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It might be over a year ago, but you can bet that those in the Ravens locker room still vividly remember the events of last October 4.
That day, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and linebacker Terrell Suggs were each flagged for controversial roughing the passer penalties on Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, two key fouls which led to a 27-21 Pats win.
As the Ravens prepare to head up to Gillette Stadium again this Sunday, they are fully aware of what the consequences will be if they hit Brady outside of the league-mandated "strike-zone". Hit the two-time Super Bowl MVP in the head, you'll get flagged. Dive at Brady's legs, you'll see some laundry tossed in your direction.
But the Ravens insist that they're not going to let any fear of drawing penalties slow them down on Sunday.
"If that's the only way I'm going to get him down, I'm going to tackle him," Suggs said. "This is football. In my eyes, one man is not more important than the other. I got hit in my knee last year and they went on to the next game.
"I'm not saying I'm going to deliberately tackle Tom Brady in the knee. But if I'm falling and the only way to get him down happens to be his foot, shoestring, ankle, thigh, hip, stomach, anyway I can get him down, I'm going to get him down. I'm a football player and I'm going to play football."
The league has imposed rules to protect all NFL quarterbacks, but after the October loss at Gillette Stadium, a few Ravens players indicated they felt that Brady was getting special treatment because of his stature in the league.
The flag thrown on Suggs, which came after the linebacker appeared to lightly hit Brady in the knee, was the one which caused the bulk of the frustration following the game. After Suggs' hit, Brady turned to the referee and pointed down at Suggs before a penalty was awarded.
When a reporter jokingly asked Ray Lewis if he'll ask the officials before the game where it's OK to hit Brady, the Ravens' linebacker cracked a smile.
"You know we don't even think about that," Lewis said. "Whatever happens is going to happen, though. You know what I'm saying? Because if you do that, you're thinking and you can't think playing this game. You've got to react, and whatever comes with it, comes with it. You just hope the game is always called fair."
