During all of this Deflategate commotion, one thing is lost in the shuffle: The Baltimore Ravens were the PO’d team that tipped off the Indianapolis Colts to a potential “violation” of NFL rules.

Let’s rewind: The Ravens were riding high, having just come off a win against their AFC North rival (and champion) Pittsburgh Steelers. They would travel to New England and lose to the Patriots. And they didn’t just lose: the Ravens felt they were cheated.

First, the Ravens complained about a play in which Patriots RB Shane Vereen declared himself as an ineligible receiver. You may click the link for more info, but in summation, the Patriots sent out 6 players who could be deemed as receivers, and acknowledged that Vereen would be the ineligible player of the group.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh went ballistic, stating “no one” had ever seen that play before, and cried it was against the rules, despite Alabama using the same exact type of play to beat LSU on national TV months earlier! It’s also funny to hear Harbaugh complain about someone taking advantage of the rules, when he instructed his own punter to waste time and walk out of the endzone for a safety, ensuring the Ravens their last Super Bowl victory. (Also, let’s not forget that Harbaugh has whined about the turf at Heinz Field and playing night games in Pittsburgh! Yeah John, because the Steelers never play prime time games in Baltimore, right?)

Alas, the crying and complaining kicked up to the league, who stated the play was legal, but has now declared such a play illegal. But what else would we expect from a commissioner who only suspended Ray Rice for two games initially?

So if you’re keeping score, thus far I’ve shown the Ravens have gotten a football rule changed, and kicked off the Deflategate scandal, all over sour grapes from losing a playoff game.

The Patriots were the “cheaters” using the playbook to their advantage with trick plays and deflated balls, but the situation no one is talking about, is when Darrelle Revis, considered one of, if not the best cornerback in the NFL, was flagged for pass interference in that playoff game: Revis had gone an entire 16 games without a PI penalty called against him.

That’s where the Ravens are guilty of the biggest crime in football: the beneficiary of pass interference penalties. The Baltimore Ravens lead the NFL in pass interference calls in their favor over the last five seasons. Yes you read that correctly: for five seasons, the Ravens have ranked first (twice) second (twice) and third in the league for getting the flag thrown in their favor.

That’s why I get furious when I hear Joe Flacco mentioned as “elite” when his style of play is akin to playground jump ball. Yes I am a Steelers fan and yes I feel Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t get the respect he deserves, but Joe Flacco is not elite. He has never thrown for more than 4,000 yards and has never had 30 or more touchdown passes in a season, However, he has had the benefit of getting flags thrown for heaving up prayers.

The number of PI calls for the Ravens and Mr. Flacco is staggering when you put it under a microscope. In 18 games last season, the Ravens lead the league with 16 flags for 335 yards. Consider that 3 other teams tied for second place with only 11 flags: New England, Arizona and Indianapolis. Also consider the Patriots and Colts played one more game (19) than the Ravens did, and managed 5 less calls. Arizona also ranked 2nd in yardage with 238 penalty yards: 97 less than the Ravens (or 3 yards shy of a football field!)

But this is nothing new. In 2013 the Ravens ranked 2nd in calls with 14 and 1st in yards with 295. Only the Denver Broncos outpaced them with 16 flags for, but they also played 3 more games having made the Super Bowl. (Denver also ranked 2nd in yards with 250 – 45 less than Baltimore.)

You might remember 2012 as the season the Ravens won the Super Bowl. I remember it as another year where they lead the league in PI calls for, with 16 flags over 20 games. The Colts edged the Ravens in penalty yardage, however, with 250 yards versus the Ravens’ 243…

2011 was more of the same as the Ravens tied for 3rd in the league with 11 calls, but somehow managed to still gain more penalty yards on those calls (280 yards to Cincinatti’s top amount of 13 for 264 yards.) 2010, the final year I researched, highlighted yet another league-leading 269 yards for on a 2nd-most 12 calls (versus 221 yards for the second-most place.)

In all, the Ravens have accumulated a league-best 1,422 yards on 69 pass interference calls. Compare that with the 2nd-best 1,223 yards and that’s 1 shy of the Ravens gaining 200 yards more than the second-most beneficiaries in the league over that same amount of time. Keep in mind I’m only comparing the next teams and not the remainder of the league!

With what I feel was a general lack of elite WRs on the Ravens rosters over that period of time, I can only attribute the lopsided amount of calls in Baltimore’s favor to one thing: a coach and system who knows how to bend the rules in their favor.

John Harbaugh might say that is cheating.

I have to say, this would be the one time I agree with you John. Your team is nothing but a group of complainers and cheaters.