Kyle Boller life and biography

Kyle Boller is an American football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at The University of California

Baltimore Ravens
Boller became the Ravens' first round draft pick in 2003 NFL Draft (19th overall pick). He was the second quarterback selected from the Pac-10 conference after the Cincinnati Bengals selected Carson Palmer from USC with the first overall pick. He started the first 9 games of the season, going 5–3, before being injured (thigh) in a game against the St. Louis Rams. He was inactive for most of the rest of the season, being replaced by backup Anthony Wright, as he also had to have surgery to repair a muscle in his quadriceps. Boller rushed 30 times for 62 yards, and completed 116 of 224 passes for 1,260 yards with 7 TDs and 9 INTs.

Boller started all 16 games the only time in his career in 2004. It was also the only year where he had more touchdowns then interceptions, but ultimately turned the ball over more frequently than scoring when taking into account fumbles. He set career highs, completing 258-of-464 (55.6%) for 2,559 yards with 13 TDs and 11 INTs. He also rushed 53 times for 189 yards and his 1st-career rushing TD. He had 4 games with QB ratings over 100, including a career-high 112.3 rating while going 18-of-34 for 219 yards, with a career-high 4 TDs and 0 INTs against the Giants.

Despite not making the playoffs the previous year, the Baltimore Ravens were seen by the NFL and the sports media as being contenders for the Super Bowl, resulting in four primetime games: two Sunday night games, and two spots featured on Monday Night Football. A factor in this was Boller's perceived status of "coming into his own", and so the Ravens were poised to start what would be a great season by taking on the Indianapolis Colts on the first primetime Sunday Night game of the season. The Ravens held their own in the first half, limiting the Colts to only 3 points, and Boller looked solid in the pocket, leading the offense down the field to the red zone several times. But it didn't last, as Boller was injured in the third quarter, suffering a bad case of "turf toe", that would wind up keeping him out of action for 7 games. The Ravens season went downhill after that, even going four games without a single passing TD. However, despite this, he still finished 2005 completing a career-high 58.4% of his passes (171-of-293) for 1,799 yards with 11 TDs and 12 INTs despite missing almost 8 games due to injury.

When Boller came back against the Bengals, after posting an 8.0 QB rating (4-of-12 [33%] for 37 yards and 1 INT) in the 1'st half, Boller exploded in the 2'nd half, going 14-of-20 [70%] for 174 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT for a 115.4 QB rating in the final 2 quarters. In back to back games, he (and the entire team) finally seemed to come alive and show the promise everyone had been expecting, as he completed 19-of-27 passes (70.4%) for 253 yards, 3 TDs and no INTs for a career-high 136.8 QB rating in the 48–3 victory in game 14 vs. Green Bay. Then, against Minnesota, he posted a career-high 70.6 completion percentage (24-of-34) for 289 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT for a 113.5 QB rating.

Steve McNair, former Tennessee Titans QB, was traded to Baltimore in 2006. Coach Brian Billick declared McNair the starter instead of having the two compete for the job, citing McNair's credentials, including 2003 NFL Co-MVP, and Boller's propensity to turn over the ball. In week 6 of the 2006 season, McNair was sacked by Carolina Panthers defenders Mike Rucker and Chris Draft. The result of that play was a mild concussion and a neck injury. McNair left the game and would not return. Boller came in to replace him in the final seconds of the first quarter, and completed 17 of 31 passes for a 58% completion percentage, 3 touchdowns, 226 yards, and one interception. Faced with a 9-point deficit with 5:10 remaining, Kyle Boller connected with Mark Clayton for a 62-yard TD pass to start a come-back attempt. When the Ravens defense gave up their second touchdown of the day, Boller was called upon to score again. This time, he faced 68 yards and was given 4:08 to score a touchdown, to still be behind in the game. He drove down the field for 68 yards and capped off his drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Todd Heap. The Panthers were then able to run out the clock before the Raven's offense could get back on the field, and Baltimore lost 23 – 21. Then, after McNair's throwing hand was stepped on against Cleveland on Dec. 17, Boller led the Ravens to victory with a 13-of-21, 238-yard and two-touchdown performance (112.3 passer rating), one touchdown being the game highlight, when he connected with explosive rookie receiver Demetrius Williams for the 77 yard score. That victory clinched a playoff berth for the Ravens, who had already all but locked up their division. With Steve McNair as the starting quarterback the Ravens improved to a franchise best mark of 13-3 on the season, despite only going 6-10 the previous year with Boller at the helm.

After Steve McNair was injured in the first game of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals, Boller was given the opportunity to start. He came in late in the game and was unable to pull out a victory. Boller was then named the interim starter in Week 2, in a home game against the New York Jets. He had a strong showing, throwing two touchdowns and no interceptions for 185 yds and a QB rating of 97.9. In Week 3, McNair retook the reigns of the team, facing the Arizona Cardinals. The team was up in the 4th, and they switched Boller in to rest McNair, and in spite of a late comeback effort by Kurt Warner, Boller managed to get the team in position for a game winning field goal. The following 2 games Boller was back on the bench. In weeks 6 and 7, Boller was once again named the interim starter for the Ravens.

Following the Week 8 Bye, the Ravens once again decided to go with Steve McNair as their starter. Two bad losses against division rivals followed. After week 10, which featured a humiliating loss against the Cincinnati Bengals, during which McNair committed 3 fumbles, it was decided that Boller would officially be the starting QB for the remainder of the season. Boller led the Ravens in a hard fought game against the Browns, in which the Ravens attempted to make a late comeback, which ended in what seemed to be a win after a missed field goal attempt by Cleveland. However, the refs reviewed the play and found that it was in fact a good field goal, and the game went into overtime. Boller and the Ravens eventually lost 33–30.

In what might be viewed as the 2007 Ravens' finest moment they faced the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football. Boller finished the game with 2 TDs and 1 INT. It was arguably the best game of his career, but the Ravens ultimately still lost 27–24. Of all of the Patriots' opponents during their undefeated season that year, the Ravens came closest to upsetting their undefeated season.

The Ravens next traveled to Miami to face off against the winless Miami Dolphins. Boller had his season end early with yet another injury, this time a mild concussion after holding the ball too long and taking a tough hit. Backup rookie QB Troy Smith played the remainder of the game, leading the team into overtime, where they eventually lost, 22–16, giving the Dolphins their sole win of the season.

The 2007 Ravens ended their season with a record of 5–11, which led to the firing of head coach Brian Billick and the drafting of future quarterback Joe Flacco.

Following the retirement of Steve McNair, Boller faced a three way battle for the starting job between himself, former Heisman winner Troy Smith, and the Ravens' 2008 First Round Draft choice, Joe Flacco. Boller was given the starting job against the New England Patriots in the 2008 pre-season opener, but following another injury suffered in a preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings, his season ended when the Ravens placed him on Injured Reserve on September 3. Joe Flacco earned the starting position and took the Ravens to the AFC Championship game in his first season. Flacco also managed to break Boller's single season touchdown record in just his first year.

St. Louis Rams
An unrestricted free agent in the 2009 offseason, Boller signed with the St. Louis Rams on April 4 as the backup to starting quarterback Marc Bulger. Boller saw action on September 27 against the Green Bay Packers after Bulger sustained a bruised rotator cuff. He passed for 164 yards, two touchdowns and an interception along with 31 rushing yards in the 36–17 loss. In Week 4 against the San Francisco 49ers, he threw an interception and fumbled, both returned for touchdowns.

Oakland Raiders
On April 15, 2010, Boller signed with the Raiders. On October 24, 2010, Boller saw some game action in the Raiders-Broncos game. He rushed 6 times for 11 yards in the Raiders' blowout 59-14 win.

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