The Ravens may have fallen from the overall ranks of the elite in recent years, but their special teams remain among the best in the NFL.
Baltimore ranked fourth in senior NFL writer Rick Gosselin’s 2017 special teams report and has now finished in the top five in six consecutive seasons, the only team to do so. Gosselin’s formula is determined by ranking all 32 teams in 22 kicking game categories and assigning points according to their order — one for best and 32 for worst.
Special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg’s group finished first or tied for first in kickoff returns, kickoff coverage, kickoff starting point, punts inside the 20, extra-point percentage, fewest points allowed, and fewest giveaways. The Los Angeles Rams finished atop the overall rankings this season followed by Kansas City, New England, the Ravens, and Dallas.
Kicker Justin Tucker, punter Sam Koch, and long snapper Morgan Cox have all been invited to Pro Bowls in recent years, but a number of other special-teams contributors stood out this season, ranging from kick returner and gunner Chris Moore to leading tackler Anthony Levine and punt returner Michael Campanaro. The group’s consistency over the years is a testament to Rosburg, who was even recognized as a “Gruden Grinder” by former ESPN analyst and new Oakland head coach Jon Gruden after the Monday night win over Houston in late November.
The Ravens continued to excel on special teams in 2017 despite the absence or departure of some key performers from past seasons such as linebacker Albert McClellan, tight end Darren Waller, safety Matt Elam, and fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
While Gosselin’s report is highly respected around the league, Football Outsiders ranked the Ravens as the best in the NFL this season in terms of special teams defense-adjusted value over average, or special teams DVOA. The DVOA was calculated using five major categories: field goals/extra points, kickoffs, kick returns, punts, and punt returns.
Making the first-place finish in DVOA more impressive was that the website ranked Baltimore 24th in the “hidden” category, which considers the advantage teams receive from elements generally out of their control such as opposing field goals and the distance of opponent punts and kickoffs. In other words, the Ravens special teams weren’t considered to be particularly lucky with variables out of their hands.
Regarded as one of the great special-teams minds around the league, the 62-year-old Rosburg will be entering his 11th season with the Ravens after being hired by head coach John Harbaugh in 2008.
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
8
Paid Advertisement
Podcast Audio Vault
88Paid Advertisement
Share the Post:
8Paid Advertisement
Right Now in Baltimore
Lining up to talk DVOA and an offensive O line with The Godfather of modern analytics
We all see the problems in the trenches for the Baltimore Ravens but how much impact has that had on the offense as a whole, which has been legendary in the football analytics space since Lamar Jackson arrived and revolutionized the position for the running game. The Godfather of DVOA and modern football analytics Aaron Schatz talks Ravens woes and NFL trends with Nestor.
The lost Super Bowl XXXV parade video from 2001 – the whole purple Festivus route to City Hall
Center Mike Flynn invited Nestor onto the Humvee to record this incredible "home movie" for a one-hour ride down Pratt Street onto the dais with the Lombardi Trophy to City Hall back on January 30, 2001. If you're a Baltimore Ravens fans, go find yourself in this beautiful mess...
Where is the Rubenstein and Arougheti commitment to winning for Orioles fans?
It's a murky picture throughout Major League Baseball as the Winter Meetings begin and Eric Fisher of Front Office Sports returns to discuss the state of the game, on and off the field. And the business and labor of MLB and a pending working stoppage might be affecting much more than just the payroll of the Baltimore Orioles heading into 2026.
888Paid Advertisement
