Following the Baltimore Ravens’ Week 4 loss to the Cleveland Browns, players were clearly fed up with their play and losing ways. It was reported safety Earl Thomas and defensive tackle Brandon Williams got into a heated argument in the locker room. The argument stemmed over Williams being a late scratch due to a knee injury that coach John Harbaugh said causes him a lot of pain.
This week when asked about the altercation, Thomas essentially admitted it happened and gave a little explanation. According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, Thomas said he was frustrated Williams wasn’t playing because he makes the team better when he’s on the field. Thomas also said they’ve since talked about it and are on the same page.
This is the type of mid-season locker room altercation that can either break a team completely or push them to be even better. Remember, Baltimore had a near mutiny during the 2012 season, using that as a catalyst to turn things around and win Super Bowl XLVII. If Thomas and Williams have come to a better understanding and it can spark better play from not only them but the rest of the defense, it’ll be a good story to tell as they head into the postseason. But if it’s just one in a long line of fractures in the locker room this season, it’ll be what’s used to see people fired this offseason.
For the Ravens’ sake, they better hope it’s the former and not the latter. They finally have an offense capable of leading them to wins. If the defense can come anywhere close to their No. 1 ranking from last season, they’ll be widely considered Super Bowl contenders.
