COLTS TRADE LYDELL MITCHELL; RAVENS WIN DEBUT

By Joe Platania

1948 -- The Colts, a member of the All-America Football Conference at the time, beat the defending AAFC champion Cleveland Browns, 21-17, during a preseason game in Toledo.

1971 -- The league voided a trade that would have sent a 10th-round pick from the Colts to the Pittsburgh Steelers for linebacker and future NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer.

1978 -- The Colts traded standout running back Lydell Mitchell to the San Diego Chargers for running back Joe Washington and a 1979 fifth-round pick. The pick was then dealt to the Detroit Lions for quarterback Greg Landry.

1979 -- Ted Marchibroda, who went on to coach the Ravens years later, began his final season as the Colts' head coach by watching them lose at Kansas City, 14-0. One of the Chiefs' touchdowns came rather easily, as the Colts surprisingly put all 11 defenders on the line of scrimmage on a fourth-down play.

1980 -- During the highest-scoring preseason game in Colts history, the team lost to the Falcons at Atlanta/Fulton County Stadium, 51-35.

1988 -- Johnny Grier became the first African-American referee in league history. Today, he is a league observer, who frequently works games in Baltimore.

1996 -- The Ravens' regular-season opener drew more than 64,000 to Memorial Stadium, and they saw their new NFL team beat the Oakland Raiders, 19-14. Vinny Testaverde scored the first touchdown and Brian Kinchen made the first reception.

1997 -- During the only regular-season game played in August in Ravens history, the Jacksonville Jaguars came from behind to register a 28-27 win at Memorial Stadium during the season opener.

2001 -- Baltimore's preseason finale was, strangely, scheduled for a Friday noon kickoff, but it didn't matter to the team as it routed the New York Giants, 38-9.

2005 -- The Ravens beat the Washington Redskins, 26-20, during the only overtime preseason game in team history. Quarterback Derek Anderson found Randy Hymes with a long touchdown pass to win the game.

2008 -- The Ravens signed former NFL journeyman quarterback Casey Bramlet to play the team's preseason finale. He posted a passer rating of 10 as the team lost to Atlanta, 10-9.

2010 -- The team traded a conditional draft pick to the Seattle Seahawks for former University of Maryland cornerback Josh Wilson, who ended up winning a game in Houston later that year with an interception return for a touchdown.

***

JOEY P'S TRIVIA TIME: Today's question:

With Justin Tucker having won the kicking job, he becomes the latest undrafted free agent to make the Ravens' roster during his rookie year. But he is not the first University of Texas alumnus to make the team in this fashion.

Who was the first undrafted player from Texas to make an impact in Baltimore?

The answer will appear at the bottom of Tuesday's post-practice entry.

***

FOR THE BETTOR: The latest odds board from our friends at Bovada is localized.

Instead of taking a leaguewide view on a certain proposition, the site has issued playoff odds for each of the NFL's 32 teams, so that you can gauge their preferences against your own.

As for the Ravens, Bovada thinks the team will make the postseason for a fifth straight year and a ninth time during the last 13 seasons. A "yes" bet is issued at minus-175, while a "no" bet has a plus-145 chance of succeeding.

The fact that those numbers are less than 200 mean it is likely the Ravens are among the league's elite teams. For example, a "no" bet for the Cleveland Browns to miss the playoffs is a minus-2,000 proposition.

Perhaps the biggest favorite on the board is the New England Patriots (-900). Tied for second-favored status are the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers, for which a "yes" bet is minus-600.

And the biggest underdog? Besides the Browns, the Minnesota Vikings are at plus-800, with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts at plus-750 each.

Posted Aug. 28, 2012