Torrey Smith #82 of the Baltimore Ravens warms up prior to playing against the New England Patriots during the 2013 AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium on January 20, 2013 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
(USA TODAY) -- It's been a day and a half since the Baltimore Ravens beat the New England
Patriots to advance to Super Bowl XLVII, but several Ravens players still seem
more focused on the Patriots and their fans than on the San Francisco 49ers.
Baltimore's collective disdain for New England was evident prior
to the matchup and immediately
afterward. On Monday, safety Bernard Pollard called
for Tom Brady to be fined for a slide in Sunday's AFC title game because the
Patriots quarterback appeared to kick at approaching defenders.
Now wide receiver Torrey Smith apparently is saying some Patriots fans used
their team's loss as a reason to disparage Smith and his younger brother Tevin,
who was killed in a motorcycle accident in September.
Via @TorreySmith:
Played a lot of games since my brothers death and I never received
as many rude tweets after a win than Sunday...yet NE fans cry about
class
The vitriol between the players, fan bases and even
players' wives has been more brutal than any playoff rivalry in recent
memory. And as heartless and inappropriate as some of the barbs directed at
Smith likely were, it doesn't make any sense at this point for the Ravens and
their players to devote any more attention to New England until the Patriots
come to visit M&T Bank Stadium during the 2013 season.
After the San Francisco 49ers beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, all the
team's players seemed to immediately focus their attention on the Super Bowl, as
opposed to Atlanta. And it's understandable that the Ravens' win was more
personal, with the team looking to avenge last year's AFC Championship Game loss
and strike down whatever remained of the so-called Patriots dynasty, but the
window to dwell on the conference win and its aftershocks should probably be
closed by now.
There's still plenty of time for the Ravens to get focused on the 49ers.
It'll just be a lot easier when they stop thinking about the Patriots.
Chris Strauss, USA TODAY Sports