Baltimore Ravens
| Baltimore Ravens | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Established 1996 Play in Baltimore, Maryland | |||
| League / conference affiliations | |||
National Football League (1996–present)
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| Uniforms | |||
| Team colors | Purple, Black, and Gold | ||
| Mascot | Edgar, Allan, and Poe | ||
| Personnel | |||
| Owner(s) | Steve Bisciotti | ||
| General manager | Ozzie Newsome | ||
| Head coach | Brian Billick | ||
| Team history | |||
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| Championships | |||
League championships (1)
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Conference championships (1)
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Division championships (1)
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| Home fields | |||
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The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. They are currently members of 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 2001 against the New York Giants.
The history of the Baltimore Ravens is unusual due to the unprecedented actions taken by the cities of Baltimore and Cleveland, Ohio, and the NFL in 1996. 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. A reactivated Cleveland Browns team would then begin play in 1999, while the relocated club would technically and legally be a new expansion team, the Ravens.[1] The team's name comes from the famous poem, "The Raven", by Edgar Allan Poe, who spent the latter part of his life until his death in Baltimore.
For that reason, past records and Pro Football Hall of Fame players are attributed to the Browns and not to the Ravens. (For more information on the move, see Franchise History of the Cleveland Browns). However, 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]
Conversely, many Baltimore fans, who are still bitter about the Colts moving from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984, along with many of the Colts' former players, view the pre-1984 Baltimore Colts organization and the Ravens as one continuous entity.[citation needed] In fact, the old Colts marching band became part of the Ravens organization. However, the NFL doesn't support this notion, as it recognizes the Baltimore and Indianapolis Colts as one franchise.
The Ravens conduct summer training camp at McDaniel College in Westminster.
Franchise history
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, Cleveland's prolific tight end for many seasons, joined Modell in Baltimore as director of football operations. He was later promoted to Vice President/General Manager.
1996 Season
The NFL officially made its return to Baltimore after a 13-year hiatus on September 1, 1996, with a 19-14 Ravens win over the Oakland Raiders. That was one of the team's few highlights in their inaugural season. Despite 33 touchdown passes by Vinny Testaverde (second behind Brett Favre) - fourteen of them to Michael Jackson - the Ravens blew several leads through the season and finished 4-12.
1997 Season
Testaverde and the Ravens struggled in the 1997 season after starting off with an early winning streak. Peter Boulware, with 11.5 sacks, was named AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year, but the Ravens finished 6-9-1.
1998 Season
Baltimore continued to struggle in 1998, the first season in their new stadium (which at that time had no name, but was widely called Ravens Stadium). Testaverde, who had left for the New York Jets, was replaced with former Indianapolis Colt Jim Harbaugh, and later, Eric Zeier - neither of whom proved to be very effective. Cornerback Rod Woodson joined the team after a successful stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Priest Holmes started getting his first meaningful playing time of his career and ran for 1,000 yards, but the Ravens could only muster a 6-10 record.
After three consecutive losing seasons, Marchibroda was succeeded by Brian Billick, who had served as the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings the season before.
1999 Season
In the 1999 season, with a newly renamed stadium, PSINet Stadium (now M&T Bank Stadium), Baltimore showed a marked improvement. 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 1000-yard season. The Ravens struggled early, starting 3-6; but rattled off four consecutive wins to put themselves in playoff contention. A loss in the final week sent them home early with an 8-8 record.
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 1,300-yard rushing season by rookie Jamal Lewis helped too), but the defense became the team's hallmark, and bailed a struggling offense out in many instances through the season. Ray Lewis, who had been charged with murder in the offseason, was named Defensive Player of the Year. Two of his defensive teammates, Sam Adams and Rod Woodson, made the Pro Bowl. The season started strong, with a 5-1 start for Baltimore. 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 in the playoffs for the first time.
During the 2000 Season, the Ravens defense broke 2 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, their only playoff game in Baltimore. 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 the differences as the Ravens won easily, 16-3.
Baltimore then went to Tampa for Super Bowl XXXV against the New York Giants. The game was, once again, 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 scoring was a Ron Dixon kickoff return for another touchdown, but the Ravens immediately countered with one 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.
2001 Season
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.
2002 Season
Baltimore ran into salary cap problems in 2002 and was forced to cut several players, including Sam Adams, Rod Woodson and Shannon Sharpe. The Ravens regrouped through the draft with picks like safety Ed Reed. Longtime backup QB Chris Redman took over behind center. The Ravens stayed somewhat competitive, before a December slide cost them a playoff spot with a 7-9 final record.
2003 Season
In 2003, the Ravens drafted their new quarterback, 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), easily best in the NFL. 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.
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.
2004 Season
The Ravens attempted to engineer a trade for Terrell Owens in the 2004 offseason, but the NFLPA filed a grievance with the NFL, claiming Terrell Owens should have been granted free agency. Just before a judge made a decision in the case, the NFL and NFLPA came to a settlement, which set up a 3 way trade between the Eagles, 49ers, and Ravens. Owens went to the Eagles, and the Ravens got back the pick they had traded to the 49ers, and were also granted a 6th round draft pick. Boller remained quarterback through the entire 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. Baltimore remained in playoff contention the entire season, but a 2-4 slide in their last six games ultimately forced them out of the postseason with a 9-7 record.
2005 Season
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.
The 2005 season (the Ravens' 10th Anniversary season) began as the featured Sunday Night Football game televised by ESPN. This game against the Indianapolis Colts led the announcer to state, "What a wonderful way to begin the season, the game between the team that plays here now and the team which used to play here." The game's first half was a defensive slugfest, with the score at the half 3-0 Colts, but the second half saw the Ravens fall apart and starting QB Kyle Boller was lost to a foot injury (Colts 24, Ravens 7). In the 2nd week road opener versus historic rival Tennessee, backup QB Anthony Wright failed to spark the offense and the defense couldn't hold the Titans back, allowing the second straight loss (25-10). During the team's bye week, coach Billick tried to install the idea that after the bye, the season starts anew and they forget about their past losses. This strategy led the Ravens to a Week 4 Win against the Jets (13-3), but the Ravens fell apart against the Lions (35-17), setting a franchise record for penalties in a single game (21). The Ravens rebounded at home the next week against the Cleveland Browns, with a final score of 16-3. However, from Week 7 to Week 10, the Ravens would lose to the Chicago Bears (10-6), the Pittsburgh Steelers (20-19), the Cincinnati Bengals (21-9), and the Jacksonville Jaguars (30-3). The Ravens turned the tide in a Week 11 rematch with the Steelers at home, winning 16-13 in OT, but were season-swept by the Bengals the next week, 42-29. The Ravens won their next game against the hapless Houston Texans 16-15, but lost a week later on the road against the Denver Broncos 12-10. Then, they Ravens played their final two home games under the prime time light. First, they man-handled the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night 48-3. Then, they destroyed any playoff chance that the Minnesota Vikings had by winning on Sunday Night 30-23. Despite the recent resurgence of Kyle Boller, they couldn't carry their momentum entirely. Despite leading the Browns 13-6 at halftime, they lost the lead in the 3rd Quarter and trailed for the rest of the game, ultimately losing 20-16. 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 Division Records. In the AFC North, the Ravens were 2-4, while the Browns were 1-5.
2006 season
In the 2006 NFL Draft, the Ravens used their first pick (acquired from the Browns) on DT Haloti Ngata from the University of Oregon. Then, they used their next pick (acquired from the Giants) on C Chris Chester from Oklahoma University. The rest of their picks included Northwestern St. CB David Pittman, Oregon WR Demetrius Williams, Colorado TE Quinn Sypniewski, Nebraska P Sam Koch, Wyoming CB Derrick Martin, and Syracuse DE Ryan LaCasse.
In the 2006 offseason, the Baltimore Ravens were in negotiations to try to obtain Steve McNair from the Tennessee Titans. On Sunday, April 30th, 2006, the Titans allowed McNair to speak with the Ravens and on May 1st, 2006, the Baltimore Sun stated that the Baltimore Ravens had been waiting for Steve McNair to be released by the Titans since it was the free agency period. The deal was completed in June 2006.
McNair and the Ravens agreed to an $11 million signing bonus on May 5, 2006.
On June 7, 2006, the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans agreed to trade a 4th round pick in the 2007 draft for Steve McNair, pending a physical.
Steve McNair, brings a calm leadership presence to the quarterback role that has been absent from the franchise since its inception. The critical issue in the 06 season remains whether McNair will go harken back to his ProBowl performance days (ala John Elway) or whether the cummulative effect of injuries will continue to hamper his performance.
During Free Agency, the Ravens also picked up Mike Anderson, RB, Denver Broncos who in 2005 posted a 1,000 plus season. He is expected to back-up Jamal Lewis and is insurance if Jamal Lewis posts stats similar to 2005. The Ravens also acquired DE Trevor Pryce of the Denver Broncos who will help support the Ravens defensive line which had some pressuring problems last season.
Logo controversy
From 1996-1998, the team originally used a logo that featured raven wings flanking a shield with the letter "B". However, the United States 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. [1]
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.
Uniforms
Despite the logo controversy, the Ravens' uniform design has essentially remained the same since the team was established in 1996. It 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 2004, the team introduced an alternate uniform design featuring black jerseys and black pants. It has been worn for select prime-time national game broadcasts.
Season-by-season records
| 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 Round Wild Card Playoffs (Broncos) Won Divisional Playoffs (Titans) Won Conference Championship (Raiders) Won Super Bowl XXXV (Giants) |
| 2001 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 2nd AFC Central | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Dolphins) Lost Divisional Playoffs (Steelers) |
| 2002 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 3rd AFC North | -- |
| 2003 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 1st AFC North | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Titans) |
| 2004 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2nd AFC North | -- |
| 2005 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 3rd AFC North | -- |
| 2006 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Totals | 83 | 83 | 1 | (1996-2005, including NFL playoffs) | |
Players of note
Current Roster
None
Retired numbers
The Ravens have not yet honored any player by retiring his jersey.
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: [2]
- 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
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
- Brian Kinchen, TE
- 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
- Travis Taylor, WR
- Vinny Testaverde, QB
- Eric Turner, CB
- Rod Woodson, S
- Stacy Keibler, cheerleader turned wrestler
Head Coaches
- Ted Marchibroda (1996-1998) Win-Loss record: 16-31-1
- Brian Billick (1999-present) Win-Loss record: 67-52
Current Staff
- General Manager - Ozzie Newsome
- Head Coach - Brian Billick
- Offensive Coordinator - Jim Fassel
- Defensive Coordinator - Rex Ryan
- Special Teams Coach - Frank Gansz Jr.
- Quarterbacks Coach - Rick Neuheisel
- Running Backs Coach - Tony Nathan
- Wide Receivers Coach - Mike Johnson
- Tight Ends Coach - Wade Harman
- Offensive Line Coach - Chris Foerster
- Defensive Line Coach - Clarence Brooks
- Linebackers Coach - Jeff FitzGerald
- Outside Linebackers Coach - Mike Pettine
- Defensive Backs Coach - Mark Carrier, Dennis Thurman
- Strength and Conditioning - Jeff Friday
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.