Baltimore Ravens
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Year founded: 1996 | |||||
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| City | Baltimore, Maryland | ||||
| Team colors | Purple, Black, and Gold | ||||
| Head Coach | Brian Billick | ||||
| Owner | Steve Bisciotti | ||||
| General manager | Ozzie Newsome | ||||
| Mascot | Ravens | ||||
| League/Conference affiliations | |||||
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National Football League (1996–present)
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| Team history | |||||
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| Championships | |||||
League Championships (1)
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Conference Championships (1)
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Division Championships (2)
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| Home fields | |||||
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The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team who are based in Baltimore, Maryland. They compete in the Northern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Ravens have won one Super Bowl title, Super Bowl XXXV, in the 2000 season against the New York Giants.
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[edit] Franchise history
- For more details on this topic, see History of the Baltimore Ravens.
On November 6, 1995, then-Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell announced his intention to move the team to Baltimore, citing the inadequacy of Cleveland Stadium and the lack of a sufficient replacement along with his heavy debt. The decision triggered a flurry of legal activity that ended when representatives of Cleveland and the NFL reached a settlement on February 8, 1996. It stipulated that the Browns' name, colors, and history of the franchise were to remain in Cleveland, including past records and the attribution of its Pro Football Hall of Fame players. A reactivated Cleveland Browns team would then begin play in 1999, while Modell's relocated club would technically and legally be an expansion team, the Ravens.[1] Still, some consider the Ravens and the pre-1995 Browns organization as one continuous entity, using terms like "The Modell organization" or "Art Modell's franchise" to denote it.[2]
The CFL team, the Baltimore Stallions, had proved such a success and the fans showed up in droves to prove they deserved an NFL franchise. This caught the attention of Modell.
After relocating his franchise, retaining the current contracts of former Browns players and personnel as per the agreement made by the city of Cleveland and the NFL, owner Art Modell hired Ted Marchibroda as head coach, who had previous experience with the Baltimore Colts during the 1970s and the Indianapolis Colts during the early 1990s. Ozzie Newsome, the Browns tight end for many seasons, joined Modell in Baltimore as director of football operations. He was later promoted to Vice President/General Manager.
Focus groups, a telephone survey, and a fan contest were all held to help select a new name for Modell's relocated club. Starting with a list of over 100 possible names, the team's management reduced it to 17. From there, focus groups of a total of 200 Baltimore area residents reduced the list of names to six, and then a phone survey of 1000 people trimmed it down to three, Marauders, Americans, and Ravens. Finally, a fan contest drawing 33,288 voters picked "Ravens", a name that alludes to the famous poem, "The Raven", by Edgar Allan Poe, who spent the latter part of his life in Baltimore, and is also buried there.[3]
The 1997 Ravens started 3-1, and Peter Boulware was named AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year with 11.5 sacks, but the Ravens finished 6-9-1. Baltimore then began the 1998 season by moving into their new stadium Raven Stadium (eventually the stadium would be called PSINet Stadium and later M&T Bank Stadium). Testaverde, who had left for the New York Jets, was replaced with former Indianapolis Colt Jim Harbaugh, and later, Eric Zeier. Cornerback Rod Woodson joined the team after a successful stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Priest Holmes started getting the first playing time of his career and ran for 1,000 yards, but the Ravens finished with a 6-10 record.
After three consecutive losing seasons, Marchibroda was succeeded by Brian Billick in 1999, who had served as the offensive coordinator for the record setting offense of the Minnesota Vikings the season before. The 1999 season showed a marked improvement, as Quarterback Tony Banks came to Baltimore from the St. Louis Rams and had the best season of his career with 17 touchdown passes and an 81.2 pass rating. He was joined by receiver Qadry Ismail, who posted a 1,000-yard season. The Ravens struggled early starting 3-6 but managed to finish with an 8-8 record.
[edit] 2000 season—Super Bowl champions
Banks shared playing time in the 2000 regular season with Trent Dilfer. Both players put up decent numbers (and a 1,364-yard rushing season by rookie Jamal Lewis helped too) but the defense, lead by current Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis, became the team's hallmark and bailed a struggling offense out in many instances through the season. Ray Lewis was named Defensive Player of the Year. Two of his defensive teammates, Sam Adams and Rod Woodson, made the Pro Bowl. Baltimore's season started strong with a 5-1 record. But the team struggled through mid-season, at one point going five games without scoring an offensive touchdown. The team regrouped and won each of their last seven games, finishing 12-4 and making the playoffs for the first time.
During the 2000 season, the Ravens defense broke two notable NFL records. They held opposing teams to 165 total points, surpassing the 1985 Chicago Bears mark of 198 points for a 16 game season. They broke another 1985 Chicago Bears record by holding teams to 970 yards rushing.
Since the divisional rival Tennessee Titans had a record of 13-3, the Ravens had to play in the wild card round. They dominated the Denver Broncos 21-3 in their first game. In the divisional playoff, they went on the road to Tennessee. Tied 10-10 in the fourth quarter, an Al Del Greco field goal attempt was blocked and returned for a touchdown by Anthony Mitchell, and a Ray Lewis interception return for a score put the game squarely in Baltimore's favor. The 24-10 win put the Ravens in the AFC Championship against the Oakland Raiders. The game was rarely in doubt. Shannon Sharpe's 96-yard touchdown catch early in the second quarter followed by an injury to Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon were crucial as the Ravens won easily, 16-3.
Baltimore then went to Tampa for Super Bowl XXXV against the New York Giants. The game was also dominated by the Ravens. They recorded four sacks and forced five turnovers, one of which was a Kerry Collins interception returned for a touchdown by Duane Starks. The Giants' only score was a Ron Dixon kickoff return for another touchdown; however the Ravens immediately countered with a return by Jermaine Lewis. The Ravens became champions with a 34-7 win, becoming only the third wild card team to win a Super Bowl championship. Jamal [Lewis] was one the main stars of the Super Bowl. He was up there with Ray Lewis. Trent Dilfer did not throw that much as the Ravens ran most of the game. Dilfer though, was one of the main reasons the Ravens won the Super Bowl that year. They also set a record, for being the youngest team to win a Super Bowl.
[edit] 2001-2002
In 2001, the Ravens attempted to defend their title with a new quarterback, Elvis Grbac, but an injury to Jamal Lewis and poor offensive performance stymied the team. After a 3-3 start, the Ravens defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the final week to clinch a wild card berth at 10-6. In the first round the Ravens showed flashes of their previous year with a 20-3 blowout over the Miami Dolphins, in which the team forced three turnovers and outgained the Dolphins 347 yards to 151. In the divisional playoff the Ravens played the surprisingly strong Pittsburgh Steelers. Three interceptions by Grbac ended the Ravens' season, as they lost 27-10.
Baltimore ran into salary cap problems in 2002 and was forced to cut a number of impact players. The Ravens stayed somewhat competitive, before a December slide cost them a playoff spot with a 7-9 final record.
[edit] 2003-2005
In April 2003, Art Modell sold 49% of the team to Steve Bisciotti, a local businessman who had made his fortune in the temporary staffing field. After the season, Art Modell officially transferred his remaining 51% ownership to Bisciotti, ending over 40 years of tenure as an NFL franchise owner. Modell still has an office at the Ravens' headquarters in Owings Mills, Maryland, and acts as a consultant.
The Ravens drafted a new quarterback in 2003, Kyle Boller, but he was injured midway through the season and was replaced by Anthony Wright. Jamal Lewis ran for 2,066 yards (including a record 295 yards in one game against the Cleveland Browns on September 14). With a 10-6 record, Baltimore won their first AFC North division title. Their first playoff game, at home against the Tennessee Titans, went back and forth, with the Ravens being held to only 54 yards total rushing. The Titans won 20-17 on a late field goal, and Baltimore's season ended early. Ray Lewis was also named Defensive Player of the year for the second time in his career.
The Ravens were not able to advance to the playoffs in 2004 and 2005. Boller remained quarterback through the entire 2004 season. Ed Reed became a full-fledged star on defense, with nine interceptions. Reed was also named the league's Defensive Player of the Year. He broke the NFL record for longest INT return, with a 106 yard return against the Cleveland Browns.
In the 2005 offseason the Ravens looked to augment their receiving corps (which was second-worst in the NFL in 2004) by signing Derrick Mason from the Titans and drafting star Oklahoma wide receiver Mark Clayton in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. However, the Ravens ended their season 6-10. Despite having the same regular season record as the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens were technically third in the AFC North, since they beat the Browns on the division records tiebreaker: In the AFC North, the Ravens were 2-4, while the Browns were 1-5.
[edit] 2006 season
The 2006 Baltimore Ravens season began with the team trying to improve on their 6-10 record in 2005. The Ravens, for the first time in franchise history, started 4-0 under the surprising leadership of former Titans quarterback Steve McNair. With miracle offensive plays engineered primarily in the second half of games by players Todd Heap, Jamal Lewis, Mark Clayton, and even backup quarterback Kyle Boller, the team scored key victories over playoff-bound teams such as San Diego and New Orleans.
The Ravens then lost 2 straight games mid-season on offensive troubles, prompting coach Brian Billick to drop their offensive coordinator Jim Fassel in their week 7 bye. Also during the mid-season, the Ravens won an important victory when McNair and wide receiver Derrick Mason returned with the Ravens to their former stomping grounds of Tennessee to defeat the Titans.
Riding the influence of their winning streak, the Ravens sought a sweep of the AFC North division in a rematch against the Bengals late in the season. Baltimore was unable to produce offensively enough to overcome a team lead by their own former defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis. The loss ended Baltimore's hopes of a division sweep.
Still ranked second overall to the first-place San Diego, Baltimore continued on. They slowed down the surging Chiefs, continued dominance over rival Cleveland, and held the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers to only one touchdown at Heinz Field, allowing the Ravens to still clinch the AFC North.
The Ravens ended the regular season with a franchise best 13-3 record. Still considered one of the better teams in the NFL, and a Super Bowl favorite by some the Ravens had secured the AFC North title, the #2 AFC playoff seed, and clinched a 1st-round bye. The Ravens were slated to face the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the playoffs, in the first meeting of the two teams in the playoffs. Many Baltimore and Indianapolis fans saw this historic meeting as a sort of "Judgement Day" with the new team of Baltimore facing the old team of Baltimore (the former Baltimore Colts having left Baltimore under questionable circumstances in 1983). In one of the most bizarre playoff games in NFL history, both Indianapolis and Baltimore were held to scoring only field goals as the two defenses slugged it out all over M&T Bank Stadium. McNair threw two costly interceptions, including one at the 1-yard line. The eventual Super-Bowl-Champion Colts won 15-6, ending Baltimore's season.
[edit] 2007 season
During this offseason the Ravens waived Jamal Lewis, who signed with the Cleveland Browns and failed to resign Adalius Thomas who signed with the New England Patriots, and Ovie Mughelli who signed with the Atlanta Falcons. Ravens then traded for Willis McGahee with a 3rd and 7th round draft pick in 2007 and a 3rd round pick in 2008.
[edit] Logo controversy
From 1996-1998, the team originally used a logo that featured raven wings flanking a shield with the letter "B". However, the US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the logo infringed on the copyright rights of Frederick E. Bouchat, a Maryland amateur artist and security guard.
Bouchat sued the Ravens, claiming that he was the first one to design the "B" shield shortly after the team announced their intentions to move to Baltimore. The team defended themselves claiming that the logo was made independently. But the court ruled in favor of Bouchat, stating that team owner Modell had access to Bouchat's work: Bouchat had faxed a copy of his design to then-chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority John Moag, who shared the same office building as Modell.[4]
As a result of the lawsuit, a new logo was designed, featuring a purple and black raven's head in profile, with the letter "B" superimposed in metallic gold and white.
[edit] Uniforms
Despite the logo controversy, the Ravens' uniform design has essentially remained the same since the team was established in 1996. In 1996, the team exclusively wore black pants with a large white stripe on it. The Ravens were the first team to wear dark pants with a dark jersey, which has now become common with many NFL teams. They wore white socks with black and purple stripes.
In 1997, the team introduced white pants with black and purple stripes to be worn with the purple jersey. They also changed the black pants by adding a purple stripe to the white. The uniform now consists of black helmets, white pants, metallic gold trim, and either purple or white jerseys. Purple "talons" rise up from the facemask up the center of the helmet.
In November 2004, the team introduced an alternate uniform design featuring black jerseys and solid black pants and black socks. It was a home game victory versus the rival Cleveland Browns, titled "Black Sunday." It has been worn for select prime-time national game broadcasts and other games of significance. The black pants are different than those worn by the '96 Ravens. There is no white stripe, instead the pants are solid black with the Ravens logo on each hip.
 Home Uniform |
 Road Uniform |
 Third Uniform |
[edit] Season-by-season records
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 5th AFC Central | -- |
| 1997 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 4th AFC Central | -- |
| 1998 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 4th AFC Central | -- |
| 1999 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 3rd AFC Central | -- |
| 2000 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 2nd AFC Central | Won Wild Card Playoffs 21-3 (Broncos) Won Divisional Playoffs (Titans) 24-10 Won Conference Championship (Raiders) 16-3 Won Super Bowl XXXV (Giants) 34-7 |
| 2001 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 2nd AFC Central | Won Wild Card Playoffs 20-3 (Dolphins) Lost Divisional Playoffs (Steelers) 27-10 |
| 2002 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 3rd AFC North | -- |
| 2003 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 1st AFC North | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Titans) 20-17 |
| 2004 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2nd AFC North | -- |
| 2005 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 3rd AFC North | -- |
| *2006 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1st AFC North | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Colts) 15-6 |
| Totals | 91 | 84 | 1 | (1996-2006, regular season) | |
| 5 | 3 | 0 | (1996-2007, playoffs) | ||
| 96 | 87 | 1 | (all games, 1996-2007, including playoffs) | ||
* = Current Standing
[edit] Players of note
[edit] Current roster
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Quarterbacks Halfbacks
Fullbacks
Receivers
Tight Ends
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Tackles
Guards
Centers
Defensive line
Special Teams
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Injured Reserve |
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[edit] Baltimore Ravens Depth Chart
[edit] Pro Football Hall of Famers
None
[edit] Retired numbers
Currently the Ravens have no retired numbers.
Prior to the Ravens' first game, a 19-16 win over the Oakland Raiders on September 1, 1996, former Baltimore Colt quarterback Johnny Unitas delivered the game ball to the officials while wearing a copy of his Number 19 jersey that had been retired by the Colts.
[edit] Ring of Honor
The Ravens have a "Ring of Honor" which is on permanent display encircling the field of M&T Bank Stadium, including a sign with the names and dates of play viewable from the seats. The ring currently honors the following: [5]
- 21 Earnest Byner, Running back, played for Modell in both Cleveland and Baltimore, inducted 2001.
- Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts, inducted in 2002 following the death of Unitas. The numbers of the following Hall of Fame Colts players are honored:
- 19 Johnny Unitas
- 24 Lenny Moore
- 70 Art Donovan
- 77 Jim Parker
- 82 Raymond Berry
- 83 Ted Hendricks
- 88 John Mackey
- 89 Gino Marchetti
- Art Modell, original owner, inducted 2003.
- 99 Michael McCrary, defensive lineman, inducted 2004
- In late October 2006, the Ravens announced that Peter Boulware would be inducted into the Ring of Honor. He was inducted during halftime when the Ravens took on the Cincinnati Bengals at home on 5 November 2006.[6]
[edit] Other notable alumni
- Derrick Alexander, WR
- Tony Banks, QB
- Gary Baxter, CB
- Jeff Blake, QB
- Rob Burnett, DE
- Ben Coates, TE
- Trent Dilfer, QB
- Marques Douglas, DE
- Sam Gash, FB
- Edgerton Hartwell, LB
- Kim Herring, S
- Priest Holmes, RB
- Qadry Ismail, WR
- Michael Jackson, WR
- Jermaine Lewis, WR
- Jeff Mitchell, C
- Bam Morris, RB
- Casey Rabach, OL
- Chris Redman, QB
- Errict Rhett, RB
- Deion Sanders, CB
- Shannon Sharpe, TE
- Jamie Sharper, LB
- Tony Siragusa, DT
- Duane Starks, CB
- Brandon Stokley, WR
- Chester Taylor, RB
- Travis Taylor, WR
- Vinny Testaverde, QB
- Eric Turner, CB
- Rod Woodson, S
- Jamal Lewis, RB
- Adalius Thomas, OLB
[edit] Head coaches
- Ted Marchibroda (1996-1998) Win-Loss record: 16-31-1
- Brian Billick (1999-present) Win-Loss record: 75-53
[edit] Current staff
- Executive VP/General Manager - Ozzie Newsome
- Owner - Steve Bisciotti
- President - Dick Cass
- Minority Owner - Author Modell
- Head Coach - Brian Billick
- Assistant Head Coach - Chris Foerster
Offensive Coaches
- Offensive Coordinator - Rick Neuheisel
- Quarterbacks Coach - Jedd Fisch (Assistant Wide Receivers Coach)
- Running Backs Coach - Tony Nathan
- Wide Receivers Coach - Mike Johnson
- Tight Ends Coach - Wade Harman (Assistant Offensive Line Coach)
- Offensive Line Coach - Chris Foerster
- Assistant Offensive Line Coach - Greg Roman
- Offensive Assistant - Vacant
- Offenisve Quality Control Coach - Vacant
Defensive Coaches
- Defensive Coordinator - Rex Ryan
- Defensive Line Coach - Clarence Brooks
- Secondary Coach - Dennis Thurman
- Linebackers Coach - Jeff FitzGerald
- Outside Linebackers Coach - Mike Pettine
- Secondary Coach - Mark Carrier
- Defensive Assistant - Vacant
- Defensive Quality Control Coach - Vacant
Speciality Coaches
- Special Teams Coordinator - Frank Gansz Jr.
- Assistant Special Teams Coach - John Fassel
- Strength and Conditioning Coach - Jeff Friday
- Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach - Paul Ricci
[edit] Radio and television
As of 2006, the Ravens' flagship radio stations were WIYY, "98 Rock," and WBAL 1090AM, with Gerry Sandusky (WBAL-TV Sports Anchor since 1988) as the play-by-play announcer, with Analyst Rob Burnett (Ravens DE 1996-2001) and Stan White (Baltimore Colts LB 1972-1979). The Hearst-Argyle stations were in their first season of game coverage, replacing longtime stations WJFK/WQSR. Any Ravens preseason games not on national television are seen on WBFF in Baltimore and on Mid-Atlantic Sports Network throughout the region. The announcing team is Fox's Dick Stockton and Daryl Johnston. MASN also has extensive coverage of the team throughout the season, including postgame reports and the magazine show Ravens Wired.
[edit] References
- ^ Morgan, Jon. Deal clears NFL path to Baltimore, The Baltimore Sun, February 9, 1996.
- ^ Scocca, Tom. Welcome to the Big Time, Baltimore City Paper September 23, 1998.
- ^ Baltimore Ravens History. Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
- ^ http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=4th&navby=case&no=991617P&exact=1
- ^ http://www.baltimoreravens.com/gameday/ringOfHonor.jsp
- ^ http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-ravensnotes1105,0,5982429.story?coll=bal-home-headlines
[edit] External links
- Baltimore Ravens official web site
- BasketballBoards.net - Baltimore Ravens Forum
- RavensInsider Fan Site
- ExtremeRavens.com. The Voice of Raven Nation.
- Baltimore's Marching Ravens official web site
- Ravens 24x7. Message board and news site
- Sports E-Cyclopedia.com
- SI.com Ravens team page
| Preceded by St. Louis Rams 1999 |
Super Bowl Champions Baltimore Ravens 2000 |
Succeeded by New England Patriots 2001 |
| Baltimore Ravens Head Coaches |
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| Marchibroda • Billick |
