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Ozzie Newsome is known throughout the NFL as one of the game's top leaders and personnel authorities...A Pro Football Hall of Famer, Newsome was the architect of the Ravens' Super Bowl XXXV championship team in 2000...In recognition of that achievement, he was voted the NFL's Executive of the Year...Promoted by Art Modell in 2002, Ozzie became the NFL's 1st African-American general manager...Newsome is a member of 2 of the NFL's major policy- making committees - the Competition and Diversity Committees.
OVERVIEW: Newsome joined the front office of the Cleveland franchise following his storied career as the Cleveland Browns' Pro Bowl tight end (1978-1990)...From his 1st position as an assignment scout for the Browns in 1991, Ozzie went on to become the Ravens' general manager and executive vice president in the fall of 2002, after directing player personnel since the start (1996) of the Baltimore franchise...Voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH in 1999 as a premier TE for the Browns...Hall of Famer and NFL great Calvin Hill (RB - Dallas, Washington, Cleveland) introduced him at the induction ceremonies.
NFL DRAFTS: Under Newsome's guidance, the Ravens own a remarkable draft success...In the team's 1st 10 drafts, Newsome selected 1st-rounders who have earned the Pro Bowl a total of 28 times...The team's 1st picks ever, Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis - the 4th and 26th selections in the 1996 draft - have combined for 16 Pro Bowls...Both are considered likely NFL Hall of Famers...In those 10 drafts, Baltimore has selected in the bottom half of the 1st round with uncanny success: Lewis, who has twice been named as the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year; Todd Heap, at 31st in 2001, has been to 2 Pro Bowls; and Ed Reed, the 24th pick in '02, has gone to Hawaii twice and earned the NFL's MVP of defense in '04...Newsome strategy: "Select the best available player on the board."
In 5 consecutive drafts (2000-2004), the Ravens are the only NFL team to select more than 2 Pro Bowlers in the 1st round (Jamal Lewis, Heap, Reed and Terrell Suggs)...Reed and Heap are the only players in that span who were picked in the bottom 3rd of the 1st round to go to the Pro Bowl...In the 1st 10 years of Ravens' history, Newsome and his staff drafted 10 players who have been selected to go to Hawaii...Don Banks of SI.com wrote on 4/20/05: "The Ravens are the NFL's gold standard on draft day, consistently making choices that stand the test of time."
FREE AGENT SIGNINGS: Not only have Newsome's drafts been productive, but free agent signings have proven to be masterful as well...One of the game's all-time great players, former CB/S Rod Woodson, made the Pro Bowl as a safety for 3 seasons (1999-2001)...DE Michael McCrary made the Pro Bowl twice and was a 1st alternate in 2000...Along with adding Pro Bowl TE Shannon Sharpe, Newsome recruited and signed DT Sam Adams, who produced his 1st 2 Pro Bowl seasons as a Raven (2000-01)..."We've been able to recruit and sign veterans who helped us win a Super Bowl and kept us competitive in other seasons," Newsome said...Newsome strategy: "Select the right player at the right price."
2006: The Ravens believe they have improved in all 3 areas during the 2006 NFL Draft adding 5 players on defense, 4 for the offense and a punter who can also kick off...Based on Oz's history with 1st round selections, DT Haloti Ngata (Oregon) will develop into a Pro Bowl player and is slated to start...G/C Chris Chester (Oklahoma) was described "as one of the most athletic linemen to come out of college in the last 5 years."...CB David Pittman, Baltimore's 3rd-round selection, is expected to earn the nickel spot on defense...Pro Bowler and 2003 co-MVP Steve McNair, who is expected to start at QB, was obtained in a trade with the Titans in exchange for a 2007 draft pick...Also signed in 2006 are Ravens FAs Jamal Lewis, Bart Scott, B.J. Sams, Jarret Johnson, plus newcomers DE Trevor Pryce (Pro Bowler who posted 60 career sacks with Denver), RB Mike Anderson, DT Justin Bannan, Pro Bowler LB Gary Stills and CB Corey Ivy.
2005: A disappointing season ended with a 6-10 record, but gave way to hope with 2 late-season victories (48-3 vs. GB on 12/19 and 30-23 vs. Min. on 12/25), plus a 16-13 OT triumph vs. the eventual Super Bowl champion Steelers (11/20)...The Ravens lost 67 starting players to injuries, which were 3rd most in the NFL...Pro Bowlers Derrick Mason (WR) and Samari Rolle (CB), along with LB Tommy Polley and G Keydrick Vincent, were added for the 2005 campaign...Ogden made his 9th-straight Pro Bowl appearance...TE Todd Heap set career-franchise marks for catches (243) and receiving yards (2,893)...First-round draft choice WR Mark Clayton set rookie records with franchise highs ? 7 rec. vs. Hou. 12/4, 105 yards at Den. 12/11, and his season totals in catches and yards (44-471) were the highest of any rookie in team history...Mason set a team mark with 85 catches and was 1st in the NFL with 30 3rd-down receptions...On defense, the top 3 were Pro Bowler Adalius Thomas (9 sacks, and a team-high 3 defensive TDs) and Polley and Scott, who had 134 and 119 tackles, respectively.
2004: Baltimore, with key starters missing a total of 53 games, fell 1 game short of the playoffs, finishing with a 9-7 mark...First-round pick went to NE as part of '03 trade for spot to draft QB Kyle Boller...Five of the 7 draft choices saw action, including 2nd-rounder DT Dwan Edwards, WR Devard Darling (3rd), OLB Rod Green (5th), WR Clarence Moore (6th) and G Brian Rimpf (7th). QB Josh Harris (6th) was signed off the practice squad by the Browns and RS Derek Abney (7th) missed the season with a shoulder injury...S Ed Reed, the Ravens' 1st pick in 2002, was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year...Reed, Ray Lewis, Chris McAlister, Ogden and Suggs all made the Pro Bowl...In June of 2004, the Pro Football Writers Association honored Ozzie with the Joe Horrigan Award for his cooperation and understanding of the media.
2003: Ravens won their 1st-ever division title with a 10-6 record; Baltimore hosted the Titans in the Wild Card, but lost 20-17...Ravens sent 8 draft picks to the Pro Bowl, including LB Adalius Thomas (6th in 2000)...In the draft, Newsome and his staff picked LB Terrell Suggs (1a, 10th overall), who posted a Ravens' rookie-record 12 sacks and earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors...Rookie QB Kyle Boller (1b, 19th overall) started and finished the 1st 8 games of the season, leading the Ravens to a 5-3 mark. (Boller was injured in the 2nd quarter of the 9th game)...Ravens selected Boller with NE's 1st pick (19th) in 2003.
2002: Newsome and his staff assembled the youngest team in NFL history...Most observers predicted the Ravens would win 2-to-4 games, but Baltimore entered game 15 with a 7-7 mark and a chance to be the AFC's top Wild Card playoff team...Two last-minute losses to Cleveland (14-13) and at Pittsburgh (34-31) gave the Ravens a 7-9 mark...That year's draft produced 2 immediate starters (Reed and DE Anthony Weaver), the punter and return specialist...Reed led the Ravens with 5 INTs and made every NFL all-rookie team...Weaver was called the "best rookie defensive lineman I've seen," by then-defensive coordinator Mike Nolan...Lamont Brightful set a team record with a 95-yard punt return while averaging 16.1 and 20.6 yards on PR and KOR, respectively...Two 6th-rounders, RB Chester Taylor and S Chad Williams, made important contributions as rookies...Rookie free agent S Will Demps started 46 games in his 4 seasons (2002-05) with the Ravens.
2001: Picking late in each round after winning Super Bowl XXXV, Ozzie and his staff continued to draft well...The 1st 4 draft picks are current NFL standouts: TE Todd Heap (1) went to 2 Pro Bowls in 2002-03, after leading the Ravens in receiving for those 2 years...LB Ed Hartwell (4), now with Atl., and CB Gary Baxter (2), currently with Cle., were Baltimore's top 2 tacklers in 2002...Hartwell (191 in '02) and Polley (134 in '05) are the only Ravens other than Ray Lewis (injured) to lead the team in tackles; C Casey Rabach (3), with Was., started every game for Bal. in '04.
2000: The architect of the Ravens' Super Bowl championship team, Newsome and his staff hit gold with the selection of RB Jamal Lewis (the team's all-time leading rusher) with the 5th pick in the 1st round...As a rookie, Lewis set a Ravens' team record with 1,364 rushing yards and added 1,327 rushing yards in 2002, his 2nd active season with the Ravens...In ?03, Lewis was named NFL's Offensive Player of the Year when he led the NFL in rushing with 2,066 yards (2nd-best in NFL history) and rushed for 500 yards in 2 games against Cle., the most yards against a single opponent in a season in NFL history...A 2nd 1st-round pick (10th), Travis Taylor, finished '04 as the then-leading receiver in Ravens history...Standout LB Adalius Thomas was a 6th-round selection in that draft...Thomas went to the 2003 Pro Bowl as a special teams player...Ozzie was voted NFL Executive of the Year.
1999: Continued his hot hand at drafting when he tabbed Arizona CB Chris McAlister with the 10th pick in the 1st round...McAlister became the next member of the Ravens' defense to earn Pro Bowl honors in 2003...Newsome and his staff also picked 2 starters, LG Edwin Mulitalo and WR Brandon Stokley, in the 4th-round of the draft...Stokley opened the scoring in SB XXXV with a 38-yard TD grab from QB Trent Dilfer.
1998: Coordinated the selections of CB Duane Starks and WR Patrick Johnson with the team's 1st 2 picks...Starks tied for the NFL's INT lead among rookies that year (equaling Charles Woodson's 5 thefts)...Starks added 5 more thefts in his 2nd season and led the Ravens with 6 in 2000...Starks thrilled Ravens fans with a 49-yard INT for a TD against the Giants in the Super Bowl...Johnson caught the game-winning TD in the final minute of the Ravens' 1st win at Tennessee in 2000, allowing Baltimore to be the 1st visiting team to win at the Titans' then-new stadium.
1997: In his 2nd draft, Newsome picked 4-time Pro Bowler LB Peter Boulware and LB Jamie Sharper, S Kim Herring and C Jeff Mitchell - all 4 started against the Giants in the Super Bowl XXXV victory...Boulware, the Ravens' all-time sack leader, was consensus choice for the NFL's 1997 Defensive Rookie of the Year and led the AFC in sacks in 2001 with 15.
1996: Art Modell invited Newsome to join him as the Ravens' vice president of player personnel when he moved the franchise to Baltimore... Under Newsome's direction, this draft produced 2 perennial Pro Bowlers in LT Jonathan Ogden and ILB Ray Lewis, who was MVP in Super Bowl XXXV and the NFL's Most Valuable Defensive player in 2000 and 2003...Also making the Pro Bowl (twice) as a return specialist was Jermaine Lewis, a 5th-round pick in that draft.
1991-95: (with Cleveland) First position ('91) in the front office was as a special assignment scout...Two years later ('93), "the Wizard" was promoted to a very comprehensive assignment - assistant to the head coach/offense/pro personnel. "I had to find out what direction my career would go," Newsome explains. "Art gave me the opportunity to work with the coaches, and I enjoyed that. At the same time, I increased my experience with the personnel department and decided that's where I wanted my career to head."...In 1994, Newsome was named the Browns' director of pro personnel...Although he continued to help on the field, Newsome provided detailed studies on other NFL players and recommended players the team should try to acquire.
1978-90: (with Cleveland) Ozzie retired after 13 years as a premier NFL tight end...His 662 receptions for 7,980 yards are the 2nd most ever caught by a TE and the most in Browns history...Ozzie ended his career as the 4th-leading NFL receiver of all time...He earned 3 Pro Bowls (1981, 1984-85) and was a 4-time winner of the Cleveland Touchdown Club's Offensive Player of the Year award (1978, 1981, 1983 and 1984)...His streak of 150 games in a row with a catch is the 2nd longest in NFL history...Winner of the 1990 Byron "Whizzer" White Award as the NFL's top community volunteer...Newsome, who was named to the All-NFL team of the 1980's (2nd team), consistently received All-AFC and All-NFL honors throughout his career...Ozzie was a 1978 No. 1 draft choice, along with Clay Matthews, and the 2 are among an elite group of Browns to play for 3 decades...The others are: Gene Hickerson (1958-60, 62-73), Dick Schafrath (1959-71), and Don Cockroft (1968-80)...Until Shannon Sharpe broke his records in 2001, Newsome's pro career was the best of any TE in NFL history.
PERSONAL: Newsome graduated from Alabama with a degree in recreation administration...Winner of the 1990 Byron "Whizzer" White Award as the NFL's top community volunteer, Newsome is widely known for his willingness to help those in need...Newsome has gained induction into 4 halls of fame - the NFL's Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH (1999), the National Football Foundation's College Hall of Fame (1994), the NCAA Hall of Fame (1994) and the State of Alabama Hall of Fame (1995)...On the wall of Newsome's office is a sideline portrait of Ozzie's mentor, Paul "Bear" Bryant, in his trademark houndstooth hat..."Coach [Bryant] helped me grow up. He pushed me further than I thought I could go, both on and off the field," Newsome said....Ozzie, who works out every day (and sometimes puts in 2-a-days), his wife, Gloria, and their son, Michael Ryan, live in Cockeysville, MD.
NFL/PRO PLAYER EXPERIENCE: 1978-1990 (Cleveland Browns) |
