NEWS
By MIKE PRESTON | October 19, 2009
MINNEAPOLIS - - In the past, with two seconds left in the game, most Ravens fans would have gone to the refrigerator, popped a brew and gone outside to celebrate victory. Instead, the Ravens are coming off one of their most demoralizing losses ever, falling to the Minnesota Vikings, 33-31, Sunday, as Steve Hauschka's 44-yard field goal with no time remaining went wide left. Deep down inside, it was one of our worst nightmares. Where was Matt Stover? Answer: Probably depositing his Indianapolis Colts paycheck into the bank.
NEWS
By Jamison Hensley | October 19, 2009
MINNEAPOLIS -- As Steve Hauschka's potential game-winning kick sailed wide left, nearly all the Ravens on the sideline dropped their heads in unison, feeling another last-minute punch in the gut in a season that continues to veer off course. The Ravens' frenetic 33-31 loss to the undefeated Minnesota Vikings marked their third straight defeat - and their third straight decided in the final 30 seconds of a game. Their offense failed on the last drive in New England. Their defense fell apart in its last series against the Cincinnati Bengals.
NEWS
By Ken Murray | October 15, 2009
If he was unable to kick for the Ravens any longer, Matt Stover wanted the chance to kick for a Super Bowl contender. He got his wish Wednesday when his resume and the Indianapolis Colts' need matched up nicely. "That's why I've been so patient," Stover said after his introductory news conference in Indianapolis. "I made all these decisions in the offseason to give myself options. It wasn't about money; it was about the opportunity to go to the Super Bowl." The former Ravens kicker signed a guaranteed one-year contract with the Colts after acing a Tuesday workout in which he hit a pair of 53-yard field-goal attempts.
NEWS
By Ken Murray | October 14, 2009
A week after he worked out for the New York Giants, former Ravens kicker Matt Stover was scheduled to try out for the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday. Knowing Baltimore's sentiments toward the Colts, Stover wanted to handle his visit delicately. "I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings with me seeking out an opportunity" here, he said from Indianapolis. "I just see it as a team that may need some help." After 13 seasons in Baltimore, Stover remains one of the franchise's most popular players with fans.
NEWS
By Baltimore Sun Archives | September 25, 2009
The last time the Ravens faced the Cleveland Browns in the third game of the season at M&T Bank Stadium was in 1999, after the Ravens started the season 0-2 with losses at St. Louis and to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But nothing cures a losing streak like the expansion Browns coming to town. It also happened to be the first win of the Brian Billick era, a 17-10 victory Sept. 26. WHAT HAPPENED: : The Ravens' defense picked on - and picked off - rookie quarterback Tim Couch, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft, and came up with two big plays that led to touchdowns.
NEWS
By Jamison Hensley | September 18, 2009
Each week, Baltimore Sun reporter Jamison Hensley will answer fans' questions about the Ravens. To submit a question, e-mail sports@baltsun.com. Provide your name, the city you live in and phone number so we can verify the e-mail. HEY, JAMISON: : Do you know why the Ravens stopped wearing their purple jerseys at home? I'm not a big fan of the away jerseys. Shawn J. Walker AnnapolisHEY, SHAWN: : Don't worry about seeing the white jerseys at home again this year. The Ravens wore them for the season opener only because white doesn't absorb as much heat, which is supposed to give them an advantage.
NEWS
By Edward Lee | September 11, 2009
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.
NEWS
By Ken Murray | September 2, 2009
Matt Stover has a marvelous past, two NFL kicking records and unerring accuracy from less than 40 yards. Steve Hauschka has a promising future, a powerful leg and the ability to combine two jobs into one. Those appear to be the Ravens' two kicking options as they fast approach coach John Harbaugh's second season, one filled with high expectations. Choosing Hauschka would be a break with the familiar, sentimental path that Baltimore fans have traveled the past 13 seasons. How many games have Stover and the Ravens' defense won together over those years?
NEWS
By Jamison Hensley and Edward Lee | August 16, 2009
When the Ravens started training camp a few weeks ago, Matt Stover wasn't kicking a football. He was just kicking back. Stover, the team's primary kicker throughout their 13-year history, took his wife, Debbie, to the Bahamas. This marks the first time since 1989 that Stover hasn't suited up for an NFL training camp. "It's all about my family," Stover said of his first few months out of the NFL. But don't get the wrong impression - Stover has taken time to relax, but he isn't retiring.
NEWS
By Kevin Cowherd | August 6, 2009
Part of the fun of having a media credential and going to Ravens camp is you get to ask the coaches annoying questions. Here's one that really gets on their nerves: Who's going to replace the great Matt Stover as the team's kicker, Steve Hauschka or Graham Gano? It gets on their nerves because John Harbaugh and his staff have been asked this for weeks, dating to the team's first minicamps. And the answer the coaches keep giving is: We won't know until the preseason games start. Look, they say, you can watch a guy kick all you want in practice on the nice green grass at McDaniel College.