2007 Recap

The Baltimore Ravens came into the 2007 season looking to improve on a 13-3 season and a playoff run that carried them into the divisional playoff game, but major injuries a defense that surrendered 24 points a game landed the Ravens in the cellar of the AFC North with a 5-11 season.

With the eighth pick in the 2008 NFL draft the Ravens and new head coach Jim Harbaugh are in a position to replace an aging Steve McNair and Desmond Mason or replace key parts of a defense that uncharacteristically fell apart throughout the season. The team has tried to stop that leak by placing the franchise tag on DE/LB Terrell Suggs and picking up free agent linebackers Brendon Ayanbadejo and Nick Griesen. The young offense that only managed to score 17 points a game is searching for a young offensive tackle to take over for the veteran Jonathon Ogden and a quarterback to solidify the position. The Ravens are hoping the young line and the lead running back Willis McGahee will bring back the running game of Jamal Lewis in years past.

Baltimore Ravens History

The Ravens moved from Cleveland in 1996 citing an inadequate Cleveland Stadium. The team has since built a reputation of tough defense and a strong running game. That formula led to a Super Bowl in 2000 against the New York Giants, which they won handedly, 34-7.

The team was forced to give up the Cleveland Browns colors, name, and Hall of Famers after the controversial move in 1995, leaving the team without a name. The team name was chosen from a list of 100, using surveys and focus groups. The Ravens were chosen as homage to “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe, who spent the latter part of his life in Baltimore and is buried there.