Ravens coach John Harbaugh knows the rivalry with the Steelers is tough. But Harbaugh thinks that in one respect, the Steelers crossed the line on Sunday.
Specifically, Harbaugh is upset that the staff at Heinz Field played music designed to hurt Joe Flacco’s feelings.
According to Kevin Van Valkenburg of the Baltimore Sun, the Heinz Field sound system blared Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “What’s Your Name” while contrasting the stats of Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger on the scoreboard, and that was somehow a slap in the face to Flacco. Apparently Harbaugh thinks the reference to “little girl” in the lyrics was supposed to be insulting Flacco, and Harbaugh was angry about it.
If that sounds to you like a weird thing for a coach to get upset about, well, you’re not alone. Flacco was baffled by the whole thing.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Flacco said. “They were playing a song?”
This actually isn’t the first time an NFL head coach has been angered by an opposing team playing music designed to belittle his quarterback. When Joey Harrington led the Dolphins against the Lions on Thanksgiving 2006, Dolphins coach Nick Saban complained about the Lions playing Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” on the Ford Field sound system as a jab at Harrington, who’s a pianist in his spare time.
Flacco and Harrington both got their revenge by winning.