4. It's not a team in "chaos," either.

That was the term bandied about last week when an out-of-town reporter asked John Harbaugh whether the Ravens were dancing near the "edge of chaos" and Harbaugh rewarded him with a look that would freeze molten lava.

No, teams in chaos all evince certain characteristics. Players point fingers at one another. They blame the coaches for their problems. They lash out at the fans and the media, the way Brian Urlacher did in Chicago after the Bears' 21-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

(Memo to Urlacher: Not a good move, big guy. You can bash the media all day long, and half the country will pile on with you. But when you get into a spitting contest with the fans -- who, after all, pay the bills -- it tends to set off alarm bells with ownership. And you'll definitely be told to cool it.)

But the Ravens have done none of those things.

At Wednesday's media session at the Castle, both Joe Flacco and Ray Rice refused to take the bait and criticize the offensive line, which has performed horribly and almost got Flacco killed against the Broncos.

And Harbaugh, while a bit testy with reporters, set the same positive tone he always sets as a coach who never throws his players under the bus.

( Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports, Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports / December 16, 2012 )

That was the term bandied about last week when an out-of-town reporter asked John Harbaugh whether the Ravens were dancing near the "edge of chaos" and Harbaugh rewarded him with a look that would freeze molten lava. No, teams in chaos all evince certain characteristics. Players point fingers at one another. They blame the coaches for their problems. They lash out at the fans and the media, the way Brian Urlacher did in Chicago after the Bears' 21-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. (Memo to Urlacher: Not a good move, big guy. You can bash the media all day long, and half the country will pile on with you. But when you get into a spitting contest with the fans -- who, after all, pay the bills -- it tends to set off alarm bells with ownership. And you'll definitely be told to cool it.) But the Ravens have done none of those things. At Wednesday's media session at the Castle, both Joe Flacco and Ray Rice refused to take the bait and criticize the offensive line, which has performed horribly and almost got Flacco killed against the Broncos. And Harbaugh, while a bit testy with reporters, set the same positive tone he always sets as a coach who never throws his players under the bus.

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