Ravens Ready to Deal With NFL's Crackdown on Taunting

Team will adjust to tighter rules.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens had one memorable taunting penalty last season.

When Marcus Peters intercepted Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill that sealed Baltimore's 20-13 victory in the AFC wild-card game, he sent a message to the Titans.

Peters and several other Ravens players stomped on Tennessee's logo at midfield in retribution for the Titans doing the same at M&T Bank Stadium in Week 11.  

After the Titans players gathered on the Ravens logo, Baltimore coach John Harbaugh immediately confronted Tennessee cornerback Malcolm Butler and coach Mike Vrabel.

The NFL is cracking down on those types of reactions this season and will strictly enforce rules with taunting. Penalties will include automatic ejection of players who accrue two taunting penalties in a game. That player may also be fined or suspended.

Harbaugh doesn't think the Ravens will have a problem with the new rules. He also had no problem with the penalty that Peters accrued in Tennessee. 

“Absolutely, we’d never want that," Harbaugh said. "We’ve been good about that. We never really had that. If you watch our celebrations, there are really none that we’ve had to have coaching points on that I’ve seen. Our guys do it with each other. I think you want to celebrate in the spirit of the team; you celebrate together. 

"We don’t have taunting; I haven’t seen that. Well, except for the one against Tennessee. I wasn’t upset about that. I think we’ll be fine. Our guys are good about it. … It just came to my head. I was like, ‘We didn’t have any,’ but that’s not true. We did have the one. I’m sure you guys might have brought that up.”