2008 Baltimore Ravens season

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Useight (talk | contribs) at 22:35, 12 October 2008 (→‎Week 6: at Indianapolis Colts: updated Week 6 boxscore). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

2008 Baltimore Ravens season
Head coachJohn Harbaugh
Home fieldM&T Bank Stadium
Results
Record2-3
Division place2nd AFC North
Playoff finishTBD

The 2008 Baltimore Ravens season is the 13th season for the team in the NFL. The Ravens, in addition to facing its AFC North counterparts, will face opponents from the AFC South Division and the NFC East Division. They will also face the Oakland Raiders from the AFC West Division and the Miami Dolphins from the AFC East Division based on the 2002 - 2009 NFL scheduling formula because of their fourth place finish in the AFC North Division.[1] The Ravens and Minnesota Vikings will have the fourth toughest strength of schedule in the NFL based on its aforementioned opponents' win to loss ratio from the 2007 season, with its opponents winning 55.1% of their scheduled games in 2007. The only three teams with tougher strength of schedules are the Jacksonville Jaguars (3rd) with a 55.9% opponents' winning percentage, the Indianapolis Colts (2nd) with a 59.4% opponents' winning percentage, and the Pittsburgh Steelers will have the toughest strength of schedule in the 2008 season with an opponents' winning percentage of 59.8%.[2]

Offseason

Coaching Staff

Head Coach

On December 31, 2007, Brian Billick was fired after coaching the team to a 5-11 record, finishing last overall in the AFC North Division.[3] Three weeks later, on January 18, 2008, John Harbaugh was hired to replace Brian Billick as the third head coach in the franchise's young history. Harbaugh was the defensive secondary coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, coaching such players as Pro Bowl cornerback Lito Sheppard and free safety Brian Dawkins. As the Baltimore Ravens Head Coach, he is scheduled to serve in that capacity until at least the end of the 2011 season, after signing a four year contract with the team.[4]

Coordinators

After not having a true offensive coordinator during the 2007 season because Billick had assumed those duties early in the 2006 season after firing Jim Fassel[5] (although Rick Neuheisel had been listed on the coaching staff in that capacity)[6], addressing this position was as much of a priority for new Head Coach John Harbaugh as it was for owner Steve Bisciotti to find a new Head Coach for his team, at the time. Recently dismissed as head coach from the Miami Dolphins[7], Malcolm 'Cam' Cameron was highly sought after for his offensive expertise from his time in San Diego with the Chargers. After some deliberation amongst offers he received from around the league, Cameron chose to come to the Ravens, and John Harbaugh announced him as the offensive coordinator on January 23, 2008.[8]

Rex Ryan was 'released from duty' as the team's defensive coordinator, but was still under contract to the Ravens as a defensive coordinator in name for one more year, should new Head Coach John Harbaugh decide to hire him onto his staff, thus making him ineligible to accept the same position with any other NFL football team. Ryan, at the time was applying for a head coaching position himself, but got no offers for any of the four head coaching vacancies in Atlanta, his own team in Baltimore, Miami, or in Washington. On January 28, 2008, Ryan was re-hired as the Ravens' Defensive Coordinator and was subsequently promoted to Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator after rumors of potential Redskins Head Coach Jim Fassel circulated that he wanted Ryan to coach the Redskins as its defensive coordinator.[9][10][11]

Personnel

Offseason / Free agency

During the 2008 Free Agency period, the Ravens acquired linebacker Brendan Ayanbadejo from the Chicago Bears[12] and cornerback Frank Walker from the Green Bay Packers[13]. Both were added to the Ravens roster primarily for their special teams ability, but also to fulfill a pressing need for depth at two positions which were diminished by injuries as the 2007 season wore on. On February 28, 2008, center Mike Flynn was released after failing his annual physical. Flynn was one of the few players remaining from the team's Super Bowl championship season in 2000.[14] After suffering multiple injuries and having to be placed on injured reserve during the 2007 season, veteran quarterback Steve McNair announced his retirement from the NFL after 13 combined seasons with the Ravens and Titans on April 17, 2008.[15] After being voted to 11 Pro Bowls in 12 seasons, (but only playing in 10 due to a hyperextended big toe[16]) veteran left tackle and the first ever draft selection by the newly created Baltimore Ravens franchise in 1996[17], Jonathan Ogden announced his retirement on June 12, 2008[18].

2008 NFL Draft

The Baltimore Ravens had nine selections going into in the 2008 NFL Draft, including four compensatory selections. The Ravens traded the eighth overall pick to the Jaguars for Jacksonville's first-round choice (26th overall) as well as two third-round selections (71st and 89th) and a fourth-round (125th) pick. The Ravens then traded the 26th overall pick as well as their third-round (89th) and sixth-round (173) picks to Houston for its first-round (18th) pick.[19] The Ravens traded their 38th overall pick to the Seattle Seahawks for their second-round pick and gained another selection in the third-round, which were at 55 and 86, respectively. The Ravens then traded their second fourth-round pick (125th overall) to the Oakland Raiders for cornerback Fabian Washington[20].

Compensatory Selection
Round Pick Player Position School/Club Team
1 18 Joe Flacco QB Delaware
2 55 Ray Rice RB Rutgers
3 71 Tavares Gooden LB Miami (Fl.)
3 86 Tom Zbikowski SS Notre Dame
3 99 Oniel Cousins OG UTEP
4 106 Marcus Smith WR New Mexico
4 133 David Hale OT Weber State
6 206 Haruki Nakamura FS Cincy
7 215 Justin Harper WR VT
7 240 Allen Patrick RB OU

Schedule

Broadcast Changes

The first and last pre-season games will be simulcast on television and radio, a first in the NFL. The Ravens' games will be broadcasted on WBAL-TV 11, WBAL-AM Radio (1090), and WIYY-FM Radio (97.9). The radio broadcast team of Gerry Sandusky, Stan White, and former Ravens defensive tackle Rob Burnett will voice the televised pre-season games.[21] The second and third games will be broadcast on WMAR Channel 2 due to NBCs Olympic Coverage.

2008 AFC North Division Standings

AFC North
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Pittsburgh Steelers 12 4 0 .750 6–0 10–2 347 223 W1
(6) Baltimore Ravens 11 5 0 .688 4–2 8–4 385 244 W2
Cincinnati Bengals 4 11 1 .281 1–5 3–9 204 364 W3
Cleveland Browns 4 12 0 .250 1–5 3–9 232 350 L6

Preseason Schedule

[22]

Week Opponent Date TV Network Time (EDT) Stadium Location Results Record
1 New England Patriots Thursday, Aug 7, 2008 CBS / WBAL 7:30 p.m. Gillette Stadium Foxboro, Massachusetts W 16 – 15 1 - 0
2 Minnesota Vikings Saturday, Aug 16, 2008 FOX / WMAR 7:30 p.m. M & T Bank Stadium Baltimore, Maryland L 15 – 23 1 - 1
3 St. Louis Rams Saturday, Aug 23, 2008 CBS / WMAR 8:00 p.m. Edward Jones Dome St. Louis, Missouri L 10 – 24 1 - 2
4 Atlanta Falcons Thursday, Aug 28, 2008 FOX / WBAL 7:00 p.m. M & T Bank Stadium Baltimore, Maryland L 9 – 10 1 - 3

Regular season schedule

[23]

Week Opponent Date TV Network Time (ET) Stadium Location Results Record
1 Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, Sept 7, 2008 CBS 1:00 p.m. M & T Bank Stadium Baltimore, Maryland W 17-10 1-0
2 Bye week
3 Cleveland Browns Sunday, Sept 21, 2008 CBS 4:15 p.m. M & T Bank Stadium Baltimore, Maryland W 28-10 2-0
4 Pittsburgh Steelers Monday, Sept 29, 2008 ESPN 8:30 p.m. Heinz Field Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania L 23-20 2-1
5 Tennessee Titans Sunday, Oct 5, 2008 CBS 1:00 p.m. M & T Bank Stadium Baltimore, Maryland L 13-10 2-2
6 Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Oct 12, 2008 CBS 1:00 p.m. Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, Indiana L 3-31 2-3
7 Miami Dolphins Sunday, Oct 19, 2008 CBS 1:00 p.m. Dolphin Stadium Miami, Florida - -
8 Oakland Raiders Sunday, Oct 26, 2008 CBS 1:00 p.m. M & T Bank Stadium Baltimore, Maryland - -
9 Cleveland Browns Sunday, Nov 2, 2008 CBS 1:00 p.m. Cleveland Browns Stadium Cleveland, Ohio - -
10 Houston Texans Sunday, Nov 9, 2008** CBS 1:00 p.m. Reliant Stadium Houston, Texas - -
11 New York Giants Sunday, Nov 16, 2008* CBS 1:00 p.m. Giants Stadium East Rutherford, New Jersey - -
12 Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, Nov 23, 2008* FOX 1:00 p.m. M & T Bank Stadium Baltimore, Maryland - -
13 Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, Nov 30, 2008* CBS 1:00 p.m. Paul Brown Stadium Cincinnati, Ohio - -
14 Washington Redskins Sunday, Dec 7, 2008* FOX 1:00 p.m. M & T Bank Stadium Baltimore, Maryland - -
15 Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, Dec 14, 2008* CBS 1:00 p.m. M & T Bank Stadium Baltimore, Maryland - -
16 Dallas Cowboys Saturday, Dec 20, 2008 NFL Network 8:00 p.m. Texas Stadium Irving, Texas - -
17 Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, Dec 28, 2008* CBS 1:00 p.m. M & T Bank Stadium Baltimore, Maryland - -

*Highlighted weeks are subject to rescheduling to Sunday Night Football on NBC. **Postponed from September 14th to November 9th.


Week 1: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

1 2 3 4 Total
Bengals 0 3 0 7 10
Ravens 7 3 7 0 17

The Ravens began their 2008 campaign at home against their AFC North foe, the Cincinnati Bengals. In the first quarter, Baltimore opened the scoring with WR Mark Clayton scoring on a 42-yard TD run from a double-reverse play. In the second quarter, the Ravens increased their advantage with Matt Stover kicking a 21-yard field goal. The Bengals responded with Shayne Graham kicking a 43-yard field goal to end the first half. In the third quarter, Baltimore responded with rookie QB Joe Flacco scoring on a 38-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, Cincinnati tried to rally as CB Johnathan Joseph returned a fumble 65 yards for a touchdown. Ultimately, the Ravens defense stopped a potential Bengals scoring drive on fourth down late in the fourth quarter and won the game.

With the win, the Ravens began their season at 1-0.

Joe Flacco had a good rookie debut, completing 15 of 29 passes for 129 yards (along with a touchdown run).

Week 2 Bye week

The Houston Texans - Baltimore Ravens game was postponed from September 14th to November 9th due to structural damage to Reliant Stadium caused by Hurricane Ike.[24]


Week 3: vs. Cleveland Browns

1 2 3 4 Total
Browns 0 10 0 0 10
Ravens 0 7 21 0 28

Coming off an unexpected bye week, the Ravens looked to improve their division standing in the AFC North, playing host to the 0-2 Cleveland Browns. Joe Flacco threw his first career interception in the first quarter, which was scoreless for both teams. The Browns, however, capitalized on the turnover by driving 52 yards for a touchdown, finishing the drive with Derek Anderson completing a 19 yard pass to Jerome Harrison. Baltimore would respond with Willis McGahee scoring on a 5 yard touchdown run, his first of the season. The Browns closed out the first half with a Phil Dawson Field goal to make the score 10 - 7, Browns, at the half. Strong Safety Dawan Landry suffered a mild spinal injury and was taken to the hospital, where X-rays were negative for damage. In the second half, Baltimore won the turnover battle and their defense proved to be the deciding factor in this contest. After Ray Lewis delivered a big hit on Browns' Tight End Kellen Winslow while deflecting a pass, Chris McAlister intercepted the tipped ball and returned the interception to the Browns 10 yard line. Four plays later, Fullback Le'Ron McClain would score on a 1 yard run. On the next possession, Ed Reed intercepted a Derek Anderson pass intended for Tight End Steve Heiden and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown. After forcing another 3-and-out, Baltimore would capitalize on a Browns personal foul from the 50 yard line, driving 35 yards for a touchdown, finishing the drive with a 1 yard run from Le'Ron McClain. The Browns tried to rally late in the game, but Samari Rolle intercepted Derek Anderson with less than two minutes to play, ensuring no chance of a comeback.

With the win, and the Pittsburgh Steelers losing 15 - 6 to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Ravens not only improve to 2-0; they now lead the AFC North after 3 weeks.

Week 4: at Pittsburgh Steelers

1 2 3 4OT Total
Ravens 3 10 0 70 20
Steelers 3 0 14 33 23

Coming off their home win over the Browns, the Ravens flew to Heinz Field for their first road game of the year, as they played a Week 4 MNF duel with the throwback-cladded Pittsburgh Steelers. In the first quarter, Baltimore trailed early as Steelers kicker Jeff Reed got a 49-yard field goal. The Ravens responded with kicker Matt Stover getting a 33-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Baltimore took flight as Stover kicked a 20-yard field goal, while rookie QB Joe Flacco completed his first career touchdown pass as he hooked up with TE Daniel Wilcox from 4 yards out.

In the third quarter, Pittsburgh took the lead with QB Ben Roethlisberger completing a 38-yard TD pass to WR Santonio Holmes, along with LB James Harrison forcing a fumble from Flacco with LB LaMarr Woodley returning the fumble 7 yards for a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, the Steelers increased their lead with Reed getting a 19-yard field goal. Afterwards, the Ravens tied the game with RB Le'Ron McClain getting a 2-yard TD run. However, despite winning the coin toss in overtime, Baltimore was unable to gain ground. In the end, Pittsburgh sealed Baltimore's fate as Reed nailed the game-winning 46-yard field goal.

With the loss, the Ravens fell to 2-1.

Week 5: vs. Tennessee Titans

1 2 3 4 Total
Titans 0 3 0 10 13
Ravens 3 0 7 0 10

Hoping to rebound from their tough divisional road loss to the Steelers, the Ravens went home for a Week 5 defensive duel with the Tennessee Titans. In the first quarter, Baltimore took flight as kicker Matt Stover got a 38-yard field goal. In the second quarter, the Titans tied the game as kicker Rob Bironas made a 35-yard field goal. In the third quarter, the Ravens got the lead as RB Le'Ron McClain got a 1-yard TD run. However, in the fourth quarter, Tennessee pulled away with Bironas nailing a 26-yard field goal and QB Kerry Collins completing an 11-yard TD pass to TE Alge Crumpler.

With the loss, Baltimore fell to 2-2.

Week 6: at Indianapolis Colts

1 2 3 4 Total
Ravens 0 0 3 0 3
Colts 17 7 7 0 31

Week 7: at Miami Dolphins

1 2 3 4 Total
Ravens 0
Dolphins 0






Week 8: vs. Oakland Raiders

1 2 3 4 Total
Raiders 0
Ravens 0






Week 9: at Cleveland Browns

1 2 3 4 Total
Ravens 0
Browns 0






Week 10: at Houston Texans

1 2 3 4 Total
Ravens 0
Texans 0

The Ravens and Texans were originally scheduled to play during Week 2 of the 2008 NFL season, but the game was rescheduled to Week 10 due to structural damage to Reliant Stadium, which was caused by Hurricane Ike. Week 10 was originally set to be the Ravens bye week. The Ravens - Texans contest is now the eighth of a record fifteen consecutive games for the 2008 season.




Week 11: at New York Giants

1 2 3 4 Total
Ravens 0
Giants 0






Week 12: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

1 2 3 4 Total
Eagles 0
Ravens 0






Week 13: at Cincinnati Bengals

1 2 3 4 Total
Ravens 0
Bengals 0






Week 14: vs. Washington Redskins

1 2 3 4 Total
Redskins 0
Ravens 0






Week 15: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 0
Ravens 0






Week 16: at Dallas Cowboys

1 2 3 4 Total
Ravens 0
Cowboys 0






Week 17: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

1 2 3 4 Total
Jaguars 0
Ravens 0







  • Any game from weeks 11 - 15 and week 17 could be moved to 8:15 EST on (NBC) because of game rescheduling.

2008 Baltimore Ravens Personnel

Coaching Staff

Baltimore Ravens 2008 Coaching Staff
Head Coaches

Offensive Coaches

 

Defensive Coaches

Special Teams Coaches

Strength and Conditioning

Roster

Baltimore Ravens roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams


Rookies in italics

Roster updated May 23, 2024

89 active (+1 exempt)

→ AFC rosters → NFC rosters

References

  1. ^ Explanation of 2002 - 2009 scheduling formula
  2. ^ Toughest Schedules in 2008 -- Steelers top the list
  3. ^ Brian Billick fired as Ravens Head Coach following 9 seasons
  4. ^ John Harbaugh becomes third Head Coach in Ravens history
  5. ^ Ravens fire offensive coordinator Jim Fassel
  6. ^ Ravens Promote Neuheisel To Offensive Coordinator - washingtonpost.com
  7. ^ Dolphins fire Cam Cameron after 1-15 season - USATODAY.com
  8. ^ ESPN - Cameron joins Ravens as offensive coordinator - NFL
  9. ^ Baltimore Ravens | News | Rex Ryan Named Assistant Head Coach / Defensive Coordinator
  10. ^ baltimoresun.com - Moving the Chains: Report: Redskins pursuing Ryan
  11. ^ Redskins, Zorn Talk Offense - washingtonpost.com
  12. ^ Brendan Ayanbadejo Talks Ravens With Steve - Baltimore Ravens on WBAL Radio - wbal.com
  13. ^ Baltimore Ravens | News | Ravens Sign Cornerback Frank Walker; Kicker E.J. Cochrane Added
  14. ^ Ravens Release Flynn
  15. ^ ESPN - McNair retires: 'Physically, I couldn't do it anymore' - NFL
  16. ^ Chargers T McNeill heads to Pro Bowl after Ogden pulls out
  17. ^ Looking back...1996 NFL Draft
  18. ^ Ogden - "I'm a Raven for life"
  19. ^ NFL Events: Draft Tracker
  20. ^ Raiders trade Fabian Washington to Ravens
  21. ^ TV-11 Now Home of Ravens Preseason Games - NFL - Baltimore Ravens News Story - WBAL Baltimore
  22. ^ 2008 NFL preseason schedule
  23. ^ AFC team schedules
  24. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3585348&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2008_Baltimore_Ravens_season&oldid=244862564"