a 162-game schedule,” Ryan said. “I think you have the world champions can open up at home and that’s where they should open up. I think that’s, regardless of who you are a baseball team, I think it’s just common courtesy. I don’t know what happened or what gets involved in that. I’m certainly not in charge of that, but if I would have been, the Ravens would have been opening up at home. … I think that’s unfortunate.”
Ryan has other problems he should tend to, although his gesture was a kind one coming from him. For Ravens fans yes it’s a bummer that the Ravens will have to play their season opener on the road, however Raven fans travel well. Not to mention the extra time to rest before the following game is an advantage. No need in crying over spilt milk. It is what it is.