A.J. Brown: Pregame altercation “set the tone of the game”

[Poe the Raven]

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Some will say that the pregame pleasantries exchaned by Titans players and Ravens coaches meant nothing once of the game began. One of the key players in the game says otherwise.

“They set the tone of the game from being out there from doing just that,” Brown told PFT by phone after Tennessee’s dramatic overtime win, regarding the decision of coach John Harbaugh to approach a group of Titans players who were on the Baltimore crest at midfield. “They told us what type of game it was going to be. It was gonna be a physical game. People don’t think that that matters, but it definitely does.”

The incident left Brown stunned.

“The coach just came over there and I was like, ‘Did he really?’ . . . I was just in the way. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was trying to keep the peace, you know, because they’re coaches, not like they’re players. I was just trying to keep everybody calm and separate everybody and get ready to play. Things were heated.”

Brown isn’t sure what sparked the fracas.

“Some words were said, and they said some words back. They kind of rushed the field like they were players. They definitely set the tone of the game. That’s when we what type of game it was gonna be, from right then.”

That’s the kind of game it was. The Ravens controlled the action in the first half, but the Titans were relentless — thanks in part to Brown’s relentless effort once the ball is in his hands.