Ravens’ offensive MVP? It could have been Stover

By Darrell Laurant  |   Friday, February 23, 2007  |  Comments( 1 )

Baltimore Ravens
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Steve McNair looked a little shaky in that playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Jamal Lewis had a tendency to fumble. The offensive line struggled with a series of injuries. The wideouts had their ups and downs.

If there was a single offensive constant in the Baltimore Ravens' 13-3 season last year, it was place-kicker Matt Stover.

The thing is, Baltimore doesn't score a lot. The other teams score even less. It's a scenario that lends itself to games like... well, like that 15-6 loss to the Colts. Games that cry out for a competent kicker.

And Stover was more than that in his 16th NFL season - he was absolutely vital. Baltimore scored 363 points in 2006, and Stover had a third of them.

As for the disappointing setback to Indianapolis at home, he nailed a 51-yarder and a 30-yarder in that one, so don't blame him.

A 5-foot-11, 178-pound graduate of Louisiana Tech, Stover rivals the more celebrated Adam Vinatieri in cold-bloodedness. If you place him 40 yards or fewer from the goal points, it's a done deal. Outside that distance, he's still a pretty good bet.

Last season, Stover was 12 of 13 from 19-29 yards, 9 for 9 from 30-39, 6-7 from 40-49 and 1-1 over 50. Extra points? 37 of 37.

Over one stretch, the veteran Raven hit 35 straight field goals before pulling one wide left against Atlanta.

Given that he's a born-again Christian, perhaps the 39-year-old employs prayer. Or maybe it focuses a kicker even more to realize that his points are almost always crucial.

He's the only former Cleveland Brown on the Ravens' team, a living relic. Last September, he beat Cleveland with a 52-yarder and said, "Sure, that was special. The Browns are like a long, lost family."

With the Ravens' family, Stover is like an aging uncle.

"I call him Automatic Stover," said LB Ray Lewis after the Cleveland game.

Head coach Brian Billick just calls him often.

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