Matt Stover

There are, quite literally, dozens of moments during Matt Stover's kicking career that could be cited as evidence that he is one of the all-time great Ravens, but one moment that occurred during the Super Bowl-winning season of 2000 sums up just how important he truly was. The Ravens were mired in what would go down as an infamous five-game touchdown drought. Coach Brian Billick and offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh were struggling to find a way to get the Ravens' offense going, and in the middle of a close game, the two were discussing what play they should call on a crucial third down on the opponent's side of the field.

This kind of thing is always ugly. John Unitas couldn't have looked more miserable playing for the San Diego Chargers than if they made him play in his underwear. Joe Namath looked so out of place in a Los Angeles Rams uniform you thought he was in some grotesque "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" out-take. Now here is Peyton Manning, another shoo-in Hall of Fame quarterback who won't finish his career with the team he played with forever. On televisionWednesday, there was Manning and Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay choking back tears as they made it official: Manning's brilliant career with the Colts was over.

We have countless awesome sports photos in the archives here at The Baltimore Sun , and I have decided to share one with you each week in a regular feature called "Throwback Thursday. " With Matt Stover set to retire Thursday afternoon, he was an obvious choice for this week's search. I was torn between this photo and one of a floppy-haired Stover looking like a crazed Tom Cruise as he ran off the field at M&T Bank Stadium. But this Kenneth K. Lam photo seemed like a better and more entertaining choice for a few reasons.

Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff reminds me of his predecessor, Matt Stover. He'll never be as accurate, but he was just as professional Sunday night when he missed the 32-yard field goal in the closing seconds which would have tied the game. Instead, New England beat the Ravens, 23-20, for the AFC championship and the right to play in the Super Bowl. After the game, Cundiff spoke at the podium. As expected, his tone was somber but he didn't back away from any questions or become frustrated while being scrutinized by the media.

Ravens great Matt Stover will preside over this year's lighting of Baltimore's Washington Monument, organizers announced Tuesday. Stover spent 13 seasons as a Raven, earning respect as one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history and the admiration of Baltimore fans who appreciated both his on-field performance and his off-field love for their city. Although not signed by the Ravens following the 2008 season (he would later sign with Indianapolis and help them get to Super Bowl XLIV)

Former Ravens kicker Matt Stover addressed scholarship recipients at M&T Bank Stadium on Friday, emphasizing integrity and a willingness to work. The Baltimore Community Foundation, a philanthropic non-profit that give scholarships to local high school and college students, organized the event in a suite at the stadium. "BCF and the Ravens do such a good job of giving back to the kids," Stover said. "Giving $5,000 a year to each one of these kids is an amazing amount of money, and to be able to do that year in, year out is incredible.

Matt Stover is determined not to let history repeat itself. This time, he wants to ensure there is no static in his line of communication with the new Ravens coach. The last time the Ravens changed head coaches, in 1999, the veteran kicker was nearly a casualty in the turnover. He made just five of his first 10 field-goal tries and needed a heart-to-heart session with Brian Billick to save the day. Nine years later, Stover is taking no chances. He has already begun talks with coach John Harbaugh and special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg to avoid a deja vu dilemma.

Matt Stover on his routines "I would say that 20 percent of it is spent on the field, believe it or not. Another 60 percent is done in the weight room, training. The other 20 percent is more mental training, visualization, trying to get my mind right mentally and emotionally to perform well. "Wednesdays ... I train to kick field goals. I'll back myself up a little bit and get myself some longer field goals. I'll work myself around the field, try to visualize the stadium that I have already looked at on film or I've played in it. "Thursday is a day of kickoffs and kickoff returns.

Steve Hauschka is willing to wait. The newly minted full-time kicker for the Ravens knows that the organization's many fans embraced and admired Matt Stover. Hauschka is also aware that for the present and immediate future, every one of his kicks will be dissected and reviewed by Stover's loyalists. Hauschka knows what's in store for him as he succeeds Stover, and he will bide his time until fans welcome Hauschka the way they saluted Stover. "I think it's going to take a few years for people to forget Matt Stover around here just because of what he has done, and I completely understand that," Hauschka said.

Matt Stover had an infant daughter and a son on the way when his employer moved from Cleveland to Baltimore a decade ago. Three years after he uprooted that growing family, Stover stressed over communication issues with a new head coach. Next preseason game Ravens@Vikings, Friday, 8 p.m., Ch. 45, 97.9 FM

Ravens great Matt Stover will preside over this year's lighting of Baltimore's Washington Monument, organizers announced Tuesday. Stover spent 13 seasons as a Raven, earning respect as one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history and the admiration of Baltimore fans who appreciated both his on-field performance and his off-field love for their city. Although not signed by the Ravens following the 2008 season (he would later sign with Indianapolis and help them get to Super Bowl XLIV)

Matt Stover's accomplishments in his 13-season tenure with the Ravens and 20-year career in the NFL are too many to list. The highlights include ranking fourth in NFL history in career points (2,004) and field goals made (471), seventh in field-goal accuracy (83.7 percent on 471-for-563 kicking) and first in field goals made outdoors (445) and field-goal accuracy outdoors (84.9 percent). But for Stover, who retired after the 2009 season and will be inducted into the Ravens' Ring of Honor during halftime of Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium, the achievements pale in comparison to what he viewed as his true objective.

Matt Stover, the leading scorer in Ravens' history and an important member of the 2000 Super Bowl-winning team, will be placed in the team's Ring of Honor at halftime of Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Stover played 18 seasons with the Ravens/Browns before finishing his career with the Indianapolis Colts in 2009. Only middle linebacker Ray Lewis has had a longer tenure with the Ravens than Stover did. With the Ravens, Stover accounted for 1,464 points, went 354-for-418 on field-goal attempts and 402-for-403 in extra points.

Despite getting unceremoniously released midway through his first season by the Ravens as their primary kicker, Steve Hauschka said he doesn't harbor a grudge against the Ravens. “My job as an athlete is to focus on the things that I can control, and that's kicking the ball,” said Hauschka, who now kicks for the Seattle Seahawks - the Ravens' opponent this Sunday. “I don't think the team's decision is really going to affect it. When it really comes down to it, my job is to kick the ball.

Earlier this week Mike Duffy and Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com revealed the final five members of their all-time top 50 . They were: Peter Boulware (No. 5), Matt Stover (No. 4), Ed Reed (No. 3), Jonathon Ogden (No. 2) and Ray Lewis (No. 1). The authors note that rankings are based on player contributions while in a Ravens uniform, thus former greats who rolled through Baltimore — think Deion Sanders and Vinny Testaverde — don’t count. There seems to be a consensus on the top three, but is No. 4 too high for a kicker?

Former Ravens kicker Matt Stover addressed scholarship recipients at M&T Bank Stadium on Friday, emphasizing integrity and a willingness to work. The Baltimore Community Foundation, a philanthropic non-profit that give scholarships to local high school and college students, organized the event in a suite at the stadium. "BCF and the Ravens do such a good job of giving back to the kids," Stover said. "Giving $5,000 a year to each one of these kids is an amazing amount of money, and to be able to do that year in, year out is incredible.

Matt Stover's 11-year journey to his first Pro Bowl has been defined by his resolve as much as his consistency. The Ravens kicker entered the league as a 12th-round pick, the third-to-last player selected in the 1990 draft, and went on to forge a unique resume. He is the only NFL kicker to play the past 10 full seasons for the same franchise, surviving the relocation of a team, three coaching changes and several challenges for his job. Now, Stover sits atop his profession as the league's top-scoring kicker and his team's most productive offensive weapon.

Matt Stover is an anomaly in the NFL. In a position that often lends itself to playing for multiple teams, Stover has shattered the stereotype of the vagabond kicker. In a job that can be one misstep away from a shortened career, Stover's durability draws comparison to another, more legendary, Ironman. Maintaining a much lower profile while playing in the same town, Stover has become the Cal Ripken Jr. of NFL kickers. "He's the most reliable and depend- able football player I've had in 45 years," said Art Modell, the majority owner of the Ravens and Cleveland Browns for 43 of them.

Matt Stover's decision to retire from professional football is not surprising. He is 43 years old in a field where the average age Is about 26. But in the years he played for the Ravens and during the one season when his family stayed in the Baltimore area and he commuted to Indianapolis to kick for the Colts, he was that rare commodity, a genuine role model. He was very good at his profession. His 1,464 points with the Ravens make him the team's all-time leading scorer. His heroics, trotting onto to the field to send the football tumbling between the uprights for game-winning field goal, became a fixture of Baltimore's Sunday afternoons.

News item: Matt Stover officially announced his retirement at a news conference at The Castle on Thursday and will be inducted into the Ravens' Ring of Honor during the upcoming season — provided there is an upcoming season. My take: The numbers don't lie. Stover was one of the greatest kickers in the history of the game, and he would be on the Acela Express to Canton if there weren't an inexplicable prejudice among Hall of Fame voters against one of the sport's most important positions.