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There is a good chance the Ravens will have to rewrite their record books next year, as several players can reach important milestones in 2011.
Both franchise and NFL annals could be affected once football resumes.
Here is a look at where those record-nearing Ravens stand:
Team Defense
The Ravens have held opponents to under 4.0 yards per rush in each year of their existence (15 straight seasons), tying the Buffalo Bills (1986-2000) and Dallas Cowboys (1964-78) as the longest streaks ever to accomplish such a feat. With one more year of dominant run defense, the Ravens would be on top.
TE Todd Heap
Heap has 5,492 career receiving yards and needs 508 to reach the 6,000 milestone. With 467 career receptions, Heap also needs 33 catches to reach 500 for his career, which would make him the ninth tight end in NFL history to accomplish the feat.
LB Ray Lewis
The ageless linebacker needs nine tackles to reach the 2,500 career-tackle milestone. In 15 seasons, Lewis has 2,491 stops, the most among active NFL players. In all but two injury-shortened years, Lewis has topped at least 142 tackles.
Lewis also needs only 1 ½ sacks to reach 40 for his career. He can become the first player in NFL history to record 40 sacks and 30 interceptions. Lewis owns 38 ½ sacks and 30 interceptions in 15 seasons.
In addition, Lewis needs one interception return yard to reach 500 for his career. With 32 more interception return yards, he will pass Derrick Brooks (530) for the most all-time interception return yards by a linebacker. The second-overall draft pick in Ravens history has 499 return yards on 30 interceptions.
WR Derrick Mason
Last year, Mason became the third player in NFL history to record at least 60 catches in 11 consecutive seasons, joining Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (11, 1986-96) and Tony Gonzalez (12, 1999-2010). Now, with only 60 more receptions, Mason can tie Gonzalez’ record.
Ranking 12th on the NFL’s all-time list, Mason owns 924 career receptions and can move into 10th with 28 catches, passing Art Monk (940) and Andre Reed (951). Mason is also 109 receiving yards shy of 12,000 for his career, which would make him the 18th player ever to accomplish the feat.
Mason also needs 20 yards to reach 17,000 total yards for his career. In 14 seasons, he has 5,086 return yards, three rushing and 11,891 receiving. He is the only player in NFL history to produce at least 5,000 return yards and 11,000 receiving yards.
S Ed Reed
Reed needs 46 interception return yards to set the NFL’s all-time record. Reed’s 1,438 return yards on 54 interceptions in nine seasons rank second behind Rod Woodson’s 1,483 yards on 71 interceptions in 17 seasons.
And of course, Reed already owns the top two longest interception returns in NFL history, a 107-yard runback in 2008 and a 106-yard return in 2004.
OLB Terrell Suggs
“Sizzle” needs two sacks to become the Ravens’ all-time leader. With 68 ½ career sacks in eight seasons, Suggs ranks second in franchise history behind Peter Boulware, who posted 70 sacks in nine seasons.
QB Joe Flacco
Only three quarterbacks in NFL history have made the playoffs in their first three seasons after starting as a rookie, and Flacco is one of them, joining Dan Marino (1983-85) and Bernie Kosar (1985-87). Should Flacco guide the Ravens to the postseason in 2011, he will be the first ever to get there his first four years in the league.
P Sam Koch
Koch got close to history in 2010 when he booted 39 punts inside the 20-yard line, second-most in the league. The current NFL record for punts inside the 20-yard line for a season is 42, set by Andy Lee (SF, 2007), Ben Graham (ARI, 2009) and Steve Weatherford (NYG, 2010). Koch will make another run at the record in 2011.
http://blogs.baltimoreravens.com/2011/07/07/records-that-could-be-broken-in-2011/