Ravens Tight End Gives Patriots Defense More Bulletin Board Material

Another week, another opposing player talking too much before facing the New England Patriots.

This time, the culprit is… Nick Boyle?

The Baltimore Ravens tight end was asked Wednesday about his team’s looming matchup with “the Boogeymen,” and his answer is sure to raise a few eyebrows in the Patriots locker room. Whether the words justify the inevitable outrage is up for debate, however.

Here’s Boyle’s comment, via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley:

Obviously, there’s nothing inherently wrong with what Boyle said. What’s he supposed to say, “Yeah, we expect them to shut us down”? He’s a confident player, who is confident in his team, which has every right to feel confident.

But why say anything before facing the Patriots? Everyone knows players and fans will overreact, so why let it happen in the first place? The last thing you want to do is offer extra motivation to the defending Super Bowl champions, who are far more sensitive and bunny-eared than they’d ever admit.