Ravens safety Ed Reed told CBS Baltimore in a radio interview that Brady had texted him. Reed try to text back to Brady, but ended up calling him and Brady apologized. Reed told Brady “it’s good.” The puzzle the NFL is trying to figure out is whether Brady was automatically protecting himself, or did he had any intention to spike Reed.

More absurdity is yet to come as Baltimore Ravens safety Bernard Pollard publicly complained that Tom Brady should to be fined by the NFL. Reports reveal Pollard’s exact word as “If you want to keep this going in the right direction, everyone should be penalized for their actions.”

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley (22) carries the ball in the second quarter of the AFC championship game against the Baltimore Ravens at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

Really? If that’s the case let’s started with Bernard Pollard, “The Bonecrusher”, as he was nicknamed while at Purdue University for his hard hits and tackles. In the 2012 season alone, Pollard was fined more than $100,000 for illegal hits. During the 2012 regular season he recorded a total of 98 tackles, 71 solo and 27 assisted. As for the postseason, he has recorded a total of 15, 9 solo and 6 assisted tackles.

The $100,000 fine mark is unparallel and insignificant as to the amount of hits he recorded. Many of those hits are very likely to be illegal hits that are not being accounted for; either because the officials did not see, or just sweep under the carpet.  Such an example can be noted in the first week of the playoffs in Baltimore Ravens 24-9 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Pollard collided with Reggie Wayne for a helmet-to-helmet hit. On that play, Wayne was ruled to be a defenseless receiver by the officials. It’s was not a surprise Pollard was not thrilled about the call on the field. A couple of plays after his flag, Pollard also received a taunting penalty, but no fine.

Here he is again, ‘the bonecrusher” terrorizing another New England Patriots, running back, Stevan Ridley, on the Patriots 13-28 loss in the AFC Championship.

Crashing Tom Brady’s planted left leg and resulting in a torn anterior cruciate ligament, in the first game of the 2008 season as a Kansas City safety, for Pollard that is just the beginning.

In January 2010, this time with the Texans Houston, Pollard had to satisfy his bonecrushing craving by injuring another Patriots player. This time his victim was Wes Welker. Pollard closed in on Wes Welker and while Welker tried to cut away from the safety, he tore his ACL.

But wait! Pollard is not done yet. In order to diminish the New England Patriots’ chance to win the game in 2011 AFC Championship, Polllard chose tight end, Rob Gronkowski, as his victim of the evening. Gronk sustained a high ankle sprain as the safety dove, dragged down and placed all his 224 lbs weigh on his ankle.

I have seen nasty hits in the NFL, but the helmet-to-helmet hit Pollard delivered on Ridley was, by no means, acceptable or within any safety standard. With 12:53 remaining in the fourth quarter, Ridley was smacked by Pollard at the end of a 5-yard run. The hit was so intense that Ridley immediately lost consciousness as it was so visible seeing his defenseless body laying on the ground. From a medical point, looking at the way the hit occurred; at the time of contact Ridley’s skull stopped moving forward sending his still-moving brain toward the left side of this skull. When he rebounded upward and spun to his right, his brain rotated counterclockwise which means that his brain moved in several different directions causing him to lose consciousness.

But hey! No penalty in there. Pollard did not have any vicious intention in inflicting a concussion on Ridley. All that matters is that the ball came out loose and a fumble was recovered for the Ravens celebration.

The officials agree with the clean hit and the NFL sends the Baltimore Ravens and Pollard its blessings.

You Should Follow Celia Westbrook on Twitter @celiawestbrook

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) reacts after throwing an interception against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots faced off against the Baltimore Ravens on a windy and cool January night in Foxboro, MA for the AFC Championship.  The Ravens, riding high after knocking off top seed Denver last week, came into town and blew the wheels off the Patriots on both sides of the ball in a game-changing 3rd quarter. From the get-go the Patriots offense was not clicking on all cylinders as, after picking up a quick first down, failed to convert on 3rd and 2 for the first time.  After forcing a 3-and-out, the Patriots drove to the Baltimore 12, but again on 3rd and 2 they settled for 3 points. Notable for New England was that rookie defensive end Chandler Jones did not start and spent most of the game on the sideline, as he clearly was not healthy enough to go.

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (59) celebrates with teammates after intercepting a New England Patriots pass during the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore and New England traded punts early but the game changed as the Patriots watched starting cornerback Aqib Talib hobble off in the first quarter with a hamstring/thigh injury and he did not return.  With the Patriots forced to move nickel corner Kyle Arrington to cover receiver Torrey Smith, the Ravens began airing the ball out.  After another round of punts, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco led Baltimore 90 yards on 12 plays highlighted by Baltimore wide receiver Torrey Smith burning Patriots cornerback Kyle Arrington for 25 yards.  This was followed shortly by the Ravens taking a 7-3 lead on a 2 yard touchdown run by Ray Rice, highlighted by missed tackles by Patriots linebackers Dont’a Hightower and Jerod Mayo.

The Patriots, who had been controlling the time of possession finished the half off by driving downfield and scoring on a 1-yard touchdown pass by quarterback Tom Brady to wide receiver Wes Welker.  It looked as if Baltimore’s defense would hold the to 3, but there was a miscommunication in the secondary leading to Welker being uncovered in the flat.

Rob Ninkovich ended the next drive by Baltimore with a big play, sacking Flacco on 3rd-and-6 to force a punt and give the Patriots the ball with just over 2 minutes before the half. A direct-snap to running back Danny Woodhead on 4th-and-1 netted 7 yards to extend the drive which ended with uncharacteristic bad clock management.  Patriots quarterback Tom Brady scrambled on 1st-and-10 with 0:26 seconds left and with about 11 seconds left tried to get the team to the line before taking the final timeout with 0:04 seconds left and not giving themselves another chance to throw to the end zone and settling for a field goal to end the half.

The Patriots never seemed to open it up or get clicking in the first half.  Running back Stevan Ridley ran well at times, and wide receiver Brandon Lloyd and tight end Aaron Hernandez were the primary targets in the first half.  The defense held up for the most part, but punter Zoltan Mesko was the first half MVP as he continually pinned the Ravens inside their own 15 yard line, no matter whether punting into the wind or with it.  There were no turnovers in the first half by either squad, and the strangest part of the offensive game plan was that the Patriots offense seemed unable to gain yardage on 2nd and 3rd and short.  There were hurry-up runs that went nowhere and Brady standing in the pocket with no one open to throw to downfield.

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) reacts after throwing an interception against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots defense held to open the 2nd half and quarterback Tom Brady came right back and picked up a quick first down and then moved the ball on a long completion to wide receiver Wes Welker and a 15-yard penalty for helmet-to-helmet hit on Ravens safety Bernard Pollard tacked on the end of the play.  Unfortunately, Welker got open on 3rd and 7 and dropped the ball forcing yet another Patriots punt from inside the Baltimore 40 yard line.

Baltimore decided to test the Patriots secondary moving to shot gun and got a big gain of 22 yard over the middle to tight end Dennis Pitta.  Throw in pass interference and some big first down conversions, and Flacco the hit tight end Dennis Pitta again for a touchdown as Baltimore retook the lead.  Patriots safety Steve Gregory was burnt in the passing game and missed tackles on both Ravens running backs and the score was 14-13 Baltimore.

After the Patriots failed to convert a 2nd and 2 and punted yet again, the Ravens moved quickly down the field as again it was Flacco to Torrey Smith for 24 yards deep down the middle on 2nd-and-14 for a huge conversion. The Ravens then began to mix the run and work the middle of the field as wide receiver Anquan Boldin pulled in a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to put the Ravens ahead of the Patriots 21 to 13.

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin (81) celebrates his touchdown catch with center Matt Birk (77) in the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

The Ravens had a definite plan to give up on the dink-and-dunk of the first half and start heaving the ball deep against the Patriots’ depleted secondary until it was softened up. Whether this would have been effective had the Patriots defense had cornerback Aqib Talib is debatable, but the Ravens made adjustments, the Patriots defense got tired, and the Patriots offense remained stagnant throughout the entire third quarter as opportunity slipped from their grasp.

The Patriots first drive of the fourth quarter ended in catastrophe as running back Stevan Ridley was knocked out on a hit by Ravens defensive back and Patriots killer Bernard Pollard causing a fumble covered by Baltimore.  A quick strike by Ravens quarterback to wide receiver Torrey Smith moved the Ravens into scoring territory in a hurry before finding wide receiver Anquan Boldin again down the middle of the field for another touchdown to make it 21 unanswered points for Baltimore in 10 minutes as the Ravens extended the lead to 28 to 13.

The Patriots again stalled out after getting to the 20 and not converting a 4th-and 4, which seemed to effectively end the game. Oddly enough, Baltimore came out throwing and worked less than a minute off the clock. It seemed to give the Patriots another chance, and when Wes Welker caught a 36 yard catch and run, the Patriots were in position to make it a game. However, the next play resulted in a tipped pass and an interception by Ravens linebacker Ellerbee.  This time, the Ravens made the right call and powered up to run out the clock to almost the 2 minute warning and effectively ended the game. The Patriots mounted a “too little, too late” drive to nowhere ending in another interception.

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (middle) intercepts a pass from the New England Patriots during the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

It was odd to see the Patriots be out-coached, make mental mistakes, not cause turnovers and instead turn the ball over in crunch time.  The Baltimore Ravens looked like the best team as their defense confounded the Patriots throughout the game.  After struggling early, the Ravens were the squad making the adjustments and making the big plays down the field and coming up with critical conversions.  The Ravens outplayed the Patriots from player 1 through 53 and on the sidelines and in the coaches box.   They were more physical on both sides of the ball and the Patriots were soundly beaten.

The Patriots signed Forston as a rookie free agent on May 10, 2012 out of Miami, but he was inactive for the first two games of the season.

July 27, 2012; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots defensive lineman Marcus Forston walks onto the field during the training camp at the team practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

Interesting enough, the 6-foot-3, 305-pounder, made his first NFL appearance as a defensive substitute in Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens. He was then released on September 26 and re-signed to the practice squad on September 28.

Debuting in three games as a junior in college in 2011, he finished with five tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

As a sophomore in 2010, Forston started in twelve games of the thirteen games played. He recorded thirty-seven tackles, twelve tackles for loss, three sacks and one interception. Unfortunately in 2009, he only appeared in three games before being granted a medical redshirt with an injury.

As a freshman, he was named to the Football Writers Association First-Team Freshmen All-American team after playing in twelve games with a record of eighteen tackles, three sacks, 4 ½  tackles for loss and one pass defended.

Forston is a 23 year-old and a 20-pounder lighter than 31 year-old defensive lineman, Vince Wilfork.    Let’s see what Forston has in store as an addition to the Patriots defense. It would certainly be nice to see a Vince Wilfork “little brother” on the field.

You Should Follow Celia Westbrook on Twitter @celiawestbrook