FOR USE AS DESIRED
AFC-PM-4       12/31/03

RAVENS RB JAMAL LEWIS, PATRIOTS LB MIKE VRABEL

& COLTS K MIKE VANDERJAGT NAMED

AFC PLAYERS OF MONTH FOR DECEMBER

Running back JAMAL LEWIS of the Baltimore Ravens, linebacker MIKE VRABEL of the New England Patriots, and kicker MIKE VANDERJAGT of the Indianapolis Colts are the AFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Month for December, the NFL announced today.

Lewis helped lead the Ravens to a 3-1 December record, including a 3-0 mark against AFC North rivals, as Baltimore (10-6) earned its first divisional championship.  The 5-11, 231-pounder became the fifth player to surpass 2,000 rushing yards in a season.  Lewis amassed a total of 2,066 yards, second only to Pro Football Hall of Famer ERIC DICKERSON’s record mark of 2,105 in 1984.

One of an NFL-high eight AFC All-Stars for Baltimore (tied with Kansas City), Lewis began December with three touchdowns and 180 yards on 30 carries to upend Cincinnati 31-13 on December 7.  Lewis continued his triple-digit rushing trend the following week in Oakland with 125 yards on 24 carries for a 5.2-yard average in a 20-12 loss.  This was the only December game in which Lewis did not score and the Ravens did not win. 

Cleveland, with the NFL’s No. 13-ranked defense, fell prey to Lewis’ late-game rumbles in a 35-0 Ravens road victory.   The Browns limited their nemesis to 41 yards on 14 carries in the first half only to have him post 164 yards and two touchdowns after intermission with scoring runs of 72 and 24 yards. 

Baltimore ended the month with a 13-10 overtime win over Pittsburgh.  Lewis entered the game needing 48 yards to reach 2,000 and posted his fourth 100-yard game (114) of December.

“I love that guy,” says Ravens’ Pro Bowl linebacker RAY LEWIS of Jamal Lewis.  “We know how great he is.”

In his fourth year from Tennessee, this is Lewis’ first-career Player of the Month Award.

New England’s Vrabel made big plays throughout December as the Patriots (14-2) turned an eight-game winning streak into a 12-game string and earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoffs.

The seven-year NFL veteran chalked up 27 tackles (17 solo), 4.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception returned 14 yards.  New England’s defense recorded two shutouts in the month to set a franchise-record three in a season.

“It has been a team,” says Patriots head coach BILL BELICHICK about his club’s play.  “We have had a lot of players step up and contribute in a lot of different ways on and off the field.  From week to week the inactives have changed, the playing time has changed, the playmakers have changed, from a statistical standpoint anyway.

“There have been a lot of different players come into the spotlight, so to speak.  It was not orchestrated in any particular way.  It just turned out that way.”

For the season, the Patriots’ allowed a record-low 14.9 points per game to lead the league.  Vrabel and his teammates limited their opposing quarterbacks to a 56.2 passer rating, the lowest in the league.

In eight home games, the Patriots allowed only 68 points – the fewest points allowed at home since the NFL adopted a 16-game schedule in 1978.

A native of Akron, Ohio, this is the former Ohio State Buckeye’s first-career Player of the Month honor.

The Colts’ Vanderjagt was a perfect nine-for-nine in December as the Colts were 3-1 for the month to earn their first AFC South title with a 12-4 record.  Indianapolis will host a playoff game for the first time since 1999.

Vanderjagt began the month with a perfect five-for-five field goal performance in a 29-27 win at Tennessee to sweep the Titans and assure the Colts of a head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over their AFC South rival. 

In the season finale at Houston to clinch a division title, the Oakville, Ontario native made his first attempt from 39 yards for the game’s first points and scored the final three with a 43-yard field goal as time expired for a 20-17 victory. 

Along with giving his team the win, Vanderjagt’s final field goal in Houston was his 41st in a row, earning him the NFL record for the most consecutive field goals made all-time.  His 2003 ledger of 37-for-37 is only the fourth perfect season in NFL history and the first since Tennessee’s GARY ANDERSON (then with Minnesota) was 35-for-35 in 1998.

“He’s made a lot of big kicks for us – an overtime winner in Tampa, a game-winner at Cleveland to start the season and a game-winner to end the season,” says Colts head coach TONY DUNGY.  “He made a lot of big kicks on the road.

“He’s a guy who feels great under pressure and that’s a good trait to have.”

Since 1993, when special teams standouts were first honored with a monthly award, Vanderjagt is the first player in either conference to earn the distinction in three consecutive months (October, November, December).  Since monthly NFL awards were established in 1986, along with Vanderjagt, only former Detroit Lions running back BARRY SANDERS earned an award three months in a row (October, November, December 1997).

In his sixth year from West Virginia, this is Vanderjagt’s third career Player of the Month Award.
 

2003 AFC PLAYERS OF THE MONTH