Ray Lewis’s Greatest Hits

Ravens Coach John Harbaugh called it one of the best plays he had ever seen.

The NBC analyst Rodney Harrison said it was “the greatest play of Ray Lewis’s career.”

On the TV broadcast (above), Dan Fouts said it was a “Hall of Fame play.”

Via Peter King, the Baltimore offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said, “You can’t appreciate how fast Ray was going and how hard he hit Sproles unless you were there live.”

Michael Rushton, NFL Contributing Editor for the Sports Network, set the scene:

It was 4th-and-2 at the 15-yard line and San Diego already had nearly 500 yards of offense, most of that coming through the air. Yet the Chargers were about to try and sneak 5-foot-6 running back Darren Sproles up the middle.
Afterward, Lewis said: “For my teammates, I told them we would not lose this game. That was probably one of the greatest plays of my career, because of my team, because of what we did as a team. It wasn’t a called blitz. I just read the play.”

Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun asked his readers if it was Lewis’s best. One reader’s picks seemed to reflect a consensus — close but not quite:

1.) Interception for touchdown in the 2000 playoffs vs. Tennessee.
2.) Sideline tackle on Tiki Barber in the Super Bowl.
3.) Tipped pass in the Super Bowl that Jamie Sharper picked off.
4.) 4th Down tackle on Darren Sproles to end the game.
5.) Ridiculous block that sprung Chris McAlister’s 106-yard missed field goal return vs. Denver.



(nytimes.com)