The Baltimore Sun's Kevin Van Valkenburg discusses and debates the strengths and weaknesses of each team with The Boston Globe's Christopher L. Gasper each day leading up to Sunday's playoff game . New questions and answers will be posted each afternoon at baltimoresun.com/ravens and boston.com

Chris,

Ravens fans believe about the only way this game will be fairly officiated is if Roger Goodell takes a page from Vince McMahon's playbook and lets Bridget Moynahan serve as a special guest referee. And you know what? They might be right. Outside of Mike Krzyzewski, I'm not sure anyone manipulates the referees as blatantly as Tom Brady and Co.

Breathe on his knee? Out comes Brady's best Meryl Streep. If there is a lamer highlight this year than Brady pointing at his leg and pumping his fist after Terrell Suggs was flagged for tearing the ruffle on his designer skirt, I haven't seen it. But it's not just Brady.

Bump into Randy Moss because you didn't anticipate he'd quit on his route so quickly? He throws up his hands, and out comes the flag. It's a shame Wes "Scrappy Doo" Welker is out with a knee injury, because his tantrums on phantom pass interference usually make Christian Bale seem calm and rational.

And let's not forget the tortured fans of Pats Nation. Choke away the Colts game by going for it on fourth-and-2 and not getting it? It was the referee's fault for a bad spot! Plus the pass interference call the previous drive was unfair! OMG, it's Black Monday! No fan base has ever suffered like us!

It's gotten to be so ridiculous, at this point, I suspect the Patriots would demand someone throw a flag if the Ravens were caught looking at Internet pics of Gisele Bundchen. Come to think of it, Bill Belichick is probably mumbling about that on Goodell's voice mail right now.

KVV

Boo-hoo, Kevin.

I'd give you a hanky to dry your eyes after all that whining and crying, but I'm sure you could just borrow a yellow flag from one of the Ravens. They have enough of them. Baltimore led the NFL in penalty yards this season (1,094) and was tied for third in penalties with 115. The Ravens get flagged for waking up in the morning. Coach John Harbaugh had to applaud his team for not drawing a ton of flags against the Raiders. That's like giving a gold star to a student who spells his name right. Seems fitting because Baltimore has supplanted the Raiders as the NFL's resident Bad Boys. The only complaint the Ravens should have is that the league showed them "The Longest Yard" instead of the NFL officiating video in training camp.

Baltimore's strategy is like that of the mid-1990s New York Knicks: Just keep hacking away, boys, because they can't call them all. Then complain when they call any of them.

The last two times the Ravens have played the Patriots, 22 flags have been thrown on them for 185 yards - and that doesn't include the one that ex-Raven Bart Scott launched into the stands in a fit of rage at the end of the 2007 classic.

Even when the Patriots have been flagged against Baltimore, it's been beneficial.

The greatest false start in the history of football was committed by Russ Hochstein in that 2007 game. It wiped out a fourth-and-1 stop by the Ravens. Well, the second fourth-and-1 stop, the one that came after Rex Ryan called the worst timeout since Chris Webber in the 1993 NCAA men's basketball title game. Complaints about calls? That's one call I think the Ravens have a case on. Luckily for them, Ryan is now with the Jets.

Chris