HEADLINE NEWS - Team Note Book

Wednesday - 12/27/2000

Jermaine Lewis has been named AFC Special Teams� Player of the Week, it was announced today by the NFL. This is the third time Lewis has won the award. He is the sixth Raven to win AFC Player of the Week honors this season.

In last Sunday�s 34-20 win over the Jets, Lewis returned two second-half punts for touchdowns. In the third quarter, Jermaine raced 54 yards into the endzone for a to give the Ravens a 27-17 lead. Then, with five minutes left in the game and the score 27-20, Lewis weaved through Jets� defenders for an 89-yard TD (tying his own team record long) to complete the scoring. Jermaine returned four punts for 173 yards in the Jets� game (11 shy of his team record set in the 1997 Seattle game). He added a 23-yard kickoff return to give him 196 combined yards.

It was the second time in his career that he returned two punts for scores. He scored on two punt returns (89 and 66 yards) against Seattle on Dec. 7, 1997. Jermaine�s two touchdowns tied an NFL record, accomplished 11 other times. He became only the third player (Jack Christiansen and Eric Metcalf) to return two punts for touchdowns in the same game twice. Jermaine now has six career punt returns for touchdowns and is the Ravens� all-time TD leader with 22.

Lewis finished 2000 as the NFL�s leading punt returned with a 16.1-yard average. It is the second time in his career that he led the NFL (he had a 15.7-yard avg. in 1997 to lead the league). He is the first player in NFL history with 30 punt returns and an average over 16 yards per return.

In addition to the six Player of the Week Awards, two Ravens won Player of the Month honors for their November play. Matt Stover won AFC Special Teams� Player of the Month and RB Jamal Lewis earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month.

Baltimore Ravens Player of the Week Awards
2000
DE Rob Burnett (week 1) � defense
QB Tony Banks (week 2) � offense
S Rod Woodson (week 5) � defense
K Matt Stover (week 6) � special teams
LB Jamie Sharper (week 16) - defense
PR Jermaine Lewis (week 17) � special teams
1999
LB Peter Boulware (week 3) - defense
K Matt Stover (week 11) - special teams
DE Michael McCrary (week 13) � defense
WR Qadry Ismail (week 14) - offense
K Matt Stover (week 16) � special teams
1998
CB Rod Woodson (week 2) - defense
RB Priest Holmes (week 4) - offense
PR Jermaine Lewis (week 4) � special teams
DE Michael McCrary (week 10) - defense
1997
LB Ray Lewis (week 9) - defense
PR Jermaine Lewis (week 15) � special teams
1996
LB Ray Lewis (week 1) - defense
RB Earnest Byner (week 5) - offense
QB Vinny Testaverde (week 9) - offense
WR Derrick Alexander (week 14) � offense

McAlister Wins DirectTV Award: CB Chris McAlister is the winner of the DirecTV NFL Play of the Week Award for the 17th week of the 2000 season, the NFL announced yesterday. McAlister made the key play of the game last Sunday, resulting in a possible two-touchdown swing just before halftime in the Ravens� 34-20 win over the New York Jets. With a 14-12 lead, the Jets had the ball at the Ravens� eight-yard line with 25 seconds remaining in the first half. Jets QB Vinny Testaverde threw to the sideline but was intercepted by McAlister, who scampered 98 yards for a touchdown. Instead of a score for the Jets, the play produced a touchdown and two-point conversion for Baltimore.