Ravens Legends: Matt Stover
One of the best kickers in NFL history was Matt Stover. For a franchise that struggled so mightily on the offensive side of the football, the Ravens leaned on Stover’s leg as much as they did their dominant defense. He made 83.7 percent of his field goals in his 13 year career. He came with the team to Baltimore, from Cleveland.
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Maybe we didn’t fully appreciate what we had in Stover until he was gone. When Billy Cundiff shanked a last second field goal, in the 2011 AFC Championship game; the Ravens fan base really missed Stover. There was a time when we didn’t worry about field goals. We took for granted how automatic Stover seemed to be.
Stover’s name will live forever in the Ravens ring of honor at M&T Bank Stadium. He holds several NFL records, including most consecutive games with a field goal, and most consecutive PAT’s made. Stover is the sixth on the all-time scoring list in the NFL. There was no better team to kick for than Brian Billick’s Ravens. I think most of Stover’s career he was feared more than the Ravens quarterback.
Stover was a class act. With every field goal made, he pointed to the sky. He was a beloved member of the Ravens, and I have never heard a bad word about him. You may have seen Stover at Maryland Terrapins games over the past couple of seasons. He has been mentoring Maryland’s kicker Brad Craddock. As a person, Stover is as good as it gets.
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The Ravens would have never won a Super Bowl in the 2000 season without Stover. Kickers are important, especially when your offense isn’t good at getting in the end zone. Stover was the man. He is a true Ravens legend.