Friday Morning Ravens Leftovers: Almost A Brown-Out
J. LEWIS GOES INTO 'RING'; RAVENS GET MINI-BREAK
By Joe Platania
(For a look back at our game recap, click here.)
BALTIMORE 23, CLEVELAND 16
After a mini-bye of sorts -- the Ravens will have the second of three open Sundays this weekend -- Baltimore returns to action at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 7, in Kansas City (WJZ-TV; WIYY-FM), site of the team's 2010 wild-card playoff win. It is the first of five straight early afternoon Sunday games during the next six weeks, with the exception of the Oct. 28 bye. ...
The Ravens' all-time leading rusher, Jamal Lewis, was inducted into the Ring of Honor at halftime; the team is now 7-1 during games when someone new is inducted. ... Several current and retired members of the Baltimore Orioles were in attendance: Chris Davis, Tommy Hunter, Jim Johnson, Adam Jones, Nate McLouth, Brady Anderson, manager Buck Showalter and Cal Ripken Jr. ...
The 127-man list for the Hall of Fame's Class of 2013 was announced. It includes four former Ravens -- Sam Adams, Jonathan Ogden, Priest Holmes and Steve McNair -- as well as former majority owner Art Modell, Baltimore native and ex-Giants general manager George Young, ex-Stars linebacker Sam Mills and local punter Sean Landeta (Loch Raven High, Towson State). ...
Other Hall nominees with local ties include former Colts tackle Chris Hinton and ex-Ravens tackle Erik Williams, who played most of his career in Dallas. Tight end Ben Coates, a backup on the Ravens' Super Bowl team, is on the ballot, as is Randall Cunningham, the electrifyingly athletic quarterback in Philadelphia who was a Ravens backup to Elvis Grbac in 2001. ...
With an American League Division Series baseball playoff game set for Oct. 7, there's a chance the Ravens and Orioles would play on the same day in October for the first time since Oct. 5, 1997, when the Ravens blew a 21-point lead and lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Memorial Stadium, 42-34, and the Orioles wrapped up a first-round series win by beating Seattle, 3-1, at Oriole Park. ...
Three Ravens were nominated for the AFC's weekly awards after the win against New England, but none of them managed to take home the hardware. Receiver Torrey Smith got a nod for catching six passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns, linebacker Ray Lewis tied the team high with 10 total tackles and kicker Justin Tucker was cited for his game-winning field goal. ...
The game against the Browns was the 46th prime-time contest in Ravens history and the fifth to be played on a Thursday night. The Ravens were 1-3 during their previous Thursday games. ... The Ravens are 35-22 in September, their best-ever month, and a league-best 12-4 under Harbaugh. ... Matt Birk played in his 198th career game and his 52nd straight as a Raven. ...
Punter Sam Koch played in his 100th consecutive game, tops among all current Ravens and currently standing as the fifth-longest streak in team history. Koch's streak is surpassed only by linebackers Jarret Johnson (129) and Peter Boulware (111), kicker Matt Stover (110) and Terrell Suggs (105). Joe Flacco and Jameel McClain each played in their 68th straight games. ...
Baltimore avoided going 2-2 for the first time since 2008. ... The Ravens committed 11 penalties, and now have 37 for the year. Last year, the team was flagged for 92 infractions, the third-lowest single-season total in team history and three more than the all-time mark of 89, set in 2001. After the first four games of 2011, the Ravens had been charged with 26 penalties. ...
Former Ravens cornerback and current NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders took batting practice at Oriole Park on Wednesday wearing a Baltimore uniform. Sanders played for Orioles manager Buck Showalter in the minor leagues and is aware of Showalter's no-nonsense approach. "That coach they got don't play," Sanders said in his always-colorful manner. ...
The Ravens have played 162 straight regular-season games without being shut out. They have scored in 258 of 260 lifetime games and haven't been blanked at home since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did it, 25-0, during the 2002 opener. Including the postseason, Baltimore has scored points during 275 of its 277 all-time games. ... Ravens guard Bobbie Williams turned 36 on Tuesday. ...
Baltimore ran the ball 27 times and attempted to pass it 50 times, with four sacks allowed. The team's run-pass ratio through two games is now -71 (97 runs, 168 passes, including nine sacks allowed), a respectable number for the league's current pass-laden era. ... So far, the Ravens' four games have been decided by an average margin of 10 points per game. ...
The Ravens won the coin toss and opted to defer. ... The Ravens wore their home purple jerseys and black pants while the Browns wore white jerseys and white pants. ... The Ravens' offensive unit was introduced to the crowd, while the Browns' entire team came through the tunnel. ... Captains were center Matt Birk and linebackers Brendon Ayanbadejo and Dannell Ellerbe. ...
The Ravens again sat backup guard/tackle Jah Reid, despite his appearance on the practice field, and linebacker Sergio Kindle was deactivated for the third time in four weeks. The rest of the inactive list was the same as the first two weeks: corner Asa Jackson, tight end Billy Bajema, defensive end DeAngelo Tyson, wideout LaQuan Williams and defensive tackle Bryan Hall. ...
The Cleveland Browns deactivated wideout Mohamed Massaquoi (hamstring), who led the team's receivers with nine catches through three weeks. Also out were tight end Alex Smith (head), linebacker James-Michael Johnson (ribs) and four healthy scratches: quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, safety Eric Hagg, running back Brandon Jackson and lineman Ryan Miller. ...
Cleveland specialist Josh Cribbs has 11 punt and kick return touchdowns during his career, including one of each against the Ravens. That total is good for fifth all-time --Chicago's Devin Hester is the all-time leader. Cribbs' next touchdown will tie him with short-term Raven Eric Metcalf and Dante Hall for third; two more would bring him even with Brian Mitchell in second. ...
Going into the game, the Browns -- one of only two winless teams going into Week Four -- were ranked 26th in total offense and 25th in overall defense, one of only five teams ranked in the bottom third in both categories. The others are the New York Jets (22nd offense, 21st defense), Jacksonville (30th, 28th), Tampa Bay (32nd, 26th) and Tennessee (25th, 31st). ...
The Browns have the league's current longest losing streak at 10, not having won since a 14-10 home win against Jacksonville last November. Cleveland has lost 13 of its last 14 games, but, despite its record of futility since re-entering the league as an expansion team in 1999, this year marks only its third 0-4 start during 14 seasons, having posted such records in 1999 and 2009. ...
The Ravens and Browns will play the return match in Cleveland for the fourth time during the last five years. The game is on Nov. 4, right after Baltimore's bye and just before Cleveland's week off. Cleveland hasn't won a home game against the Ravens since 2007, when the Browns swept the Ravens. ... Linebacker D'Qwell Jackson (Maryland) turned 29 years old on Wednesday. ...
Kicker Phil Dawson played in his 203rd career game and cornerback Sheldon Brown competed in his 164th consecutive contest. ... The Browns are 3-9 all-time on Thursdays, with a 3-6 record during Thursday night games. But they have not played a wide variety of opponents, taking on Pittsburgh three times and Dallas, Cincinnati and the Houston Oilers twice each. ...
Tackle Joe Thomas (85 games) and center Alex Mack (52) continued their games-played streaks. ... The Browns are a team that rebuilds every year. They lead the league in rookies (16), and have the AFC's youngest roster (average age: 25.5), as well as its least experienced (3.25 years per player), lightest (242 pounds per man) and shortest (just taller than 6 feet). ...
Including the Browns' 10-5 lifetime edge against the Baltimore Colts (including postseason games), Baltimore NFL teams are 25-17 against the Browns franchise, which was allowed to keep its name and colors when the original version moved to Baltimore in February 1996. When the first game of the yearly series is played in Baltimore, the Browns are winless. ...
Coincidental connections: Browns backup defensive tackle Ishmaa'ily Kitchen is an undrafted rookie who was in Baltimore's training camp before being cut. Also, 2008 third-round draft pick Oniel Cousins is a Cleveland backup along the offensive line. Cleveland scout Chisom Opara is a Gilman graduate, who used to be the Ravens' cut-day "Turk" messenger. ...
Browns assistant strength coach Rick Lyle moved with the Browns to Baltimore and was part of the Ravens' defensive line during their 1996 debut season. Other coaching-staff notables include Mike Wilson (receivers), one of only four players to have been part of all four San Francisco titles during the 1980s, and ex-Green Bay and Philadelphia head coach Ray Rhodes. ...
Former University of Maryland quarterback Boomer Esiason was in the national radio booth with play-by-play partner Ian Eagle. ... Ex-Ravens head coach Brian Billick and Fox play-by-play specialist Thom Brennaman will be calling an NFC North Division clash Sunday between Minnesota and Detroit. ... Tony Siragusa's crew will be in New Jersey for the 49ers-Jets clash. ...
With the officials' lockout settled, the referee was Gene Steratore, a 10-year NFL veteran whose most recent Ravens game was last October, when the team got a win against Houston, 29-14. Three other members of that crew worked with Steratore on Thursday night, and retired ref Larry Nemmers worked the replay. ... Scouts from the Giants and Chiefs were present. ...
Upon taking the field for the coin toss, Steratore said, "It's good to be back." That remark drew loud applause from the crowd, and the entire crew got a standing ovation when it first walked onto the field. ... The game took three hours, 15 minutes to play. The Ravens' three games averaged 3:22 with the replacement crews. ... Kickoff temperature was 77 degrees with cloudy, humid conditions.
Posted Sept. 28, 2012
