OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- As teammates shouted We got your back, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco acknowledged he was taken aback by comments from former teammate Ray Lewis, who called out the former Super Bowl MVP for a lack of passion for the game.Its a little surprising coming from Ray, Flacco said after F

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- As teammates shouted We got your back, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco acknowledged he was taken aback by comments from former teammate Ray Lewis, who called out the former Super Bowl MVP for a lack of passion for the game.Its a little surprising coming from Ray, Flacco said after Fridays practice. But its been something Ive dealt with probably back before high school. Its just part of my personality. When things are going good, its questioned as if its a good thing. When things arent going as well as you might like them to be, its always a question as to whether my personality is that of one that fits what an NFL quarterback should be. Its not anything Im not used to. But it is a little bit different coming from Ray.On Thursday, Lewis told Fox Sports 1 that Flaccos emotionless approach to football is a reason for the quarterbacks inconsistency. Flacco ranks 29th in the NFL in passer rating (78.3) this season, throwing as many interceptions (nine) as touchdowns.Gifted? Absolutely. Passionate about what he do? Ive never seen that, Lewis said. I dont know what that looks like.Lewis comments struck a nerve in the Ravens locker room and seemed to galvanize many players leading up to Sundays high-profile road game against the Cowboys.Safety Eric Weddle and cornerback Jimmy Smith could be heard shouting support in the background while Flacco spoke to reporters. Flacco smiled when he heard the uproar in the locker room.Its just odd that you hear Ray Lewis saying something, Weddle said. Joe Flacco won you a Super Bowl; did you forget about that?Flacco helped Lewis and the Ravens to the Super Bowl in 2012 with a nearly unprecedented postseason run. He joined Joe Montana as the only players to produce 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions in the playoffs.In addressing Lewis comments, Flacco never took a shot at the player who has a statue outside M&T Bank Stadium. Flacco initially didnt see what Lewis said about him, but he decided to watch after coach John Harbaugh brought it up Friday morning.You want to be able to listen to what he says and all that, Flacco said. I know he hasnt been here for a while. We want him to feel a part of this place. We want him to come around.Wide receiver Steve Smith Sr.?showed respect for the future Hall of Fame linebacker, saying Lewis voice carries weight. But he also pointed out that time has passed and players change.Lewis has been away from the Ravens locker room for four years, which is nearly as long as he was teammates with Flacco (2008-12).You dont play this game this long and be able to accomplish some of the things that Joe Flacco, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, all the great guys that have played with the Baltimore Ravens that Ive admired, you dont play this long without having a drive or a passion for the game, Smith said.Weddle was not as restrained when it came to Lewis.We love Joe. Hes our guy, Weddle said. Hes a great teammate, professional, leads, everything you want. Its kind of irrelevant. We dont really care what the outside thinks. For an old teammate to say that, its just like, Dont you have something better to talk about? I guess he didnt.Flacco has often been called Joe Cool for his stoic and quiet demeanor. But members in the organization pointed out that Flacco shows his passion in different ways. He never missed a game until his eighth season, putting together the fifth-longest streak for an NFL quarterback. When he tore two ligaments in his knee last November, he stayed in the game to finish out the final few plays. In getting back from the knee injury, he never missed a day of rehab.I think everybody expresses their passion in different ways, Harbaugh said. Youve got a locker room full of guys and an office full of coaches. Everybody is different. Every personality is different. Every single guy does their thing in a different way, but every single guy here cares deeply and works very hard and wants to be great at what they do.Will Flacco call Lewis to address the comments?Probably not, Flacco said. Me and Ray are going to cross paths again. It might be brought up. It might not. Who knows? Chicago Bears Apparel Clearance . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. 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Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When All-American forward AJa Wilson struggled to score and got saddled with fouls early in the third quarter, South Carolinas newest players came to the rescue.Transfer guards Kaela Davis and Allisha Gray combined for 61 points in their debuts and the No. 7 Gamecocks opened their season by defeating seventh-ranked Ohio State 92-80 on Monday.Davis, a two-time All-ACC selection and the conferences leading scorer in 2014-15 for Georgia Tech before transferring and sitting out last season, had 37 points. She scored seven points to help the Gamecocks go from a two-point lead to a 64-56 advantage in the third quarter.Sitting out a year was tough but we were excited to come in and play such a good team as Ohio State she said. To be able to get a win is a great start for us and me.Gray, a transfer from North Carolina, added 24 points for the Gamecocks, who beat the Buckeyes 88-80 at home to open last season. Alaina Coates had 10 points and 13 reboundsThe wait was worth it, Gray said. Its a great feeling to be back.Kelsey Mitchell led Ohio State (1-1) with 27 points despite picking up two fouls in the first quarter. Sierra Calhoun had 18 points and Shayla Cooper 15.Our defense wasnt up to par, Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. When you play a great team like South Carolina, if youre not going to defend youre not going to win.The Gamecocks did their damage despite Wilson scoring only five points. She picked up her third foul with 5:10 remaining in the third and the Gamecocks up 52-48, but she remained in the game only to exit 40 seconds later on her fourth foul.Her absence paveed the way for Davis and Gray, who had 22 and 14 points in the second half, respectively.dddddddddddd.With Wilson getting in foul trouble early that made it difficult to get the ball inside, Gray said. It was one of those games we had to apply ourselves and maybe take certain shots we wouldnt take in other games.NO SOLACEMitchell took no satisfaction in limiting Wilson to 11 points below her season average last season, I dont know how much you can talk about that because they still won and we didnt do good on defense.NOT SO FASTThe tempo was slower than what the teams displayed in their last meeting, in part because 51 fouls (29 to Ohio State) ruined the rhythm. Compared to last years game, that was like watching paint dry, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said.TIP-INSSouth Carolina: The Gamecocks began their 43rd season and the ninth under Staley. They are 31-12 in openers, including 9-9 on the road. ... South Carolina is one of two teams (UConn the other) to appear in every AP top five since the start of the 2014-15 season.Ohio State: It was a busy night in Value City Arena. The OSU men played North Carolina Central University three hours after the womens game started at 6 p.m. ET. This was the womens first game in the building this season after playing Duquesne in nearby St. John Arena.UP NEXTSouth Carolina: The Gamecocks host Hampton on Sunday to start a three-game homestand.Ohio State: The third of four straight home games is Wednesday vs. Cleveland State. ' ' '