8:00 AM.  Ravens coach John Harbaugh on radio station 98 Rock.  In response to a question about the Taints and Bountygate: “In the end, everything is brought before the light of day, when it’s all said and done. What happens, even the thing in New England, no matter whether those things had any impact on whether they won their championships or not, they got asterisks now. It’s been stained. To me, it’s never worth it. You have to figure out ways to use the rules to your advantage, you have to figure out ways to make the most of everything… That’s what success is in the world. You have to find a way to do things better than somebody else. But if you’re cheating, in the end, you’re going to get discredited. It’s not worth it.”

10:30 AM.  Tedy Bruschi on SportsCenter: “You want to take a shot, go ahead and say it. When I look down at my hand and I see championship rings, I know how much work had to be put in to win those championships. I’m very set and secure with all of the victories that we had the work we put in… I don’t know what the Patriots organization or Coach Belichick has to do to prove how good he is as a head coach or how good those players were or how good that organization is. Coach Belichick belongs in the same breath as Vince Lombardi and coach Paul Brown, those types of coaches. That’s who he is, that’s where he belongs. The shot at coach Belichick I don’t understand. When coach Harbaugh was interviewing for the job in Baltimore, it was coach Belichick that vouched for him. There’s a little bit of loyalty that coach Harbaugh needs to learn.”

1:00 PM.  Ravens press release: “While on the 98 Rock show this morning… I answered a question about playing within the rules and referred to the perception that the Super Bowl championships won by the Patriots and Saints have a stain. My reference was to the perception out there that came as the result of the league’s actions. I could have been more clear that I was referring to those viewpoints. I totally believe that the Patriot…coaches and players earned those championships. Bill (Belichick)… knows[s] that… I have so much respect for Coach Belichick and the job he does and has accomplished in his Hall of Fame career. I called him to remind him of my respect for him. I also reached out to Tedy Bruschi, who rightfully defended those Patriot players and coaches on ESPN, to tell him that I agree with him that the Patriots earned every victory.”

And that is how you do that.  Someone tries to disparage Bill Belchick, and his former players respond with a rapid response insertion. They go all SEAL Team 6 on your ass, put a couple of bullets in his turban and quell the uprising before it begins.  Well done, Tedy Bruschi for leading the attack, too.  And don’t think for one second Harbaugh would”ve backed down if Bruschi and the Twitterverse didn’t fire back and call him out on this.  He still hasn’t gotten over the fact that he and his coaches puked on their cleats on the sidelines at the end of the AFCCG.  And that his kicker pulling a Ray Finkel was a direct result of him being outcoached by the master in crunch time.  Well it’s like Quintus tells Maximus: A people need to know when they’re conquered, and judging by what he’s saying now, Harbaugh has figured it out.  Seriously, if anyone knew he could backpedal this fast, he would’ve been the first DB  off the board last Thursday.  More importantly, Harbaugh also learned an object lesson about how loyal Belichick’s former troops are.  Goonies never say die.  When you’re a Pat you’re a Pat all the way from your first cigarette til your last dying day.  And anyone who still tries to slap an asterisk on His Hoodedness’ legacy is going to pay dearly. Here endeth the lesson. @JerryThornton1