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(01/21/08 8:38am)
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — John Harbaugh was hired Friday as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, who hope their second choice proves to be a first-rate success. \nHarbaugh joined IU's staff in 1997 as a defensive backs and special teams coach under former head coach Cam Cameron.\nHarbaugh spent this season as Philadelphia's secondary coach after making a name for himself working with special teams. He has never been a head coach, but has coaching in his genes — his father, Jack, is former head coach at Western Kentucky.\nThe 45-year-old Harbaugh will be introduced as the third coach in Ravens history at a news conference on Saturday.\nHarbaugh interviewed a second time at the Ravens' training complex Friday with owner Steve Bisciotti, president Dick Cass and general manager Ozzie Newsome. Harbaugh arrived around 9:30 a.m. and finally reached an agreement around 5:30 p.m.\nHe then left in a limousine for his home in Philadelphia without talking to the media.\nRavens spokesman Kevin Byrne said Harbaugh wanted to first share the news with his wife and parents before sharing his feelings in front of cameras and reporters.\nHarbaugh replaces Brian Billick, who was fired on Dec. 31 after a nine-year run. The Ravens earlier this week offered the job to Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who spurned Baltimore in favor of staying in Dallas. Garrett rejected the Ravens' job offer after receiving a raise from owner Jerry Jones and a promotion to assistant head coach.\nHarbaugh was selected the NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year by his peers in 2001. He shifted to the secondary last season, working under Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson.
(10/18/06 4:26am)
OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Jim Fassel was fired as offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday, a move designed by coach Brian Billick to get more firepower from the league's 28th-ranked attack.\nThe Ravens scored only 10 offensive touchdowns in their first six games and were held to 16 points or fewer three times. Even though Baltimore sits atop the AFC North, Billick said he felt a change in the team's offensive philosophy was imperative.\n"Clearly, in order for us to expand on our 4-2 start, we have to have more offensive productivity," Billick said at a news conference at the Ravens' headquarters. "It was my opinion going forward, in order to bring about the level of production that we need offensively, to get where we want to go, that I needed to step back in on a day-to-day basis."\nBillick said he will assume the duties of offensive coordinator, which includes calling plays on game days.\nBillick, a close friend of the former New York Giants coach, called the dismissal of Fassel "one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make.\n"I have an obligation to this organization to do what I think is in the best interests of this team, regardless of how difficult those decisions are," he said. "Jim Fassel has been a valuable and loyal coach to me."\nBut Billick could no longer tolerate his team's sputtering offense, which had brought about some grousing in the locker room.\nWide receiver Derrick Mason said "the (heck) with football" after going without a catch in Sunday's 23-21 loss to Carolina, and Jamal Lewis complained about being forced to share time in the backfield with Musa Smith and Mike Anderson.\n"Everyone wants to know where the old Jamal Lewis went," he said. "When you hear things about who's hot or who's not or whatever, a lot of that I just feel like is smoke being blown. There's nothing you can do about it."\nBillick said the dismissal of Fassel wasn't necessarily a reaction to Sunday's game.\n"There was no single incident, no episode, nothing specific that brought about this change," Billick said. "It was a collective evaluation on my part that something dramatic had to be done."\nFassel was in his second year as the Ravens' offensive coordinator after serving a season as a senior consultant to the offense. He was promoted to offensive coordinator after Baltimore fired Matt Cavanaugh following the 2004 season.\nFrom 1997 to 2003, Fassel guided the Giants to two NFC East titles, a conference championship, an appearance in the Super Bowl and a wild-card playoff berth. He was named NFL coach of the year in 1997 and lost the 2001 Super Bowl to Baltimore.\nWith the Ravens, Fassel struggled unsuccessfully to come up with an attack that could support one of the league's best defenses. Baltimore hoped the addition of quarterback Steve McNair would fuel the offense, but the change did not bring about the desired results.\nMcNair has a 64.1 quarterback rating and has thrown seven interceptions, compared to five touchdown passes. He began the season with an 83.8 career QB rating and with 53 more touchdown passes than interceptions.\nFassel did not immediately return calls Tuesday seeking comment.
(12/12/05 6:40am)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Maryland welcomed No. 6 Boston College to the Atlantic Coast Conference with a slap in the face.\nEkene Ibekwe scored 21 points, Chris McCray had 16, and the No. 19 ranked Terrapins ruined the Eagles' ACC debut with a 73-71 victory Sunday night.\nCraig Smith had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Sean Marshall scored 15 for the Eagles (6-2), who lost to a Top 25 team for the second time in six days. The defeat came on the heels of a loss to No. 14 Michigan State on Tuesday night.\nBoston College went 5-for-15 at the line, compared to a 19-for-29 performance by the Terrapins (7-2, 1-0).\nThe Eagles trailed 73-68 before Tyrese Rice hit a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left. After Maryland threw the inbounds pass away, Boston College did the same thing. As the final buzzer sounded, several hundred fans stormed the court to celebrate.\nA 5-0 spurt put Maryland up 65-62 with 3:56 left. After Rice made a layup for Boston College, Ibekwe missed two free throws with 2:21 to go.\nD.J. Strawberry stole the ball on the other end, and McCray made a three-point play for a 68-64 lead. Then, after Smith made one of two foul shots, a Maryland basket was wiped out by an offensive goaltending call.\nSmith then fouled out when called for a charge, and a reverse layup by Nik Caner-Medley put Maryland up 70-65 with 43 seconds left.\nThe Terrapins held on -- but barely.\nMaryland led by three points on four occasions during the first 8 minutes of the second half, but the Eagles kept coming back. Then, after BC's Akida McLain missed an easy layup, James Gist made two foul shots to put the Terrapins ahead 49-45 with 11:05 to go.\nMarshall followed with a 3-pointer, Smith made a baseline jumper and Marshall sank one of two foul shots to give BC a 51-49 lead.\nThere were three ties and five lead changes the rest of the way.\nBoston College went 16-for-28 from the floor in the first half, but Ibekwe had 15 points and five rebounds to stake Maryland to a 35-33 lead.\nIbekwe scored 11 points on 5-for-5 shooting to put the Terrapins up 13-8 with 6 minutes elapsed. All his baskets were layups, the result of Maryland's effort to assert itself inside from the outset.\nBoston College then packed the lane, and McCray hit a 3-pointer before Ibekwe drove the lane for a layup to make it 24-18. The Eagles answered with a 6-0 run, but a baseline jumper by McCray and two straight baskets by Caner-Medley restored the six-point margin.\nMaryland then missed five straight shots, and Boston College used a 9-1 run to take its first lead since 2-0.
(10/21/05 5:28am)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Marcus Vick was too elusive, and the relentless defense of No. 3 Virginia Tech proved too tough to handle for a spirited Maryland team bent on revenge.\nVick ran for a career-high 133 yards and a touchdown, and the unbeaten Hokies pulled away in the second half to a 28-9 victory Thursday night.\nMike Imoh had two touchdowns for Virginia Tech (7-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), which scored 21 straight points after halftime to keep alive its hopes of playing for the national championship in January.\nThe Terrapins (4-3, 2-2) came in with a three-game winning streak and hopes of avenging a 55-6 defeat to the Hokies last November, but Vick wouldn't let it happen.\nAlthough he threw a career-high three interceptions _ all in the third quarter _ the little brother of Atlanta Falcons star Michael Vick averaged 8.3 yards per carry and completed 14 of 23 passes for 211 yards.\nHis 8-yard touchdown run in the second quarter made it 7-0, and he directed scoring drives of 81, 99 and 37 yards in the second half.\nThat was more than enough support for a defense that forced two turnovers and kept the Terrapins out of the end zone until Sam Hollenbach threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Fenner with 2:16 to go.\nHollenbach was 14-of-30 for 158 yards and two interceptions, and Lance Ball had 75 yards rushing on 15 attempts.\nThe Terrapins wore their alternate black jerseys for the second time this season, hoping for the same result as the last time: a 45-33 victory over Virginia on Oct. 1.\nThe ploy didn't work, yet Maryland could take solace in putting forth a decent performance in front of a national television audience and a crowd of 54,838, the second-largest in school history.
(09/09/05 6:11am)
BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Ravens have composed a defensive backfield that's so good, two former Pro Bowl stars can't even crack the starting lineup.\n"It could be the best secondary ever assembled," declared Deion Sanders, who will be used as nickelback this season despite his 14 years of NFL experience and eight Pro Bowl appearances.\nSanders and fellow reserve Dale Carter, a four-time Pro Bowler, will see plenty of action Sunday night when the retooled Ravens defense faces record-setting quarterback Peyton Manning, wide receiver Marvin Harrison and the high-powered offense of the Indianapolis Colts.\nManning set an NFL record last season by throwing 49 touchdown passes, including 15 to Harrison. The duo hooked up for a score in a 20-10 victory over Baltimore last year, Manning's only touchdown pass of the game.\nManning will face an even better secondary Sunday. During the offseason, the Ravens signed former Tennessee Titans cornerback Samari Rolle, who replaces Gary Baxter and joins Chris McAlister and safeties Ed Reed and Will Demps on the starting unit. Carter, who missed last season with a blood clot in his lungs, adds additional depth.\n"On paper, this defense surpasses any secondary that I've ever seen and any other secondary that exists today," McAlister said. "They're supposed to be the most prolific offense ever put together, and we're supposed to be one of the most dangerous defenses ever put together. So we'll find out what happens Sunday night."\nAsked whether this is the toughest defensive backfield he's ever faced, Manning quickly replied, "No question. Tons of talent over there, lots of experience as well.\n"We know Samari very well, faced him a number of times in the division, and know the ability that he has. Chris McAlister is one of the top cover corners in the league, we all know what Deion can do and Ed Reed was the defensive MVP last year. That kind of speaks for itself. Demps is an excellent player, too."\nSmart, too. For year's, Baltimore's defense has been a cocky, confident bunch, but the Ravens wisely refrained from trash-talking before facing Manning, who earned a second consecutive NFL MVP award after leading the Colts to a 12-4 record in 2004.\n"You're dealing with one of the most prolific passers in all of the National Football League for the last 10, 15 years," Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis said. "Understanding that, you have to respect what he can do in this game."\nOn the surface, the match up is Manning versus the Ravens secondary. But there will also be a duel between Manning, who calls the majority of the plays at the line, and Lewis, the leader of the Baltimore defense.\nThe one who outguesses the other will probably emerge as the winner.\n"It's like chess," Lewis said. "Peyton comes to line and he checks to a pass or a run, and I come to the line and I check from a blitz to a zone. It's great for the fans to see, but it's more stressful when you're on the field because you're trying to figure out their next move. That's going to be a big challenge for us."\nIf Manning and Harrison hook up for 129 yards passing, they will surpass the former Buffalo Bills combination of Jim Kelly and Andre Reed as the NFL's all-time leading duo in yards passing. Manning and Harrison have already accounted for 9,410 yards and hold the NFL record for most completions between a quarterback and receiver (702).\nBut Harrison is only one of Manning's many targets. Reggie Wayne and former Raven Brandon Stokley are dangerous receivers, as is running back Edgerrin James.\n"They all bring something different to the table," Rolle said. "Marvin gets all the credit, and rightfully so, but Stokley and Wayne are great players and Edgerrin is the one that keeps it all together."\nIf Indianapolis can give Manning time to throw, then Baltimore's formidable secondary will be severely tested.\n"We need to make sure we know who to block," Colts center Jeff Saturday said. "I'm sure they're going to be one of the better defenses we play all year. So I'm excited"
(08/30/05 5:30am)
BALTIMORE - Rafael Palmeiro has lost his job as the Baltimore Orioles' regular first baseman, the result of a prolonged slump that began after he returned from a 10-day suspension for testing positive for steroids.\nMired in a 2-for-22 skid in which he has gone hitless in his last 14 at-bats, the left-handed hitting Palmeiro did not start Monday against Oakland right-hander Kirk Saarloos.\nAsked if he sees Palmeiro as the team's everyday first baseman for the rest of the season, Orioles interim manager Sam Perlozzo responded, "No, I don't, but if he would swing the bat he would be. I don't have a problem with playing everyone that can help us on a regular basis."\nPalmeiro was hitting .280 with 18 homers and 59 RBIs at the time of his suspension. Since his return, he has no homers and just one RBI in six games. His batting average has also dropped 12 points to .268.\n"I'm slumping, man, I'm slumping," Palmeiro said after watching Monday's 10-5 loss from the dugout. "That's fine. I'll get my chances and I'll get out of it. When I get out of it, he'll play me more."\nPalmeiro was batting .222 on May 15, but broke out with a four-hit game two days later at Kansas City and became a key force in helping the Orioles hang onto first place in the AL East until June 24.\n"It's a different situation now, but I'll have some good games. I'll just do what I can," Palmeiro said. "It's his decision. We've got one month left, and if he wants to play everyone, I'm fine with it. I'm going to do whatever he asks me to do."\nPalmeiro, who was 1-for-2 with a homer and three walks lifetime against Saarloos, was replaced in the lineup Monday by rookie Alejandro Freire, a right-handed batter who went 2-for-3 to raise his batting average to .333.
(09/01/04 5:26am)
OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Deion Sanders is back in the NFL, this time with the Baltimore Ravens.\nThe seven-time Pro Bowl defensive back passed his physical Tuesday and formally ended his retirement by signing a one-year contract laden with incentives. Sanders will practice with the team for the first time Wednesday and expects to play in the Ravens' season opener Sept. 12 against the Cleveland Browns.\nSanders, 37, played cornerback in his prime but will be used as a fifth defensive back in Baltimore.\n"This game is not all that complicated. We're going to try to ingrain him as quickly as we can," Ravens coach Brian Billick said Tuesday morning. "We have to make sure we know where he's at physically. He's here plenty early enough to have an impact."\nSanders has not played since the 2000 season, which he spent with the Washington Redskins. He retired on the eve of the team's training camp in 2001, but the Ravens are convinced he's still got enough talent to contribute to their bid to defend the AFC North title and advance to the Super Bowl.\n"Based on people we've talked to, opinions we trust, I'm sure there's no question he's going to be able to compete. At the level he competed before? There's very few of us that can do things as well as we did before. At 50, I can attest to that," Billick said. "But what he will bring to the table for us will be substantial."
(09/12/02 5:37am)
"Johnny U," with his trademark crewcut and black hightops, was the first to throw for 40,000 yards and now ranks seventh, surpassed by a group of quarterbacks who played after him, with rules that make passing easier.\nUnitas retired after the 1973 season with 22 NFL records, among them marks for most passes attempted and completed, most yards gained passing, most touchdown passes and most seasons leading the league in TD passes.\n"Johnny Unitas will always be a legendary name in NFL history," league commissioner Paul Tagliabue said. "One of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, he epitomized the position with his leadership skills and his ability to perform under pressure."\nUnitas completed 2,830 of 5,186 passes for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns. He completed at least one touchdown pass in 47 straight games, a record not challenged since it was set from 1956-60.\nUnitas was Most Valuable Player three times and played in 10 Pro Bowls. He led Baltimore to the NFL championship in 1958 and 1959 and the Super Bowl in 1970.\nOn the NFL's 50th anniversary in 1969, Unitas was voted the greatest quarterback of all time. He also was selected at quarterback for the NFL's All-Time team in 2000 by the 36 Pro Football Hall of Fame voters.\n"Johnny Unitas is the greatest quarterback ever to play the game, better than I was, better than Sammy Baugh, better than anyone," Sid Luckman, the great Chicago Bears quarterback of the 1940s, once said.\nUnitas was one of the few quarterbacks who called his own plays, an ability traced to his knack for reading an opponent's defense and spotting a weakness, then calling a play to take advantage.\nJohn Mackey, the Colts' tight end during the Unitas years, once said of his teammate, "It's like being in a huddle with God."\nUnitas was never flamboyant or boastful -- yet No. 19 always seemed to get the job done thoroughly and quietly.\n"A man never gets to this station in life without being helped, aided, shoved, pushed and prodded to do better," Unitas said at his induction into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 1979. "I want to be honest with you: The players I played with and the coaches I had ... they are directly responsible for my being here. I want you all to remember that. I always will."\nThe long list of accomplishments was quite a reversal of fortune for a player who hitchhiked home from his first NFL training camp after the Pittsburgh Steelers cut him in 1955. He spent that season playing semipro football on rock- and glass-covered fields in Pittsburgh for $6 a game and working as a piledriver at a construction site.\nThe Colts signed him the following season after getting tipped to his ability in a most unusual way.\n"Unitas was signed after we received a letter from a fan telling us there was a player in Bloomington deserving a chance," former Colts coach Weeb Ewbank recalled a few years later. "I always accused Johnny of writing it."\nUnitas became a backup quarterback and made his debut in the fourth game of the 1956 season. His first pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. It got worse as Unitas fumbled on his next two possessions.\nFortunately, however, the Colts' other backup had opted for law school and Unitas was able to start the next game, and Baltimore beat the Green Bay Packers 28-21. A week later, the Colts upset the Cleveland Browns, and Unitas had earned himself a job.\nUnitas was born in Pittsburgh on May 7, 1933, and was only 4 when his father, who had a small coal delivery business, died of pneumonia. His mother went to night school to become a bookkeeper to support her four children.\nUnitas later said he learned more about courage from his mother than any coach.\nUnitas didn't really look like a football player. At 6-foot-1, just under 200 pounds, his body was that of an everyday person -- except for the scars, bumps and bruises.\n"What made him the greatest quarterback of all time wasn't his arm or his size, it was what was inside his stomach," said Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi, who worked with the Colts in Unitas' final years on the team. "I've always said the purest definition of leadership was watching Johnny Unitas get off the team bus."\nUnitas' most noticeable malady was a curved right arm, evidence of the thousands of passes he threw. His worst injury was a torn Achilles' tendon, but he also had broken ribs, a punctured lung and knee injuries.\nUnitas' brightest moment probably came in the 1958 championship game against the New York Giants, a match that was called "the greatest football game ever played" for years afterward.\nWith 90 seconds left, Unitas completed four passes, taking the Colts to the 20-yard line to tie the game on a field goal. He then engineered an 80-yard drive for the winning touchdown.\n"The drama came from the championship setting rather than the game itself, until we came down to tie it in the final seconds. And then it became the first playoff ever to go to sudden death, and you can't have much more drama than that," Unitas recalled.\nThe following year, Baltimore beat the Giants 31-16 in the championship game. Unitas ran for one touchdown, and passed for two others, completing 18 of 29 passes, good for 264 yards. For the season he set an NFL record by throwing 32 touchdown passes, and was named the league's outstanding player.\nHis Super Bowl victory came in 1971, a 16-13 victory over Dallas in which he played sparingly. He also played in the 1969 Super Bowl, a shocking 16-7 loss to Joe Namath and the New York Jets.\nUnitas' enormous talent and ability, combined with his penchant for taking command in the huddle, caused some players to view him as overly cocky and arrogant.\nUnitas called it confidence.\n"There's a big difference between confidence and conceit. To me, conceit is bragging about yourself. Being confident means you believe you can get the job done, but you know you can't get your job done unless you also have the confidence that the other guys are going to get their jobs done too. Without them, I'm nothing," he said.\nSome of that confidence was apparent in his freshman year of college at Louisville. He threw for more than 2,000 yards and 21 touchdowns in his first two years, earning the nickname "Mr. Football" from local sports writers.\nThe Steelers drafted him in the ninth round, but he saw little action in the preseason and was cut just before the season-opener.\nUnitas said he harbored no ill feelings.\n"How could I?" he asked. "It was the best thing that ever happened to me."\nUnitas played his final season for the San Diego Chargers, and his 30-yard completion to Mike Garrett against Cincinnati on Sept. 30 put him over the 40,000-yard mark.