John Harbaugh: Patriots Scoreboard Error Was Not a Factor for Us

All the talk about the scoreboard error at Gillette Stadium that led to Ravens’ kicker Billy Cundiff’s rushed field goal attempt moved John Harbaugh to issue a statement Wednesday. The Baltimore coach put any questions about the scoreboard mistake to rest.

“We knew what the down and distance were on our last series,” said Harbaugh. “The scoreboard was not a factor for us. Any suggestion that the wrong down information was a deliberate effort to affect the outcome of the game is nonsense.”

The suggestion that the mistake was deliberate was endorsed by the Ravens kicking consultant during a radio interview, prompting the statement.

I’m glad that Harbaugh said what he said for two reasons. One, pointing fingers at a scoreboard error is a really lame excuse for missing a routine kick. Two, it would reflect really poorly on Harbaugh if he said his coaching staff wasn’t on top of things in the final seconds of the AFC Championship Game. They were. It’s Billy Cundiff’s fault, not some stupid scoreboard operator’s, that the kick was missed.