* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Curran
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
title
Congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens
FOR the purpose of congratulating the Baltimore Ravens on their successes in both the regular season and the playoffs, and expressing the City's appreciation for how their consistent excellence continues to be a great source of pride for Baltimore.
body
Recitals
Since their arrival in Baltimore before the 1996 NFL season, the Ravens have been a tremendous source of pride for our city. Baltimore has made it clear how much it loves its team from day 1, and the Ravens have rewarded that love with consistent excellence on the field.
The superb performance of the 2011-2012 Ravens, culminating in the club's 3rd trip to the AFC championship game, continues this tradition of excellence. Baltimore has reached the playoffs in 8 of the last 12 seasons, and is the only team to have earned a post-season berth in each of the last 4 years. And once they reach the playoffs, the Ravens always make their presence felt, winning at least one victory in each of the last 4 post-season tournaments.
This year's path to the playoffs included some especially impressive achievements by both the team and individual players. The Ravens simply dominated the best division in football, sweeping the AFC North on the way to winning the division title and the #2 seed in the AFC without losing a single game in Baltimore. Along the way, the defense continued to feature some of the NFL's all time greats including Ray Lewis and Ed Reed as well as perennial stand-outs Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata. The offense was similarly led by stars such as RB Ray Rice, who posted a League best 2068 yards from scrimmage, and QB Joe Flacco, who threw for more than 3000 yards for the 3rd consecutive season - becoming the 1st QB in Baltimore professional football history to do so.
These impressive performances were recognized by the selection of 7 Ravens to the Pro Bowl for their 2011 regular season performances, more selections than any other AFC team except for the Ravens' Conference Championship opponent, the New England Patriots.
Despite the difficult loss to end the season, there is every reason to expect the Ravens' success to continue into the future. Since coach John Harbaugh and QB Joe Flacco joined the team in 2008, the Ravens have the 2nd most total wins in the NFL; and Flacco's 44 regular season victories as a starter are the most in NFL history by a QB in his first 4 seasons. This year's team marked a transition to a new generation of Ravens stars as well; only 1 team had more rookies or 1st year players on its roster to open the season, and the lessons these young men can learn from the 13 pro-bowlers on the Ravens' roster - including sure future hall-of-famers Ray Lewis and Ed Reed - are clearly being learned and taken to heart if this year's performance is any indication.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That the Council congratulates the Baltimore Ravens on their successes in both the regular season and the playoffs, and wishes to express the City's appreciation for how their consistent excellence continues to be a great source of pride for Baltimore.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Baltimore Ravens, the Mayor, and the Mayor's Legislative Liaison to the City Council.
dlr12-01119(a)(3)~intro/23Jan12
ccres/Ravens/tw
dlr12-01119(a)(3)~intro/23Jan12
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ccres/Ravens/tw