NEW YORK — Are the Baltimore Ravens in position to repeat as champions after winning a Super Bowl during Ray Lewis' final season in the NFL? Unlikely, the retired linebacker said.

"It's going to be very hard, after you lose that much chemistry," Lewis told USA TODAY Sports. "But who knows? It's unpredictable, as always. Hopefully, they try to pull enough together, use their youth and try to make a run. But it's hard to try that formula. That formula usually doesn't work."

Lewis is visiting the city during NFL draft week to promote his partnership with United Athletes Foundation and their charity efforts in America's "underserved communities."

Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron and basketball Hall of Famer Julius Erving are members of the organization, and Lewis said he was starstruck when the pair first called on him.

"I'm humbled to be a part of anything that they do, much less to look down on my phone and having them call me," he said. "I'm like, 'Oh, my God, it's Hank Aaron!' "

"This is my next phase, and I want to make people happy. I want to make real change in this world."

Lewis said he will begin his new job as an NFL analyst for ESPN in late July. He said he's more than ready for on-camera work, and he has no shortage of opinions — and he's not afraid of controversy.

For instance, don't expect Lewis to endorse the NFL's efforts to make the game safer, including a new rule that bans running backs from using the crown of the helmet to initiate contact.

"I don't think it's fair," he said. "I think the best way to take care of the game is to let the game take care of itself. All these rules won't take care of the game. In fact, they're going to confuse more people than anything."

In addition to broadcasting, the post-football opportunities for the 13-time Pro Bowler have been plenty, he said, but he is taking his time and not taking on too much.

"It was never like, 'What am I going to do?' It was more, 'What will I not do?' " he said. "I had all these opportunities coming from so many different directions. And I told my team, 'We're going to go slow, take our time, and get involved with the right people.' "


(usatoday.com)

When speaking with the media at the pre-draft press conference earlier this week, GM Ozzie Newsome said that Ray Lewis remains part of the Ravens despite having retired.

Newsome said there's so many ways that people in this area know that Lewis is a part of the Ravens even though is playing career is finished.

"I think Ray is still here in spirit," Newsome said when speaking at that press conference. "I was at a local restaurant deli on Sunday and they said, ‘Ray just was in here the other day.’ So, he is still in this community."

Lewis had been a huge leader on the Ravens in so many ways over the last several years, both on the field and in the locker room. And the lessons he taught the younger players are things they'll be able to use and grow with in the coming seasons. 

"Ray is still very much a part of this football team," Newsome said. "[Coach] John [Harbaugh] and I were talking about the number of players that were on the squad when he got here that have been here five years with John right now. Ray has impacted those kids, those guys in our locker room."

Newsome said the impact Lewis had on those young players will be felt even though future Hall of Famer won't be playing with the Ravens any more. 

"Ray has impacted Torrey [Smith]. Ray has impacted K.O. [Kelechi Osemele]," Newsome said. "So, his impact is going to be felt within this organization and in this locker room for a long time. We talked to [Mant'i] Te’o, and they know about this locker room and Ray Lewis, so his impact is lasting.”


(csnbaltimore.com)

Most Ravens fans will tell you that inside linebacker Ray Lewis was the greatest draft pick in franchise history.

But the fine stat heads over at ESPN have calculated that Lewis was the NFL’s most valuable pick since 1994.

In this week’s ESPN the Magazine, they put together a chart of the best draft picks from each franchise based on Surplus Approximate Value (AV), which essentially measures the difference between what each player produced during his career compared to what he was expected to produce based on where he was drafted.

Lewis, who was drafted 26th overall in 1996, led all players with a Surplus AV of plus-183.3. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who was a sixth-round draft pick, is second at plus-170.1.

Three other players on the snazzy chart had a Surplus AV above plus-140: Terrell Owens (third round in 1996), Derrick Brooks (first round in 1995), and Peyton Manning (first round in 1998).

Lewis won two Super Bowls with the Ravens, a Super Bowl MVP award and two NFL Defensive Player of the Year Awards. He made more than 2,600 career tackles and he is the only player in NFL history with at least 40 career sacks and 30 career interceptions. The future Hall of Famer's numbers speak for themselves.

Still, it surprised me a little that Lewis edged out Brady because the expectations for a sixth-rounder compared to a first-rounder would be significantly lower. That being said, Brady can surpass Lewis in another year or two if he continues to perform at a Pro Bowl level.

According to Pro Football Reference, Lewis is tied with Reggie White for fifth all-time with an Approximate Value of 222. Brady is 24th at 178. With an AV of 254, Brett Favre is the all-time leader.

ESPN the Magazine also had a chart of each team’s worst draft pick since 1994, and linebacker Dan Cody was the Ravens' worst. The 2006 second-rounder had a Surplus AV of minus-23.0.

That being said, Cody, who made just one tackle and played in two games during an injury-riddled Ravens career, was still the “best” worst pick on the chart, which was a who’s who of NFL busts.

Overall, calculating the values of thousands of picks, ESPN says the Ravens ranked fourth in Surplus AV since 1994. Not too shabby.


(baltimoresun.com)

Wearing a black fedora and a dark checkered blazer and with his daughter at his side, Ray Lewis attended the premiere screening of the DVD that chronicles the Ravens’ Super Bowl winning season last night at the Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric.

His first offseason appearance in Baltimore as a retired player, Lewis admitted that it felt a little weird to not be preparing for another year of football.

“Honestly, there’s no pressure because every year is always a new year, every offseason is always a new offseason. You’re always gearing up for something,” Lewis said. “But for me now, it’s more gearing up for business, more gearing up for life and more gearing up for the kids. The pressure meter is down a little bit and that’s probably the biggest difference.”

Lewis announced his pending retirement a couple of days before the Ravens playoff opener against the Indianapolis Colts. At the time, he could have hardly imagined that his 17th NFL season would end with Lewis helping the Ravens win their second Super Bowl, a 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

Asked last night about how retirement is treating him, Lewis said: “Life is good. A lot of things are going on, spending a lot of time with the family, spending a lot of time with the kids. I’ve just been relaxing a lot and really soaking up the moment.”

Lewis was the honorary starter of the Daytona 500 and he recently threw out a first pitch at a Detroit Tigers spring training game in his hometown of Lakeland, Fla.

However, one thing Lewis hasn’t done is return to the Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills. In fact, he said that he’s yet to even clean out his locker.

“I really haven’t,” Lewis said. “I haven’t been back over there yet. When I go back, I’m just going to relax and chill when I do go back. I haven’t moved anything out yet.”

Lewis retired because he wanted to spend more time with his kids, including his son, Ray III, who will be a freshman on the University of Miami football team in the fall. However, he won’t stray too far from the NFL. Lewis is expected to serve as an analyst for ESPN.  

“It will probably happen, but it will happen on our timing,” Lewis said when asked about his future television role. “I think both sides understand what we’re doing and where we’re going with it.”

While Lewis has said that he’s not interested in being a coach, it’s likely that he’ll still be around the Ravens at different points going forward.

A future Hall of Famer, Lewis will undoubtedly be enshrined in the Ravens’ Ring of Honor and owner Steve Bisciotti even talked about having a statue of the linebacker erected outside M&T Bank Stadium.


(baltimoresun.com)

Ray Lewis has quit football and apparently he's leaving his Florida mansion behind too.

The Ravens star has put his West Palm Beach property on the market, asking $5 million for the luxury estate.

The home, along the prestigious Ocean Drive, boasts seven bedrooms and more than 6,700 square feet to spread out and squirrel dance. Built in 2001, there are also nine bathrooms, a five-car garage, a pool and an elevator.

It's a pink Mediterranean, surrounded by lush tropical landscaping. From his back deck, Lewis could have lounged on deck chairs while watching the waves roll in. There's also an outdoor dining table. 

Inside it's rather elegant, with cathedral ceilings, marble everywhere and grand columns. There's even a piano in the corner of what must be the living room.

The kitchen granite alone probably costs more than an ordinary person's entire house. His laundry room? That's the size of what most would consider a big kitchen. And the master bath? Room for the entire Ravens squad to wash up at once.

A few fun details:

There's at least one bidet.

There's a manly, wood-heavy office with a football helmet on one of the built-in shelving units. There's also -- go figure -- a bowling pin.

A small herd of elephant statues -- two -- hangs out near the piano.

Lewis bought the property in 2004 for just over $5.2 million.

Click here to see more photos.


(baltimoresun.com)

On Tuesday, the Ravens lost multiple key players.

On Wednesday, ESPN officially trotted out former Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis as an employee, to talk about the players the Ravens have lost.

The hire officially has been announced, and he’s already on air talking about how the Ravens will proceed without him and Anquan Boldin and Paul Kruger and Dannell Ellerbe.

But forget about objectivity from Ray when it comes to the Ravens.  “It’s not as if I’m not gonna be around that program, to always be around to help them in whatever way I can,” Lewis said on the air moments ago.

He’ll specifically be around ESPN on Monday nights during football season.  Lewis, per ESPN, will join the on-site desk, with Stuart Scott, Steve Young, and Trent Dilfer.

Lewis also will make appearances on Sunday NFL Countdown, contribute once per week to ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning, and Lewis will “have the opportunity to host specials similar to Jon Gruden’s QB Camp series.”

The arrangement is good news for Cris Carter and Keyshawn Johnson.  It was believed that, with Lewis and possibly Tony Gonzalez joining ESPN as full-time Sunday contributors, the C+Key Music Factory would be shown the door.

It also means that Lewis will be able to attend most if not all of his son’s games at the University of Miami on Saturdays, and then to head to the site of the Monday night game.


(profootbtalltalk.com)

The Ravens have officially placed inside linebacker Ray Lewis and center Matt Birk on the reserve-retired list.

With Lewis, a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and Birk, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, retiring, the Ravens have realized a total savings of $6.4 million against the salary cap for the 2013 fiscal year.

Lewis' retirement gives the Ravens back $4.35 million in cap savings while Birk's retirement gives the Ravens back $2.05 million against the salary cap. Lewis had a scheduled $5.4 million base salary, and Birk was due $2.75 million.

With 49 contract commitments for 2013, including $1.8 million in dead money for former Pro Bowl kicker Billy Cundiff and cap figures of $13.02 million for outside linebacker Terrell Suggs and $11.05 million for defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, the Ravens' new salary-cap total is $105.919 million with Lewis and Birk going off the books.

With the NFL Players Association informing agents via a letter obtained by The Baltimore Sun that the salary-cap limit is set at approximately $123 million with over $200 million carried over from last yesar, then the Ravens currently have $18.2633 million in cap room to spend. That figure includes $1.182 million carried over from 2012, but it doesn't reflect any re-signings yet of the Ravens' unrestricted free agents or tenders assigned to restricted free agents.

Lewis and Birk retired following the Ravens' Super Bowl championship victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

Lewis announced that he would retire prior to the start of the postseason. And Birk made his announcement last Friday during an appearance at Battle Grove Elementary in Baltimore.


(baltimoresun.com)

The stars of music, TV and the NFL helped get Sunday’s Daytona 500 started.

The A-list included former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who was the honorary starter for the race and waved the green flag.

“I’m going to be a little nervous,” Lewis said during a pre-race news conference. “They told me they have one rule — don’t drop the flag.”

Lewis was on the winning Super Bowl team in his final NFL game three weeks ago. He not only has become a race fan but has become friends with defending Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski.

“We came into contact a few months ago, and we sent each other a lot of motivational texts,” Lewis said. “He came to a couple of games, and he followed my last ride. I respect what these guys do, and I wanted to be a part of this.”

Lewis didn’t reflect much on the Ravens winning the Super Bowl. He was more excited about the fact that his son, Ray Lewis III, signed to play football with his alma mater, the University of Miami. Ray III is a three-star running back from Lake Mary Prep.

“Seeing my son in college will be the most amazing thing I’ve ever done,” Lewis said.

Also participating in the pre-race festivities were actor James Franco of the Spider-Man movies, who gave the command for the racers to start their engines, and the Zac Brown Band. They performed a concert before the race, and Clay Cook, a member of the band, performed the national anthem.

A First Coast presence came from the Mayport Naval Station Color Guard, which presented the colors.


(jacksonville.com)

Ray Lewis has joined another team: ESPN.

SI.com first reported on Jan. 3 that Lewis was close to signing with ESPN, and Tuesday at a launch event in New York City for a new ESPN Films documentary series, ESPN president John Skipper confirmed the hire when asked how comfortable he was with the possibility of Lewis as an NFL analyst. The Ravens linebacker will have a significant role next fall as an NFL analyst on the network's Monday Night Countdown program and will also appear on Sunday NFL Countdown and SportsCenter. The formal announcement is expected to come sometime in the next two weeks because the contract is still not officially signed, and neither ESPN nor Lewis is pressing for an announcement.

"We had an opportunity last fall to get Ray and we debated internally some of the history," Skipper told SI.com. "Obviously, we decided we were comfortable with it. We must have because we did it. I will tell you we did remind ourselves of some of the issues. We sort of decided that the NFL welcomed him back into the fold and the fans welcomed him back into the fold. I think we are fine with second chances and we think he will make great television. Ultimately, we were comfortable with it."

One of Lewis' main requirements was flexibility in his schedule so he could attend the games of his son, Ray Lewis III, who will be a freshman running back/defensive back next season at his father's alma mater, the University of Miami. Lewis will likely work a number of Sundays in Bristol, Conn., depending on his personal schedule. He is not expected to appear regularly on ESPN's airwaves until the start of next season.

When SI.com interviewed executives at CBS Sports, ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports and The NFL Network in December to find out who was on their watch lists among current NFL players, Lewis ranked very high.

"Ray Lewis has an intensity about him and a way of communicating that is very infectious," CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said at the time. "He is a bigger-than-life personality, very articulate and [has] an incredible passion for the game. If Ray Lewis decided to take that same passion and put it into a broadcasting career, I think he would be a terrific studio analyst or, I imagine, game analyst, too."


(cnnsi.com)

Seventeen years ago, Ravens star inside linebacker Ray Lewis was an exuberant rookie competing against Indianapolis Colts veteran quarterback Jim Harbaugh.

Rushing on an inside blitz, Lewis decked Harbaugh for the first sack of his NFL career in the Ravens' inaugural season.

Order "Purple Majesty," The Baltimore Sun's new book chronicling the Ravens' Super Bowl championship season.

"Absolutely, I remember it," Lewis said during the lead-up to Super Bowl XLVII. "How could I forget it? It is one of those things that when you are playing the game when you first come in as a rookie, you are just running around. And I was just running around making plays. When I sacked him, I remember getting up and doing this dance with my shoulders, and shaking my shoulders, or whatever. And later, I became teammates with him as well. Been a long time, but the ride, I would never complain about one moment of it."

The Colts got the victory that day, a 26-21 win despite Harbaugh being sacked four times.

"My legend grows," Jim Harbaugh quipped recently when his father, Jack, reminded him of being sacked by the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. "Ray Lewis' first sack."

Lewis and Harbaugh, once known as "Captain Comeback," were later teammates in Baltimore.

"I think he was exactly how he is as a coach," Lewis said. "He is kind of straightforward. He is a hard worker. He understands what he wants to get done. And when he comes in to get it done, he is going to do everything he has in his power to get it done. He is a very passionate person, but he always has purpose in what he is doing. That is what I remember most about Jim."

Other Ray Lewis firsts:

First victory: Sept. 1, 1996. Lewis starts at middle linebacker in the Ravens' first game, a 19-14 victory over the Oakland Raiders at Memorial Stadium.

First loss: Sept. 8, 1996. In a 31-17 setback to the Steelers in Pittsburgh, Lewis makes 10 tackles.

First pre-game dance: Sept. 10, 2000. Lewis, showing glee upon his return to PSINet Stadium after an off-season in which a double-murder trial put his career in doubt, dances onto the field during player introductions before a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars as the crowd roars.

First tackle: Sept. 1, 1996. Lewis stops Oakland fullback Derrick Fenner in the first half of the Ravens' win over the Raiders.

First interception: Sept. 1, 1996. In the same game, Lewis picks off a pass from Billy Joe Hobert in the end zone for a second-quarter touchback against Oakland.

First interception returned for a touchdown: Jan. 7, 2001. Lewis swipes a pass from Steve McNair and goes 50 yards for a score in the Ravens' 24-10 division playoff victory over the Tennessee Titans.

First fumble recovery: Oct. 8, 2000. Lewis scoops up a botched snap at the Ravens' 7-yard line in a 15-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

First safety: Oct. 10, 1999. In a 14-11 loss to Tennessee, Lewis drops Titans running back Rodney Thomas in the end zone.

First Super Bowl: 2001. The Ravens defeat theNew York Giants, 34-7 in Tampa, and Lewis is named Most Valuable Player.

First Pro Bowl: 1997.

First time All Pro (first team): 1999.

First NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award: 2000.


(baltimoresun.com)

Ray Lewis was born to play football, so much so that you wonder if he'll ever find the joy and satisfaction in the rest of his life that he found on the field.

You go ahead and pick your iconic image of the man. Here's mine: No. 52 with shoulders hunched, glowering across the line of scrimmage, face paint streaked with sweat, eyes boring in on the quarterback in the seconds before the ball is snapped.

Whether we ever got to know the real Ray Lewis in his 17 years in Baltimore is debatable, and we'll get to that in a moment.

But here's what we do know: He was the best middle linebacker ever to play the game. And maybe he was the best defensive player of all time, too.
He was a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and a 13-time Pro Bowl selection, and he played with an unmatched passion and a love for physical contact that was astonishing.

That's why I always maintained that having a jacked-up Lewis do the “squirrel dance” before home games was a smart move on the part of the Ravens. It let him blow off steam. Otherwise, he would have simply roared out of the tunnel during the introductions and laid out some poor sucker on the other team's sideline, earning an ejection even before the national anthem.

Opponents feared him like no one else. No one hit harder than Ray Lewis in his prime. He had speed, incredible sideline-to-sideline quickness and a complete disregard for his own well-being.

He didn't just tackle. He obliterated.

“You always knew you'd better know where No. 52 was at all times,” former Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George told The Tennessean newspaper. “Because if you didn't — if you weren't paying attention — that could be the end of your career.”

In a memorable game against the Titans in November 2001, Lewis hit George so hard that former Ravens cornerback Chris McAlister famously observed that George “folded like a baby” afterward.

But George was hardly the only NFL player who was gun-shy after a hit by Lewis.

Chris Sanders, the former Titans wide receiver, conceded being so terrified of the Ravens' fearsome linebacker that he hit the turf in one game rather than absorb another blow.

Ray Lewis had a work ethic second to none, with an offseason training regimen that would make a Navy SEAL blanch.

He was the undisputed leader of the Ravens, their spiritual heart and soul. He was a master motivator, a true gridiron preacher who made believers of his teammates. Paul Kruger was just one of several Ravens who told me that after listening to one of Lewis' amped-up pregame sermons, you'd go out and fight a pack of timberwolves for the man.

He played with a chip on his shoulder and insisted that his teammates did, too. Would it shock you to know that one of Lewis' all-time favorite movies is “Gladiator”?

The story of Maximus, powerful Roman general beloved by the masses who is unfairly toppled and reborn as a gladiator burning to exact revenge against his tormentors — that is so Ray Lewis, it's frightening. Except Russell Crowe couldn't summon half the inner fury that fueled Lewis for all those years since his tough childhood in Lakeland, Fla.

Off the field, Lewis was a more complicated figure.

The Ravens will tell you he turned his life around after he and two friends were implicated in the killings of two young men in Atlanta after the Super Bowl 13 years ago.

Murder charges against Lewis were dropped in exchange for his testimony against his co-defendants. He was found guilty of a single charge of obstruction of justice. Eventually, he paid the victims' families to put several lawsuits behind him.

But Lewis never really explained his actions on that tragic January morning that left two men bleeding to death, two families torn with grief, and a host of questions about what exactly happened and who was responsible.

Outside Baltimore, the town he grew to love and where he became a generous donor to civic and charitable causes, Lewis has been a polarizing figure.

His critics ripped him for being self-centered, egotistical and melodramatic. They accused him of using his deep religious faith as a shield to ward off uncomfortable questions about performance-enhancing drugs that surfaced right before the Super Bowl in the midst of his “last ride” reverie.

But Ravens fans embraced him like no other player in the team's history. And whether they ever got to know the real Ray Lewis was immaterial to them.
The Ray Lewis they watched for 17 years was plenty good enough.


(baltimoresun.com)

The Baltimore Ravens' successful Super Bowl march is the ideal case of addition by subtraction. After all, according to a prominent defender on the team, the Ravens would not have secured the second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history had linebacker Ray Lewis not lit a fire with his retirement revelation Jan. 2, four days before the playoffs began.

"What sparked it was Ray's announcement when he said this would be his last playoff run with us, I would definitely say that was hands down what sparked it and got our minds right," fellow linebacker Terrell Suggs told NFL Network's NFL Total Access on Friday night.

"We've always been a pretty dangerous team in the playoffs. We knew with Ray's announcing that he was retiring and how we normally play in the playoffs, those two combined together rallied one of the most emotional runs I've ever been a part of."

Though Baltimore lost four of five to end the regular season, surely with an ascending offense and (finally) a fairly healthy defense, the Ravens could have won it all even if Lewis had decided to return for an 18th season ... right, Terrell?

"Um, no. Probably not," Suggs claimed. "We needed something to get us over the hump. To do what we had to do — to beat the future in Andrew Luck, and to go into (Denver with) Peyton Manning having an MVP season and going there and winning, and then going up to Foxborough, a place where we lost the previous year against arguably one of the best quarterbacks (Tom Brady) of our time — without that emotional lift, it probably would've been next to impossible.

"But with the lead of 52 (Lewis' jersey number), we had enough to do it."

Really? A success-laden, veteran team like the Ravens needed something else to fuel a championship sprint? Even when other telegraphed retirements (Tiki Barber) have proven distractions? Maybe it's further testament to the intangibles that are so critical to success in the NFL and/or the fact that every locker room responds differently to real or perceived adversity ... or it's just Suggs' way of further burnishing the legacy of his retiring buddy.

But if this is really what works for the Ravens, then they need to get veteran center Matt Birk to hang around for one more year, re-sign free safety Ed Reed for two and perhaps get an emotional last ride out of Suggs in 2015.


(usatoday.com)

Throughout his career (and especially in recent years), Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis has operated essentially as an on-field coach.

Now that Lewis is retired as a player, the door is open as a coach.  Not surprisingly, Lewis isn’t interested.

“All of the guys that have played here come back often.  Talk to players, and they are always welcome,” Harbaugh said Thursday, via CSN Baltimore.com.  “Of course, Ray would be no less than that.  We have talked about it.  He knows he is always welcome.  He has not expressed an interest to coach.  I have asked him, and he is not interested.  But we have talked about it.”

Of course he’s not interested.  It’s long hours and low pay.  And it cuts against his desire to spend more time with his family, and also to get paid a lot more money for a lot less time at ESPN.

Ray also has said he wants to be an actor, which if he can make it to the “A” list pays a lot more than what he made for a full season of football.
Direct involvement in a football team has taken Ray Lewis as far as it ever will.  Unless and until other opportunities dry up, there’s no reason for him to coach — even though he’d likely be very good at it.


(profootballtalk.com)

Ray Lewis had been the undisputed leader of the Ravens for more than a decade. Terrell Suggs doesn’t think he can fill the leadership void left by Lewis’s retirement all by himself.

Asked on NFL Network’s Total Access whether he becomes the Ravens’ leader now that Lewis is retired, Suggs said that he actually sees quarterback Joe Flacco as the leader the rest of the team will look to.

“We’re not worried about that right now. We’re still on this magic carpet ride, we’re enjoying the championship. Regardless of what anyone says, Joe Flacco, he’s proven he’s one hell of a leader, so I don’t have any problems sharing the role with him,” Suggs said.

Suggs added that the Ravens would “probably not” have won the Super Bowl if it weren’t for Lewis’s announcement prior to the playoffs that he planned to retire. Suggs said the rest of the team became more focused knowing that it would be Lewis’s last ride.

“You could say what sparked it was Ray’s announcement when he said that this would be his last playoff run with us,” Suggs said. “I would definitely say that was hands-down what sparked it and got our minds going in the right place.”

Suggs also said the power outage at the Super Bowl was not an issue.

“We weren’t going to let something like the lights going out steal our glory,” Suggs said. “We were like, ‘Once we get the lights back on, we’re going to get back to this ass-whipping.’”

It was the last ass-whipping Suggs and Lewis got to administer together.


(profootballtalk.com)

During the Super Bowl, Ravens coach John Harbaugh told his assistant coaches that they needed to make sure their defensive calls didn’t leave linebacker Ray Lewis covering 49ers tight end Vernon Davis or receiver Michael Crabtree over the middle.

The 49ers had a lot of success sending Davis and Crabtree over the middle, where Lewis simply didn’t have the speed to keep up with them in coverage. As shown on NFL Turning Point on NBC Sports Network, that led to Harbaugh getting on his headset and telling the Ravens’ defensive coaching staff that they needed to call coverages that didn’t require Lewis to go one-on-one with either of them.

“We can’t let Ray be matched up on 85 or 15 all day when we’re playing quarters,” Harbaugh told his coaches.

Davis, who caught six passes for 104 yards, was having a lot of fun rubbing it in Lewis’s face. At one point he walked up to Lewis and yelled, “It’s gonna be a long day for you!”

On the sideline, Davis told a 49ers coach that if they could keep getting him isolated on Lewis over the middle, there was no way Lewis was going to stop him.
“He can’t match up,” Davis said. “I don’t care what route I got.”

Davis was right about that: Lewis couldn’t match up with him. Fortunately for the Ravens, the rest of the team played well enough to overcome a major liability at middle linebacker.


(profootballtalk.com)

The irony of the overlap between football and religion is that the ultimate prize in the NFL is worshiped like the golden calf from Exodus 32.

Folks in Baltimore will eventually be able to bow at the sculpted likeness of linebacker Ray Lewis.

Via ESPN.com, owner Steve Bisciotti said Thursday that the Ravens will be building a statue honoring Lewis.

“I think he set himself apart in Baltimore sports history, and we will certainly look into it and I would not be surprised if there is one there in the next year or two,” Bisciotti said.

Yeah, it’s common for mankind to honor great men and women with statues.  Still, there’s a fine line between respect and idolatry.  And anyone who claims that the statue of Lewis cries real tears on the anniversary of the team’s most recent Super Bowl win will probably be on the wrong side of that line.


(profootballtalk.com)

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — For Ray Lewis III, going to Miami has been a safe assumption since the day he was born.

His father — the newly retired Baltimore Ravens star linebacker Ray Lewis — played for the Hurricanes. His mother is a Miami graduate as well. So when it came time for their son to pick a school, the decision was easy.

Lewis III was one of 10 players to send letters of intent back to Miami on Wednesday, joining a group of five more early enrollees in a class that the Hurricanes think can make an immediate impact. Other big additions for Miami included wide receiver Stacy Coley, linebacker Jermaine Grace, safety Jamal Carter, defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad and quarterback Kevin Olsen, the brother of another former Hurricane, NFL tight end Greg Olsen.

Lewis III sent his letter of intent in very early Wednesday, then with his father at his side, went through a ceremonial signing later in the day at his school, Lake Mary Prep near Orlando, Fla.

"I made a stand my junior year in college, the year he was born, that it was time for me to go to the league," said Ray Lewis, whose last game was the Super Bowl he helped the Ravens win this past Sunday. "Now the year that he's walking into college I've made another stand that it's time for me to leave the league. Him being born has been a factor in entering the league and leaving the league."


(nola.com)

NEW ORLEANS – His work was done. His conquest was complete. And with his sons in tow, a victory party to attend and a post-football existence to begin, Ray Lewis politely declined to answer another question about the Baltimore Ravens' remarkable Super Bowl XLVII triumph.

Then, suddenly, the departing star changed his mind: The subject matter stopped him. What's love got to do with it? Lewis, the Ravens' legendary linebacker and unparalleled leader, the man who'd just been part of a dramatic goal-line stand to preserve a 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, flashed a satisfied smile and gave the final quote of his 17-year career.

"Love," Lewis said, "is the reason why we're here."

He took a few steps and stopped to embrace the only other Ravens player who remained in the locker room, cornerback Cary Williams.

"They just don't understand, do they, Cary, how much we love each other?" Lewis asked. He turned back to me, resuming his last interview as an active player: "But it's a family, man, for life. For life! We're a family, man. And that's what it's really all about: When you see people win championships, they do it based off love."

In truth, these Ravens had a litany of special qualities. To defeat the favored 49ers in front of 71,024 fans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome – and with the whole world watching on television – the Ravens had to demonstrate the resilience and collective will which carried them throughout this special season.

"If it wasn't tough, it wouldn't have been right," veteran linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo said afterward. "I mean, by any means necessary. Whatever it took to get the job done. We never gave up faith. We just believed. We're a galvanized unit. We're battle-tested. We've been through the flames together, and that's why we came out world champions."

Sure enough, after jumping out to a 28-6 lead on Jacoby Jones' 108-yard kickoff return to start the second half, Baltimore would have to endure a bizarre, momentum-killing, 34-minute delay caused by a Superdome power outage and survive a furious 49ers comeback that brought San Francisco to within five yards of a go-ahead score.

Lewis, a polarizing and attention-consuming figure in the week leading up to the game, didn't make a play as the Ravens made their season-saving stand. He didn't have to, because others stepped up, which was precisely the point.

In a season of emotional speeches, including the Jan. 2 team meeting in which Lewis underscored the urgency of the Ravens' playoff quest by informing teammates that the upcoming postseason would be his "last ride," the linebacker saved his most powerful words for the most pivotal moment.

On Saturday night in a banquet room on the third floor of the Hilton Riverside – coach John Harbaugh, bucking the convention of virtually every Super Bowl team of the last two decades, decided not to move his unflappable team to a lower-key location on the eve of the Ultimate Game – Lewis gave a tearful, 11-minute speech that had many of his ultra-tough teammates bawling like Oprah watching "Terms of Endearment."

"It was awesome. Awesome. Exactly what we needed," said Ravens pass rusher Terrell Suggs, the 2011 NFL defensive player of the year who fought back from Achilles tendon and biceps tears to contribute to his team's unlikely title run. "But what else do you expect from the ultimate leader? There'll never be another like him.

"He talked about his teammates. He said, ‘When we get this done tomorrow, we'll be linked together forever. … Let's go show the world how special our brotherhood is.' And that's what we went and did."

If your instincts are to roll your eyes at such proclamations, I strongly advise you to fight them. In our football-obsessed culture, we tend to characterize the game as one of matchups and schemes, of big hits and pretty passes, of statistical trends and superior athleticism. It can be all of that, at times, but at its core the sport – even at its highest level – is about trusting the person next to you and bonding together to create an aura of imperviousness.

And, as Lewis asserts, love, at least for these Ravens, is the most powerful force of all.

"I mean, we were ready to die for each other out there," Ayanbadejo said. "And I know that's a bit dramatic, but that's the way this team is. That's what Ray has talked about. The reason we've succeeded is because of the way we feel about each other. It's something Ray Lewis has told us since Day 1. ‘What would you do for the man next to you?' For us, the answer is, 'Anything.'

"Love put us over the top. You wouldn't think it, because football is a game known for machismo and violence and toughness, but love is what drove our success. Just like the most epic action movies end up being love stories – 'The Matrix,' 'Star Wars,' 'Gladiator.' This Ravens team is a love story."

The story began 54 weeks ago, when a pair of late blunders doomed Baltimore to a crushing defeat to the New England Patriots in the 2011 AFC championship game. A postgame speech by Lewis helped drive the Ravens to overcome a litany of obstacles and navigate their way through internal tension that included a contentious late October meeting after the linebacker went down with what was believed to be a season-ending triceps injury.

In the playoffs, after a first-round victory over the Indianapolis Colts in which Lewis was showered with affection following his final home game, Baltimore pulled off road upsets over future Hall of Fame quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, the latter an AFC title game rematch with the Pats in Foxborough, Mass.
"We had the toughest road in these playoffs," Suggs said Sunday night. "We did it, baby. We did it together."

In those 11 emotional minutes on Saturday night, Lewis reminded his teammates of all of that, and more. Harbaugh, whose impending clash with younger brother and Niners coaching counterpart Jim rivaled Lewis' swan song as the predominant pre-Super Bowl theme, spoke for less than a minute before yielding the floor to the linebacker, and the passion came pouring out of the team's 37-year-old leader.

"Ray said last night that he's never felt love like this on any team that he's ever played on in this life," Ayanbadejo said. "And he included the 2000 team [which won the Ravens' only other Super Bowl]. He said that we're willing to do anything for each other, and that's when you become a champion, when you're willing to do anything for the man next to you.

"People were crying. He was crying. It was the last time he was ever gonna stand up in front of us. So it was an intimate, special moment that we had together. It was a night I'll never forget. It was just a culmination of everything we believed in, 54 weeks ago when we lost that AFC championship game."

As if the Ravens needed an additional emotional jolt, it came on Super Sunday. A few hours before the game, former Baltimore linebacker and current senior adviser to player development O.J. Brigance addressed the team. Brigance, whose battle with ALS has touched Baltimore's players on a daily basis, spoke through a communication device that translates his thoughts and, said Suggs, "just put it all in perspective, about us being a team of vision and all we've been through."

Once Baltimore's players took the field at the Superdome, they felt the love of their raucous, chanting supporters. Twelve years ago at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, in the franchise's fifth season of existence, Ravens fans were vastly outnumbered by those of the New York Giants, a team Baltimore would dispatch by a 34-7 score.

This time, the roars of their purple-clad peeps dominated the stadium. Ravens fans would have plenty to cheer about, from the jump: Fifth-year quarterback Joe Flacco, continuing a stellar postseason (11 touchdown passes, no interceptions, matching Joe Montana's incredible 1989 performance), tossed three first-half scoring throws, the first a 13-yard beauty to veteran wideout Anquan Boldin (six catches, 104 yards) in the back of the end zone and the last a 56-yard bomb to Jones.

A David Akers field goal on the final play of the first half closed the Niners' deficit to 21-6, but when Jones took the second-half kickoff to the house, it looked like lights out for the 49ers. Then, darkness descended, and it was lights out for the Ravens' runaway victory.

When the game finally resumed everything changed. The Niners, as they had after falling into an early 17-0 hole in their NFC championship game victory over the Atlanta Falcons, launched a fast and furious comeback that would bring them to within two points with 10:04 remaining, failing to tie the game when Colin Kaepernick's throw for a two-point conversion sailed over the head of Randy Moss.

The Ravens responded with a long field-goal drive to take a 34-29 lead with 4:23 remaining. Preserving it – and the team's championship dreams – would be on the defense, as it had so many times in Lewis' long career.

"When we kicked that field goal with 4:32 to go, I said, ‘Oh [expletive], we needed to put ‘em away,'" Suggs said. "That was soooo stressful."

Frank Gore's 33-yard burst around left end to the Baltimore 7 brought the stress level to an almost untenable level. Almost. Lewis, Suggs and their fellow defenders, including veteran safety Ed Reed (who'd earlier grabbed his ninth career postseason interception, tying an NFL record), weren't having that. They couldn't. This was about securing a legacy, finishing a long quest and honoring the bonds forged over years of similar struggles.

One two-yard run by LaMichael James and three Kaepernick-to-Crabtree incompletions later, the Ravens had shown the world how special their brotherhood was. Baltimore took over at its own 5, and after killing most of the clock on three short runs, Harbaugh had punter Sam Koch take an intentional safety. With four seconds remaining, Koch handled free-kick duties from his own 20 and blasted a punt to Ted Ginn Jr. who, with apologies to recently fired Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, would have needed the assistance of his entire family to go the 69 yards needed to win this game.

Ginn made it to midfield before being tackled, the season literally ending with a fallen opponent on the NFL shield logo while Lewis, as he'd envisioned in weeks leading up to the game, celebrated with his teammates amid purple confetti swirling up above.

Ninety minutes later, after answering one, final question about love, Lewis strode out of the locker room and entered the hallway leading up to the Superdome exit. As he headed toward team bus No. 5 outside, scores of stadium workers in red jackets spontaneously burst into applause.

I've covered 20 Super Bowls, including last-game triumphs by retiring stars John Elway, Jerome Bettis and Michael Strahan, but I'm not sure I've ever seen a sight like that.

Then again, I've never encountered a leader like Lewis nor, in many ways, have I seen a team like the 2012 Ravens. Their season was a succession of perseverance through tough circumstances and communal defiance that baffled outsiders but made plenty of sense to the men who made it happen.

It was a love story with an epic ending, and when the star gave his speech on the eve of his last and most satisfying act as a leader, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.


(yahoosports.com)

The Baltimore Ravens rallied around Ray Lewis to win the Super Bowl for him, but they certainly didn't win it because of him.

At least that's what Trevor Pryce, current CBS Sports Network analyst and former Ravens defensive end, had to say Monday during an appearance on The Jim Rome Show.

"Half of his playoff check should go to Dannell Ellerbe for making that last play on that last fade route," said Pryce, who was teammates with Lewis for five seasons. "The other half to Greg Roman, the 49ers offensive coordinator. ...

"I think (Lewis) played with a case of the nerves. I think he had the yips. I really do."

To Pryce's point, San Francisco was onto something in playing at Lewis early on during Super Bowl XLVII. On one run to the left, Lewis filled the gap and had a clean shot at Frank Gore, but looked silly when Gore side-stepped him. It was clear, too, that Lewis was no match to cover 49ers tight end Vernon Davis -- or anybody else over the middle for that matter.

But, as Pryce alluded to, the 49ers didn't continue with this plan of attack -- among other bad decisions. And for that, Lewis got away with winning a title before retirement despite playing his worst game of the postseason.

Pryce attributed Lewis' performance to nerves.

"He had it bad; he didn't look like himself, even his new self. Forget his old self, that guy's gone, that guy's named Patrick Willis," Pryce said. "But even the guy he was (in the AFC Championship Game), he wasn't that guy. He had a case of it bad, badly. It was almost like he was just hoping let's get this over with."


(usatoday.com)

And on the seventh day, he danced.

Linebacking legend and noted wallflower Ray Lewis got on stage at the Baltimore Ravens victory party to give R&B superstar Mary J. Blige a personal lesson in his patented "squirrel dance."

The Ravens posted a picture to Twitter of Ray and Mary holding hands on stage, while dozens of attendees took pictures on their phones.

The dance is pretty easy, Mary. It can be broken down into 26 simple moves: Step, step, bird flap, bird flap, upward nose nuzzle, fire on pant cuff, jump, jump, jump, appreciate the backing Nelly track, left foot, right foot, here come the hotstepper, shimmy, slide, shimmy, slide, clap, clap, break it off, chest thrust, arms up, bigger chest thrust, first pump, leg kick and a casual handshake with Ed Reed.

Blige performed at the Ravens' victory party for friends, family and Illuminati.



Rick Reilly of ESPN said team owner Steve Bisciotti spent $2 million on the party. It featured an international music star, a 35-foot video screen, a dozen-piece backing band and the presence of Beyonce. Such lavish perks are what Joe Flacco's agent calls "leverage" when he's trying to get every last cent from Bisciotti next month.

The retiring linebacker wasn't the only one giving dance lessons Sunday night. Super Bowl star Jacoby Jones taught his version of the squirrel dance to the postgame crew on CBS Sports Network. John Harbaugh politely declined.


(usatoday.com)

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs insists future Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis is the "ultimate leader," and there will "never be another like him."

Teammates tell Yahoo! Sports' Michael Silver that Lewis indeed lived up to his reputation Saturday night with an 11-minute speech that left many of them sobbing.

"I mean, we were ready to die for each other out there," linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo said. "And I know that's a bit dramatic, but that's the way this team is. That's what Ray has talked about."

What was the subject of Lewis' stirring pep talk? Love.

"Love put us over the top," Ayanbadejo explained. "You wouldn't think it, because football is a game known for machismo and violence and toughness, but love is what drove our success. Just like the most epic action movies end up being love stories -- The Matrix, Star Wars, Gladiator. This Ravens team is a love story."

Lewis told teammates who nearly revolted in October that he's never loved a team like this year's Ravens team.

"And he included the 2000 team (which won the Ravens' only other Super Bowl)," Ayanbadejo said. "People were crying. He was crying. It was the last time he was ever gonna stand up in front of us. So it was an intimate, special moment that we had together."

Armed with his second Super Bowl title after the team's 34-31 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Lewis is at peace with his decision to walk away from teammates after this last ride.

"The only thing that ends for me, is football," Lewis said after the game. "Life really begins for Ray Lewis now."


(nfl.com)

NEW ORLEANS —— Ray Lewis' Ravens held on for dear life, a seemingly certain Super Bowl victory only a few yards from slipping away.

In the end, however, Lewis got the finale he wanted to his decorated 17-year career, a world championship secured by one last defensive stand against the younger, faster San Francisco 49ers.

When it was finally over, Lewis bellowed at the sky, his arms wide open as confetti rained around him. The face of the Ravens was a Super Bowl champion for the second time and a retiree for the first.

"Baltimore!" he shouted, clutching the Lombardi Trophy.

"It's simple," Lewis said when CBS announcer Jim Nantz asked him what he made of the victory. "When God is for you, who can be against you?"

He had announced that this was his "last ride" just before the playoffs, when few gave the Ravens a chance to go all the way. In the days that followed, some teammates would say the emotional announcement was the turning point in their season.

Lewis' last game was also perhaps his strangest. The Ravens jumped to a 28-6 lead only to sacrifice almost all of it after a 33-minute power outage struck the Mercedes-Benz Superdome early in the third quarter. After the lights returned, Lewis' defense could hardly slow the 49ers.

Before all the insanity, Lewis gave Ravens fans some vintage moments.

With black triangles painted under his eyes, he gathered his teammates around him one last time, thrusting his face into theirs as he woofed pre-game inspiration. The Ravens' faithful chanted "Seven Nation Army" in the background.

Lewis panted with emotion as Alicia Keys sang the national anthem. Once the game began, he was his usual lively self, strutting and flapping his arms to the crowd every time he got in on a hit.

But there were reminders that this wasn't the Lewis of 2000. When 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took off running, the 37-year-old Lewis wasn't quick enough to close on him. And he could not cover tight end Vernon Davis, who seemed to burst open on almost every 49ers passing play, catching six passes on eight targets for 104 yards.

Dannell Ellerbe was the best Ravens linebacker on the field.

Quarterback Joe Flacco, whom Lewis had anointed "the general" earlier in the playoffs, was the clear star for Baltimore.

Ultimately the Ravens' defense made the defining stand late in the game, Lewis barking directions when it mattered most.

"The final series of Ray Lewis' career was a goal-line stand to win the Lombardi Trophy," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "Ray said it on the podium: How could it be any other way than that?"

The last week of Lewis' career was just as complicated as the previous 17 years. Amid all the plaudits for his greatness came allegations in a Sports Illustrated article that he had obtained performance-enhancing drugs to aid his recovery from a torn triceps. Lewis adamantly denied using deer antler spray — laced with a banned hormone according to its maker — and said he was more agitated than angry about the controversy.

But the story gave critics new ammunition to question Lewis' self-image as a morally upright warrior.

Baltimore fans have never paid Lewis' detractors much mind. For them he'll always be the face of a pro football renaissance that began in 1996, 12 years after the Colts had broken their hearts by fleeing town.

The stats and accolades say plenty about Lewis: 17 seasons, more than any linebacker currently in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, 13 Pro Bowl selections, Super Bowl MVP, NFL All-Decade.

But it's the images that will really abide.

Just as Baltimoreans remember Johnny Unitas, coolly cocking the ball during a fourth-quarter comeback, they will forever dream of the young No. 52, dashing from sideline to sideline to corral every ballcarrier in sight. They'll picture the hips shimmying and the chest thrusting as Lewis emerged from the tunnel at M&T Bank Stadium to the beats of Nelly's "Hot in Herre." They'll recall the fire in his eyes and the music in his voice as he barked at teammates, "Any dogs in the house?"

It's a complicated legacy to be sure. Around the country, many have never gotten past the murder charges Lewis faced in connection with the fatal stabbing of two men outside an Atlanta club the night of the 2000 Super Bowl. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor obstruction-of-justice charge and agreed to testify against his co-defendants, later reaching financial settlements with the families of both victims to avoid civil trials.

Lewis stood in the eye of a media storm as he led the Ravens to the Super Bowl in 2001, a year after the Atlanta incident. He wasn't asked about it nearly as much this year, though when he was, he said he lives with it every day.

Atlanta aside, other fans see Lewis as a phony because of his outspoken Christianity and showy leadership.

His hold on a football nation is undeniable, however. No other player's jersey was close to as prevalent on the streets of New Orleans in the past week. And stars from around the NFL have paid verbal homage to Lewis, not only as an on-field force but as a personal counselor on the travails of public life.

For a few moments on Sunday night, all the complexity washed away and Lewis was just a man who had given his life to football, celebrating the perfect ending.

"Daddy gets to come home now," Lewis said. "It is the most ultimate feeling ever. This is the way you do it. No other way to go out and end a career. This is how you do it."


(baltimoresun.com)

NEW ORLEANS -- Michael Phelps was milling around the festive, extremely cramped and steamy visitor's locker room on Sunday night, when Ray Lewis popped out of the shower.

The iconic Baltimore Ravens linebacker, clad in a towel, spotted the Olympic swimming champ and unleashed a grin so wide that it might have lit up the Mercedes-Benz Superdome during a power outrage.

"I told you I was going out on top!" Lewis told Phelps. "And somebody gave me the formula. Baltimore! Champions!"

They hugged, and Lewis grabbed Phelps behind his neck and pulled him closer. They pressed foreheads and whispered. It was a classic moment. Two outgoing champions. Two sports. One hellacious connection.

Then Lewis kissed the Baltimore native on the forehead.

"I love you to death," Lewis told him. "You gave me the formula."

Phelps -- the most decorated Olympian ever with 22 medals, including a record 18 gold medals -- wouldn't reveal the specifics of the formula that Lewis alluded to.

But he insists that this goes both ways.

"We had some talks," Phelps said. "He helped me."

On a very personal level -- and as a huge Ravens fan -- Phelps could relate to Lewis' emotion of the moment.

"Being able to watch somebody put the their mind to something and do it," Phelps said, "is one of the coolest things."

So this is how the last ride ends for Lewis, 37, after 17 mostly terrific NFL seasons.

He put his mind to it, and knowing Lewis, prayed on it.

Even so, his team nearly blew it against the San Francisco 49ers. His defense gave up 468 yards, but came through when it mattered most with a goal-line stand in the final two minutes, allowing the Ravens to hang on for a 34-31 victory.

Experience and grit prevailed over the fresh legs and a fancy, new-wave offense.

That seemed fitting in its own way, after Colin Kaepernick's rolling, fourth-and-goal throw from the 5-yard line sailed wide of Michael Crabtree in the corner of the end zone. One of the greatest players in NFL history, the signature linebacker of his era, wins the final game of his career with a goal-line stand to earn his team the Lombardi Trophy.

When the pass fell incomplete, the Ravens exhaled. The bench erupted, as players and coaches leaped for joy. Two defenders slumped to the turf. Others embraced.

But where was Lewis?

The crafty veteran that he is, Lewis went to retrieve the football.

It was like giving himself a going-away present -- compliments of teammates that included MVP quarterback Joe Flacco, Anquan Boldin, Jacoby Jones, Haloti Ngata and Ed Reed, and coaches that included one of the Harbaugh brothers.

While Lewis worked the locker room, that football from the play that sealed the game was in the safe and secure hands of one of Lewis' sons -- a kid no older than 10, who sat next to his dad's locker tossing and spinning the ball in the air.

This wasn't the only momento from the weekend. On Friday night, Lewis went over to the University of New Orleans for the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration.
During media sessions leading up to the game, Lewis was grilled about allegations published by SI.com that he tried to obtain deer antler spray, which contains a substance banned by the NFL's steroids policy. He denied the claims.

And he fielded questions about an old, unsolved controversy, too. Lewis was at the scene of an incident that left two men murdered following a post-Super Bowl party 13 years ago. Murder charges against Lewis were dropped, and he was pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice. But after two others were acquitted, the murders were never solved.

In his moment to crown the last ride, Lewis was agitated by the controversies.

Yet he a got a much different reception from the gospel crowd at Lakefront Arena. It was about redemption. Lewis who was honored.
They gave him a Lifetime of Inspiration Award.

"Fantasia and her mother gave me the award," Lewis told USA TODAY Sports. "They sang my favorite song for me, too."

Really? What's that?

"The Sam Cooke song," he said, "A Change is Gonna Come."

So true. Lewis rides off into retirement with a championship, like Michael Strahan, Jerome Bettis and John Elway.

It wasn't a classic performance, when considering all the career highlights that a player who was twice named NFL Defensive Player of the Year supplied over the years. Lewis had seven tackles, but none of the game-changing variety, and at one point he seemed frustrated when he shoved Vernon Davis after a tackle. Maybe the most noticeable plays that he was involved in came on a couple of missed tackles, including a case early in the game when Michael Crabtree stutter-stepped on a crossing route over the middle, then broke Lewis' tackle and wound up with a 19-yard gain.

But Lewis had plenty of help. In one instance, after pulling guard Mike Iupati pile-drove Lewis to create a lane for Kaepernick, Reed and Cary Williams came over and pushed Iupati off Lewis in a classic got-your-back display.

That's fair enough. Lewis covered the backs of his defense for years. He was the rock. It really doesn't matter now, that Lewis wasn't the designated driver for his last ride.

He won. He had a perfect ending. A month ago, when Lewis announced his intent to retire, it seemed improbable that Lewis' last ride would last this long. Then the Ravens beat Denver in double-overtime, aided by Flacco's miracle 70-yard TD throw to Jacoby Jones at the end of regulation, and got sweet revenge at New England.

The stars were surely aligned. Lewis had Flacco on his team, and Jonathan Ogden was voted into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot in New Orleans. Ogden and Lewis came in as the original Ravens draft class in 1996 and were rookie roommates.

"It's the journey, man," Lewis said.

Indeed.

"My best play?" Lewis said, repeating a question. "When the confetti dropped."


(usatoday.com)

NEW ORLEANS -- The owner of a company that manufactures deer-antler spray and says it helps athletes recover more quickly from injuries issued an apology Friday to the Ravens and linebacker Ray Lewis.

A Sports Illustrated story published this week implied that Mitch Ross, who owns a company called S.W.A.T.S. (Sports With Alternatives To Steroids), provided the spray to Lewis to promote healing of his triceps injury. The spray contains a substance called IGF-1, which is banned under the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Lewis, who was out from the middle of October until the start of the playoffs with the injury, vigorously denied ever using the spray and said he never has failed an NFL test for PEDs.

"I never saw Ray put [the spray] in his mouth," Ross said in an impromptu news briefing outside the Super Bowl XLVII media center. "I want to apologize to any athletes that this story hurt."

Ross said he met Lewis in 2008 through former Ravens assistant coach Hue Jackson. He also said he gave Jackson what he called "chips," a new technology that he said improves athletes' performance. The "chips" are not ingested and are not in violation of the league's PED policy.

"Ray Lewis is a great man," Ross said. "Hue Jackson is a hero for starting to work with me in 2008. I'm here to tell you that natural IGF-1 rebuilds brain tissue. I did not walk in the Ravens' door with deer spray. I walked in with chips."

Ross said his client list included Giants punter Steve Weatherford, but Weatherford denied any connection to Ross.

"I've never met the guy in my life," Weatherford said in an interview with Newsday. "I've never spoken to him. He's just out to peddle his snake oil."
Weatherford said he has contacted an attorney.

"For eight years, I've never put anything that's banned into my body," he said. "Some guy comes along and says something like this. It's just wrong."

Ross said another of his clients was Ravens safety James Ihedigbo, the one-time Jets special-teams ace. The team had no comment on Ihedigbo.


(newsday.com)

Bryant McKinnie posted this photo of himself and fellow proCanes Ray Lewis and Ed Reed at their last practice before Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. Reed and Lewis are not wearing their usual number 20 and number 52 respectively because the Ravens on their Friday practices usually have defensive players exchange jerseys.

NEW ORLEANS – Six-foot-eight-inch Bryant McKinnie, towering above everyone else in the Superdome, smiled and shared a joke about his old college team.

"We used to say if one of us didn't get to the Super Bowl," the former Miami Hurricane and current Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman said Tuesday, "we'd all take a pay cut and play for the Dolphins."

No need for that plan now. McKinnie and his Ravens teammate Ed Reed, another former 'Cane, will both play in Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday. So will Frank Gore, for the San Francisco 49ers. They were all on the same 2001 Miami Hurricanes roster that many consider the best collection of college talent of all time. And they are all stars.

In a league where the average career lasts four years, these three former college teammates continue to dominate more than a decade later.

And they're hardly alone.

That '01 Hurricanes team, which went undefeated and routed Nebraska in the BCS Championship Game, produced NFL players at just about every position. That Miami roster produced 17 first-round draft picks and 38 players were drafted into the NFL. Andre Johnson was on that roster. So was Vince Wilfork. So was D.J. Williams. So was Jonathan Vilma. So was Antrelle Rolle. So were Willis McGahee and Clinton Portis, who were both ahead of Gore on the depth chart. So was Sean Taylor, who was Reed's backup and made the Pro Bowl twice before being tragically killed in a home invasion. And so was 2012 Pro Bowler Chris Myers, who didn't start at Miami but logged significant playing time as a backup because, in his matter-of-fact words, "We were blowing teams out by 40 points." (That team's average margin of victory was actually 32.9 points.)

"Every now and then you get to coach a great one," says Tampa Bay Bucs head coach Greg Schiano, who helped recruit that Miami team and coached Reed before leaving for Rutgers in 2000. "That team was littered with great ones. I don't know that there will ever be a team assembled with all that talent again."

The heft of the credit for the millennium Hurricanes' success goes to Butch Davis, the head coach who assembled all that talent in one place before bolting to the NFL. "Butch Davis was an incredible, incredible evaluator of talent," says then-assistant Curtis Johnson, who is now at Tulane. Davis' legacy is mixed because of a two-pronged NCAA investigation at North Carolina that resulted in his firing, but in 10 years as a college head coach, he recruited dozens of future NFL players and more than 30 first-round draft picks. Most came at Miami.

"We were looking for athletic, speed guys who loved football," explains Schiano. That was a directive from Davis, who got his start coaching multiple sports and always looked for players who could excel at basketball, track, wrestling, whatever. "When you coach a lot of different sports," Davis says, "you start to appreciate a lot of skills and how they work together." He would assemble his staff in a film room, look at high school games, and wait for preps to "jump off the screen."

The recruiting ground in South Florida was fertile, but a lot of the stars on that 2001 roster came from elsewhere. Reed arrived from Louisiana. McKinnie came from New Jersey. Jeremy Shockey grew up in Oklahoma. Davis didn't much care for five-star guys as much as he wanted those three ingredients: athleticism, speed and love of football. For every Andre Johnson, who probably could have played in the NFL as a college freshman, there was an undersized talent nobody else saw. "Roscoe Parrish was a midget," says Curtis Johnson. (For the record, Parrish is 5-9.)

The "loved football" part was perhaps most important. Gore was a great example, as he came to Miami despite having to wait behind Portis and McGahee. Asked at Super Bowl media day Tuesday why he didn't shy away from that, Gore said, "Competition. If you want to be the best, you have to play with the best. I wasn't scared of competition."

Gore carried a football around campus in those days, held high and tight, because he knew his day would come. "He could care less about anything but school and football," says Mike Rumph, one of those 17 first-round picks. "Most guys are chasing girls, thinking about stuff at home. Not him. First day out to practice, most guys have special sleeves or new shoes. He's out there with no gloves. Just a jersey, shorts, and helmet. He was like Mike Tyson."

There were several players on the team with that mentality. "We had tackling going on in walk-throughs," says Curtis Johnson, and that was on purpose. Davis wanted practices to be more difficult than games, even if it meant grueling workouts and ferocious drills.

"The toughest battle was Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday," says Schiano. "That's the thing I remember – the competition." Asked if it was as intense as the NFL, Schiano said: "In some ways even more so. At the U of Miami, we were trying to bring the program back. There was such a hunger there. That's one of the reasons they practiced so hard against each other."

Schiano remembers being disturbed in his office one spring by "a loud noise" and looking out the window to see a rowdy 7-on-7 game that included Michael Irvin, who had retired from football, and Sinorice Moss (Santana's younger brother), who was 15 at the time. Irvin, Ray Lewis and Warren Sapp had long since left campus, yet there was an unspoken expectation that the bar needed to be raised every single year. There's even a book written about the building and sustaining of the Miami program: Cane Mutiny.

"The level of work ethic was established," says Myers. "We wanted to keep that going. You wanted to prove to yourself you could keep doing what was done before."

Former players credit not only the strength coaches, but also the fact that the facilities weren't all that great. Today, major schools have professional-grade equipment. At that time, Miami had something resembling a boxing gym. That only seemed to motivate players more.

"It was the work ethic," Reed said Tuesday. "With the people we had, we tended to get the best guys."

It all culminated with a one-loss season in 2000, an undefeated season in 2001 and another one-loss season in 2002. But the 2001 team was especially dominant. The final score for that entire year, with point totals from all games added up, was Miami 512, Opponents 117.

"I really felt like we could have beaten the Cincinnati Bengals that year," says Rumph, who played five seasons in the NFL and now coaches at American Heritage High in Boca Raton. "It wouldn't be a blowout game!"

The most remarkable aspect of that team is only now coming into view. Nearly 12 years later, Gore is maybe the most dangerous player on the 49ers roster. The same could be said about Johnson in Houston, and Wilfork is a rare stalwart on a constantly rotating Patriots defense.

Yet when forced to pick a player or two from that '01 squad, two names come up: McKinnie and Reed.

Former 'Canes love to talk about the much-hyped matchup that season between "Mt. McKinnie" and defensive end Dwight Freeney, who starred at Syracuse and is building himself a Hall of Fame career with Indianapolis.

"Bryant is the best lazy player I've ever seen in my life," Rumph says. "He don't like to work out, his back is bothering him, that kind of thing. But even on his laziest day, he would not give up a sack. Dwight Freeney came to town, and Bryant literally rolled him down the field."

Miami beat No. 14 Syracuse that November day, 59-0.

While McKinnie is revered for his strength, Reed is awed for his smarts. The signature play from that championship season came when Miami struggled with Boston College into the fourth quarter and defensive lineman Matt Walters intercepted a pass deep in Miami territory. Reed raced up on his 270-pound teammate, ripped the ball out of his hands and ran 80 yards to the end zone. He was such a ball hawk that he forced his own teammate to fumble. "He had ball skills like an elite receiver and footwork like a top DB," Rumph says. "He was a coach on the field."

Davis, the architect of all this, admits he looks back at his Miami days wistfully. "In retrospect, obviously I would have loved to stay for eight, 10, 12, 15 years and maybe still be there," Davis says. "It was ridiculous how much success we had."

And it wasn't just on the field. Chuck Pagano was a secondary coach who left in 2000. Rob Chudzinski was an offensive coordinator. Schiano was defensive coordinator until the 2000 season. All three are now NFL head coaches.

In the college ranks, head coach Larry Coker is now the top guy at Texas San-Antonio. Mario Cristobal became a head coach at Florida International. Randy Shannon was in charge at Miami for a time. Curtis Johnson is now head coach at Tulane. Mark Stoops is head coach at Kentucky.

And Ken Dorsey, the quarterback on that unbeaten team, is now the quarterbacks coach for the Carolina Panthers.

Ironically, Davis has never reached that level of success again as a head coach. He struggled with the Cleveland Browns before leaving for North Carolina, which is now mired in scandal. Davis never won a national title as a head coach, but hopes to get one more shot. He's now an assistant with Schiano's Bucs.

Other lingering aspects of the Miami juggernaut are more subtle. Every time Myers gets ready to take the field for the Texans, he listens to the same song before he runs out into the din of the stadium: "In The Air Tonight," by Phil Collins. That was the song hand-picked by Davis to signal the entrance of the Hurricanes onto the field at the old Orange Bowl. He picked it to set a tempo and tone, but also to time a pregame stretch.

"The drum roll signified time to break down and go to the next phase of pregame," Davis says. "The tempo and mindset was now in place." Myers is not alone in his ritual. "Everybody still listens to that song before games," Myers says. "It brings me back to a little bit of Miami."

There is a little bit of Miami all over the NFL. In fact, there is a lot. And some of it will be on display in New Orleans on Sunday.

In fact, it's hard not to wonder how good those Hurricanes would have been if they could have experienced McKinnie's joke about playing together in the NFL: Gore, Portis and McGahee in the backfield, Johnson at wideout, Shockey at tight end, McKinnie blocking, Wilfork rushing, Williams at linebacker, Reed, Rolle and the late Taylor in the defensive backfield. And all those coaches.

Asked how good that team would have been in the NFL, Tulane's Johnson lets out a howling laugh before giving a one-word answer:

"Dynasty."


(sports.yahoo.com)

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis announced on January 2 that this year’s postseason run would be his “last ride” in the NFL. Lewis isn’t the incredibly high-impact football player he once was, but there are stats that suggest his on-field presence is as valuable as ever.

Over Lewis’ last 16 games, the Ravens are 12-4 with four playoff victories. Without Lewis in the lineup for ten games this season, Baltimore went 5-5.

In an interview with WFAN in New York, via SportsRadioInterviews.com, Ravens safety James Ihedigbo attempted to explain the impact Lewis has from an intangible standpoint. Leadership is not quantifiable, but Lewis still impacts the outcome of games in spite of declining ability.

“He’s our leader, he’s our general, and when he spoke to the team guys truly got goosebumps,” Ihedigbo described. “There was a change in that locker room, there was a change when we had that conversation.

“And I’m not going to get into the depth of what was said, but from that point on it lit a different type of fire under us.”


(profootballtalk.com)

Ray Lewis has said he never took the supplements offered by Sports With Alternatives to Steroids, but it's hard to deny he didn't know the co-owner of the controversial supplement company after Hue Jackson has apologized for introducing Lewis and other Baltimore Ravens to him.

In a phone interview with the Baltimore Sun, former Ravens assistant Jackson said he was sorry for the distraction the controversy has caused. He told the paper he met S.W.A.T.S. co-owner Mitch Ross at the 2008 scouting combine. Yahoo! Sports online magazine ThePostGame.com reported in 2011 that the NFL told Jackson, then the Raiders coach, to cut ties with the company because it produced a deer-antler extract spray that contained the banned substance IGF-1. Ross said he gave supplements to Lewis after the linebacker tore his triceps in October.
"First of all, I'm disappointed for the Ravens," Jackson told The Sun in a telephone interview Wednesday night. "You hate to ever put an organization in that kind of situation. I never knew the young man [Ross] could be that way. I apologize for the whole organization. It should be about the Super Bowl."

Lewis has denied taking supplements from S.W.A.T.S. As Yahoo! Sports' Dan Wetzel wrote, Lewis said he "never ever took what he said," and called Ross "a coward."

Jackson, who is now on the Cincinnati Bengals' staff, told the Sun he believes Lewis is clean and has never used banned substances.

"Ray is one of the greatest football players to ever play the game," Jackson said, according to the Sun. "This kind of thing should never happen to him. He doesn't deserve it. It's not fair. This is not about talking about a relationship that he met a guy a few years back. It should be about him trying to win the most important game of all this season. Ray means the world to me. Ray has spoken his peace and I stand behind him 100 percent."

After Sports Illustrated brought the issue to light early this week, Ross has continued to stick by his story and defend his company, saying he did set Lewis up with a recovery program but Lewis didn't do anything wrong.

“It's a shame that Ray is denying taking it," Ross told the Sun. "The NFL is uneducated. This is not a steroid. It’s not illegal. Ray is not a cheater. He did it the right way. Ray is a good man. He did the work. He rehabbed his arm and did the workouts. This isn’t a shortcut. It’s just natural science.”


(sports.yahoo.com)

Ray Lewis had his Super Bowl media availability Wednesday morning, and the first question was about the allegations that he attempted to obtain a banned substance, as reported by Sports Illustrated. The Baltimore Ravens linebacker vehemently denied the report for the second consecutive day.

"Honestly, and I'm going to say it very clearly again, I think it's one of the most embarrassing things we can do on this type of stage," Lewis said. "You give somebody the ability to come into our world, our world is a very secret society and we try to protect our world as much as we can. When you let cowards come in and do things like that, to try to disturb something ... the reason why I'm smiling is because it's so funny of a story because I've never, ever took what he says or whatever I was supposed to do.

"It's just sad, once again, that someone could have so much attention on a stage this big, where the dreams are really real. I don't need it. My teammates don't need it. The (San Francisco) 49ers don't need it. Nobody needs it because it really just shows you how people really plan things and try to attack people from the outside. It's just foolish, very foolish. The guy has no credibility. He's been sued four or five times over the same B.S."

Mitch Ross, owner of S.W.A.T.S., told Sports Illustrated that Lewis requested deer antler spray and other remedies to quickly return from a torn right triceps. The spray contains the banned substance IGF-1 -- a natural, anabolic hormone that stimulates muscle growth and plays an important role in childhood growth and development. Ross claims it's not a steroid.

A reporter asked Lewis if he's angry about dealing with the backlash of this story.

"Never angry," Lewis said. "I'm too blessed to be stressed. ... You can use the word agitated."

Is it a distraction?

"It's not. It's a joke, if you know me," Lewis said with a grin. "I tell them (my teammates) all the time, 'Don't let people from the outside ever come and try to disturb what's inside.'

"That's the trick of the devil. The trick of the devil is to kill, steal and destroy. That's what he comes to do. He comes to distract you from everything you're trying to do."


(nfl.com)

What we're hearing in New Orleans ...

… a dissenting voice on the Ray Lewis retirement tour.

It's former New York Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer, who lost to Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV and watched former teammate Tiki Barber take over the spotlight when he announced his retirement midway through the 2006 season.

"It's definitely all about him. Once a guy goes to the center of the field, goes into the victory formation on the last play of his last home game …" Toomer told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday in the Super Bowl XLVII Media Center, trailing off before completing that thought. " I just don't think the Giants or any organization I've ever been a part of, even growing up, would allow somebody to single themselves out like that.

"If you single yourself out after you make a play, that's one thing. But to walk out on the field reminds me of the WWE, like The Rock coming out. You're becoming a caricature of yourself. It's exhausting. I don't know why somebody would want that."

Lewis said Wednesday he had an "obligation" to his teammates and the city of Baltimore to "give everybody a fair chance to say their goodbyes."

Toomer said he "loves" Lewis as a player and called him a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He also realizes Lewis' retirement has served as a motivating factor for the Ravens. In fact, that's what they told Toomer, now working for NBC Sports Radio Network, during Media Day when he asked the players how Lewis' retirement affected them.

But Toomer still doesn't believe Lewis should make it all about himself and noted Lewis' pleading guilty to obstruction of justice as part of a plea agreement in regard to the double murders in Atlanta in 2000.

"If you want to say you're Mr. Religious and all of that, have a clean record. Don't say all of that stuff if you know there's stuff that might come back," Toomer said. "Those are the things that, when I look at him, I just think hypocrisy."


(usatoday.com)

A defiant Ray Lewis again denied using any banned substances and went on the offensive against the man who says that he provided the Ravens linebacker with products to accelerate his return from a torn triceps injury.

Lewis called Mitch Ross — a co-owner of Sports With Alternatives to Steroids who claims that his relationship with the long-time Raven dates back to 2008 — a coward and attacked his credibility. He also described the attention being paid to the situation four days before the Ravens meet the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII “sad” and “embarrassing.”

“The reason why I’m smiling is because it’s so funny of a story because I’ve never, ever took what he says I am supposed to do,” Lewis said at a news conference at the team’s downtown hotel. “It’s just sad once again that someone can have this much attention on a stage this big where dreams are really real. I don’t need it, my teammates don’t need it, the 49ers don’t need it. Nobody needs it because it just really shows you how people really plan things and try to attack people from the outside. It’s just foolish. It’s very foolish. The guy has no credibility. He’s been sued four or five times over the same BS. Just to entertain it, I can’t, I won’t.”

Lewis’ comments reiterated what he said at media day Tuesday when a Sports Illustrated report surfaced that Ross supplied the linebacker with different products after his injury, which occurred Oct. 14. One of the products was a deer antler velvet spray, which the magazine reported contains IGF-1, a substance that is banned by the NFL. Johns Hopkins professor Dr. Roberto Salvatori, however, told The Sun that even if Lewis did use deer antler velvet spray, his body would not have absorbed IGF-1.

Ross confirmed the details Tuesday in an interview with The Sun, and said that he met Lewis through his relationship with former Ravens assistant Hue Jackson.

Lewis, however, has declined to even mention Ross by name. Retiring after the Super Bowl, Lewis acknowledged that he was “agitated” though not angry that this has become a big storyline this week, but vowed to not let it become a distraction for his teammates.

“It’s a joke if you know me,” Lewis said. “I tell them all the time and this is what I try to teach them: ‘Don’t let people from the outside ever come and try to disturb what’s inside.’ That’s the trick of the devil. The trick of the devil is to kill, steal and destroy. That’s what he comes to do. He comes to distract people from everything you are trying to do. There’s no man that’s ever trained as hard as our team has trained. There’s no man that’s went through what we’ve went through.

“To give somebody credit that doesn’t deserve it, that would be a slap in the face to everything that we’ve went through. I’ve been in this game for 17-plus good years and I’ve had a heck of a relationship and too much respect for the business and my body to ever violate it like that. So to entertain foolishness like that from cowards who come from the outside and try to destroy what we’ve built, like I said, it’s sad to even entertain it on this type of stage.”

Lewis met with team officials after the story come out and told them that it was untrue. They advised him to issue a strong denial.

“I understand that it’s something that he’s never, ever been involved with,” said Ravens coach John Harbaugh. “I think it’s kind of too bad that someone was given an opportunity to get some free publicity out there, undeserved and unearned, really for no reason. … Ray is honest. Ray is straightforward. He’s told us in the past, he’s told us now that he’s never taken any of that stuff ever and I believe Ray and I trust Ray completely. We have a relationship. I know this man. I know what he’s all about. It’s just too bad it has to be something that gets so much play.”

Kevin Byrne, the Ravens’ senior vice president for public and community relations, said, “Sports Illustrated, that guy, that company, they won. They picked the NFL’s media day. They got the whole world talking. They won. That’s a shame.”

Meanwhile, several of Lewis’ long-time teammates came to his support. They also vowed that Lewis’ issues wouldn’t become a distraction as they ramp up preparations for Sunday’s game against the 49ers. The Ravens had their first practice of Super Bowl week Wednesday.

“Do we seem distracted? Come on man. We can handle a lot,” said Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs. “This team has very broad shoulders. We don’t let too many things bother us. We’re just really good at not paying attention to nonsense. We’re not distracted at all. … Until you show some factual evidence, we don’t really care about it, man. We’re at the Super Bowl. We know what you all are trying to do. We’re just not getting into it. We’re shrugging it off. It’s all feathers in the wind. It’s petty gossip for the simple fact that we saw how hard he worked. He did it at the facility and at no time was he injected with anything.”

Lewis had surgery Oct. 17. At the time, it was believed that he’d be out for the rest of the season. However, Lewis convinced general manager Ozzie Newsome to put him on injured reserve with a designation to return, vowing to play again at some point this season. Less than three months later, Lewis returned in time to face the Indianapolis Colts in the Ravens’ Jan.6 playoff opener. He’s made 44 tackles in three playoff games.

Safety Ed Reed has been a teammate of Lewis’ for 11 years and the two former Miami standouts used to train together. He said that he didn’t know who Ross is and noted that “I don’t associate with people like that” anyway.

“I always talk about Ray's work ethic, what he's achieved and what he did to get to this point,” Reed said. “I know what he goes through physically, what he puts his body through to work out. The naysayers are going to be there. C’mon, the man is out there with a brace on.”


(baltimoresun.com)

The staying power of retiring Ravens star inside linebacker Ray Lewis resonates strongly with former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin, a fellow Miami football standout.

For Irvin, watching the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year excel for 17 seasons has separated him from the pack of NFL defenders.

Since returning from a torn right triceps, Lewis is the leading tackler in the playoffs with 44 stops. The Ravens have earned victories over the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts to make it to the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Now Lewis is preparing for his final football game Sunday night with the AFC champions.

"When we look at Ray's tenure, one place this long, wow, this is incredible," Irvin, an NFL Network analyst, told The Baltimore Sun. "And he's still going, leading all tacklers in the playoffs. That's really still going. It speaks so much of a game we call physical.

"It's a physical game. And there's the importance of leadership and emotions in the game, and that's where Ray has been a huge example. I consider Ray to be one of the greats, if not the greatest to ever play the game."

Unprompted, Irvin, who overcame off-field issues to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, brought up Lewis' troubled past.

Lewis, 37, was accused of double murder in Atlanta following the 2000 Super Bowl in an incident outside a Buckhead nightclub, but the charges were later dropped and he pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice.

Since that incident, Lewis has significantly repaired his image and avoided trouble with the law.

"For what Ray has been through, honestly, I'm a spiritual man with an understanding of ministry," Irvin said. "Ray is using his life experiences to impact the lives of others. Ray had a horrific situation, a horrific situation where lives were lost, but Ray took that horrific mess and turned it into greatness. What I mean by that is Ray went through something to make sure nobody else from Baltimore had to ever go through anything like that ever again.

"We don't talk about this, but I don't hear problems coming out of Baltimore because Ray used his situation to give everybody an understanding. He's one of the greatest to ever play this game, on and off the field. People point back to the situation he was in and that's fine. But when you talk about the downs he got to, also talk about the highs. He's been incredible."


(baltimoresun.com)

NEW ORLEANS — On a glittery stage in a giant football arena, a smiling Ray Lewis is speaking to dozens of journalists about playing this Super Bowl for a higher power.

"Rings fade, they tarnish, but the relationship I have with Him will never die," he says. "My ultimate goal is to leave a great name, so that one day when those skies finally spread, I'll hear those famous words, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.' "

At the same time Tuesday, at Greenlawn Memorial Park in Akron, Ohio, a somber Greg Wilson visits Jacinth Baker's grave. He says he has done this three times a week for the last 13 years. He trims the grass, waters the flowers, and prays over the remains of a nephew who was one of two men stabbed to death outside an Atlanta nightclub in unsolved murders linked to the Super Bowl preacher.

"Ray Lewis is so cold-hearted, I can't believe he's so cold-hearted," Wilson says in a phone interview later in the day. "I pray that when he and his friends close their eyes, they keep seeing that murder over and over. I hope it beats them up until the day they die. Then once they die, they are going to burn in hell."

This is supposed to be the week that the NFL and its marketing partners, through the narrative of the final game of a future Hall of Fame linebacker, trumpet the power of forgiveness and redemption. This is, instead, a week that reminds us such gifts cannot be conjured or purchased, but must be earned.

The cameras on Sunday's Super Bowl between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers will spend much time focusing on the Ravens' Lewis, whose 17-year career will end with him dancing, praying, kissing the turf and hugging everyone in sight, football's great role model completing an astonishing image rehabilitation 13 years after being charged with a double murder.

"There's no greater feeling than to be sitting here right now . . . a surreal feeling," Lewis says from his Superdome perch at media day.

The cameras will not be in the family room of Greg Wilson, whose nephew Baker, along with Richard Lollar, were stabbed to death outside an Atlanta nightclub on Jan. 31, 2000, an incident for which Lewis would plead guilty to obstruction of justice, a misdemeanor.

"If I see Ray Lewis on TV, I just keep flipping to something better," Wilson says. "I don't want to see him. I don't want to see other people glorifying him. He and his friends took something away from my family."

Lewis' jersey has been the NFL's hottest seller. His recent pregame hug from Commissioner Roger Goodell has been one of the NFL's hottest images. He's become a tear-stained inspirational guru whose journey has grown to such mythical proportions he is even referring to it as if he were a helmeted John Wayne, calling it "my last ride."

"To go out with that confetti coming from the top of this building, to hear those famous words that 'The Ravens are Super Bowl champs,' there's no greater legacy," Lewis says. "When I leave this building tomorrow, I leave this building on my own terms."

Wilson, a mechanic who helped raise his nephew, wonders why Lewis is allowed to define those terms after being involved in a murder case that still contains much ambiguity.

Baker, 21, and Lollar, 24, were stabbed after being involved in an early-morning brawl with Lewis and two companions. Baker's blood was found in Lewis' limousine. Witnesses said Lewis threw a punch and coached his group to be quiet. Murder charges were filed against Lewis and the companions, Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting.

The case then fell apart. Witnesses changed their stories. Lewis agreed to the obstruction charge in exchange for testifying against Oakley and Sweeting, but his testimony wasn't enough and they were acquitted.

While Lewis reached a financial settlement with both families to avoid a civil trial, the criminal case remains unsolved. Wilson believes Lewis could solve it if only he were the person he claims to be. "He says he's a changed man, but he hides behind that Bible," Wilson says. "If he was really true to the Bible, he would tell the truth."

For Lewis, his truth has vastly changed in the last 13 years. One year after the murder, he led the Ravens to a Super Bowl championship, but his public image was so tattered that his photo was not put on a Wheaties box with teammates and Disney World wouldn't pay him to shout its name. Since then, he has been a model citizen, community leader and endorser of national products while softening his steely stare enough to become a media favorite.

During his hourlong media day interview session Tuesday, he is asked about the murders only once.

"What you want to report about, honestly, this is not the appropriate time for that," he replies. "The sympathy I have for that family, what me and my family have endured because of all of that . . . nobody here is really qualified to ask those questions. I just truly feel this is God's time."

He adds, "I live with that every day. You can take a break from it. I don't. I live with it every day of my life. I'd rather not speak about that today."

Wilson is read those quotes over the phone. He pauses, then slowly addresses them, his voice rising in anger and pain.

"He might live with it a few minutes of the day; we live with it 24 hours a day," Wilson says. "We go to bed thinking about it, we wake up thinking about it. We look at Jacinth's pictures, we look at videos of Jacinth, we look at his artwork. Maybe Ray Lewis needs to dig deeper in that Bible."

Lewis dug deeper — with his heels — Tuesday when confronted with a Sports Illustrated report that he was given a banned substance contained in deer antler spray while he was recovering from a torn triceps this season.

"I've been I this business 17 years. Nobody has ever got up with me every morning and trained with me," says Lewis, who has never tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug. "Every test I've taken in the NFL, there's never been a question if I've ever even thought about using anything. So to even entertain stupidity like that, tell them to try go get a story off on somebody else."

Up in Akron, Greg Wilson hears all the answers and sighs.

"Karma is a beast," he says. "It's gonna come around and tear some people up."

Back at the Superdome, with adoring teammates waiting and fans cheering, a still-smiling Lewis is escorted from the media day stage, the last ride lurching its way into a mottled sunset.


(latimes.com)

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said Monday he has forgiven the wife of Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker for recent comments she made via Facebook.

Anna Burns Welker posted a message to her Facebook page following the Ravens' win over the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, saying, "Proud of my husband and the Pats. By the way, if anyone is bored, please go to Ray Lewis' Wikipedia page. 6 kids 4 wives. Acquitted for murder. Paid a family off. Yay! What a hall of fame player! A true role model!"

She deleted the comments shortly thereafter and then released a statement the following day apologizing for her remarks.

Lewis, addressing the media upon his team's arrival to New Orleans, where the Ravens will play the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday in Super Bowl XLVII, was asked about Burns Welker's comments.

"I've always been a firm believer of the Good Book, and the Good Book always confirms, even a fool is counted wise until he opens he or she mouth," he told reporters. "And sometimes people just say silly stuff. And they say it out of emotion. And sometimes you need to let the game take care of the game. We lost up there last year, and I didn't hear one teammate say anything about nobody there because we have respect for that team, that they won it fair and square.

"So for her to come out and say what she said, listen, I truly forgive her, and I have no hard feelings against her at all, but I believe people just make mistakes and say foolish things sometimes."


(espn.com)

Warren Sapp doesn't have much use for rehashing old stories that don't involve the time he played in a Super Bowl or was so-and-so's teammate at The U.

The NFL Network analyst dropped his microphone in exaggerated disgust during Tuesday's media day coverage when Rich Eisen had the audacity to mention that Ray Lewis once faced murder charges. (You may have heard that story before.)

Sapp seemed stunned that Eisen would dredge up a story that's been dredged up by almost every major media outlet over the past 10 days. Surely there's a statute of limitations on this, right?

I mean, the Harbaughs have been brothers for 49 years. GET A NEW STORY, Y'ALL!

Here's the transcript of the exchange:

EISEN: Moments ago, Ray Lewis was also asked about the two murders that took place in Atlanta. [Sapp drops his microphone in exaggerated disgust.] That can't surprise you, Warren.

SAPP: Twelve years after the fact?

EISEN: Well, I mean, everybody's talking about that right now because Ray is back at the Super Bowl.
[Overtalk]

SAPP: Once you've been tried and the trial is over? Come on.

EISEN: He was convicted of a charge of obstruction of justice back in the day and originally charged with two murders. That's a case that still has not been solved.

Sapp testified as a character witness for his former Miami teammate. "He wouldn't hurt a flea," he said on the NFLN set while giving exasperated stares to people off-camera. "He'd dance you to death."

It's been 13 years since the charges, but whatever. Sapp made that mistake an hour ago. It's now in the past and there's no need to ever bring it up again.


(usatoday.com)

NEW ORLEANS -- Seventeen years ago, Ravens star inside linebacker Ray Lewis was an exuberant rookie competing against Indianapolis Colts veteran quarterback Jim Harbaugh.

Rushing on an inside blitz, Lewis decked Harbaugh for the first sack of his NFL career in the Ravens' inaugural season.

"Absolutely, I remember it," said Lewis, who has 41 1/2 sacks for his career. "How could I forget it? It is one of those things that when you are playing the game when you first come in as a rookie, you are just running around. And I was just running around making plays. When I sacked him, I remember getting up and doing this dance with my shoulders, and shaking my shoulders, or whatever. And later, I became teammates with him as well. Been a long time, but the ride, I would never complain about one moment of it.”

The Colts got the victory that day, a 26-21 win despite Harbaugh being sacked four times.

Flash forward and Lewis is still racking up tackles for the Ravens as the AFC champions have reached Super Bowl XLVII.

This marks Lewis' final game before retirement. And ultra-competitive as ever, Jim Harbaugh is coaching the 49ers

"My legend grows," Jim Harbaugh quipped recently when his father, Jack, reminded him of being sacked by the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. "Ray Lewis' first sack."

Lewis and Harbaugh, once known as "Captain Comeback," were later teammates in Baltimore.

“I think he was exactly how he is as a coach," Lewis said. "He is kind of straightforward. He is a hard worker. He understands what he wants to get done. And when he comes in to get it done, he is going to do everything he has in his power to get it done. He is a very passionate person, but he always has purpose in what he is doing. That is what I remember most about Jim.”


(baltimoresun.com)

NEW ORLEANS — Ray Lewis returned to Super Bowl media day with another controversy: allegations of cheating.

According to Sports Illustrated, the iconic Baltimore Ravens linebacker tried to obtain deer-antler velvet extract in an attempt to speed the healing for a torn triceps that sidelined him for more than half the season.

Lewis approached the makers of the deer-antler velvet extract — Sports with Alternative to Steroids — the company's owner Mitch Ross told SI. Deer-antler spray contains IGF-1, which is on the NFL's list of banned substances. Using the spray would be a violation of the NFL's steroids policy.

During a podium session packed with news media, Lewis dismissed the story.

"Two years ago, that was the same report," he said. "It's not worthy of the press."

When asked directly whether he had used the spray during his recovery this season, Lewis said, "Nah, never."

The last time Lewis was at a Super Bowl, questions swirled about his involvement in the murders of two men after a Super Bowl party in Atlanta in 2000. Murder charges were dropped against Lewis, who pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice.

Interest in the case has been renewed in recent weeks as Lewis announced his intent to retire after Super Bowl XLVII and family members of the victims have spoken out about whether he revealed everything that he knew about the murders.

Before the SI story, it was expected that Lewis would be asked to revisit the murder case. Instead, Lewis was pressed to address the fresh controversy.
Asked a second time if he could respond to the report, Lewis said, "Not really. Why would I give that any press."

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he isn't concerned about the story or its implications, noting that Lewis has never failed a drug test.

"Ray has passed every test for substance abuse that he's taken throughout his entire career," Harbaugh said.


(usatoday.com)

Ravens inside linebacker Ray Lewis met the media for the first of several times this week and he said his "hunger" to win another Super Bowl is "probably off the charts."

"I was 25 when I won my first Super Bowl. To be 37 and back here and have a chance to win another one in my last year, there’s no greater hunger that I have," Lewis said. "I’m going to give my teammates everything I have and not just on Sunday. Starting today, I’m not going nowhere. I’m sitting in my room and I’m studying and studying and studying. I owe them something as a leader and that is to have myself totally prepared. My hunger is probably off the charts right now.”

Lewis said that when the Ravens were in the Super Bowl in the 2000 season, he followed veterans like Shannon Sharpe and Rod Woodson. Now, he said teammates are approaching him to ask him questions about how to handle the week.

"All week I’ve heard guys talking like, ‘Man, I can’t believe we’re here. We made it, we made it.’ Today, I think it actually confirmed for a lot of people that it’s really real," Lewis said. "Now, you have to really realize that there’s only two teams left. There’s no next week. Whoever wins this game will feel that confetti drop. It’s one of the most ultimate feelings I’ve ever felt in my life and I would love to really experience that with these guys."

Lewis spoke of how special it is that all his family members, including his father who he's had a very complicated relationship with in the past, are planning to be in New Orleans this week. Lewis said that the one exception is his grandmother who he said is not doing good.

“Everything is complete now," he said. "My entire family will be here actually watching this game outside my grandmother who is very ill. Any time you can finish your career with your whole family by your side, I think that’s the way you always should do it.”

Lewis also was asked a couple of questions about his past, including one about his reaction to Facebook comments made by the wife of New England Patriots' wide receiver Wes Welker following the Ravens 28-13 victory in the AFC championship game.

Anna Burns Welker questioned why Lewis is looked at as a role model.

"I don’t really get into that. Listen, I’ve always been a firm believer of the good book and the good book always confirms, even a fool is counted wise until he opens he or she mouth. Sometimes people just say silly stuff and they say it out of emotion," he said. "Sometimes, you need to let the game take care of the game. We lost last year up there and I didn’t hear one teammate say anything about anybody there because we have respect for that team, that they won it fair and square. For her to come out and say what she said, look, I truly forgive her. I don’t have no hard feelings against her at all but I believe that people just make mistakes and say stupid things at times.”

Asked why he feels the public has forgiven him after his legal problems in Atlanta earlier in his career, Lewis said, “Honestly, I don’t know nobody that has ever lived a perfect life. I have saw people that went through things before and realistically, most of the time what happens, when somebody goes through adversity, you really find out what their true character is. I think for me, people really now have taken time to find out who I am. They are really learning what my character is. My characcter is simply to make this world a better place, to encourage people that no matter what you’re going through, it ain’t really what you’re going through, it’s your mindset when you’re going through it. SO when you see all the support that I’m getting right now, I’m in total awe of the respect that some people have of someone who has been through adversity but found his way out and really just shown what my true character is and who I am as a person.”


(baltimoresun.com)

The most recent edition of Saturday Night Live featured a squirrel-dancing Kenan Thompson at the Weekend Update desk with Seth Meyers.  Thompson, with painted face and purple No. 52 jersey, was playing the role of Ray Lewis.

Among other things, the segment made fun of Lewis and his over-the-top shows of emotions, like his National Anthem crying spell before the AFC title game.  And pretty much every moment after the Ravens won.

Fittingly, Lewis said at his first Super Bowl media session that he found the skit so funny that, yes, he was in tears.


(profootballtalk.com)

NEW ORLEANS — The most controversial, charismatic and complicated man in the city wore a three-piece suit and a smile.

Ray Lewis’ Last Ride has been an emotional month-long retirement lap filled with animated squirrel dances and biblical allusions.

His teammates call him “Mufasa,” the king of “The Lion King.” His detractors can’t see past a murky sequence of events that left two men dead 13 years ago.
Shortly after the Ravens arrived for Super Bowl XLVII on Monday, Lewis reiterated that his decision is final. He won’t be waffling. He’s retiring after the biggest game on the biggest stage.

“The guys ask me, ‘Are you really going to walk away?’ ” Lewis said. “I have so much to do. I really do. I have to go home and be a father to my kids. I ran my course in the game. My ultimate (goal) was always for this core of men that I’ve had to get back to the Super Bowl. And we’re here.”

Lewis, 37, is the Super Bowl’s captivating figure, a leader to some, a liar to others.

Long before Lewis was wrapping up a Hall of Fame career, he was caught up in a double killing outside a Super Bowl party in Atlanta in 2000. Lewis and two friends were charged with murder before the linebacker ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice. The NFL fined him $250,000. He paid millions to the victims’ families as part of civil lawsuits.

Much of the football world has forgiven – or has chosen to forget – the events from that night in Atlanta.

“I don’t know nobody that’s ever lived a perfect life,” Lewis said. “I have (seen) people that have been through things before. Realistically, most of the time when you find somebody that goes through adversity, you really find out what their true character is. For me, people really now have taken time to find out who I am … and (what) my character is.”

“For someone who has been through adversity and found his way out and really just showing what my true character is and who I am as a person.”

Some people will likely never forgive Lewis. Last week, Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker’s wife, Anna, brought up his past on her Facebook page after the Ravens’ win over New England in the AFC Championship Game: “If anyone is bored, please go to Ray Lewis’ Wikipedia page. 6 kids 4 wives. Acquitted for murder. Paid a family off. Yay. What a hall of fame player! A true role model!!”

Lewis said on Monday that he didn’t harbor any ill will toward Anna Burns Welker, who apologized hours after she went public.

“I’ve always been a firm believer of the Good Book,” Lewis said. “The Good Book always confirms even a fool is counted wise until he opens he or she mouth. I truly forgive her. I believe people just make mistakes and say foolish things.”

Lewis, who missed more than two months with a torn triceps, retraced his career in 15 short minutes. He talked about everything from getting his first career sack, on Jim Harbaugh, to going through personal adversity to wanting his teammates to feel the way he did when he won a Super Bowl 12 years ago.

“The ride,” Lewis said. “I would never complain about one moment of it.”


(nydailynews.com)

NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Thirteen-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XXXV MVP Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens, will be honored with the prestigious Lifetime of Inspiration Award at the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration concert on February 1, 2013 at 7:30 PM, at the University of New Orleans: Lake Front Arena. The Lifetime of Inspiration Award has only been presented once in the history of the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration event to Former NFL Head Coach Tony Dungy in 2009, as it is reserved to celebrate extraordinary individuals who have impacted the sport and community.

This year's Super Bowl Gospel Celebration will pay tribute to Ray Lewis for his faith-filled determination to overcome trials and tribulations on and off the field, while recognizing him for his remarkable football career. "His accomplishments and triumphs have inspired football fans, teammates and colleagues – a true representation of what the essence of the convergence of faith and football is all about," says Melanie Few-Harrison , Creator & Producer of Super Bowl Gospel Celebration. "As a big supporter of the event, Ray Lewis has attended many Super Bowl Gospel Celebrations and sang in the NFL Players Choir, so we are beyond thrilled to honor him in what is sure to be a memorable year."

The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration, currently in its 14th year, joins together NFL players, Grammy Award-winning artists, and special guests, on one stage to kick off Super Bowl Weekend. Emmy Award-winning co-host of ABC's "The View," Sherri Shepherd and seven-time Grammy Award-winning gospel musician, Kirk Franklin , will host the musical celebration. Grammy Award-winning, platinum-selling artist and American Idol winner Fantasia will headline the show, which will include performances by top gospel and contemporary Christian artists Donnie McClurkin , Marvin Winans , Bishop Paul S. Morton , and this year's NFL "Players' Choice" hip-hop Christian artist Lecrae.

The highlight of the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration is the NFL Players Choir. Composed exclusively of current and former players, the choir has become one of the most anticipated performances during Super Bowl Weekend. Celebrating its six-year anniversary, the NFL Players Choir includes more than 40 members, including Hall Of Famers and Pro Bowlers. Several Christian NFL players who wanted to share their faith through their musical talents in song formed the Choir. The group offers fans an opportunity to see a very personal side of the players off the field, as they make joyful noise.

Ray Lewis has played with the Baltimore Ravens since the team's inception, and for his entire 17-year career. This year, he has decided to hang up his jersey and retire after he plays in his last game against the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday, February 3, 2013.


(prnewswire.com)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Retiring linebacker Ray Lewis, in all his pulsating, gyrating, preaching glory, clearly serves as the Baltimore Ravens' inspirational leader.

His opposite number on the San Francisco 49ers? A low-key veteran who can barely be heard above a whisper.

Running back Frank Gore inspires not with his dances or speeches but rather with the devotion and hard work that have characterized his eight seasons in the NFL.

A four-time Pro Bowler and the franchise's all-time leading rusher, Gore didn't enjoy a winning season until coach Jim Harbaugh arrived on the scene in 2011. His teammates say he's a motivating force.

"It makes me feel great knowing that all of the guys have a lot of respect for me,'' Gore said, surrounded by reporters who strained to hear his soft voice. "They know how much I love the game of football and know that I'd do whatever it takes to win for them. We've been through hard times. I've been here since '05 and it took me seven years to get to the playoffs.''

Gore, 29, had another banner year in 2012, rushing for 1,214 yards – his second-highest total ever – and scoring eight touchdowns.

He was not as productive once the 49ers started relying more on the read-option in the second half of the season after Colin Kaepernick took over as the starting quarterback, but Gore delivered two touchdowns and 90 rushing yards as San Francisco reached its sixth Super Bowl by beating the Atlanta Falcons 28-24 in the NFC Championship Game.

In the second-round game against the Green Bay Packers, Gore set a career playoff high with 119 yards on the ground and also scored twice.

"I can tell you this means a lot to everybody,'' right guard Alex Boone said of getting to the title game, "but those older guys like Frank, Justin (Smith), Dave (Akers) and Randy (Moss), it's big for them and it would be big for us to get them that ring.''

That would be a crowning achievement for Gore, one he only wishes he could share with his mother, Liz, who died in September 2007 of kidney disease. She was a big fan, tried to coach him a little and used to ride a bus to watch him play while he was in high school.

Through all the trials he endured -- including knee surgeries that threatened his career -- Gore said her death was definitely the biggest test.

"She used to call me at a certain time before the game, and that day the time came and I didn't get the call, I just burst out and I cried, cried, cried,'' Gore recalled. "I know she would have wanted me to play. I had a pretty good game that day. I think she came on the field because I made a crazy run, I don't know how I broke all the tackles and got the touchdown.''


(usatoday.com)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The voice is a thunderclap in a room of loud men. It rises high then rolls low, fueled by tears and agony and joy. The voice spills stories from a book – a good book – the speaker believes and the men listen and nod and agree because many of the Baltimore Ravens read this very same book. And because they trust the voice and they trust the Bible from which the voice reads, they believe the voice gives them strength. They believe it gives them unity. They believe it is helping them win.

This is the Ray Lewis the Ravens know.

But this is not how much of America sees Lewis. Even though the Ravens linebacker has been a great star and one of football's most dominant defensive players for much of the past 17 years, his name is forever frozen in a single event that occurred right after Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta in 2000. The lingering images are of an NFL player standing trial for the murder of two men.

And while he was never convicted of the murders and the case against him didn't seem strong, enough questions still exist. The public conviction will never go away. So as these playoffs have extended and the celebrations of Lewis boomed, his boisterous declarations of faith have crashed against old perceptions.

For every Peyton Manning waiting to embrace him after Baltimore's AFC division round win in the Denver, there is an Anna Burns Welker, wife of Patriots receiver Wes, who wrote: "Please go to Ray Lewis' Wikipedia page. 6 kids, 4 wives. Acquitted for murder. Paid a family off. Yay. What a hall of fame player! A true role model!"

At Super Bowl week, the clash will be bigger than ever. Lewis will rant and quote scripture in the final media sessions of his career. The skeptics will shout louder than they have before. And much of America won't know exactly what to think.

Faith is a tricky thing in sports. It bathes some players in a luminous light of good while making others look like cheap opportunists. Many of those same fans who hang on the every word of Tim Tebow express disgust at the very idea of Ray Lewis. This despite the fact that Tebow's expressions of Christianity have had far less impact in the Broncos' and Jets' locker rooms than Lewis's have had in Baltimore's. To the teammates of both men, Ray Lewis is a far bigger hero than Tim Tebow.

He turned a ragged life into a good life. Isn't that something to celebrate?

"According to the Bible his sins are forgiven," says Orlando Magic vice president Pat Williams, who has spoken and written about his own faith. "He's come from a totally different background than someone like Tim Tebow. He has come to Christ later in life but isn't that true of so many? The Bible teaches us that not only are our sins forgiven but they are forgotten."

Everything in Ray Lewis' recent existence says he is the man he claims to be. His rambling speeches may sound tiresome after awhile. A few teammates might grow bored or find his declarations of faith to be irritating, but few doubt his sincerity. Nobody sniffs out a fake in sports faster than another athlete. If Lewis didn't live his words, the Ravens would have long stopped listening.

More than most teams, the Baltimore players' faith is close to the surface, especially in the weeks since Lewis returned from a triceps injury at the start of the playoffs and declared he was playing the last games of his career. Throughout the Ravens' double overtime win over Denver he kept yelling "No weapon formed against you shall prosper!" Afterward, coach John Harbaugh spoke of a "spirituality" that was taking over the locker room. He said people are probably uncomfortable with him saying that. But it was an honest appraisal of where his team is. And a lot of the Ravens' emotions are driven by Lewis – no matter how perplexing that might be for people outside the team.

"To have such a big personality be so passionate about his faith it certainly helps us all bring it out," Ravens long snapper Morgan Cox said.

Ravens defensive end Arthur Jones says Lewis doesn't even swear at practice. And while plenty of Ravens do, his power is so extreme that many follow his lead. In fact his influence around teammates is so immense it's almost impossible to find a comparison in football. Rare is a defensive player also the leader of a locker room. The next closest thing might be Reggie White whose presence dominated the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers. Many around the Packers felt his impact was larger than even that of Brett Favre.

Brett Fuller, the pastor of Grace Covenant Church in Northern Virginia and the Redskins' team pastor, was a good friend of White, who died in 2004. He's the godfather to one of White's children. Though he doesn't know Lewis personally, he sees White's larger-than-life affirmations in the Ravens' star. He can see a team congealing around Lewis the way Green Bay did around White in the Super Bowl years of 1996 and 1997.

"Very few guys can say the team is my team and have it not affect the locker room," Fuller says.

The next week is going to say a lot about the final legacy of Ray Lewis. The man from the murder scene in 2000 has a chance to convert doubters with his words and actions in preparation of the Ravens' showdown against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. If the Ravens win and the players continue to talk about the inspiration he has been to them, opinions will have to change.

"There's no way we can escape our public reputation," Fuller says. "I can't fault people who listen to Ray's past and question his credibility. But I will say: 'Can't we get people to see the redemption?' No we aren't all perfect. At some point in life we are accused of something and everybody wants to write a new chapter."

And if Ray Lewis' newest chapter has truly been good, pulling together the Baltimore Ravens for this run to the Super Bowl, it might be worth wondering if maybe Lewis's complicated legacy isn't so complex after all.


(yahoo.com)

LAKELAND, Fla. – No street is named after Ray Lewis in his hometown.

City fathers have yet to erect a statue or post a plaque bearing the name of their local football hero, one of the NFL's most popular and decorated players. No "Welcome to the home of Ray Lewis'' sign can be found in a region dominated by citrus groves, cattle farming and phosphate mining.

But in Baltimore, there is Ray Lewis Way.

The Ravens middle linebacker is worshipped for his on-field exploits during 17 seasons and community activism in Charm City, which includes his Ray Lewis 52 Foundation to aid disadvantaged youth. In October, the Maryland chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame honored Lewis with the organization's "Outstanding American'' award for commendable deeds beyond the sport.

Back home in central Florida, and nationally, the view is more polarized. Perceived past slights, questions about Lewis' involvement in a double-homicide 13 years ago in Atlanta, and his fathering six children with four women, none of whom he married, seem to haunt Lewis.

Anna Burns Welker, wife of New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker, dredged up Lewis' past with a Facebook rant last Sunday after the AFC title game, writing in part: "A true role model!" She apologized after a dust-up ensued.

But even in Lakeland, "You have two camps'' of thought, says Stephen Poole, who coached Lewis when he was a state champion prep wrestler.

"Some people love him to death – 'Ray's this and Ray's that.' Then there are others who do not like Ray. They feel he should be doing more for (his alma mater) Kathleen High and Lakeland. He has done well for himself but some are jealous,'' Poole told USA TODAY Sports.

Ernest Joe is a former head coach of the Kathleen High Red Devils football team. A large man with a friendly yet commanding presence, he is – like Lewis – a man of faith. The Baptist church deacon and Sunday school teacher shakes his head when he ponders one of Christianity's most important tenets in relation to a man he considers his son.

"I read something online with folks bringing up old stuff about Ray; it made me angry,'' Joe said. "We want people to forgive us, but we don't want to forgive anyone else.

"Ray has to rise above it. He's been movin' on. As far as I know, he's been leading a good life by not getting in trouble. People just can't hone in on the bad thing. What about the good things?''

On the field, no doubters remain. Lewis, 37, plans to play his final game Feb. 3 in New Orleans. The 13-time Pro Bowler will give his last inspirational pre-game speech to his Ravens as they meet the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.

Lakeland 'always home'
Lewis is the only current Raven with a championship ring after he was named Most Valuable Player in Super Bowl XXXV in 2001 in Tampa, 35 miles from where he was raised.

In the days leading up to that game, Lewis was asked about his hometown.

"He was being flip and said it was a one-light town,'' recalled Lakeland mayor Gow Fields. "Many people were offended ... One reason the community is as sensitive as it is, is that Polk County is looked down upon as being rural and poorly educated. People with that chip on their shoulder expected Ray to say something positive.''

Asked Thursday in Baltimore about how he is viewed in Lakeland, Lewis warmly said, "That's always home. That's where everything (is) that I'm connected to."
He was born in Bartow, about 12 miles from Lakeland, located between Tampa and Orlando along the I-4 corridor. A city of nearly 100,000, Lakeland also is known as the longtime spring training base for the Detroit Tigers and for 38 (named) lakes.

With an African-American population of about 20%, the city also has a history of racial divisiveness. At one time, the grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan had a Polk County address, which Fields paints as "part of the historical image of the community.''

During the Ravens' 34-7 wipeout of the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, Lewis was unstoppable. But afterward, he was not permitted to appear on camera to give the customary "I'm going to Disneyland!'' exclamation reserved for Super Bowl MVPs. His likeness did not grace the cover of a Wheaties box.
For many, Lewis had become a leper.

A year earlier, Lewis, then 26, and two friends were charged with murder in the deaths of Richard Lollar, 24, and Jacinth Baker, 21. In a plea-bargain agreement, Lewis pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice for lying to police. He received a year's probation, and the NFL fined him $250,000.

Co-defendants Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting were acquitted. Lewis later reached financial settlements with parties related to the slain men.

Lewis had just completed his fourth NFL season in 2000. He led the league in tackles and was headed to his third consecutive Pro Bowl in Hawaii. Instead of a relaxing offseason, he found himself in a jail cell.

"He called me from Fulton County Jail,'' Joe recalled. "I said, 'Look, you gotta tell me ... tell me the truth.' He said, 'Coach, I had nothing to do with this. I was there but I didn't do what they say.'

"That was good enough. We prayed. But I wanted to see him; I wanted him to look me in the eyes and talk like a man. It was tough seeing him behind bars. ... Here's a kid you groomed. (At trial), it was like my own child going through that ordeal.''

Lewis has declined to comment on the Atlanta incident.

Friends see changed man
Today, family and friends back home say that "Baby Ray'' is a changed man, a better man.

Yet, redemption seems to have come slowly.

A lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Lewis was not inducted into his high school's Hall of Fame until 2009, long after he starred for the Miami Hurricanes and Ravens. That night, an emotional Lewis asked the audience: "What will your legacy be when your eyes are closed?''

Lewis is "perceived a far different way here than in Baltimore,'' says Earl Brown, a college professor, life coach and pastor who has known Lewis since childhood. "He has his naysayers (here). But he hasn't forgotten his roots.''

Lewis' father, Elbert Jackson, abandoned the family when Lewis was 6. Lewis was born to a 16-year-old mother, Sunseria "Buffy'' Smith, and the family lived in the projects until she eventually moved to Tennessee with her other children. Lewis remained in Lakeland and was raised by his supportive maternal grandparents, Gil and Elease McKinney, a school teacher.

"I think he longed for his father,'' Joe says.

"At one time, I thought (Lewis) would settle down ... We've never had a conversation about it. But I know he provides for his children. If he didn't, I would be on him.”

In recent years, Lewis has formed a relationship with his dad, who also was a stellar athlete at Kathleen but later struggled with drug addiction. The father and son exchanged a warm embrace in Lewis' final Ravens home game during the player's end-zone celebration with family. Lewis has said he wants to spend more time with his children, including watch Ray Lewis III play for the Hurricanes.

When he was young, Lewis received encouragement from mentors and positive role models, including his coaches and people such as Clinton Wright.

Kathleen's principal made sure that Lewis was admitted into college after he struggled to post acceptable standardized test scores.

"Ray is standing on the shoulders of a lot of people,'' said Deborah Wright, who tutored Lewis at the behest of her late husband. "We're still behind him today. He is not only a wealth (of good) in our community, he is a prime example of that old African tale that it takes an entire (village) to raise a child.''

"The only reason I'm here now is because of my hometown . . . because of the way we are,'' Lewis said Thursday. "We're way more country than you would think, and we have a certain love and togetherness there.''

At Kathleen, Lewis played linebacker and running back. He wrestled as a 189-pounder, but Poole said "he wasn't that strong – really.''

Poole recalled Lewis as an upbeat young man who proudly wore his ROTC uniform, a "good kid who never got written up.''

Poole mentioned the film Remember the Titans and said, "Ray was like one of those kids: 'We've got work to do!' Always laughing and smiling, always positive. I always was a Ray Lewis fan ... even in the dark days.''

Coach Joe said Lewis "had to learn the hard way'' from a deadly lesson that nearly cost him everything.

"In the community where I grew up, old folks had a saying: 'If you hang around dogs, you're going to pick up fleas,'" said Joe, now a senior director for the county school district. "He was just like any other young person – everybody's their friend (and) it's OK to have a posse. He hadn't learned (about life).''
In recent years, Lewis' frosty relationship with his hometown has displayed signs of thawing.

In 2011, during the same week he opened his foundation's Lakeland office, Lewis spoke at the city's CommUnity Celebration. Last spring, the foundation hosted Ray's Spring Fest, a fundraiser that included youth fitness clinics and a celebrity bowling tournament.

"Even though some folks still have some confusion over the (legal) challenges he had, the bottom line is this: Ray Lewis is a tough guy who has shown a compassionate heart for his community,'' said city Commissioner R. Howard Wiggs.

Mayor Fields told USA TODAY Sports, "I think today there are a lot of people who believe that Ray is, spiritually and emotionally, in a different place then when that (Atlanta) incident occurred.''

Joe accepts that people are entitled to their opinions. But when he thinks of Ray Anthony Lewis, he recalls an "extraordinary kid'' who always overcame adversity.

"Just like he fires up the Ravens now, he was the same way then,'' he said. "There were times I had to slow him down. He was like a magnet; kids just got excited about him. (After his triceps injury this season), he texted me, 'No weapon formed against me is gonna prosper.' He took it as a (challenge). I knew he would come back with a vengeance. He is a natural.''

The retired coach looked up and smiled.

"Like God blew a little extra talent on him,'' he said.


(usatoday.com)

When Baltimore Raven linebacker Ray Lewis takes the field at next Sunday’s Super Bowl — his last game ever — much will be made of his storied career. Lewis, now 37, had his breakout season four years after being drafted by the Ravens in 1996: Leading tackler in the NFL, he led the Ravens to victory in Super Bowl XXXV and was named the game’s MVP.

Just one year before, Lewis had been arrested and tried in connection with a double homicide in Atlanta. It’s perhaps the most dramatic bookend that a professional athlete — a legend, at that — could have to his career: His first Super Bowl, played in the shadow of two slayings, made Ray Lewis a superstar. He now leaves his second Super Bowl an iconic all-American hero, beloved by small children and major corporations alike.

As much as the NFL loves a redemption narrative, the story of Ray Lewis is one that you probably won’t be hearing anything about next Sunday night. Lewis himself has made it clear that he will never address it again: “Really,” he told a reporter this month. “Really. Why would I talk about that?”

On the evening of Jan. 30, 2000, Ray Lewis was looking to party. He had flown to Atlanta to watch Super Bowl XXXIV and booked himself into the luxury Georgian hotel. He’d also brought along his personal driver, Duane Fassett, to chauffeur a stretch Lincoln Navigator: 37 feet long, 14 seats, $3,000 a day.

On this night, Lewis turned himself out: white-and-black suit, full-length black mink coat and what would later be described as “enough rock to break the bank.” A few nights earlier, he had met a gorgeous woman named Jessica Robertson at a party thrown by Magic Johnson, and it was she — not Lewis’ pregnant fiancée — who was his date for the evening.

What Lewis and his crew were doing before they arrived at around 1 a.m. at the Cobalt Club, in Atlanta’s party-centric Buckhead district, remains unclear. The Cobalt had a blue neon glow and a V.V.I.P room. Baseball star David Justice had been there earlier, as had Tony Gonzalez, then of the Kansas City Chiefs, but Lewis held court on the first floor, near the door, so everyone would notice.

With him were Joseph Sweeting, a strip-club promoter who’d been friends with Lewis since college, and Reginald Oakley, who’d recently worked his way into Lewis’ circle through friends of friends. They were getting to know each other better, though; the day before, the three men had gone shopping at a Sports Authority store, where Sweeting and Oakley bought folding knives.

“Smooth” was how Lewis would later describe his mood at Cobalt; he’d had four Rémy Martin cognacs while luxuriating in the attention of half-dressed women and an ever-expanding entourage. He was 24 years old and had a four-year contract worth $26 million. He had just dropped more than $100,000 shopping, and the necklace he was wearing — a gold door-stopper studded with diamonds — was one of his recent acquisitions.

At around 3:30 in the morning, Lewis and his crew of about 10 headed outside, where Oakley began to get aggressive with two other clubgoers — themselves part of a group of about 10. Oakley kept at it and got whacked on the side of the head with a champagne bottle. Then, Lewis would later testify, “all hell broke loose at that point. Everybody was throwing fists. Everybody was punching.”

Everyone, that is, except Ray Lewis, who testified that while all this was going on, he calmly rested against his limo, watching as his friend Sweeting was dragged and assaulted by two huge men.

“I don’t fight,” Lewis testified. “Period.”

Lewis wasn’t so calm, though, when two young men collapsed in the street, covered in blood. Lewis yelled at Robertson and his crew to get in the limo, and they scrambled and sped away as guns were fired at their tires. Minutes later, when the car came to a stop in a parking lot, Lewis took control of the situation.

“Everybody just shut the f--k up!” he yelled. “This ain’t going to come back on nobody but me.”

Meanwhile, those two young men lay dying in street: Richard Lollar, 24, and Jacinth Baker, 21. Both had records — Lollar for possession of marijuana, while Baker was wanted for violating probation on gun possession — and had recently moved to Atlanta from Akron, Ohio. Baker wanted to be an artist; Lollar, whose fiancée was pregnant, was a barber.

“These guys were slaughtered,” said Cindy Lollar-Owens, Richard’s aunt. “Like someone was getting a kick out of it.”

Lollar suffered five stab wounds: two to the heart, one to the chest and two to the abdomen. Baker, too, was stabbed directly in the heart and in the liver. Both died before they made it to the hospital. Baker’s face was beaten so badly that, he had a closed casket at his wake. Both men were buried in Akron, 24 miles from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

After racing from the scene, Lewis’ limo didn’t return to his hotel, the Georgian, but instead to the Holiday Inn Express where Sweeting was staying. Lewis then took a cab back to the Georgian.

It didn’t take long for police to find the limo, shot through with bullet holes, blood in the interior. It sat just a mile from the crime scene, and when cops walked into the lobby, they found Lewis’ driver, Fassett, trembling and chain-smoking.

Fassett told the police he’d seen Sweeting, Oakley and Lewis all fighting and provided details that only an eyewitness could know. He said he’d heard Oakley boast, “I stabbed mine,” and Sweeting reply, “I stabbed mine, too.” When police got to Lewis’ room, they found blood there, too — but not Lewis, who had fled to his fiancée’s family home.

When cops arrived to question Lewis, he was, they felt, not helpful. It took less than a day to obtain an arrest warrant, and when police came to take Lewis in, he cried.

He cried some more in jail.

“I wept,” Lewis wrote on ESPNmag.com that December. “I wept when my 5-year-old son asked me why Daddy was always on TV wearing chains. I wept myself to sleep some nights on that nasty bed in that nasty cell.” It took 15 days for his lawyer to get him out.

Sweeting and Oakley were advised to turn themselves in, which they did.

While Ravens owner Art Modell called around for defense attorneys, cops were learning more about Lewis’ activities that night.

For example, his cellphone was unusually active right after Baker and Lollar were killed. Several eyewitnesses saw people exiting that limo with a laundry bag, which they threw in a Dumpster. Cops would never find the clothes Lewis wore that night, not even the mink. Nor would they find the photo taken of Lewis’ entourage that night, which Robertson had already burned.

A few hours after the murders, at about 6 a.m., Lewis had called Robertson and asked her to go to the Georgian and pack up everything he’d left behind. A jailhouse informant, meanwhile, told cops that Lewis was using one of his sisters to relay messages to Sweeting, telling him not to worry, that Lewis would never betray him.

Lewis himself felt he had little to worry about. The Ravens were standing firmly behind him. Lewis’ own private investigators beat the cops to just about every witness in the limo; they all got lawyers. His driver, Fassett, became increasingly unsure of what went down that night.

The trial began on May 15, 2000, and quickly fell apart. The state’s star witness, Fassett, recanted much of what he had told police. He swore he’d never seen Lewis strike anyone.

By the trial’s second week, Lewis wasn’t even attempting to appear respectful. He sat at the defense table and scrawled his autograph over and over. Finally, on June 4, Lewis’ attorney and the prosecution cut a deal. Lewis would testify against Sweeting and Oakley in exchange for one year’s probation on obstruction of justice. Lewis testified he saw Oakley fighting in the melee and that Sweeting had told Lewis he’d been punching with the same hand that cupped a knife.

Here, too, the prosecution miscalculated. On June 13, 2000, the jury acquitted both men on charges of murder and assault. They spent just five hours deliberating.

Ray Lewis’ career never took a hit, even as he spent years alternately playing victim — “Jesus Christ couldn’t please everybody . . . that’s my attitude” — and remaining defiant. “The real truth is, this was never about those two kids that were dead in the street,” he said in 2001. “It’s about Ray Lewis. Don’t be mad at me because I was on center stage.”

The victims’ families saw it differently, bringing civil suits against Lewis. He settled them out of court, with confidentiality agreements attached to both.

“The family didn’t get no money,” Priscilla Lollar, Richard’s mother, told The Post. Priscilla says Richard’s fiancée, who gave birth to his daughter one month after the slayings, received $4 million from Lewis — far more than the $1 million estimated. Lollar didn’t have the energy to fight herself; she was too grief-stricken, she says, to even attend his funeral.

“I didn’t even acknowledge my son was gone until last year,” she says. “I was numb.”

As far as Lewis is concerned, she believes he bears guilt for what happened that night but that “the answer to why — you’ll never get that. Because nothing is going to stop his career.”

She’s right.

Lewis will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in five years and is considered a lock. It’s widely rumored that ESPN wants to hire him as a color commentator, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said he wants to hire Lewis as a special adviser, citing him as a “tremendous voice of reason.”

And all these years later, Ray Lewis holds no regrets about what happened that night in Atlanta. “If I had to go through all of that over again . . . I wouldn’t change a thing,” he said recently. “Couldn’t. The end result is who I am now.”


(nypost.com)

First of all, let's get this out of the way. Ray Lewis didn't kill anyone.

The Lewis-is-a-murderer mantra is the biggest thing you see the anti-Ray Lewis people say. It's repeated on every message board whenever the Ravens win and Lewis plays a prominent role. It's even repeated by the wives of New England Patriots players.

I covered the Lewis murder case. The NFL office, and most court observers and journalists around the case at the time, believed that the prosecution overreached in charging Lewis. This was later proven as the prosecution's case crumbled and Lewis was offered a misdemeanor obstruction plea deal.
An overreaching prosecution was a fact mentioned by former commissioner Paul Tagliabue in his then-record fine of Lewis.

This is all stated for an important reason. The narrative of Lewis as a murderer has become real in the eyes of some fans and adds to what has become Lewis' legendary status in the Baltimore locker room.

I get why some people hate Ray Lewis, but what he's done in turning around his life is miraculous. It's beyond Kobe Bryant post-rape accusations or Mike Tyson or maybe anything else that's happened in sports history.

You can hate him all you'd like -- and sometimes he's a bit much -- but to the Ravens, Lewis is football's version of a messiah. The players believe his protestations and preaching and that's all that matters.

"The more people attack Ray and bring up his past," Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith said, "the more we believe in him. He's the greatest leader I've ever seen."

A doctorate thesis or several books could be written on all of the religious-socio-political-racial issues involved in what Lewis is doing now. There has never been anyone in NFL history like Lewis who garners a flock of followers using both action and words. Normally, this kind of influence and belief system comes to a player only after he's died.

When Lewis speaks of destiny and God's plan, the players believe this as well. They are fully in. If you doubt this fact, you don't know this locker room.

The thing I hear most from Baltimore players about why they love Lewis (I use that word purposely) is that, as one player explained, "He's been through the s--- and back." The players know all about Lewis' past (particularly the murder accusation) and to them, what happened to Lewis could have happened to any of them.

That last point cannot be emphasized enough.

So hate Lewis all you'd like. Ignore how he's come back from the brink. Call him a murderer.

That just adds kindling to an already intense flame. The Ravens believe in Lewis and belief is a powerful force.


(cbssports.com)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens welcomed CBS to their suburban facility Wednesday to take head shots for the Super Bowl XLVII broadcast, and they brought a prop – a non-engraved Lombardi Trophy.

A few players got cozy with the NFL's Holy Grail, up for grabs in 10 days, when the Ravens meet the San Francisco 49ers in New Orleans.

Then Ray Lewis showed up and set them straight.

"Everybody wants to have you take pictures with it. And it's like I told my team, 'Don't ever take pictures with something that's not yours, nothing that you haven't earned,' " Lewis said Thursday. "When we hold that Lombardi, whoever holds it next Sunday, you've earned it.

"I don't really believe in jinxes and all that, and just believe, don't set yourself up for something."

Lewis, 37, is the only player on the current Ravens roster who was on the team that trounced the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. The Lombardi Trophy from that Super Bowl is encased in glass near a fireplace in the plush lobby at Ravens headquarters.

's OK to ogle that trophy, as quarterback Joe Flacco has admitted to doing in the past, but there's no touching that one or any other until they earn it.

"I think it's great," said Ravens running back Ray Rice of Lewis' order. "I'm not superstitious or anything, but I don't want to see anything that's not rightfully ours yet. We've got to work to get that."


(usatoday.com)

With the presumed future employer of Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis devoting 30 minutes of air time to a 13-year-old case of double murder, it’s hard for Lewis or the Ravens to criticize any other media outlet for paying attention to the story.

The Buffalo News has paid plenty of attention to it on Thursday, with a story and video regarding the first visit of the mother of one of the victims to his grave.

Priscilla Lollar didn’t attend the funeral and hadn’t been to the cemetery, which is only 21 miles from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.  Lollar recently told USA Today that she still holds out hope that her son, Richard, will walk through the door of her home.

“I don’t discuss him in the past,” Lollar said.  “I don’t really acknowledge anything.”

She acknowledged everything on Wednesday, taking another son to the site of Richard Lollar’s grave.

“I want to see if he’s in there,” Priscilla Lollar said at the site where Richard Lollar is buried, via Tim Graham of the Buffalo News.  “I don’t know.  I don’t know.
“I never seen him in no casket or anything.  So I don’t know.  Now I want to see what’s up under here.  I want to see if he’s in there or anything.

“I want him to come on back home!  I just want him to come home!”

The reality is that no one would be talking or writing about this story if the Ravens weren’t headed to the Super Bowl, for what will be the final game in the 17-year career of Ray Lewis.  And Priscilla Lollar likely wouldn’t be talking and thinking as much about it.

The only remotely good news in all of this is that Priscilla Lollar may have finally obtained some closure.


(profootballtalk.com)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- For weeks, no one could determine when The Ray Lewis Retirement Tour would draw to a close.

Since Lewis announced on Jan. 2 his "last ride" in the NFL would coincide with the end of the Ravens' postseason run, there was the possibility that each game would be his last.

Now, after successful stops in Denver and New England, there is no longer any doubt: Win or lose, Lewis will perform for the final time on Feb. 3, in New Orleans on the NFL's grandest stage.

It wouldn't be surprising if Lewis approached the Super Bowl with a feeling of finality, but the 37-year-old middle linebacker insisted Thursday that he's thinking only about helping the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers.

"Honestly, outside of putting my head in the playbook and studying San Fran, I really haven't thought about anything else," Lewis said.

"It's going to be a great day, period, no matter what happens. And that's kind of the way I've approached it," he said. "I haven't even said, 'Oh man, this is your last game, what do you think?' I really haven't. Because I just really am keeping my teammates focused on the real prize."

Now in his 17th season, Lewis is preparing for his second Super Bowl -- and first in 12 years. The last time he played for the NFL championship, Lewis earned MVP honors in Baltimore's 34-7 win over the New York Giants.

After waiting all this time to get back, Lewis has no intention of merely settling for being part of the big game.

"The real prize is actually going and winning the Super Bowl," he said. "It's great to get there, don't get me wrong, but to win it is something special."

And then, only then, Lewis will think about what it means to walk off the football field for the final time.

"You feel that confetti drop, I'll probably reflect then, when I'm there," he said. "But, it really hasn't crossed my mind like that."

San Francisco inside linebacker Patrick Willis, who wears No. 52, has nothing but admiration for Baltimore's No. 52.

"I'm just a big fan of him, period," Willis said Thursday. "Just his enthusiasm on the field, the passion he plays with. I've always been a big fan of those who play with passion, such as Ray Lewis. I know people always want to make comparisons and talk about torches and all this. At the end of the day, I always say I can only be the best player I can be.

"As a fellow linebacker, being at the Pro Bowl and being able to be coached by the same coach (Mike Nolan) at one point in time in our careers, we've become friends. Ray's one of those guys, he loves to give his wisdom and give his knowledge, and I'm the type that I love to listen -- anybody who's been there, done that, especially his caliber of player, who's played a long time."

Lewis has been with the Ravens since 1996, and it wasn't long after his arrival that he became the captain of the defense. As his career went on, he lost a step but made up for it with tireless film study and sharp instincts.

After his rookie year, the only time Lewis didn't get a Pro Bowl invitation were those seasons when he was beset by injury -- 2002, 2005 and 2012.

Last year he received his 13th Pro Bowl nod despite missing four games with a foot injury. This season, after tearing his right triceps on Oct. 14, there was a strong possibility he wouldn't be back.

At first, the Ravens believed he was done for the year. But Lewis vowed to return, and his teammates were determined to make it happen.

"We knew we wanted to make the playoffs in order for Ray to have a chance to come back," safety Ed Reed said. "He's that engine, that motor that's going to go all the time. He understands what the offense is trying to do to you when you're talking about the run game. He's calling out plays before they even happen. That's what you really miss when Ray is out."

Since his return, Lewis has 44 tackles in three games. He isn't limping into retirement; rather, he's headed out with a flourish.

"He's played really well. He's played just like he's always played," coach John Harbaugh said.

Lewis attributes his involuntary 10-game absence as the reason behind his resurgence on the field.

"I've always said that anytime you can give your body a true rest -- not just your body -- anytime you can give your mind a certain rest from the game and from the every week wear and tear, when you come back you come back just as fresh as ever," Lewis said. "For me right now, I feel fresh. My mind is fresh, my body is fresh and I'm just excited to really be able to end the thing up the right way."


(espn.com)

If members of the Ravens heckled a reporter from USA Today who dared to ask linebacker Ray Lewis about an unsolved double murder case, they could soon be getting the rotten tomatoes and eggs ready for anyone with a four-letter network affiliation.

ESPN, which reportedly will hire Lewis after he retires, devoted an entire episode of Outside The Lines to the impact of the 13-year-old murder case on the legacy of one of the greatest players in NFL history.

A pre-taped item narrated by Bob Ley revisited the aftermath of the case, which resulted in Lewis being charged with murder and eventually pleading guilty to obstruction of justice.  The package included defiant quotes from former Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe and former Ravens coach Brian Billick from the week preceding Super Bowl XXXV, which were intended to force the media to turn the page permanently (or at least until after the game) on any talk of the unsolved murders.

“I find it inexcusable that that organization from the top down from the owner to the coach went into that Super Bowl and somehow acted like Ray Lewis got a bad deal,” Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post said during the segment.  “Ray Lewis got a raw deal?  Compared to who?  The dead guy?”

Lewis may find it inexcusable that so much time has been spent by his future employer on a 13-year old case, which he refused to discuss earlier this month when questioned about it by USA Today.  ESPN’s decision to devote 30 full minutes to the topic arguably makes the subject fair game for everyone else.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today participated in the live discussion that followed.  “There’s certainly nothing wrong with anyone raising questions about murders that are unsolved,” Hiestand said.

Indeed, if the media outlet that will soon be issuing paychecks to Lewis can raise those questions, then anyone can.


(profootballtalk.com)

Here the jersey Ray Lewis will be wearing for Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans.

Maybe if Ray Lewis gets bored doing television in his retirement, he can devote all his energies to the U.S. Olympic team.

If that’s the case, the United States might win every medal in every sport contested.

Because none other than Michael Phelps, the Baltimore-native who has become the most decorated Olympian of all time, said Lewis helped save his swimming career.

“What he did for me is the best thing in the world,” Phelps told Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post. “He helped me come back.”

Lewis could probably motivate a bowling ball to swim, but Phelps said that the Ravens linebacker was instrumental to getting back on track after he won eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Phelps had been watching Lewis since he was a young boy (Lewis was drafted when Phelps was 11), and he said that talking to Lewis helped him push through some personal problems (which he did not describe in detail).

“We’ve talked about so much the last couple years of my career,” Phelps said. “He just helped me get through a lot of hard times, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him. He’s been telling me, ‘One more shot. We’re gonna have one more shot.’ And he did it. . . .

“He’s probably the only person who could really help me do that. He’s been through everything — the ups and downs — and he’s helped me literally overcome a lot of things that I’ve had in my life that have been tough, and he’s been there for me.”

Phelps has become a fixture on the Ravens’ sidelines, and was there for Lewis in the locker room after the AFC Championship Game, one Baltimore legend giving thanks to another.


(profootballtalk.com)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — In an era obsessed with legacy, Ray Lewis’s will be a complex one.

Long before he announced he would retire after 17 seasons as the fire-breathing identity of the Baltimore Ravens, he was a member of an exclusive fraternity that defined the linebacker position: Nitschke, Singletary, Lambert, Butkus, and Taylor as his only real company. His brand of intensity, a jolting mix of primal intimidation and joyful aggression, could be read as both genuine love for the game and self-aggrandizing bluster.

But he will be remembered as much for his dominance on the field as he will for his tribulations away from it, and then for his ability to rehabilitate both his life and his image and make an impact beyond the game. Thirteen years ago, he was on trial for the stabbing deaths of two men, Richard Lollar and Jacinth Baker, outside an Atlanta nightclub after Super Bowl XXXIV, and although he ultimately reached a plea deal for misdemeanor obstruction of justice, he payed a tangible price in the form of a $250,000 fine, at the time the highest the league had ever levied. He continued to pay in the court of public opinion.

He spent as much time on Court TV as he did on ESPN, and when the Ravens beat the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV barely seven months after his trial, he was shown in small ways how far his star had fallen. He was the only player to be honored as the most valuable player of a Super Bowl who was shunned by Disney World, Wheaties, and ostensibly the NFL, which did not use his image for the cover of its Super Bowl media guide the year after the Ravens won it.

But in the years since, Lewis has been a tale of personal redemption and a case study for image rehabilitation. He has become an ambassador for the game, a mentor both in and outside of his locker room, and a motivational speaker with far-reaching appeal beyond his sport.

Over time, he has again become a viable pitchman, showing up on the cover of Madden NFL Football and most recently starring in a Visa commercial, and should the Ravens defeat the Patriots in Sunday’s AFC Championship game and set up Lewis’s Super Bowl swan song, it’s doubtful he would be snubbed again.

“I think the greatest thing you can ever be remembered for is the impact and things that you had on other people,” Lewis said Thursday. “At the end of the day, with all of the men that I’ve been around, to one day look back here and listen to men say, ‘He was one of people who helped changed my life,’ is probably one of the greatest legacies to be remembered for.”

Support never wavered
From Babe Ruth to Johnny Unitus, Frank Robinson to Brooks Robinson, Lenny Moore to Cal Ripken, Baltimore has seen its legends come and go.

“Now our sports icon is Ray Lewis,” said Larry Young, a former Maryland State Senator and currently a radio personality for Baltimore’s WOLB. “People who this town has grabbed and said, ‘This one we’re all proud of.’ He’s now the icon.”

Lewis has become a walking personification of a proud city torn by violence but still looking for its own rehabilitation. He brought Baltimore its first championship since the Colts won Super Bowl V in 1970, molding the defense into his image, leading the team in tackles 14 of his 17 seasons. No other defensive player has played as many years with his original team.

Three years ago, the city named the portion of North Avenue, where Lewis hosts his annual Thanksgiving Turkey giveaway, “Ray Lewis Way.” At the ceremony, Lewis said, “All of these people with all this love and affection, that’s the same love I look at y’all with, because I lean on you the same way you lean on me.”
When Lewis was in the thick of the June 2000 murder trial, Young organized a prayer service at New Shiloh Baptist Church.

“I felt, when you go through times of this type, you should have prayer with you,” Young said. “We had no reason to believe the situation as it was portrayed. The hope was that if indeed this did occur that Ray was not going to be caught up in it.

“Of course, as we know, that’s how things turned out in his favor. But there was no information, there was nothing that led us to believe that here in Baltimore — he hadn’t been part of any of that activity in Baltimore. All that was new to us as it was being brought out down in Atlanta.”

Young befriended Lewis but when the city’s star was at the center of the murder trial, he was sent to monitor it. Young said the city’s support for Lewis never wavered.

“Down there during the trial, it was tense with the allegations we were hearing in the courtroom,” Young said. “But up here, I don’t think the citizens let what was being said to them grab them in such a way. There was an overwhelming feeling that Ray was not going to be found guilty. There was a sense that this is crazy, it’s confusing, it wasn’t very pretty what happened, obviously, but our Ray Lewis said this and we believe him. I don’t think he lost much favor up here as a result of the allegations.”

Trial of his life
Time has repaired Lewis’s good name, but it has done nothing to heal the families of Richard Lollar and Jacinth Baker.

“It’s like it happened yesterday,” said Cindy Lollar-Owens, Richard’s aunt. “He was like one of my children.”

When Lewis and the Ravens reached the Super Bowl the January after his murder trial, both families were put through the emotional wringer, the confetti falling on Lewis as he celebrated the pinnacle of his career while the victims’ families were being besieged by media looking for their sides of the story. Lewis’s retirement and the Ravens’ playoff run has created an imperfect storm, dragging the painful memories up again for the victims.

“I think it’s more sad because it’s being brought back out into the spotlight,” Lollar-Owens said. “We never forgot about it. Some family members talk about him, some of them don’t. Everybody handles death differently, but just the way it happened, it’s just sad.”

In 2001, Lollar-Owens went to Tampa for Super Bowl XXXV to protest. She took the trip alone, armed with only flyers and pictures of her nephew, and an easel to hoist.

“A great big ol’ easel,” she said. “Bigger than me.”

She doesn’t see herself making a trip to New Orleans this time if the Ravens again reach football’s biggest stage.

She’s read countless stories about Lewis since the incident. Each one paints a different portrait of him.

“It’s so many different stories it’s hard to say what’s the truth and what’s not the truth,” she said. She said she met Lewis.

“He just said how sorry he was and that his attorney was telling him he couldn’t say anything,” she said. “He couldn’t apologize or anything.”

Now she wants to be able to move on.

“I don’t want to just harbor all this forever,” she said. “I mean, what good is it going to do. It’s like a pie. You cut it in three parts, you’ve got a third that believe he did it, another third that don’t believe, then you’ve got another third that don’t give a damn.

“So what do you do? You go on with your life and try to think about the good things. I want to remember my nephew as Richard Lollar, the barber. I do not want to remember Richard as being murdered.”

Should she ever speak to Lewis again, she said she has two requests.

“My nephew has a headstone and when I go and visit my nephew’s grave, I do not like bending down and looking down at his grave,” she said. “I would like to be able to stand up and look at him. Also, I would like to get a building, get it lavished and have it in his name — Richard Lollar’s barbershop. I want to remember my nephew as Richard Lollar, the magnificent barber. That would be my closure.”

Always moving forward
Without question, Lewis will be commemorated with a bust in Canton, Ohio. With the deaths of former owner Art Modell, along with family members of both defensive lineman Pernell McPhee and wide receiver Torrey Smith, the Ravens’ season was already emotionally charged, but when Lewis announced this month he would retire, it gave the season a different purpose.

“We know this is the last ride for Ray,” said defensive back Corey Graham. “It’s big. I know for me as a defender, it means a lot. I’m out there with him, an opportunity to play with him probably the last time ever, and you don’t want to be the guy to let him down.”

A player synonymous with the franchise will walk away from the game, and an era in Ravens football will come to an end. Lewis will be one of the greatest players the NFL has ever seen. He will be remembered for everything he’s accomplished on the football field, but not completely defined by it. He will be far removed from the tragedy 13 years ago.

“At the end of the day, all of our eyes will close one day,” Lewis said. “When they do, my only job is to hear those two famous words from God himself, and that’s, ‘Well done.’ Success is one thing; I’ve always believed impact is another. To go out in the communities and change someone’s life, I believe that’s what all of our jobs should be one day.

“It’s not to compete against nobody in this. It’s not to make somebody feel bad or make somebody relive this or relive that. It’s to teach someone how to move forward. No matter what you go through in life, you have to find out a different way how to move forward.”


(bostonglobe.com)

The wife of Patriots receiver Wes Welker apologized for comments critical of Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis following the Ravens' 28-13 win over the Patriots in Sunday's AFC championship game.

After the loss, Anna Welker posted the following comment to her Facebook page, according to TheBigLead.com:

"Proud of my husband and the Pats. By the way, if anyone is bored, please go to Ray Lewis' Wikipedia page. 6 kids 4 wives. Acquitted for murder. Paid a family off. Yay. What a hall of fame player! A true role model!"

Monday, Anna Welker released a statement to blog Larry Brown Sports apologizing for her remarks.

"I'm deeply sorry for my recent post on Facebook," she said. "I let the competitiveness of the game and the comments people were making about a team I dearly love get the best of me. My actions were emotional and irrational and I sincerely apologize to Ray Lewis and anyone affected by my comment after yesterday's game.

"It is such an accomplishment for any team to make it to the NFL playoffs, and the momentary frustration I felt should not overshadow the accomplishments of both of these amazing teams."

Lewis and the Ravens will play the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3.


(sportingnews.com)

If Ray Lewis -- who wore an Art Modell T-shirt under his jersey Sunday -- has much left in the tank, well, he's a pretty good physical specimen. Lewis turns 38 in May, and the Super Bowl will be his last football game.

The Ravens have played 87, 87 and 83 defensive snaps in their three playoff games, in Baltimore, Denver and Foxboro, in the span of 15 days ... when they averaged playing 68 defensive snaps per game in the regular season. Lewis has played all 257 defensive snaps. And though Lewis hasn't been his 27-year-old sideline-to-sideline dominating self, he has been consistently around the ball to the tune of:




(cnnsi.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – There is a delicate balance with the Baltimore Ravens, be it on the field where they were mauling Tom Brady – or "12" as Terrell Suggs would only refer to him – or back in a wild celebratory locker room.

It's prideful and petty, powerful and humble, on the edge of controlled rage and on the brink of tears over how this wonderful playoff run has played out. It is a team, especially on defense, that has figured out how to channel it all, to play to an emotional cliff without losing control. It is a team, a linebacking crew, a locker room of Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, one a 37-year-old, just-hanging on legend who fashions himself a preacher, the other a 30-year-old in his prime juggernaut who doesn't mind playing a wrestling villain for laughs.

One couldn't get here – the Gillette scoreboard reading Ravens 28, Patriots 13 – without the other. And vice versa.

It is a juxtaposition that has Lewis paying his respect to the Ravens' late owner, Art Modell, by wearing a T-shirt under his shoulder pads with Modell's face and lifespan (1925-2012) printed on it. And one that has Suggs offering a less traditional remembrance.

"Art Mo-deezy," Suggs sang. "Art Mo-deezy. Art Mo-deezy, watching down on us. Shout out to Art Mo-deezy."

And to that Lewis could only laugh because it's what keeps him youthful, what drove him back after tearing his triceps in October, what lets him survive in a young man's game even as he acknowledges his old man legs.

Ray and Terrell. Lewis and Suggs. Old and young, 21 combined tackles as part of the core of a Ravens defense that demolished those Pats, forced Brady into 25 incompletions, two picks and zero second-half points.

"Shut out in the second half … " Suggs shouted, preached, just getting going.

"Oh my God," Lewis screamed like he was a member of the flock.

"… in Foxborough," Suggs went on.

"Oh my God," Lewis matched him.

"Shut out," Suggs said. "Shut out."

This was a locker room born of frustrations past, battles lost, injuries suffered. This here was a long time coming, especially up here in Massachusetts, where a Super Bowl dream died in this very game 12 months ago. That night Lewis stood and answered about retirement but vowed to return. Suggs, the 2011 defensive player of the year, would miss the start of this season with a torn Achilles and then later games with torn biceps.

It wasn't until the start of the playoffs that Lewis, Suggs and safety Ed Reed, the final piece of the iconic triumvirate, were on the field together this season. The Ravens haven't lost since.

Every time Lewis started getting emotional, overwhelmed by the moment, overwhelmed by one last opportunity, Suggs took it back home. These are the Ravens, home to the most vicious and fearsome defense (just ask them) in the league.

There's no time for crying when you can mock the fallen Patriots down the hall, taunt them with the beating they just delivered.

"These are the most arrogant pricks in the world, starting with [coach Bill] Belichick on down," Suggs declared. "Tell them to have fun at the Pro Bowl. Arrogant [expletive]."

He wasn't done.

"That's funny, ever since Spygate, they can't seem to get it done," he said in a mock tone to no one in particular. "I don't know what it is."

But then this is where it recalibrates and maybe this is Lewis' influence, maybe this is why this works so perfectly, why Baltimore could become the first team to trail Brady at the half up here and come out on top, ending a streak of 67 victories.

Lewis is about respect, not disrespect. He is about honor, not anger. He is about the love of the fight and that means loving the fighters who offer the challenge. If Suggs keeps the Lewis young, then Lewis, by force of example, makes Suggs consider maturity.

So yes, soon Suggs was calmer, sitting down and whispering in a respectful tone that Brother Ray would so approve.

"People don't like them because they win," Suggs said of the Pats. "They are a great team. And they have every right to be who they are. And we respect them. It's a rivalry, it's heated, you know, but even enemies can show respect.

"All b.s. aide, all ego and arrogance aside, that is one hell of a ball [club]," he continued. "I'm speaking to you with so much humility … If we went through somebody else, it wouldn't have been the same game. Yeah it's a rivalry between them and us, between me and 12. Any other team this win would've been unjustified. Who 12 is. Who their head coach is. Who their owner is.

"We have the utmost respect for them."

This is what Lewis means to the Ravens, means to all of Baltimore. Standing there in the locker room, celebrating with the Ravens, was Micheal Phelps, the all-time most decorated Olympian. On this night, he was just a delirious Baltimore kid. "This is worth giving up a gold medal," he said. He'd been through tough times in training, tough times in his personal life, times so tough he thought of quitting. He credits Lewis for talking him through so much of it, the teacher you can't disappoint.

"He is a very powerful man," Phelps said. "A very passionate man. I wouldn't have been able to [swim in the 2012 Olympics] without him. And he's been telling me, 'One more shot, one more shot, we're going to have it.'

"And he did it."

Lewis himself was in his typical mode, in awe-of-it-all, blessed, he said, in ways he couldn't fathom, here by the grace of the Lord.

"Honestly," he said, "God is so amazing. If you're in that locker room, there's something special about that locker room. And every man looks at each other and there's a certain type of love that we have for each other.

"And for me to come out and say that this is my last ride and for me now to be headed back to the Super Bowl, for the possibility of me possibly winning a second ring, how else do you cap off a career?"

How do you cap it off? Well, Suggs had some ideas, more sing-a-longs, more shout-outs, more outrageousness.

"Unfortunately, none of our Pro Bowlers will be able to go," Suggs noted.

"Sizzle," Lewis said to Suggs, using his nickname, "you can't make it."

Ray started singing the old Eddie Money song, "Two Tickets to Paradise" while slipping on a suit. Suggs wore basketball shorts and had preferred a different chant.

"The Ravens … " he sang into the Foxborough air.

"The Ravens," Lewis repeated.

"… are going to the Super Bowl … " Suggs continued.

"The Super Bowl," Lewis said.

There was a beat of silence. Two different personalities, two similar players, side-by-side from field to locker room now headed to New Orleans, this wild last ride just rolling on. They stared at each other and laughed.

"Damn sweetest words you'll ever hear," Suggs said.

"Indeed," Ray concluded.


(yahoo.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Ray Lewis' makeup was running. It was eye black, actually, that dark, oily greasepaint football players smear under their eyes to cut down on glare, but which Lewis has begun using to fashion a fearsome facemask for himself. And somewhere amid all those hugs on the field and a few tears in the locker room, it had already turned into a mess.

Lewis was sitting on a table in the Ravens' training room following a 28-13 win over the Patriots that punched his ticket back to the Super Bowl. He pulled off his gloves first, then the nylon skull cap he wears under his helmet, staring straight ahead, enjoying a quiet moment by himself.

Then Terrell Suggs, his sidekick and fellow linebacker, burst into room bellowing, "The Ravens are going to the Super Bowl!" It was as though somebody threw a switch.

"Say it again," Lewis looked up and said, just above a whisper.

Suggs complied.

"Again!" Lewis hissed, a little louder this time, and began clapping his hands over his head in accompaniment.

Then he rubbed his eyes – as if checking to make sure he wasn't just imagining the scene. And just like that, the eyeblack that began the night covering his cheekbones now adorned his chin like a beard.

"We're built a certain way and we've got each other's backs, through it all," Lewis said. He savored the moment, remembering how the Ravens left New England a year ago, eliminated in this same AFC championship game after former kicker Billy Cundiff's 32-yard field goal attempt hooked wide left.
"Last year when we walked up out of here, I told them, I said, `We'll be back. Don't hold your heads down because we've got something to finish.' "

That won't be for two more weeks, at the Super Bowl against the 49ers in New Orleans, but win or lose, Lewis will be finished. A tough guy playing a position where toughness is a given, he defied the odds by lasting 17 seasons and all of them with the same club that drafted him.

Lewis doesn't dominate games the way he used to, crushing running backs and making every tackle sound like it does on a video game. Yet the numbers don't lie, and just as he has throughout Baltimore's improbable run, Lewis led the Ravens in solo tackles and assists, 14 combined on this night. At 37, he's also been on the field for more snaps than any other defender.

Yet Lewis' leadership is more than his stats, more than his awkward dance out of the tunnel, more than the hoarse pregame speeches he gives in the last huddle before leading his teammates onto the field.

"There's so many things you can say about Ray, but the thing you don't see just watching the games is how much work he puts in," backup linebacker Paul Kruger said. "And not just his own business. He wants the kickers to be pros in how they go about their business in practice, the linemen, the skill guys – it doesn't matter to Ray.

"A lot of guys outside this locker room have been talking about how we're all playing for Ray, and that's true," he continued. "But playing for Ray means playing for yourself, too, and playing for the team, because that's what he cares about most.

"So yeah," Kruger said. "You could say we're playing for Ray. But what that means to us is that nobody wants to be the guy who lets him down."

That wasn't a problem Sunday night, at least not once the Ravens took the Patriots' measure. After nosing in front 13-7 by halftime, Baltimore's defense stiffened and held New England scoreless the rest of the way.

"Second half, baby, was 21-0!" Suggs screamed in the next locker over from Lewis. "My wife told me, baby, quit watching tape and come to bed, you're going to win by 10. And she was only off by five points!"

Lewis looked over at his teammate and covered his mouth to stop from laughing out loud.

Though it wouldn't hurt, Lewis doesn't need another Super Bowl, let alone another Pro Bowl, to secure his legacy. At least not the football portion of it.
Lewis won the NFL's biggest prize once already, in 2000, and was named MVP in that game to boot. He's been picked for the Pro Bowl 13 times.

But a trip back to the big game will carry echoes of his last trip there, a year after Lewis was charged in a double murder after a Super Bowl party at an Atlanta nightclub a year earlier. Under an agreement with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice and testified against his two former co-defendants. Neither was convicted, and Lewis eventually reached undisclosed cash settlements with the victims' families.

Lewis worked hard to rebuild his reputation, eventually working his way back into the graces of the NFL. Humbled, he volunteered to speak at rookie orientation sessions and slowly won back the kind of respect that had nothing to do with his play on the field.

"Ray's a guy that's turned everything over," coach John Harbaugh said. "He's surrendered everything and he's become the man that he is to this day. He's a different man than he was when he was 22 or 15 or whatever. I think everybody sees that right now. I think it's a great thing for kids to see. It's a great thing for fathers to see. It's a great thing for athletes to see.

"It's," Harbaugh said, "a very special deal."


(huffingtonpost.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – A week after hushing his critics with a big comeback win in Denver, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco quieted the crowd at Gillette Stadium. Now, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis can take his retirement party to New Orleans, and coach Jim Harbaugh can take on his brother in Super Bowl XLVII.

Flacco threw for three touchdowns on three consecutive second-half drives Sunday as the Ravens beat the Patriots 28-13 for a trip to Super Bowl XLVII. The Ravens' 2011 season ended here in the AFC Championship Game with a loss in final seconds. They also lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the conference final in the 2008 season.

"It's crazy. This is my fifth year here, and this is the third one of these games that we've played in, and this in the first one we've won," said Flacco. "These are tough games to win, but we played together well as a team today."

In the final seconds of that 23-20 loss here last season, a potential winning touchdown pass by Flacco was stripped away in the end zone, and Billy Cundiff missed a 32-yard field goal for Baltimore. Did that experience make this all the sweeter for Flacco?

"I think it's pretty sweet having won one of these AFC championships. It's probably pretty sweet no matter how you do it and no matter what fashion it is in," said Flacco, who hit 21 of 36 passes for 240 yards and no interceptions a week after rallying Baltimore to a 38-35 overtime win against the Denver Broncos.

Baltimore, which won the Super Bowl in the 2000 season in its only previous trip to the NFL's ultimate game, struggled down the stretch in the regular season.

Lewis, who has announced he will retire after 17 NFL seasons at age 37, missed the last 10 games of the regular season with a torn triceps in his right arm. He's returned in the playoffs to inspire a Baltimore defense that held Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to one touchdown pass with two interceptions.

"How else do you cap off a career?" said Lewis, a Raven since 1996. "How else do you honor your fans and give them everything that they cheer for? Baltimore is one of the most loyal places since 1996 that I've ever been around. And the greatest reward you can ever give to them is another chance at the Super Bowl. The last ride, I can only tell you, I am along for the ride."

The Patriots had been 4-0 in AFC title games at home.

"They just outplayed us and outcoached us tonight," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "They just made more plays than we did, and it was pretty much the story."

To no avail, Brady hit 29 of 54 passes for 320 yards and became the NFL's all-time leader in postseason passing with 5,949 yards. Brady's last pass was intercepted in the end zone by cornerback Cary Williams with just over a minute left.

"We got behind in the second half and became one dimensional, just couldn't string enough plays together,'' Brady said. "Whatever we did, we didn't execute very well. … We didn't earn it. They earned it."

Surely, the Ravens wanted to send Lewis out in style. But it went way beyond that.

"We all want to win the Super Bowl," Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith said. "Ray isn't the only guy here. … We all know this is his last shot. But we have (safety) Ed Reed, he's never been to a Super Bowl. Terrell Suggs, Anquan Boldin never won one. … We all play for each other."

John Harbaugh echoed that.

"Coaches and players working together to make each other better. … That's been our mantra," Harbaugh said.

Flacco, now 8-4 as a starter in the playoffs in five seasons, outplayed Brady a year ago in the AFC championship only to lose at the finish. This time, Flacco took the final suspense out of it in the second half.

When Baltimore was losing four of its last five in the regular season, Flacco took heat on the radio talk shows in Baltimore, and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron was fired and replaced by assistant Jim Caldwell, former coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

The Baltimore offense clicked in the playoffs, though Flacco didn't look back on what's happened quite that way.

"I think we've been playing like that all year," Flacco said. " … People lose during the football season. We had a couple of bad losses, but we really rebounded from them really good. We had a couple of losses in there that were really close, and, hey, that just happens sometimes."

Now, the Ravens are Super Bowl bound.

"We came here to win the game. It wasn't a secret," said Boldin, who caught two of Flacco's touchdown passes.

"We came in here last year and left with a bitter taste in our mouths. … We get great pleasure out of coming to Foxborough and doing it here."


(usatoday.com)

In all, as many as 212 players will participate in the AFC and NFC championship games on Sunday – four teams, 53 players per team. When including players not on the active rosters of the four teams playing for a shot at the Super Bowl, however, the total jumps to more than 250.

The schools represented on the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens range from college football's elite (Alabama, Ohio State, Texas and Florida) to those situated far outside the national picture (Hillsdale, Bellhaven, Lane and Indiana).

Here are the eight schools most represented by the four teams playing Sunday for a trip to the Super Bowl:

1. Miami (Fla.): 12. P Matt Bosher, OL Harland Gunn, DL Micanor Regis (Atlanta); LB Tavares Gooden, RB Frank Gore (San Francisco); DL Vince Wilfork, DL Marcus Forston (New England); LB Ray Lewis, OL Bryant McKinnie, RB Damien Berry, WR Tommy Streeter, S Ed Reed (Baltimore).

2. (tie) Oregon: 7. WR Drew Davis (Atlanta); RB LaMichael James, FB Will Tukuafu (San Francisco); TE Ed Dickson, DL Haloti Ngata, QB Dennis Dixon (Baltimore).

2. (tie) Florida: 7. LB Mike Peterson (Atlanta); DL Ray McDonald (San Francisco); DL Jermaine Cunningham, RB Jeff Demps, TE Aaron Hernandez, LB Brandon Spikes (New England); WR Deonte Thompson (Baltimore).

4. (tie) Alabama: 6. OL Mike Johnson, WR Julio Jones (Atlanta); DL Brandon Deaderick, LB Dont'a Hightower (New England); DL Terrence Cody, LB Courtney Upshaw (Baltimore).

4. (tie) Iowa: 6. DL Jonathan Babineaux (Atlanta); LB Jeff Tarpinian, TE Brad Herman, OL Markus Zusevics (New England); S Sean Considine, OL Marshal Yanda (Baltimore).

4. (tie) Texas: 6. OL Justin Blalock (Atlanta); CB Tarell Brown, OL Leonard Davis (San Francisco); OL Kyle Hix (New England); CB Chykie Brown, K Justin Tucker (Baltimore).

4. (tie) South Carolina: 6. DL John Abraham, DL Cliff Matthews, DL Travian Robertson, CB Dunta Robinson (Atlanta); S Emanuel Cook, CB Chris Culliver (Baltimore).

4. (tie) Ohio State: 6. OL Alex Boone, WR Ted Ginn Jr., LB Larry Grant, S Donte Whitner (San Francisco); TE Jake Ballard, S Nate Ebner (New England).
Another eight schools have five players on the rosters: Arizona State, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, UCF, Rutgers, Syracuse and Illinois.

Teams with four players: Oklahoma State, Marshall, Michigan, Fresno State, Utah, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Louisville, LSU and Georgia Tech.

Three players: Auburn, Wisconsin, Maryland, California, Wake Forest, Florida State, Penn State, Kansas, Purdue, Northwestern, Texas Tech and Arkansas.

Two players: Baylor, Michigan State, Stanford, Boston College, Clemson, Connecticut, ECU, Oregon State, Richmond, San Jose State, Kentucky, Montana, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, TCU, UCLA, Notre Dame, Central Michigan, Delaware, Iowa State, Colorado, Tennessee State, Nebraska, Buffalo, Arizona and Washburn.

Luck of the draw plays a role, of course, but it's a bit surprising to see that schools like Virginia Tech, USC, Oklahoma and Texas A&M only have one player each on the four rosters. Not surprising? That one player represents schools like Prairie View A&M, Lane, Harvard, Weber State, Chadron State (Danny Woodhead), Hillsdale and Hofstra (which no longer has a football program).


(usatoday.com)

It is as it should be: Ray Lewis' Ravens and Bill Belichick's Patriots meet Sunday night to decide the AFC champion in what could be the final game for one of the greatest players in NFL history.

And if it wasn't for Belichick, Lewis would not be in Baltimore.

Follow along. Belichick was the Browns' coach in 1995, when Cleveland traded a No. 1 pick to San Francisco in exchange for several picks. The 49ers used the 10th overall pick, which they got from Cleveland, on UCLA wide receiver J.J. Stokes.

But Belichick never got to use the second No. 1 pick he got back from San Francisco. Before he could, Cleveland fired him and moved the franchise to Baltimore, which inherited the 1996 first-round pick that Belichick had acquired from San Francisco.

Baltimore used its own first-round pick in 1996 on UCLA offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden. Then it used its second first-round pick, the one Belichick acquired from the 49ers, on Miami linebacker Ray Lewis. Baltimore believed, accurately and wisely, that in one draft it had acquired building blocks for its defense and offense.

The other irony to the pick was that Lewis nearly wound up with Belichick anyway. After Cleveland fired Belichick, New England and its coach, Bill Parcells, hired him as defensive coordinator in 1996. One of the Patriots' missions that offseason was to upgrade their linebackers.

So on a spring day in 1996, Belichick flew to Miami and spent nearly a full day watching game tape with Lewis, having him read and react to defensive plays, getting to know him in case New England wanted to draft him. And it did -- in the second round. But before Lewis could slide to the Patriots' spot in that round, the Ravens drafted him in the first round with the 26th overall selection -- with the pick Belichick had acquired for Cleveland from San Francisco.

New England then opted to use its third-round pick on another linebacker, Arizona's Tedy Bruschi. It is another sign of the funny bounces football sometimes takes, affecting lives and legacies.

As Baltimore and New England each stand 60 minutes from New Orleans and Super Bowl XLVII, the ultimate irony is how much Belichick has to do with the Ravens being positioned where they are. Without Belichick, Lewis would not have spent 17 memorable seasons in Baltimore.

Now the two men get to spend one more evening together, with the AFC championship at stake.


(espn.com)

(Reuters) - Ray Lewis knows exactly how he wants to end his storied 17-year National Football League (NFL) career, but the Baltimore Ravens linebacker prefers to measure his life by more than gridiron results.

Lewis yearns to raise the Lombardi Trophy for a second time and needs a road win over the New England Patriots in Sunday's AFC championship game to reach his first Super Bowl since the Ravens' triumph in 2001.

The 37-year-old inspirational leader of the Ravens, and 13-time Pro Bowl selection, said he has told team mates about the sweeetest words he has ever heard on the job.

"How can you top the moment of hearing those famous words, 'Ravens have won the Super Bowl.' When you play the game, that is what you play the game for. You play and hope that one day you hear those words," Lewis told reporters during a conference call on Thursday.

"That is what I am trying to get this team to go back and hear one more time. So they can really feel what it feels like. Because once you hear it, like I tell all of them, your life will never be the same again.

"Once you are a champion, you are always a champion, and that is probably one of the greatest things I will remember of all time."

Yet the man who founded the Ray Lewis 52 Foundation to help underprivileged youth in Baltimore keeps the job of football in perspective.

"Off the field, it's just impacting lives ... success is one thing; I've always believed impact is another. To go out in the communities and change someone's life, for real change their life, I believe that's what all of our jobs should be one day."

Many Ravens are rallying to send Lewis off on a high note.

"We are dealing with always a ‘last' around here. This is Ray Lewis's last hurrah," said Baltimore's running-receiving threat Ray Rice.

"Our General, our Captain - this is it for him. If you want to call it riding that emotional high, of course we are, because we are dealing with something that is going to be a last. We would like to send him out the right way."

Even the Patriots paid respect to Lewis.

"It's really a pleasure to play against him," said New England's Tom Brady, who has won more NFL playoff games than any other quarterback (17).

"He's really been so consistent over the years and durable and tough. He's so instinctive. He doesn't give up hardly any plays, makes a ton of tackles."

Patriots' nose tackle Vince Wilfork also paid tribute.

"When you talk about football, especially defense, the first person you think about is that guy. What he brings to the team. What he brings to the game. The love and the passion that he has for the game," said Wilfork.

Lewis said the winning or losing was not most important.

"I think the greatest thing you can ever be remembered for is the impact and things that you had on other people," he said.

"At the end of the day, with all of the men that I've been around, to one day look back here and listen to men say, ‘He was one of people who helped changed my life,' is probably one of the greatest legacies to be remembered for."


(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Frank Pingue yahoo.com)

FOXBOROUGH --- Vince Wilfork spoke glowingly about his fellow University of Miami alumnus, Ray Lewis, when the veteran Baltimore Ravens linebacker announced before the start of the AFC playoffs that this season would be his last.

Lewis missed 10 games this season but returned from a torn triceps and gave the fourth-seeded Ravens an emotional charge in their victories at Cincinnati in the wild-card round and at top-seeded Denver in the divisional round to earn a rematch against the Patriots in the AFC title game.

"When you talk about football, especially defense, the first person you really think about is that guy,'' Wilfork said of Lewis. "What he brings to the team, what he brings to the game, the love and the passion he has for the game.

"It just goes to show you when he came back,it's a new ballclub in Baltimore,'' Wilfork said. "They feed of him because he's their leader, and that city feeds off of him. We have to do a real good job of making sure they don't feed too much off of him in this game because it'll already be tough, but to come in on the emotional high they're on after winning two big games in the playoffs, it's going to be tough.

"You can never question that man's level of execution,'' Wilfork said. "It's unbelievable.''

Lewis served as a mentor to a generation of Miami Hurricane football players, Wilfork included.

"We bleed Orange and Green,'' Wilfork said. "I love to see my guys around the league. It just shows you that we have something special down there [at the University of Miami]. We have mutual respect but at the end of the day, I want to win and he wants to win. We're always competitive.

"Hurricane or no Hurricane, I'm a New England Patriot and I want to win, plain and simple,'' Wilfork said. "I'm pretty sure being in Baltimore, he wants to win. However long it takes, we're going to battle our tails off and after the game we're going to wish each other luck.''

Win or lose, Wilfork expected to visit with Lewis and give him his proper respect.

"Hopefully, with that guy going out, just want to let him know what he meant to this game, because he meant a lot to this game,'' Wilfork said.


(boston.com)

Thank you to proCane fan @VicinoB for directing us to this video.

Ray Lewis' trademark instincts kicked in again Saturday, a display of football savvy punctuated by the Ravens inside linebacker slamming Denver Broncos rookie running back Ronnie Hillman to the ground.

During the third quarter of the Ravens' dramatic 38-35 double-overtime victory in the AFC divisional round, Lewis eluded the blocking attempt of towering offensive tackle Ryan Clady to chase down Hillman for a loss of three yards.

As the retiring two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year tries to end his legendary career by earning a second Super Bowl ring, Lewis isn't just along for the ride. Heading into Sunday's AFC championship game against the New England Patriots, the 37-year-old leads the Ravens with 30 tackles through two playoff games.

Besides the emotional impact that Lewis has provided since returning from a torn right triceps that required surgery and sidelined him for 10 games, he's also pulling his weight on the field.

"He's a guy that still plays the game at a high level," Ravens defensive end Arthur Jones said. "You would think he was 21, 22, watching him out there, flying around, making plays. Why not play hard for a guy like that? It makes you so comfortable on defense to know that you have a guy behind you that's a stud, that's going to make such a huge play and can make so many plays. I told him to stay a few more years."

Although Lewis has to wear a bulky brace to protect his right arm and is no longer as mobile as he used to be in pass coverage and in pursuit of runs outside the tackles, he's still making an impact. Lewis made a game-high 17 tackles against the Broncos after finishing with 13 tackles during a 24-9 wild-card win over the Indianapolis Colts in his emotional final game at M&T Bank Stadium.

"He's so instinctive, he doesn't give up hardly any plays, makes a ton of tackles," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said. "He's really a playmaker for them. You see when he makes a play, their whole sideline gets really amped up. You always have to know where No. 52 is at."

Despite how he's performed this postseason, Lewis insists he has no intentions of changing his mind about his decision to walk away from the game after 17 seasons. And teammates and team officials have reiterated that Lewis is serious about his pending retirement and won't reverse his decision like former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre repeatedly did.

"No, I can't come back," Lewis said Wednesday. "My kids are calling for Daddy. It's a great reward to see the sacrifice my babies have made for me, and it's time that I sacrifice for them. I'm proud that the ride is still going.

"After the Denver game, me and Ray [Rice] just sat there and we hugged on the field. He grabbed me kind of hard. I was telling him to let me go, but it's just something that's special. To end it, wherever it ends, then so be it."

Lewis' final ride isn't over yet, though.

The Ravens square off with the Patriots on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium, the same place where they fell short last year in the AFC title game.
And Lewis regards this latest encounter with Brady as an appropriate scenario.

"If you write it up, there's no better way to write it up," he said. "We all felt the same way leaving there last year, that we had an opportunity to win that game. If you were going to go to the Super Bowl, then go back at New England again.

"We know each other very well. Every game we play is always those classic games. It comes down to that last play, that last drive. I think they know what we are bringing, and we know what they bring."

Lewis clearly still has an innate feel for diagnosing plays. On Saturday alertly pounced on a ball that Peyton Manning fumbled, but the recovery was nullified by a penalty.

"He definitely can play multiple more years, but I think he understands that it's time to move on," Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said. "It's just great to see him play at a level that I don't think a lot of linebackers can be doing now. I'm just humbled and definitely lucky to play with someone like that."

However, Lewis allowed eight receptions for 97 yards on eight passes thrown in his direction in Denver. According to Pro Football Focus, Lewis has surrendered 14 receptions for 177 yards on 16 throws in his direction during the two playoff games, with quarterback compiling a 105.9 passer rating against him.

It's an understandable regression for an older player still playing at an age when most linebackers have long since hung up their cleats. Overall, though, the reviews for Lewis' play have been solid.

He's been particularly clutch in 19 career playoff games with 215 career tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and five forced fumbles.

"Ray has played well, that's the most important thing," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "And he still can play. He's been playing at a high level for 17 years. He's a top linebacker in the game right now, at this very moment, so he's made a difference for us."

The mere fact that Lewis is back on a football field at his age following such a serious injury has amazed his teammates, and in the locker room he is spoken of with reverence.

"He's still got it," said outside linebacker Albert McClellan, who grew up in Lewis' hometown of Lakeland, Fla. "He's still running around. People are still afraid of a head-on collision with Ray. He's a threat on the field with his thinking ability and the way he knows the game."

After 2,643 regular-season tackles, 41.5 sacks, 31 interceptions, 20 forced fumbles and 20 fumble recoveries, Lewis wants to end his ride in New Orleans with another Super Bowl. That's why he endured a grueling rehabilitation regimen to get his arm healthy enough for one more run at a Lombardi Trophy.

"I think one thing Ray is doing is he's showing people, 'I can overcome,'" strong safety Bernard Pollard said. "He's showing, 'I can do what you say I can't do.'"


(baltimoresun.com)

OWINGS MILLS, Md.  — Ray Lewis sure doesn't look the part of an aging linebacker on the brink of retirement.

After being sidelined for 12 weeks with a torn right triceps, Lewis reclaimed his post in the middle of the Baltimore defense two weeks ago and led the Ravens with 13 tackles in a 24-9 playoff win over Indianapolis.

As an encore, Lewis had a team-high 17 tackles last week in a victory over Denver.

The 37-year-old Lewis intends to retire after the Ravens' complete a playoff run that continues Sunday with the AFC title game in New England.

Some wonder if Lewis might change his mind because he's playing so well. He remains adamant that he will stay the course.

Lewis says, "No, I can't come back. My kids are calling for Daddy."


(bostonherald.com)

For those who are fans of when Tom Brady gets worked up and starts calling out his fellow Patriots, the unfiltered version of such passion will be on full display Sunday.

Ray Lewis has brought emotion and intensity to every game he’s ever played, but it’s been at another level for the last two games, now that Lewis has announced that he is retiring once this season is over. With Sunday’s AFC Championship Game possibly being his last, Lewis is sure to be fired up — and Brady knows what that can mean.

“You see when he makes a play, their whole sideline gets really amped up,” Brady explained. Brady was lauding Lewis and preaching the importance of keeping an eye on him as the Patriots chatted Wednesday about Sunday’s game. The Ravens and Patriots have been seeing a lot of each other in recent years, including New England’s win in the AFC Championship Game last year, and Brady knows what to look for with Lewis. “It’s really a pleasure to play against him,” Brady said.

“He’s really been so consistent over the years, and durable and tough. He’s so instinctive. He doesn’t take off hardly any plays, makes a ton of tackles, he’s great in the pass game, he’s great in the run game.

Whatever they choose, he’s really a playmaker for them, so they give him an opportunity to make those plays.”

Brady also gave a similar compliment to Lewis as he and coach Bill Belichick have given to fellow Ravens defensive standout Ed Reed in the past, saying that the Patriots always have to know where Lewis is in on the field on every play. Even with the injury that sidelined him for most of this season and retirement looming, Lewis has proven to be a force. What could be really fun is if he turns out to be enough of a force that the Patriots and Ravens go down to the wire, and Brady has to start calling out his teammates again.


(nesn.com)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- This was the game the Baltimore Ravens have wanted for 12 months. Now that they've got an AFC Championship rematch with the Patriots, linebacker Ray Lewis said if they don't come away with a win, everything they've done to get to this point will be irrelevant.

"If you write it up, there's no better way to write it up," he said. "We all felt the same way leaving there last year. We had an opportunity to win that game, and what better way to go back to the Super Bowl than to go back at New England again?"

When they left Gillette Stadium after losing last season's AFC Championship game by a wayward field goal attempt, every Raven was in disbelief and disarray.
Kicker Billy Cundiff was shell-shocked. Defensive lineman Terrell Suggs was dumbfounded. Quarterback Joe Flacco was unsatisfied. Lewis, as usual, was inspirational, telling his teammates they would be here again.

"I just think going back to last year, we made up our mind that that wasn't it for us," Lewis said. "That's just kind of how the seasons go. For us to be back here again, same position, same situation, who would have ever thought of it?"

This will be the third time the Ravens and Patriots have faced each other in the playoffs since 2010.

"We know each other very well," Lewis said. "And every game we play is always those classic games that come down to that last play, that last drive."


(boston.com)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ray Lewis, for so long, has leaned on the emotional and spiritual elements of football, life and their intersection. Those are what have pushed him to this, the end of his 17th season, the end of his career. He has either one more game — Sunday’s AFC championship game at New England — or two, if his Baltimore Ravens win and advance to the Super Bowl. Swirl all the emotions and spirits together, all that Lewis has meant to his franchise and his city, and it could seem a combustible combination.

“I’ve just been in this calm state,” Lewis said Wednesday, “because at the end of the day, nothing matters unless we go win in New England this week.”

Yet as the Ravens approach the game that will either end Lewis’s career or extend it again, it might be worth casting spirituality aside and leaning on science. Correlation, after all, does not imply causation. Lewis missed the final 10 games of the Ravens’ regular season with a torn triceps, and Baltimore stumbled to the finish, losing four of its final five. Before he returned for the playoffs, Lewis announced he would retire whenever the season ended. In his two appearances since, Baltimore handled Indianapolis at home and then surprised Denver on the road to reach this point.

So along the way has come a predictable yearning to connect Lewis’s final season to Baltimore’s position in the AFC title game, a connection that is inescapable around the Ravens this week even though some Baltimore players say the entire premise is dubious.

“You guys ask so many questions about it, you make a big deal about it,” quarterback Joe Flacco said to an auditorium full of media members Wednesday. “. . .When we’re out there playing on Sunday, that’s the last thing we’re really thinking about.”

As wide receiver Torrey Smith said: “People always say, ‘You want to win it for Ray. You want to win it for Ray.’ We do. But you want to win it for yourself, too. You know what I mean? People kind of forget about that.”

There is no way, around here, to forget about Lewis, regarded as one of the best linebackers ever — 13 times a Pro Bowler, seven times first-team all-pro. His presence has defined the organization for as long as the organization has existed. Wednesday, he recounted the call he received on draft day, 1996, from Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens’ general manager, then and now. His first questions: Do we have a team name? Do we have team colors?

Now, the purple-and-black of the Ravens are part of the fabric of Baltimore. A portion of a street has been renamed “Ray Lewis Way.” His No. 52 jersey rivals the orange-and-black No. 8 worn by Baltimore’s immovable icon, former Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken. Throw him in with Johnny Unitas and Brooks Robinson, both athletic deities here.

“Who knew that I would be a staple in Baltimore?” Lewis said.

And who knew he would go out this way? When the Ravens lost three straight games to start December, they appeared to be losing their grip on the AFC North. The question then became, “Will Lewis ever play again?” But because of the spirituality, the emotion, that guide him, Lewis said he felt he would be back, that the Ravens would be back.

Last year, when the Ravens lost the AFC title game at New England in a game they could have won — if not for Lee Evans’s dropped pass in the end zone and Billy Cundiff’s shanked short field goal — Lewis gave a rousing speech in the locker room, because giving rousing speeches in the locker room long ago became part of his job description. He told his teammates they would be back. But whether they did or not, he said his teammates shouldn’t let that fate define them.

“Don’t let this game ever dictate your emotions,” Lewis said Wednesday. “When you walk out of this locker room, somebody’s looking for you to be the bigger person. Yeah, we lost this game, but it’s not life.”

At 37, so much of his life has been about football. And yet, that is what’s being overlooked now. Wednesday, New England quarterback Tom Brady discussed the challenges of facing the Ravens with reporters in Foxborough, Mass. “You always have to know where ‘52’ is at,” Brady said.

Lewis had 13 tackles against Indianapolis, 17 more against Denver in a game that went to double overtime.

“That’s the most important thing: He can still play,” Ravens Coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s been playing at a high level for 17 years. He’s a top linebacker in the game right now, at this very moment.”

Because of that, and because the Ravens have pushed this deep into the playoffs for the third time in the past five years, Lewis was asked whether he has reconsidered his retirement. “No,” he said firmly.

“I always said to myself I would know when it’s time,” he said.

So this is the time. Whether that is a contributing factor in the Ravens’ appearance here — whether Point A can be connected to Point B — can be debated, but it cannot be determined.

“Our general, our captain, this is it,” running back Ray Rice said. “If you want to call it riding that emotional high, the emotions and everything — of course we are, because we’re dealing with something that’s going to be a last.”

Whether that last game comes Sunday or in the Super Bowl, Lewis is clearly relishing it. He will be in the center of a huddle Sunday, his teammates gathered round, and he will bark words to them that likely will be picked up by a television camera and broadcast to the football-loving public. Will the Ravens prevail because he is doing that for one of the final times? Who knows?

“It’s something that’s special,” he said. “To end it, whenever it ends, so be it.”


(washingtonpost.com)

While the Atlanta Falcons’ pulled out Sunday’s win and advanced to face the 49ers for the NFC Championship, 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis watched the dramatic ending with Baltimore Ravens’ Ray Lewis through their phones’ FaceTime application.

“I was on my way home, he FaceTimed me and we watching the end and how crazy it was,” Willis said on 95.7 The Game.

If the 49ers and Baltimore Ravens win their respective conference finals Sunday, Willis and Lewis will be able to see each other in person in New Orleans at Super Bowl XLVII. They’ll be the guys wearing No. 52.


(mercurynews.com)

DENVER – Inside the empty locker room Peyton Manning hugged Ray Lewis.

This was long after the great double-overtime playoff game had finished Saturday evening, after Lewis had left the field and the near-zero temperatures, victorious. This was also after Lewis had wept at his locker, eye black rolling down his face. And this was even after he showered, dressed slowly in a suit, did a news conference and a television interview that went longer than promised.

Manning undoubtedly wanted to go home, yet the Denver Broncos quarterback waited somberly inside a deserted Baltimore Ravens locker room. Beside him was his wife Ashley and their nearly 2-year-old son Marshall. Saturday's defeat had to be one of the most agonizing of Manning's career – a 38-35 loss in a game he was 38 seconds from winning – and still the Mannings stood in front of the empty locker of Ravens nose tackle Terrence Cody for a long, long time Saturday evening.

They did this because it was Ray Lewis.

Because in his last days of football, the Ravens linebacker won't walk silently into the night.

"I'm so happy for you," Ashley Manning said as Lewis finally walked into the room.

Then Peyton Manning and Lewis talked quietly, their voices mostly muffled but the tone obvious and admiring. If Peyton Manning wasn't going to go to the Super Bowl it was clear he wanted Ray Lewis to be the one who did.

The Ravens won't crumble in these playoffs. The team that looked lost the last few weeks of the season has come to life in the postseason, since Lewis, their star linebacker, came back from a triceps injury that was supposed to have ended his season. Now that he has returned and said his career will end when the season does, it is as if the Ravens have gathered behind him in one last desperate push for a Super Bowl that has eluded them since they won their only championship in 2001.

They were supposed to lose to the Broncos on Saturday. They were done when they got the ball on their own 23-yard line with 1:09 left in regulation, trailing 35-28. Then quarterback Joe Flacco, the one who has endured so much scorn in Baltimore, heaved a long pass to receiver Jacoby Jones, who grabbed the ball from the frosty air and ran to the end zone for a 70-yard touchdown that tied the game. They survived an entire overtime until they hit the winning field goal less than two minutes into the second overtime. And all of it seems so much like something that is bigger than them all.

All week Lewis had challenged his teammates. He told them not to listen to the voices outside their practice facility in the Baltimore suburbs. He called on them to remember all the injuries they endured in a season where starter after starter went down. He told them he had a dream they would bond together and fight through significant odds and win a championship.

Then before they left the locker room on Saturday afternoon he quoted the Bible.

"No weapon formed against us shall prosper," he said.

At halftime he brought the players together, made them touch each other and repeat the same phrase.

"The whole day I just needed my team to keep reciting: 'No weapon,' " he said later. "The energy is crazy, the emotions are crazy, but to stay the course the way this team stayed the course, I tip my hat off to my team."

The players do not speak openly about Lewis' impending retirement and the motivation it appears to have rendered. They say this run is bigger than him. Head coach John Harbaugh agreed on Saturday, pinching his fingers about an inch apart when asked to quantify how much Lewis' retirement is driving the team. He too spoke of the Bible. He said he realized that talking about this will make people uncomfortable but he spoke as if Lewis' expressions of faith has become a unifying element in a room that a few weeks before might have been filled with doubt.

"There's a spirituality in here," Harbaugh said. "I can't describe it."

Perhaps such things are said on nights like Saturday, when victory is pulled from certain defeat. But there is also no doubt that the booming presence of Lewis stomping around the locker room has brought this team to life again. If Lewis is going to quote scripture, the Ravens are more than happy to buy in.

The last several days have allowed them to realize how much they love him. His retirement announcement stirred stories of the complex legacy of a trusted leader who also once was charged in a murder case. They have rallied behind him as this history has been discussed and maybe in this too they have come closer.

Lewis was sick all week. He had a fever. He coughed so many times he just wanted to collapse in bed. The last four days were awful, he later said in a small hallway beneath Sports Authority Stadium. But he kept pushing because he doesn't want to let go of his dream, for himself and for his team. He had 17 tackles Saturday, seven more than any other player on the field. "This one situation we just kept fighting and kept fighting," he said.

He talked about the embattled Flacco and said: "He grew up today."

"You're the general, lead us to victory," he said he told Flacco.

Then in the small hallway behind the Ravens' locker room, he leaned against a cinder block wall and smiled. He said he cried in the locker room after the game because he was exhausted from trying to convince his teammates to believe in his dream.

Then he closed his eyes. The television technicians fiddled with his suit jacket, clipping a microphone to the lapel. Someone reminded him that Manning was waiting and he wondered where.

"I'm missing a great moment with a great winner right now," he said to no one in particular.

And when the television people were done, he opened a door and walked back into the locker room, now empty, save for the Mannings. Ashley Manning pulled out her phone and asked for a picture. Her husband stood next to Lewis. Manning wore a gray overcoat. He looked sad. Lewis beamed, his smile wide. Manning's was smaller, more subdued.

They shook hands,  the great quarterback congratulating the leader of the Ravens who had inspired his defeat. Then they broke apart, heading in opposite directions: Manning to an offseason he probably still couldn't accept and Ray Lewis toward another week of football in the season that won't end.

Then off toward the bus Lewis walked. He pulled a suitcase. A Ravens official walked next to him and they laughed as they left the stadium with the impossible dream still very much alive.


(sports.yahoo.com)

Ray Lewis might not have the same physical impact on a football game as he once did, but there's little doubt his words do.

The retiring, future Hall of Fame linebacker, known as the "General" amongst teammates, had something to say to Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco before Saturday's divisional-round playoff victory over the Denver Broncos.

"In the tunnel, I told him, 'You're the General now. Lead us to a victory. You will lead us today. I'm just here to facilitate things,' " Lewis said, according to the Ravens' official website.

Flacco went out and threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns. He's already the only quarterback in NFL history to reach the playoffs in each of his first five seasons. This will be his third conference championship. And he outplayed Peyton Manning.

Lewis also had a message during the week.

"I challenged my team this week to not listen to anything outside of our building to buy into who we are as a team, everything we've been through injury-wise," Lewis said, via The Baltimore Sun. "Now for us to be here, I think this will go down as one of the greatest victories in Ravens history.

"For us to come in here and win, underdogs, that's the beautiful thing about sports. That's the thing that I'll probably miss anything about my career, it will be to listen to what people say you can't do and then to go do it."

The Ravens have a little bit of juice right now. The Broncos had more than one chance to close the door but couldn't. Lewis was far from the most effective player on the field Saturday, but his words and the emotion surrounding his impending retirement seem to have given life to a team that lost four of five to close the regular season.


(nfl.com)

For more than a decade, Priscilla Lollar struggled to face the realization that her son had been killed in a brawl outside an Atlanta nightclub.

But these days, her emotions are raw again, as one of the men charged in the slaying — Baltimore Ravens star Ray Lewis — attracts national attention for his impending retirement and the team's playoff run.

The brawl in the early morning hours of Jan. 31, 2000, left two young men from Akron, Ohio, dead from stab wounds. Lewis and two acquaintances were charged with murder, but the charge against Lewis was reduced to a less serious one in a plea deal, and his co-defendants were acquitted.

Lewis, who might be playing his last game Saturday, will retire after the playoffs as the most popular Raven in team history. But his legacy — Super Bowl MVP, one of the National Football League's best linebackers, two-time defensive player of the year — will include the footnote of the murder charges. Fans of opposing teams have taunted him by calling him a murderer, and some in the news media are discussing the case again.

Hyperbole over the incident has lessened, but may never fade. News outlets, including National Public Radio, the Orlando Sentinel and the popular sports website Deadspin, have written about it recently in light of Lewis' retirement. Opinions cover a wide spectrum, from those who say Lewis should no longer be tied to the murders to those who say the crime victims should not be forgotten.

Lewis and his teammates have said the experience matured him and made him eager to give back to the community. "Not only did it have a profound effect on the player he became, but it had a profound effect on the person he became," former teammate Shannon Sharpe said, noting Lewis' charitable work.

Lewis would not comment Thursday when asked about the incident. His trial attorney, Max Richardson, said this week that it should be left in the past because his client's name was cleared.

But if Lewis will be remembered as a hero by many fans in Baltimore and around the nation — his No. 52 has been the top-selling NFL jersey recently — in Akron, Priscilla Lollar tries to move on without thinking about him.

"I never did acknowledge [my son] being dead until last year," she said this week. "I wouldn't have wanted to live. I always felt that he was in Atlanta and he would be home soon and would call me soon. It was like that for years."

The Lollars have not been able to watch Lewis play on TV, and they maintain that his money and power gave him an advantage at trial.

"How can you understand something that is senseless?" Priscilla Lollar said. "There was no justice in anything. ..."

Thirteen years ago this month, Lewis and his friends were celebrating at a posh nightclub after Super Bowl XXXIV, won by the St. Louis Rams over the Tennessee Titans.

The group included Joseph Sweeting, 34, a music producer and promoter whom Lewis knew from his time at the University of Miami, and Reginald Oakley, 31, a former barber from Baltimore.

Richard Lollar and Jacinth Baker, childhood friends who had moved from Akron to the Atlanta area, were also partying at the Cobalt Lounge.

The two groups spilled out onto the streets about 3:30 a.m., and a member of Baker and Lollar's group traded words with Oakley.

"A Moet bottle smashed into the side of my head. ... I swung and he swung back and all hell broke loose around us," Oakley wrote in "Memories of Murder," a self-published book whose account mirrors trial testimony about the start of the street fight.

Amid the brawl, Lollar and Baker were stabbed and bled to death on the street. Someone fired shots at Lewis' limo as his group sped away.

Police arrested Lewis before the day was over, and the linebacker cried as he was read his rights.

Priscilla Lollar remembers her son as a creative child who liked to draw and sing. The oldest of nine, he was a talented barber whose brothers and sisters looked up to him, she said.

"You just wouldn't believe it," she said. "People would come for him to cut their hair, I would listen to them offering him $100 just to give them a fade."

Atlanta was supposed to be a new start for Baker and Lollar. Lollar had pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession. At the time of his death, Baker was being sought by police on charges of possession of cocaine and driving with an open container of alcohol; he had previously pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of improperly handling a firearm.

Lollar was 24 when he was killed, Baker just 21. Lollar had gone to Atlanta to work as a barber in a friend's shop, part of a wave of Akron men who went to the city at that time, his mother said. Richard's fiancee was pregnant, and his daughter, India, was born a couple of months after his death.

Baker's parents died before he was killed; an aunt, Vondie Boykin, declined to be interviewed about the brawl and its aftermath.

Priscilla Lollar said both families, and the mother of Richard's daughter, are trying to move on. They still don't know exactly what happened that night.

"I was in the dark on a lot of things," said Lollar. She said she did not attend the trial, although other members of the family went.

The trial in Fulton County did not go well for prosecutors. Some outside experts said at the time that the prosecution was sloppy and the charges against Lewis, Sweeting and Oakley had been rushed. Others noted that witnesses had changed their stories.

Two weeks into the trial, prosecutors agreed to drop the murder charges against Lewis if he would plead guilty to a charge of obstruction of justice and testify against Sweeting and Oakley, who had criminal records that included convictions for theft, burglary and resisting arrest. The obstruction-of-justice charge was related to Lewis' telling those who left in the limo after the fight that they should keep quiet about the incident.

Lewis testified that he tried to stop the fight and that Sweeting and Oakley bought knives the day before they ended up at the nightclub. Lewis testified that he asked Oakley later what happened. "I said this is all on me," Lewis told the court. "My career is over because you guys tripping."

After less than six hours of deliberation, the jury acquitted Sweeting and Oakley; neither man could be reached for comment for this article. Lewis had a year of probation for the misdemeanor charge and was fined $250,000 by the National Football League for violating its conduct policy.

Sharpe, a Hall of Famer who joined the Ravens soon after Lewis was arrested, said this week that the two talked on numerous occasions that year about the experience.

"I'm sure he felt bad that two men lost their lives, tragically," Sharpe said. "His name will forever be attached to that. I told him ... a great portion of people will always remember you for what transpired in Atlanta; you can't change that, no matter if you win 10 Super Bowls."

Faye Lollar, Richard's aunt, says of Lewis: "I had to forgive him to start my life and live my life. Richard was a big part of our lives, for him to be taken so harsh, it was just devastating. Everybody's trying to go on with their lives. Ray don't even cross our minds."

Priscilla Lollar says justice will come eventually. "I trust in God that he's going to take care of it," she said. "I can't do nothing about it."

A few years after the incident, Lewis settled civil lawsuits with both families. Richard Lollar's daughter received about $1 million, according to news reports; the Bakers' settlement was not disclosed publicly. Police consider the case closed.

Lewis helped lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl win in the season that followed the trial, and he has been widely praised for his charitable work. His Ray Lewis 52 Foundation has, among other things, distributed food and school supplies to Baltimore families.

Ravens senior vice president of public and community relations Kevin Byrne declined to comment this week about the Atlanta incident, saying that the case has been resolved.

When approached in the team locker room after practice Thursday by a USA Today reporter, Lewis wasn't happy about the topic being broached. He declined to discuss it, saying, "Really, really. Why would I talk about that? That was 13 years ago."

In a 2010 interview with the Baltimore Sun, however, Lewis opened up about the killings.

"I'm telling you, no day leaves this Earth without me asking God to ease the pain of anybody who was affected by that whole ordeal," he said. "He's a God who tests people — not that he put me in that situation, because he didn't make me go nowhere. I put myself in that situation.

"But if I had to go through all of that over again ... I wouldn't change a thing. Couldn't. The end result is who I am now."

Former teammate Sharpe noted that Disney, the company that passed over Lewis for a Super Bowl MVP commercial in 2001, is involved in a post-retirement deal with him. ESPN, a Disney subsidiary, will hire Lewis as an NFL commentator, according to news reports.

"That shows you how someone can rehabilitate their life," Sharpe said. "I'm sure there are some people that still dislike Ray for what transpired in Atlanta, but I know a different Ray Lewis."


(baltimoresun.com)

It was late one night, and nobody was around other than a handful of University of Miami football players with little to do but talk. And talk they did, until one guy made a claim and a second guy objected to that claim and, well, there was just no way anybody was going to get to bed that evening until this whole mess was settled.

Ray Lewis was one of those men, Twan Russell the other. To most people, it would say something that Russell was a state champion in the 300-meter hurdles at Fort Lauderdale-St. Thomas Aquinas High. If Lewis was impressed, he didn’t show it.

“I’m the fastest linebacker,” Lewis said.

“You’re not the fastest,” Russell shot back.

They each kicked off their flip-flops and went flying down the road.

“Ray didn’t have a chance,” Russell, a Dolphin from 2000 through 2002, recalled this week. “Or he shouldn’t have, put it that way.”

The story comes to life this week because Lewis, 37 and a surefire Hall of Famer, is ending his career with Baltimore during these playoffs, which continue Saturday with the Ravens visiting the Denver Broncos. And what happened that night at UM has everything to do with how Lewis has stood out for 17 seasons with one franchise.

“He’s such a competitor, he would have said, ‘Let’s race on glass,’ ” said Russell, now the Dolphins’ director of youth and community programs. “To this day, I’ll say I won, but he argues me down. He didn’t beat me — he talks a whole lot louder. He would not let me leave until I raced him. He wanted to make sure I knew what kind of competitor he was. And I had to RUN. I really had to put the hammer down to beat him.”

That put Russell in the company of thousands. Lewis’ retirement announcement last week was no different from most plays he makes. You know it’s coming, yet when impact occurs, you’re still stunned.

So it was that when Lewis told teammates this was his “last ride,” the Ravens knew they had meetings to dash off to … yet they all sat there, stunned.

No more raspy, fear-of-God, “What time is it?” pep talks? No more Squirrel Dance out of the tunnel? No more running backs losing their mouthpieces as No. 52 comes from clear out of your picture to slam into him?

“It’s time for me to go create a different legacy,” Lewis said.

Most of all, he’s looking forward to spending more time with his kids, including Ray III, an incoming freshman running back at UM. Watching Hurricanes games will be a breeze for Ray, because even though he’ll maintain a home in Baltimore, his South Florida residence is in Boca Raton, where he’s also delving into a real-estate venture.

Lewis’ football legacy is secure. Describing Lewis’ ability to fire up teammates, Russell said, “I don’t think any other player could go into a football game with jumper cables and shock them. He has willed them to Super Bowls. … When you hear his speeches, that comes from a place most people aren’t capable of going. I truly believe it’s a spiritual place. I believe football is more than a game for him and that God put a little piece of something inside him that no one else has.”

Part of what’s inside Lewis came out in his final home game Sunday: tears. He got emotional meeting relatives before the game. Fans, not known for punctuality, were there to watch Lewis emerge for his signature dance one last time. Quarterback Joe Flacco instructed his wife not just to bring the video camera, but to smuggle it past security if need be. Running back Ray Rice, who fought back tears after hearing the news, was “emotional-struck.”

“My locker is right next to his, and I just can’t picture Baltimore without him,” Rice said. “He has kids, but I was one of his kids.”

That’s no coincidence. Tracing his rise, Lewis recalled being inspired by watching Junior Seau and asking himself, “Wow. Who does that? How can you be at that level?” He got to that level but didn’t stop.

“I started making my own mark and then I realized that I can do a lot of things to be great individually, but I wanted to be known differently. I wanted to make men better.”

Whether Lewis was racing sideline to sideline to chase ballcarriers, dropping into pass coverage or harassing quarterbacks, he made it look natural, almost easy. Don Soldinger, UM’s running backs coach during Lewis’ tenure, knows that over the years, whenever teammates needed to find Lewis in the training complex, they began by looking in the film room. That kind of dedication, Soldinger said, simply boiled over on Sundays when Lewis danced onto the field.

“Don’t let anybody kid you and say he was a showboat,” Soldinger said. “He’s not. I just remember him as a super, super intense guy.”

Intense on the football field, intense in the middle of the street racing barefoot. So what’s the real story on how that race turned out?

“I definitely say I won,” Russell said. “But he’s so convincing in his argument, sometimes I think he won.”


(palmbeachpost.com)

Priscilla Lollar still doesn't believe her son is dead.

Any day now, she hopes he might finally return from Atlanta, walking through the door of her home in Akron, Ohio, as if nothing happened on the morning of Jan. 31, 2000.

"If I truly accept that he's not coming back ... " says Lollar, her voice trailing off. "I don't discuss him in the past. I don't really acknowledge anything."

Deep down, she knows he's gone. She knows it every time she turns on the television and sees Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis — a reminder that her son, Richard, has been dead for 13 years, stabbed to death outside a nightclub in Atlanta, along with his friend from Akron, Jacinth Baker.

Their murders remain unsolved. But as the anniversary of their deaths approaches — and as Lewis dances into the sunset of his NFL career — the victims' relatives are still seething at him. While Priscilla Lollar says she's "numb" to Lewis, others want answers. And justice.

"My nephew was brutally beaten and murdered and nobody is paying for it," Baker's uncle, Greg Wilson, told USA TODAY Sports. "Everything is so fresh in our mind, it's just like it happened yesterday. We'll never forget this."

Only Lewis pleaded guilty in relation to the case: for obstruction of justice, a misdemeanor. He originally was charged with two counts of murder but struck a deal with prosecutors in exchange for his testimony against two of his companions that night, Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting.

Lewis never implicated his two friends at trial, and they were acquitted. Lewis had testified that Oakley, Sweeting and another man had gone to a sporting goods store the previous day to buy knives. Baker's blood later was found in Lewis' limo. Having fled the crime scene, Lewis told the limo's passengers to "keep their mouths shut." The white suit Lewis was wearing that night — on Super Bowl Sunday — never was found.

"I'm not trying to end my career like this," Lewis said in his hotel that night, according to the testimony of a female passenger in the limo.

He didn't. For his punishment, Lewis received one year of probation and a $250,000 fine by the NFL.

Lewis declined to comment when asked about the subject Thursday by USA TODAY Sports. Messages left for agents and attorneys representing him were not returned. Oakley, recently living in Atlanta, didn't return messages seeking comment. A relative of Sweeting, living in Miami, hung up when reached by USA TODAY Sports. And the prosecutor, Paul Howard, declined a request to be interviewed.

Said Lewis: "You want to talk to me about something that happened 13 years ago right now?"

Lewis was more circumspect about the incident in a 2010 interview withThe Baltimore Sun. "I'm telling you, no day leaves this Earth without me asking God to ease the pain of anybody who was affected by that whole ordeal." he said. "He's a God who tests people — not that he put me in that situation, because he didn't make me go nowhere. I put myself in that situation."

In those 13 years, Lewis has not only rehabilitated his image but become an iconic figure for his dominating play and leadership. His 17-year career is likely to be immortalized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, about 20 miles south of Akron, where Lollar and Baker are buried near their families.

Lewis, 37, will be eligible for induction five years after his retirement this season, which could come as soon as Saturday if the Ravens lose their playoff game at Denver. After announcing his retirement, Lewis has basked in the praise of adoring NFL fans. The crowd roared as he took a victory lap — and dance — around the stadium Sunday after beating the Indianapolis Colts. Commissioner Roger Goodell even said he wants to employ Lewis as a special adviser to himself because he's a "tremendous voice of reason."

Cindy Lollar-Owens, Richard Lollar's aunt, says Lewis' pending retirement prompted her Thursday to visit the funeral home, "because that's where my nephew retired."

Lollar-Owens says she doesn't know if Lewis did or didn't stab anybody — just that Lewis was there and that evidence suggests he was involved. For his part, Lewis denied guilt in the stabbing and said that he was unfairly targeted by Howard. Lewis said he didn't know who did the stabbings amid the push and pull of a crowded fight around 4 a.m.

It's not enough for some family members.

"Every time I see him, I think of my nephew," Lollar-Owens says.

The victims
Baker and Lollar were 21 and 24 at the times of their deaths, both having been stabbed several times in the heart and upper body.

Both had overcome personal struggles before that night. Lollar's mother had been in and out of prison, leaving Lollar-Owens and her mother to raise Richard. Both Lollar and Baker had criminal records with minor drug-related offenses.

But they moved from Akron to Atlanta in search of a better life. Lollar was trying to make it there as a barber, Baker as an artist. Lollar also was ready to have a family. His fiancé, Kellye Smith, was pregnant with his daughter, born about a month after his murder.

The daughter is now 12 and attends a private school near Atlanta. The family says it tries to shield her from the details of her father's death.

"She just knows her father is not here," says Katheryn Smith, mother of Kellye Smith. "She doesn't really know what happened. So far, we've kept most of it from her."

Katheryn Smith says she harbors no grudge against Lewis, though the circumstances are different from those of other relatives.

Smith's family sued Lewis for $13 million and reached an undisclosed settlement on behalf of Richard Lollar's daughter in 2004.

In the suit, Lewis answered questions under oath in a deposition.

"His attitude during the deposition and everything wasn't that great," Katheryn Smith says of Lewis. "He disappointed me in the things he said. But I decided I wasn't the one (to judge). You have to leave that up to God, you know? He was there when it happened. I think they all got off fairly easy, but I don't have any hard feelings. I think he had a bad choice of friends."

She declined to elaborate on Lewis' deposition testimony, which has not been disclosed. Kellye Smith didn't return a message seeking comment. The settlement includes a confidentiality clause.

In another suit, Gladys Robinson, Baker's grandmother, also reached an undisclosed settlement with Lewis in 2003 after suing him for $10 million. She is now deceased.

Time with family
The way Priscilla Lollar remembers it, her son was supposed to come back to Akron soon after Jan. 31, 2000. He was supposed to pick her up and bring her down to Atlanta, where he could help keep her out of trouble. She says she was at a friend's house when her phone rang that day. It was her stepfather, who told her to come home.

When she learned from him what happened, "I didn't believe it," she says. She still doesn't. "I'm numb to the fact, even after all this time."

Her sister, Lollar-Owens, still wants to believe that Lewis feels their loss. Explaining why he was retiring now, Lewis recently said he wanted to spend more time with his children.

"I've seen where he was speaking about family and stuff, and I'm quite sure that every time he sees his son, he thinks about the son, grandson and father that we lost," Lollar-Owens says. "It would be impossible not to. Never a day goes by that we don't think about him."

For "closure," she wants to talk to Lewis. If she gets the chance, Lollar-Owens says she would ask him for money, not for herself, but to build a beauty salon in the name of her nephew, the barber.

"That would be my kind of closure, because I would have his memory," she says.

She also wants the truth. "I would like for him to tell one day exactly what happened," Lollar-Owens says.

It might help relieve the pain and anger for her mother, Joyce Lollar, who fell sick with heart trouble last month.

Joyce Lollar has bristled at the sight of Lewis on TV, a feeling shared by Greg Wilson, the uncle who helped raise Baker.

"I cringe. I just cringe," Wilson says of seeing Lewis on television. He's upset at how the case was handled by Howard. He also blames the NFL and Ravens. Prior to the next Super Bowl in 2001, then-Ravens coach Brian Billick criticized the news media for continuing to ask questions about the murders.

"The problem to me is America was more interested in him playing football instead of him paying the price for what he was involved in," Wilson says. "That's how we feel. They wanted nothing to happen to him. (Team owner) Art Modell didn't want his golden boy to suffer, so he could make money for him. So they did all they could to get him out of trouble."

The other men moved on after their acquittals. Oakley published an unedited book on the murders entitledMurder After Super Bowl XXXIV, copyrighted in 2010.
In the book's opening, Oakley describes a chaotic scene with several fights breaking out. He describes Lewis imploring his friends to get into his limo. He describes a man staggering in the street holding his side before "falling backward onto the street." He later describes three other men getting into the limo saying, "We kicked they ass."

The rest of the book is unavailable and out of print.

Wilson says there was supposed to be a meeting with Lewis and the families after the trial. It never happened.

"We wouldn't have went to the meeting anyway," Wilson says. "It would not have been a peaceful meeting. … I'll be very upset if they induct (Lewis) into the Hall of Fame. There's other people out there that committed a lesser crime and they're sitting in jail."

Baker, his nephew, "was raised in our home," Wilson says. "We have no compassion for Ray Lewis, for Art Modell, for any of them. We don't want to see him."


(usatoday.com)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- When Ray Lewis was selected in the first round of the 1996 NFL draft, he didn't even know the nickname of the team that drafted him.

The Cleveland Browns had just moved to Baltimore, and general manger Ozzie Newsome chose Lewis with the 26st overall pick after taking tackle Jonathan Ogden at No. 4.

"I picked up the phone," Lewis recalled, "and the first thing I said to him was, 'Ozzie, what's our team name going to be? Who are we?'"

Lewis quickly became the face of the Baltimore Ravens, and the stellar middle linebacker will remain a beloved figure in Charm City long after he pulls off his No. 52 jersey for the final time.

"When you think about the Baltimore Ravens, the first name you mention is Ray Lewis," Baltimore running back Ray Rice said Tuesday. "That's just what it is,
and it's something that will never be taken away from him."

The 37-year-old Lewis will retire after the Ravens finish their current playoff run. Baltimore (11-6) plays at Denver (13-3) on Saturday.

Lewis was elected to 13 Pro Bowls, was twice named NFL Defensive Player of the Year and was Super Bowl MVP after the 2000 season. But nothing makes him prouder than saying that he played 17 seasons, all with Baltimore.

"Out of everything that's been going on, that's probably the biggest thing that has me the most excited, that I've been able to stay in one place for so long," Lewis said. "You watch so many players go in and out, shuffle from team to team.

"For me to be here, I was a kid when I came here and didn't have a clue what was going on. I grew with this city and this city grew with me. I will die a Raven. That's an awesome, awesome feeling. There's no greater achievement for me, myself, to say I've always been connected to one thing my entire life."

John Unitas left Baltimore for San Diego, Joe Namath spent time with the Los Angeles Rams, Joe Montana bounced from San Francisco for Kansas City. The list goes on.

"Look at the guy we're going up against this week, Peyton Manning," Ravens guard Bobbie Williams said. "He could probably go back to Indianapolis and be mayor if he wanted to, but he couldn't finish his career in one place."

Lewis did. And although Lewis hasn't announced plans to run for office in Baltimore, Williams is certain his teammate could make some noise on election day.
"He's very political, well spoken, very articulate," Williams said. "He would put up some good numbers at the polls."

Baltimore loves Lewis, and he loves Charm City right back. After Lewis did his trademark dance on the field as the clock ran out on the Ravens' 24-9 win over Indianapolis last Sunday, Colts receiver Reggie Wayne called the celebration "disrespectful."

Lewis dismissed the charge Tuesday, insisting that the display was not intended as a slap in the face to the losing team.

"When he was in Pop Warner playing football, I was in Baltimore," Lewis said. "The game was over. I didn't go toward their sideline and make a big issue of it because I've never been that type of player. (It was) a salute to my city, knowing that people love to see that. And not just people. My teammate encouraged me the most. It was about me, honoring my team and honoring my city."

Williams started his 13-year career in Philadelphia, then toiled for eight years in Cincinnati before coming to Baltimore last June. Lewis started in Baltimore and ended in Baltimore. Period.

"It's awesome," Williams said. "Even some of the greats that have played this game, at the end of their career they bounced around trying to get one more year in. But for one guy to play here his entire career, and to be relevant even to the end, it's unheard of."

Lewis has been playing for Baltimore as long as the Ravens have been the Ravens. No other player in the world can make that assessment.

"It's a great thing, the relationship between Baltimore and Ray," coach John Harbaugh said. "It's very unique. I don't think there can ever be another situation like this. Jonathan Ogden was a similar situation, obviously. You've got two guys who came in when the organization was just beginning. As Ray said, before there were team colors, before there was a mascot, there was Ray and Jonathan Ogden. ... It's just a very special thing."


(ydr.com)

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne felt that Ray Lewis' final "squirrel dance" as a Baltimore Raven was disrespectful. Based on the reaction to our post, a lot of our readers surprisingly agree with Wayne.

Lewis isn't about to apologize.

"It wasn't about them at that time," the linebacker said Tuesday via BaltimoreRavens.com. "That was about capping off a heck of a legacy of 17 years. When he was in pop warner playing football, I was in Baltimore. To salute my city that way, I guess the trot around the field was disrespectful too. No. It wasn’t even about them."

Lewis and Wayne both went to the University of Miami. Guys from the "U" are insanely competitive and hate to lose. That's why we can't fault Wayne for his statements, even if they seem silly from the outside. It's like teams complaining about running up the score: The Colts could have stopped the Ravens from being in the position to celebrate Lewis' legacy.

It was a cool moment for an all-time great. For Wayne to complain is one thing. Anyone else that gets bent out of shape about it probably has deeper problems.
"The game was over," Lewis said. "I didn't go towards their sideline or make no big issue of that because I've never been that type of player. But [it was] to salute my city, knowing that people love to see that."

Lewis went on to say that he loves Wayne to death and how he texted Colts coach Chuck Pagano right after the game.

Lewis indicated that Wayne might have been upset by the loss, but stressed how much he cares for the veteran wide receiver, who is a fellow Miami alum and also a close friend of safety Ed Reed.

"It wasn't even about them," Lewis said. "It was about me honoring my team and honoring my city."


(nfl.com)

Having announced his impending retirement, Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis knows that each playoff game could be the last time he suits up. As luck would have it Saturday, the 17-year veteran will face old nemesis Peyton Manning when the Ravens visit Denver.

Including the Broncos' 34-17 victory Dec. 16 at Baltimore, Manning has beaten the Ravens nine consecutive times, with the first eight while wearing an Indianapolis uniform.

Despite that losing streak to Manning, Lewis recalled Tuesday during a teleconference that the meetings were fiercely competitive.

"It's always those close games (you remember)," Lewis said. "It's those classic memories that you reminisce about when the game is over. The warrior side of me remembers all those times being a heck of a battle."

Lewis said the losing streak to Manning means nothing in regard to Saturday's AFC division-round playoff game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The winner advances to the AFC championship game.

"It's a whole new game now," Lewis said. "The only thing that matters right now is if we win this week."

Lewis recorded 13 tackles Sunday in the wild-card playoff game victory over Indianapolis, playing for the first time since tearing his right triceps Oct. 14 against Dallas. He said he "feels great" and the 10 weeks off rejuvenated his body.

Manning said at some point he will personally greet Lewis with well wishes, whether it be on a hand-written note or with a face-to-face meeting. "(Lewis) is an excellent player," Manning said Tuesday. "He's made a huge difference for their team coming back; you could see the energy that he brought to that team on Sunday.

"My thoughts on Ray Lewis — you could go back every single time we played against him. ... Ray Lewis knows how I feel about him, and I'll share that with him at the appropriate time."


(denverpost.com)

The Baltimore Ravens' 24-9 wild-card win over the Indianapolis Colts ultimately might best be remembered as "The Ray Lewis Retirement Extravaganza."

There was the emotional pregame "squirrel dance." That bear hug with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Numerous tributes on the in-stadium screens. A postgame victory lap.

But when Lewis brought back the "squirrel" after lining up in the backfield on the Ravens' final play Sunday, Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne had seen enough.

"I saw it as disrespectful," Wayne said Monday on WNDE-AM in Indianapolis. "They'd already had a tribute every quarter."

We could see how the spectacle surrounding Lewis would become tiresome for a Colts team that traveled to Baltimore solely to keep its season alive. Instead, they became a supporting act to a day about Ray.


(nfl.com)

One more nugget from Ray Lewis' last stand in Baltimore.

In the hours before Lewis took the field for his final home game at M&T Bank Stadium -- he's set to retire after the season -- teammate Brendon Ayanbadejo noticed something peculiar about the Ravens legend.

"I've never really seen Ray nervous before," Ayanbadejo told Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports, after Baltimore's 24-9 wild-card victory over the Indianapolis Colts set up a trip to Denver to face the Broncos next weekend.

Ayanbadejo rode shotgun in Lewis' white Infiniti from the team's hotel to the stadium and saw, as Silver described, an "emotional teammate savoring every second of the journey."

"I mean, Ray Lewis doesn't get nervous," Ayanbadejo said. "Well, Ray was nervous. It was a pretty amazing sight."

Anything resembling the jitters melted away as Lewis led the Ravens with 13 tackles. The seven-time All-Pro saw plenty of action on defense against the Colts and, as the game's final seconds ticked away, thrilled the masses with his patented "squirrel dance."

One last moment with the people before vanishing into the Baltimore night.


(nfl.com)

The 37-year-old Lewis will end his 17-year NFL career after the Ravens complete a postseason that began with Sunday's first-round game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Lewis returned to his middle linebacker position after a 10-week absence. Minutes before the opening kickoff, Lewis thrilled the sellout crowd during introductions by coming out of the tunnel and gyrating to the tune "Hot in Herre."

Hundreds of fans had their cellphones raised to either take a picture or videotape the moment.

Lewis does the dance only before home games, and this was Baltimore's last this season at M&T Bank Stadium.

If the Ravens don't win Sunday, it will be Lewis' final game. If they beat the Colts, the Ravens will next play on Saturday in Denver.

Lewis concluded pre-game warmups by addressing the entire team on the 5-yard line. After his short speech, Lewis hugged a few teammates, mingled with a few people in the crowd and jogged to the sideline, where he engaged in a lengthy embrace with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Thousands of fans were wearing No. 52 jerseys. Lewis has been a fan favorite in Baltimore since he was selected in the first round of the Ravens' initial draft in 1996.

Ken Malik, 61, wore a purple Lewis jersey and a broad smile.

"It's the end of an era for the Baltimore Ravens," he said. "He's been a great player. He's stood for what the Baltimore Ravens are and what they have been since they (came) to Baltimore."

There is no age limitation for fans of Lewis, who made his NFL debut when Kylie O'Neill-Mullin was 4. She was wearing a long black tunic with Lewis' number on the front and back.

"This is a big deal. It's the last time he'll come out of the tunnel," she said. "It's the last time he'll play on this field. I'm excited to be here."

One fan had a sign with a purple heart and the No. 52 in the middle. Earlier, a helicopter flew overhead with the No. 52 painted on its undercarriage.

Lewis was sidelined since Oct. 14 with a torn right triceps. He worked diligently to return in time for the playoffs, and his hard work paid off.

Lewis was elected to 13 Pro Bowls and is a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He told his teammates on Wednesday, "This will be my last ride."


(nfl.com)

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, with Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis set to retire after the playoffs, has lauded the career and contributions of the future Hall of Famer, calling him "a special guy. Obviously, he's an incredible football player."

Speaking in an extensive interview with The Baltimore Sun, Goodell said he thought Lewis would likely stay in the league in some capacity long after retirement.

"It's very unique to have a player play 17 years in the NFL, and the second thing is to play with one team and to really, truly become the identity of the brand of football that they play," Goodell told The Sun. "It's passionate, emotional, physical.

"That's the kind of game Ray plays, and that's the kind of game the Ravens pattern themselves off of. That's a great thing for the Baltimore community, the Ravens' fans and for the team to have that kind of leadership. That's what it is: It's leadership. That's what he provided to the team, to the NFL and to the Baltimore community."

Lewis, 37, said Wednesday he would retire at season's end, that it was time for him to create a "new legacy."

"There comes a time for everybody," Goodell said. "You're saddened to have someone so special to the game of football leave the field, but I know that he's the kind of guy who will stay involved and who, one way or another, will continue to make a contribution back to the game of football. He's a special guy. Obviously, he's an incredible football player, but he's also made enormous contributions off the field."

Lewis, who hasn't played since tearing his triceps two months ago, intends to return when the Ravens host the Colts in Sunday's wild-card game, having resumed practicing Dec. 5. He is also close to signing a multiyear contract with ESPN to join the network as an NFL analyst, according to an SI.com report.

"I think he's a great example ... how you can play the game in a very physical way but play it fundamentally sound, using the right techniques, techniques that are safe for you and safer for the opponent," Goodell said. "Watching him play, it's just always 110 percent effort on every play. He's giving it his all, he's got incredible passion. He's a fierce competitor and you saw that in the way he played the game. It's something I admire and I love to watch him play."

Goodell said he and Lewis had regularly kept in touch during the commissioner's six-year tenure regarding pressing issues facing the league.

"He's a tremendous voice of reason," Goodell said. "He's someone that has a unique pulse of the players and that's helpful to me. That perspective is important to hear, and he would always share that with me whether he called or I called him. ... He means a great deal to this commissioner, and I could tell you that I will always seek out his input. He will stay involved, I'm certain of it, in football, and that perspective that he has is something I'll reach out for on a regular basis."


(espn.com)

ESPN is on the verge of adding Ray Lewis to its talent lineup.

Multiple sources told SI.com the Ravens linebacker is close to signing a multi-year contract with the network. At ESPN, Lewis is expected to have a significant role on the network's Monday Night Countdown program. As with most ESPN NFL talent, Lewis would also be featured on multiple platforms, including ESPN Radio.

No formal announcement from Lewis or the network is expected until the conclusion of the Ravens season. Lewis announced Wednesday that he planned to retire at the end of Baltimore's season. The Ravens host the Colts on Sunday in the AFC WIld Card round.

An ESPN spokesperson declined comment when contacted Thursday morning.

According to multiple sources, Lewis and his representatives from talent agency William Morris Endeavor met during the season with several of the NFL broadcast networks.

One of Lewis' main requirements, according to sources, was flexibility in his schedule so he could attend the games of his son, Ray Lewis III, who will be a freshman running back/defensive back next season at his father's alma mater, the University of Miami. Such scheduling made Lewis an unlikely fit for a full-time role on the Sunday morning shows aired by CBS or Fox where he'd be required to be part of pre-show meetings on either Saturday or early Sunday. There is a possibility Lewis could work for ESPN on some Sundays depending on his travel. Given his star power, it's very likely Lewis would have a role on ESPN's multiple-day coverage of April's NFL draft.

Every network with an NFL contract has a list of players and coaches who would make good broadcasters. Last month, SI.com interviewed executives at CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC and The NFL Network to find out who was on their watch lists. Unsurprisingly, Lewis was high on most charts. Some believe he can have a Charles Barkley-like impact in the studio.

"Ray Lewis has an intensity about him and a way of communicating that is very infectious," CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus said. "He is a bigger-than-life personality, very articulate and [has] an incredible passion for the game. If Ray Lewis decided to take that same passion and put it into a broadcasting career, I think he would be a terrific studio analyst or I imagine game analyst, too.

Fox Sports Media group executive producer John Entz echoed McManus. "I see Ray as a guy who would be great in the studio because he is so animated and emotive," Entz said. "I think he could fire people up there."

Lewis had 12 Pro Bowl appearances during his 17 seasons and is a two-time winner of the AP Defensive Player of the Year award, including in 2000, the same season he was voted Super Bowl MVP following his team's win over the New York Giants. Most consider him among the NFL's greatest middle linebackers and a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2018.


(cnnsi.com)

Emotions will run high at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday as Ray Lewis will in all likelihood be playing his last home game with a team whose tenure in Baltimore mirrors his own.

From 1996 to the present, Mr. Lewis has been the undisputed team leader.

The Baltimore Ravens, established in 1996 who arrived into town from Cleveland, have reached the NFL playoffs in 9 of 13 seasons since (and including) 2000 when they won the Super Bowl.  5 of those appearances have occurred consecutively dating back to 2008 and the arrival of Coach John Harbaugh.
From 2000 (the Ravens Super Bowl winning year) through the present, the Lewis-led Baltimore defense finished among the league’s Top 4 defenses 7 of 13 years…and only 3 times finished outside of the Top 10.

In short, Ray Lewis’ energetic play and inspirational demeanor is unquestioned, and he is a large reason for the team’s defensive success over the years.
But how much of the franchise’s $1.16 billion estimated worth (as of Forbes’ 2012 valuation estimates) is he responsible for?

Let’s account for inflation so we can compare apples to apples.  Multiplying the 1997 estimated nominal franchise value ($329 million) by a factor of approximately 1.433 (the ratio of the 2012 and 1997 CPIs) implies that the 1997 franchise value measured in current 2012 dollars was roughly $470 million.  This yields a $690 million disparity between the 2012 and 1997 franchise values.

How much of that additional $690 million can be attributed to Ray Lewis?

First, we must account for the financial consequences associated with a team that receives a new stadium.  As the time series data on the team’s revenues from the late 1990s and early 2000s shows, revenues realized a larger spike once the team started playing at M&T Bank Stadium than even after their World Championship.

For example, team revenue for 1998 (the first year of the new stadium) was $120 million…or an increase of 64% over the $73 million earned in 1997.  Conversely, team revenues for the 2000 championship season were $139 million…or an increase of 13% over the $123 million earned in 1999.  Throughout the 2000s, there were no one-year percentage increases in revenue that even approached the 64% increase generated from the new stadium effect.

In short, without a relatively new stadium, the Ravens would be more apt to have a franchise value in the $800-900 million range.  Thus, a new stadium in my estimation explains between one-third to one-half of the $690 million boost in franchise value experienced during Lewis’ tenure.

Second, we must account for the team’s success.  To appreciate the importance of success, consider that the Cleveland Browns play in a newer stadium (1999) but their franchise value is roughly $200 million less than the Ravens despite having a larger TV market than Baltimore.

Explanation?  The Browns have only reached the playoffs once since 1999 (2002), and this drives their value down relative to markets (like Baltimore) that regularly win.

But how much of the credit for that consistent success goes to Ray Lewis compared to his teammates’ collective efforts or the Harbaugh coaching regime?  Coach Harbaugh has already reached the postseason more times in 5 seasons (5) than Brian Billick accomplished (4) in 9 seasons.  In short, not all of the team’s successes can be tied 100% to Ray Lewis.  He played a major role, but there have been and still are many other role players.

Third, the historic brand appeal of the franchise has helped keep the Ravens franchise value among the NFL’s top third.  A brand appeal built upon a rich football history dating back to 1953 in Baltimore that eventually featured such historic names as Unitas, Ameche, and Berry.  A brand appeal that was yearning for an outlet in the years after the old Colts drove out of town in 1984 to Indianapolis.  Teams with newer stadiums (e.g. Detroit, Cincinnati, Arizona) don’t have the same historic brand appeal as football in Baltimore due to lack of historical success.

At the end of the day, it is my assessment that Ray Lewis’ financial influence upon the growth of the Ravens’ franchise value during his 17-year tenure likely lies near $100-125 million of the $690 million increase observed from 1997 to the present.

As large as this is, Lewis’ impact on the franchise and city still pales in comparison to what Peyton Manning did for Indianapolis.
The difference between Ray Lewis and Peyton Manning?


(forbes.com)

The salary-cap impact of Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis' pending retirement will amount to a net savings of $4.35 million for this year, an important bit of savings considering the AFC North champions' free agency needs.

Due a $5.4 million base salary in 2013, Lewis was scheduled for a salary-cap figure of $7.3 million.

The Ravens save the $5.4 million by virtue of Lewis' exit from the roster, but will still have to account for his $1.9 million in prorated bonus for 2013 and $650,000 and $400,000 in 2014 and 2015 for a total of $2.95 million in total dead money.

Lewis was signed to a seven-year, $42.5 million contract extension that included $16.5 million in total guaranteed money, including a signing bonus of $6.25 million.

The Ravens are expected to face a tight salary-cap situation even with Lewis' departure because they are expected to have to use the franchise tag to retain quarterback Joe Flacco, barring an advancement in contract discussions that hit an impasse in August with talks tabled until after the season.

The outlook for free safety Ed Reed is murky, too.

Reed could be expensive to retain after making $7.2 million this year in the final year of his contract.

Reed hasn't hired a new agent to represent him after a contract extension was broached last year. The Ravens haven't held talks with Reed this year, but he's expected to hire an agent after the season.

If the future Hall of Fame defender heads elsewhere, expect the potential suitors to include the New England Patriots, the Indianapolis Colts and others.
Reed will also contemplate retirement depending on how the Ravens fare in the postseason.

The Ravens will be challenged to replace a trio of key defensive free agents: outside linebacker Paul Kruger, who recorded a career-high nine sacks and will be sought after by teams looking for a situational pass rusher; cornerback Cary Williams, who intercepted a career-high four passes to go with 75 tackles and 17 pass deflections; and inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe.

Ellerbe is expected to field a strong market for his services as one of the top inside linebackers available if he hits free agency. He'll be an important player for the Ravens to try to retain following Lewis' retirement.

Despite dealing with a broken thumb, a sprained thumb, a left foot injury and a sprained right ankle that limited him to 13 games and seven starts, Ellerbe recorded a career-high 89 tackles to rank second on the team. He also emerged as the Ravens' top inside blitzer with 4 1/2 sacks.

Although the Ravens made a $10.5 million commitment to Jameel McClain last spring, he's recovering from a spinal cord contusion. While McClain had 79 tackles this season in 13 starts, he had no sacks or forced fumbles.

While Flacco is the No. 1 priority for the Ravens' offseason financially, they'll have other business to conduct to try to upgrade a defense that has improved over the past six games to finish the season ranked 17th in the NFL.


(baltimoresun.com)

The Baltimore Ravens are losing more than leadership after the season with the retirement of Ray Lewis.

They are losing one of the five best defensive players I have had the fortune to cover. As you might know, I started covering the NFL in 1972. Because of that, I was able to catch the end of Dick Butkus' career. He retired in 1973, and I marveled at how he roamed the field and made violent tackles.

Every time I watched Lewis, he reminded me of Butkus. Because Lewis was faster, maybe he should be ranked ahead of Butkus among the greatest defensive players ever, but out of respect to NFL history, I rank Butkus ahead of Lewis. Remember, I still go with Jim Brown as the best pure NFL football player I've ever seen.

So here are John Clayton’s top five defensive players:

1. Lawrence Taylor: He changed the game. He was so good at rushing the quarterback, Bill Parcells put him as a 3-4 linebacker and just let him rush. When you watch games, most of the time your eyes angle toward the quarterback. During the L.T. days, you ended up watching him. He was that good.

2. Reggie White: He was unblockable. White is considered the greatest unrestricted free agent in NFL history. Once he went to Green Bay, the Packers returned to their status as a legacy franchise. I can't tell you how many times I'd see White get angry at some cheap-shot block and then decide to line up in front of offender and embarrass him with a "hump" move.

3. "Mean" Joe Greene: Chuck Noll built perhaps the greatest football dynasty around Mean Joe. As a rookie, Greene was a little like Ndamukong Suh. Not only was he was difficult to block, he also lived up to his nickname. Veterans told him he didn't have to take the cheap shots, so Greene dominated cleanly and professionally.

4. Dick Butkus: NFL Films and the Sabol family captured his greatest on tape every week. Growing up, I looked forward to NFL Films' weekly highlights show in order to see the best of Butkus. Had he played now, he would be on the "SportsCenter" highlights every Sunday night.

5. Ray Lewis: I still remember a Ravens training camp at which I had to ask Lewis about his tackling style. Lewis always seemed to explode as he neared a ball carrier. I asked him whether my observation was valid.

Lewis smiled and noted that he was a wrestler in high school and much of that explosion came from his wrestling techniques. Could you imagine going against Lewis on a wrestling mat?

The 2000 Ravens defense was the third-best I've seen, ranking behind the 1970s Steelers' Steel Curtain and the 1985 Chicago Bears, and Lewis was the leader. What was amazing is how his presence has been able to help Baltimore maintain its defensive toughness for so long.

Lewis was Butkus-tough, but he was the perfect middle linebacker because of his range. When the Ravens eventually switched to a 3-4 defense, Lewis told me why their 3-4 was so different. Normally, 3-4 defensive coaches like bigger players. They like 260-pound outside linebackers who are tall. They like stout inside linebackers to stuff and run and ward off blockers.

The Ravens' 3-4 was always different because Lewis could run and tackle from sideline to sideline. He made sure the rest of the starting linebacker corps could also run, which allowed them to use lighter, more agile defenders.

One of the highlights of my tour of training camps this year was seeing Lewis at his lightest. To regain some of his speed and quickness, Lewis spent the offseason riding a bike. He rode as much as 80 miles a day.

It allowed him to come to camp more than 20 pounds lighter than the previous season.

Lewis will be missed next season, but I will be looking forward to the Pro Football Hall of Fame vote for him in five years. He will be inducted on the first ballot. He's earned it.


(espn.com)

One of the greatest players in NFL history is preparing to hang it up after the playoffs.

Ray Lewis, the Ravens linebacker and future Pro Football Hall of Famer, said today that he plans to retire following this season. The Ravens open the playoffs on Sunday against the Colts, in what will likely be Lewis’s last game in Baltimore.

“This will be my last ride,” Lewis said.

The Ravens’ first-round pick in the 1996 NFL draft, Lewis has been chosen to 13 Pro Bowls, is a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and was the Super Bowl XXXV Most Valuable Player.

Lewis’s decision is no surprise: At age 37, he has already played far longer than most NFL linebackers, and this season has been a disappointment, with a torn triceps muscle causing him to miss 10 games. Lewis also said on ProFootballTalk Live in October that he wants to step away from the game in time to watch his son play at the University of Miami next season, and there’s already speculation that he’ll line up a post-NFL job at ESPN.

So while players sometimes change their minds about retirement, this doesn’t seem like a rash decision for Lewis. These playoffs will probably be the last opportunity for football fans to see one of the best linebackers ever to play the game.


(nbcsports.com)

It’s widely believed that linebacker Ray Lewis will return from a torn triceps muscle to play for the Ravens when Baltimore welcomes the Colts back to town for the eighth time.

Coach John Harbaugh won’t be confirming that until he absolutely has to.

“It’s all going to be a game-time decision, as far as anybody knows,” Harbaugh said Monday, via CSNBaltimore.com.  “This is the playoffs, and we’re not taking about injuries.  We’re not talking about activations.  We really don’t care what you or anybody else thinks about that.”

They should care what the league office thinks, but as long as the injury report is complete there’s no further obligation to say anything about player injuries.Though the Ravens previously were fined $20,000 for failing to disclose that safety Ed Reed had a shoulder injury, the consequences for fudging the injury report are a relatively minor cost of doing business — especially when the business entails chasing a championship.


(profootballtalk.com)

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis is back on the active roster.

But that doesn't mean the Pro Bowler is a sure bet to be recovered enough from his triceps injury to play in the postseason.

Coach John Harbaugh already ruled him out for this week's road trip against the Cincinnati Bengals.

"We will not look at him again for this week. We'll look at him (for) the playoffs," Harbaugh said in his Wednesday press conference.

"It's an injury that is a 12- to 16-week injury. So, if you do the math going back, we thought there was a chance. He is progressing really well. I'm not saying he couldn't have played the last couple of weeks, but it would've been risky to reinjure it. The fact that there was some patience on Ray's part and our part, it turned out well."

Lewis suffered the injury in a Week 6 win against he Dallas Cowboys.

Being removed from the injured reserve list allows Lewis to fully practice with the team, but there's no guarantee he'll even be ready for action the first weekend in January.

"It's hard," Harbaugh said. "He wants to play. Nobody wants to play more than Ray, but Ray sees it for what it is, and he sees the big picture."


(usatoday.com)

Continuing a pattern from last week, Ray Lewis has been present during the portion of this week’s practices open to the media. But the 13-time Pro Bowl inside linebacker is still on the injured reserve list with a designation to return, which is why defensive coordinator Dean Pees isn’t making any assurances about Lewis’ return for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.

“It’d be great to have him back,” Pees said after Thursday’s practice. “I said that a couple weeks ago when we first started kind of seeing him come back. I’d love to have him back. I think it’d be a great emotional lift. But more than that, we could use some bodies in there, too, at linebacker. We’ll just have to wait and see whatever they say is a go, but we’d love to have him back.”

Without Lewis, Jameel McClain (spinal cord contusion) and Dannell Ellerbe (sprained right ankle/left foot), the defense started Josh Bynes and Brendon Ayanbadejo in last Sunday’s 34-17 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Bynes, an undrafted rookie last season, manned the Mike linebacker spot previously occupied by Lewis and McClain. If Ellerbe sits out his fourth consecutive game, Bynes would make his second career start.

“If it happens, it happens,” Bynes said. “I’m anticipating whatever. I prepare every game like I’m going to be a starter. Even with me knowing that I’m not going to play, I still prepare each and every week like I’m going to be a starter because you never know – just like what happened Sunday – when your time is going to come.”

Pees didn’t get into the specifics of what Lewis is doing in practice, but he said that Lewis has looked like, well, Lewis.

“At this time of the year, I don’t think there’s very many teams out there hitting like you do in training camp. So you don’t necessarily see the physical part,” Pees said. “But the mental part, that’s not going to leave you after 17 years missing a couple weeks. So he’s there.”

(baltimoresun.com)

After losing three games in a row, the Ravens could use a spark to get them on track Sunday against the Giants.

And what better lift could the Ravens receive than getting future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis back on the field? Lewis, who has practiced the past two and a half weeks, tore his triceps two months ago against Dallas, which left the rest of his season in doubt at the time.

After being on injured reserve-designated the past nine weeks, there's a growing chance he could be activated this week. If so, it could boost the confidence of a defense that's had eight starters miss games due to injuries.

Although Lewis has declined to comment until he's able to play, the speculation continues to grow that he could return Sunday.

"It would be great to have him back," Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. "I said that a couple of weeks ago when we first started seeing him come back. I'd love to have him. I think it would be a great emotional lift, but more than that, we could use some bodies in there at linebacker."

The final call will come from Baltimore's training staff as to whether Lewis is OK to play. And with current injuries to LB Jameel McClain (neck, out for the season) and LB Dannell Ellerbe (ankle), Lewis would certainly be utilized in any kind of capacity if available.

Lewis has practiced the past two days but to what extent is unknown. Because he's on the injured reserve-designated to return list, the Ravens are not required to list him on the injury report. If Lewis is able to play, there's a chance the Ravens wait until Saturday to make the roster move so that it remains unknown as to how much Lewis practiced.

"As far as what he's looked like during the week, he's looked like Ray," Pees said. "At this time in the year, I don't think there are very many teams out there hitting like you do in training camp. So you don't necessarily see the physical part, but the mental part, it's not going to leave you after 17 years, missing a couple of weeks. He's there."

His teammates are certainly hoping to see No. 52 leading the defense this week as well.

"It would be huge," OLB Paul Kruger said. "It would be a huge morale boost, and of course with the type of game he brings as well. I hope it can happen. We'll see."

(cbssports.com)

Ravens coach John Harbaugh acknowledged that injured linebacker Jameel McClain's roster spot could eventually go to Ray Lewis, who could be activated this week from injured reserve with a designation to return.

Lewis, who is trying to return from a torn right triceps, was working today, marking the third consecutive week that he's practicing.


(baltimoresun.com)

Reporters and fans are looking for any clues that linebacker Ray Lewis will be activated for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.

One hint may be that the Ravens have yet to replace linebacker Jameel McClain on the roster. On Monday, Head Coach John Harbaugh ruled McClain (spinal cord contusion) out for the remainder of the year, but the team has yet to place him on injured reserve.

So is it legitimate to speculate that the spot is being held for No. 52?

“I think it would be fair – and I’m pretty sure you’re going to do it any way – to consider any possibility on that,” Harbaugh said Wednesday.

The Ravens do have other options. They could bring up a player from the practice squad, as they have before with players such as linebacker Josh Bynes, defensive back Anthony Levine and safety Omar Brown this season. Inside linebacker Nigel Carr and outside linebacker Adrian Hamilton are current P-squad possibilities.

On Monday, Harbaugh left open the possibility that the Ravens could sign somebody. They did so on Tuesday, but it was running back Lonyae Miller to the practice squad. Baltimore could still make a move for a linebacker.

If Lewis is going to be activated, it would have to be by Saturday at 4 p.m. He has been practicing for two weeks, first returning on Dec. 5.


(baltimoreravens.com)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- His teammates will tell you that Ray Lewis is the greatest living practitioner of that rip-roaring piece of performance art known as the locker room pep talk. But don't take their word for it. Find him on YouTube and see for yourself.

Here is the Baltimore Ravens linebacker appealing to the pride of University of Miami football players: Know what you carry, when you carry that 'U' on your chest.

Here he is riffing on the essence of team with Loyola of Maryland men's lacrosse players: Nothing else matters but the man that's beside me.

And here he is channeling anger with Stanford's men's basketball players: If you ain't pissed off for greatness, you're OK with mediocrity.

Lewis played at Miami. He didn't play for Loyola or Stanford. But he'll talk to most anyone who asks, and even some who don't, such as football players at Elon, where he once showed up unannounced just because he happened to be in the neighborhood.

"Ray is the best motivational speaker anywhere," Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo says. "It's not just what he says, but how he says it. He gets inside your soul."

Aristotle called the sort of speech that summons our emotions epideictic. We know the locker room version of the genre better as Win One for the Gipper, a rallying cry that echoes across generations.

The rousing pregame speech is a staple of Americana — and of American cinema. If the climax of most sports movies is the slow-motion moment of triumph, it is typically preceded by a rhetorical call to arms from a gravel-voiced coach offering fire-and-brimstone wisdom to his room full of doe-eyed underdogs.

Some of these great movie moments are made up, such as the speech given by fictional Miami Sharks coach Tony D'Amato in the 1999 film Any Given Sunday. Al Pacino repeats the word inch a dozen times in his stem-winder.

We're in hell right now, gentlemen. Believe me. And we can stay here, get the (blank) kicked out of us, or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb out of hell, one inch at a time.

Some of these great movie moments are taken from real life, such as the speech by U.S. men's Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks, played by Kurt Russell, in the 2004 film Miracle. This one is based on what Brooks told his young Americans the night they upset the mighty Soviet juggernaut in 1980.

If we played them 10 times, they might win nine, but not this game. Not tonight. Tonight, we skate with them. Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can. Tonight, we are the greatest hockey team in the world.

It's no secret that a pep talk delivered with passion and cadence works theatrically and thematically. Shakespeare had that figured out long ago. Witness King Henry's bravura elocution before the Battle of Agincourt in Henry V:

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he to-day that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.

Ray Lewis couldn't have said it better himself.

Pep talks overrated
Here's the advice of one coach enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Forget everything you know of pregame speeches from the movies.

"Pep talks are the most overrated item you can think of," Marv Levy says. "There are far, far fewer of them than the public perceives."

When Levy coached the Buffalo Bills from 1986-97, he often salted his oratory with Churchillian exhortations about finest hours and never giving up. But he typically delivered those talks the night before games, not in the locker room.

Levy says he preferred offering perspective to raising adrenaline, which risks revving motors so high that players go out and make mistakes. "I wanted to spur them to thoughtful action," Levy says, "not stupid, over-the-cliff emotion."

Levy, 87, who holds a masters degree in English History from Harvard, was rarely at a loss for words. Some coaches are.

Mike Sellers is an assistant football coach at Huntingdon (Pa.) Area High School. He remembers a night in 2007, before he was an assistant, when he was in the pregame locker room as the Bearcats' webmaster. The coach had nothing to say so he asked his assistants if maybe they did. They didn't. So the coach threw it to Sellers.

"I had nothing," Sellers says. Then a light bulb went off — and now he is proprietor of pregamespeeches.com, which bundles prefab pep talks for coaches in need.

The site gets 800 to 1,000 hits a day but sells only 20 to 45 packages a year, $14.99 for bundles of eight generic speeches. Here's a taste:

The time is now. This is the day. This is the hour. It has been set aside, marked and reserved for you. This is your time to succeed. Your destiny awaits you.
Win one for the Gipper

George Gipp, Notre Dame's first All-America football player, died of pneumonia in 1920. Eight years later, Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne delivered a halftime speech that propelled the Fighting Irish to a 12-6 upset of Army. Or so the legend goes.

Murray Sperber, author of Shake Down the Thunder: The Creation of Notre Dame Football, believes that Rockne made up the deathbed scene in which Gipp asks Rockne to tell the team some day — "when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys" — to win just one for, well, him.

Two years after that Army game, a Collier's story ghostwritten for Rockne tells the tale pretty much as Hollywood would render it in the 1940 film Knute Rockne All American. Pat O'Brien, playing Rockne, gets a faraway, misty-eyed look, his voice wavering slightly as he gives the locker room speech against which all others are weighed.

"I knew a guy who played for Rockne, that's how old I am," Levy says, "and he told me that wasn't really Rockne talking" — that was Hollywood.

Still, the real-life Rockne could clearly punch-up a speech. Find him on YouTube wearing a jaunty fedora, hands tucked casually in suit coat pockets, except when punctuating a point with his fists .

And don't forget, men: Today is the day we're going to win. They can't lick us. … The first platoon men — go in there and fight, fight, fight, fight, fight! What do you say, men?

Robert N. Sayler, co-author of Tongue-Tied America: Reviving the Art of Verbal Persuasion, says coaches must "build up a reservoir of credibility" with their players to make such appeals work.

"The gripping speech that has the feeling of let's go win one for the Gipper will have a memorable theme and great phrasing, sentences that you remember when you walk out of the locker room," Sayler says. "Simplicity is crucial to the epideictic, moving, power-house speech. And, obviously, they have to be well delivered, with cadence and dramatic pauses to set up the theme."

Parody and hilarity
Nothing is over until we decide it is. Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell, no!

John Belushi, as Bluto Blutarsky, utters those immortal if historically inaccurate words in the 1978 film Animal House during a pep talk without the locker room that has become so much a part of American culture that you can get it as a ringtone.

It's a parody of pep talks — and the movies' convention of them — but hardly history's only one to elicit laughs.

Time was drawing short before kickoff of 1964's AFL championship game and referees knocked on Buffalo's locker room door. Paul Maguire, the Bills' punter of that era, recalls running back Cookie Gilchrist yelling at coach Lou Saban to get the team moving. Saban jumped up on a table.

"I only have one thing to say to you," Saban shouted. "Heads down, toes up!"

Gilchrist started to open the door, then stopped, closed it, and looked at Saban.

"What the (blank) does that mean?"

"I don't know," Saban said. "I'm as nervous as you are."

The Bills burst out of the room, laughing uproariously, and beat the San Diego Chargers 20-7.

"I never found out if Lou did it on purpose to get us loose," Maguire says. "I don't think so, but knowing him, maybe he did. Every time I asked, he just got that grin on his face."

Lewis motivates, leads
Lewis declined comment for this story through a Ravens spokesman. The guy who talks to everyone is not talking to anyone from the news media as he rehabs from a triceps injury that has kept him off the field since mid-October.

"Ray has a talent as far as talking and leading," Ravens safety Bernard Pollard says. "The passion he has is crazy, man. The players respect it. We know his life, what he's been through. He puts it all on the line for this team, this organization, this city."

Sometimes Ayanbadejo watches Lewis on YouTube. "It's like a time capsule, takes you back to the moment," he says. "They all make you feel excited. It's his energy, his emotion, his rawness, his words, his delivery, his sincerity."

And it doesn't hurt that Lewis is an all-time great.

"Ray has Greek god status around here," Ayanbadejo says. "He has a special gift. He can have a career in motivational speaking when he retires."

No matter how many times you hear him, "listening to Ray never gets old," Ayanbadejo says. "You always come away with something new."


(usatoday.com)

The Ravens remain mum on whether Ray Lewis will play Sunday against the Denver Broncos, but the middle linebacker was present at the early portion of practice open to the media.

Lewis has not played since Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys because of a torn right triceps injury. He practiced some last week but there was no sign of him during the early part of Wednesday's practice, fueling speculation that he may not be ready to return against the Broncos.

Linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, who has missed the past two weeks with an ankle injury, returned to practice on a limited basis. After missing yesterday's practice, defensive end/tackle Arthur Jones (shoulder) was back on the field today as well as a limited participant.


(baltimoresun.com)

The record says Peyton Manning knows how to beat the Baltimore Ravens. Still, it's clear the Broncos quarterback holds the Ravens defense in high regard.
Wednesday afternoon, Manning called Ed Reed the best safety of the last decade, praised the passion and intensity of linebacker Ray Lewis and said the Broncos face a major chore Sunday in Baltimore.

"They are an extremely tough team to play at home," Manning said. "They have had some injuries, like all teams do, but I know they have that next-man-up mentality. Defensively, they create a lot of turnovers and are extremely tough to score touchdowns against once you get in the red zone."

The Broncos are 0-5 against the Ravens in Baltimore, but Manning is 8-2 against the Ravens in his career and 4-2 in the six times he has faced the Ravens in Baltimore, including 1-0 in playoff games.

Regarding Reed, Manning said: "Ed Reed, in my opinion, is the best safety in the NFL and has been for this past decade. I could go on and on. He's got tremendous ball skills, tremendous range and (he is) a tremendous athlete."

Lewis, the longtime inspirational leader of the Ravens' defense, remains on the injured reserve-designated to return list with a surgically repaired right triceps. Lewis' status for Sunday's game remains a question mark.

"Ray's a tremendous player with a tremendous passion and that has not changed a bit since I first played against him in 1998," Manning said. "That's pretty impressive for a guy in his 17th year."

The Broncos are in pursuit of the AFC's No. 2 seed in the playoffs, but Manning said the Broncos (10-3) are not making too much of Sunday's game against the Ravens (9-4).

"It's the next game," he said. "I think we have done a good job of placing importance on every team we have played. We have focused on the moment. Certainly, Baltimore is a very easy team to grab your attention, especially when you are playing there."


(denverpost.com)

LANDOVER, md. — In need of a little pick-me-up, the Baltimore Ravens hope to have one of the league's all-time greats back in the lineup Sunday against the Broncos.

Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis, who returned to practice from injured reserve last week, is eligible to return to play against the Broncos.

That return is still in question and would almost be unprecedented as Lewis tore his right triceps in a Week 6 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Lewis had surgery shortly after the injury and the Ravens used the "designated to return" tag on him when they placed the perennial Pro Bowl selection on injured reserve.

"He's always meant a lot," said Ravens defensive lineman Arthur Jones. "He's amazing."

Lewis returned to practice last week and was seen throwing a football at times, using his right arm, between drills and was working on a blocking sled using both arms as well.

Lewis released a statement last week that said: "I'm making progress. ... But, the story shouldn't be about me right now. ... When I know I will play in a game, or when I play in a game, I will say more then."

The Ravens are 4-3 without Lewis in the lineup, including Sunday's overtime loss to the Washington Redskins.

The Ravens could be thin at linebacker given two linebackers — Jameel McClain and Josh Bynes — left Sunday's game. Bynes later returned in the second half, but McClain was evaluated for a neck injury and did not return to the game.

McClain had been playing in Lewis' middle linebacker spot.

"We hope we have everybody we can have (for the Broncos)," said Ravens tackle Kelechi Osemele. "We'll just get back to chopping wood, get back to work, and hopefully everybody who can play for us will be in the lineup."


(denverpost.com)

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis returned to practice this week. If it wasn't for NFL rules, he'd be ready to play in a game, too.

Fox Sports insider and NFL Network contributor Jay Glazer reported Sunday that Lewis is ready to go right now after recovering from his triceps injury. The Ravens expect Lewis to be available next week, when league rules allow him to return. Lewis has been out since being hurt Oct. 14.

Lewis was placed on injured reserve with a designated-to-return tag. Initially, it was believed Lewis would be lucky to return in time for the playoffs. Instead, it sounds like he'll return for the Ravens' massive Week 15 AFC showdown with the Denver Broncos.


(nfl.com)

Ravens All-Pro middle linebacker Ray Lewis returned to practice today from a surgically repaired torn right triceps, a big step in his comeback from a serious injury.

The former NFL Defensive Player of the Year will need to be activated from the injured reserve-designated to return. The first time he's eligible to play in a game is Dec. 16 against a Denver Broncos offense headlined by quarterback Peyton Manning.

Lewis issued the following statement: “I’m making progress and will practice some today. But, the story shouldn’t be about me right now. We’re playing the Redskins Sunday, and I am not eligible to play. If I can help prepare my team in some way for that game, I will. When I know I will play in a game, or when I play in a game, I will say more then.

"He will not play on Sunday," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins. "I don't know if he's ready to play physically anyway. This is part of his rehab.

"We'll see how he does. When the time comes for Ray to play, we'll let you know. We're not going to spring it on you. I don't know when it's going to be."
Teammates are excited about Lewis' pending return.

"That's like a blessing," nose guard Terrence Cody said. "You got your captain back, your leader and you just want to see good things for guys like that."

Added defensive end Arthur Jones: "It means a lot, anytime you have a guy like him around the building, it's amazing. Ray Lewis is a guy that has that passion. He's a guy that loves football and he's a guy that didn't come back for the stats. He came back for the passion of football. Why not? Ray Lewis is the man."
The Ravens are 4-2 during Lewis' absence.

"He's Ray Lewis," said Jameel McClain, who has filled in capably at middle linebacker with Lewis sidelined. "Everybody knows how much it means. Whether it adds up to something in the long run, we don't know that yet. Only Ray knows that, but having him here is definitely a plus for all of us.


(baltimoresun.com)

Ray Lewis has let himself go.

Clearly focused on one objective – beating “best friend” Paul Rudd in a Madden rivalry that seems to have no end – Lewis has failed to shave in months and doesn’t even know what time of year it is.

“Is it Christmas?” Rudd asks as the two sit in a poorly-lit room playing the game with only a few Christmas lights and the flickering TV to brighten the atmosphere.

“I don’t know,” responds a glazed-over Lewis, who is sporting an unkempt afro and a scraggly beard resembling that of Moses.

It’s game No. 698 of 1001 between the two in a series of hilarious commercials that launched back in August to promote Madden 13. If you don’t recall the others, I got your back, here you go.

Lewis can’t seem to beat Rudd – ever – and that trend continues into December. This time, his loss was accompanied by a new Christmas tune sung by Rudd:

“You just fa la la la la la la la la lost.”


(baltimoreravens.com)

The Baltimore Ravens are unsure about linebacker Terrell Suggs' status with torn biceps injury but the team expects linebacker Ray Lewis to return to practice Wednesday, a source told ESPN's Ed Werder. Lewis tore his triceps a little over seven weeks ago.

If Lewis can return Dec. 16 against Denver (the first game he's eligible to play) and Suggs is out for an extended period, that's a bad trade-off for the Ravens. Even though Suggs hasn't played like the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, he is still more of a playmaker than Lewis at this stage of their careers.

But the Ravens do need Lewis to return as soon as possible. Baltimore was down to reserves Brendon Ayanbadejo and Albert McClellan at inside linebacker with Lewis and Dannell Ellerbe both injured Sunday against Pittsburgh. Without Lewis or Ellerbe in the middle, a below-average run defense is even more vulnerable.

I'm still in a wait-and-see mode with Lewis. There was speculation that he would return to practice last week and he didn't. But if there is an NFL player who can come back from a torn triceps injury in less than two months, it will be Lewis. Few expected Lewis to be playing in the league for 17 years.


(espn.com)

It's debatable whether the Baltimore Ravens need linebacker Ray Lewis to hurry back from his torn triceps injury. They're 4-1 without him and the defense has allowed an NFL-best 14.5 points the past four weeks.

What you can't dispute is Lewis is at his best when running the defense. His experience and film study allows him to anticipate what the offense will run, and Lewis tells his teammates where they should line up. There's a reason why Terrell Suggs refers to Lewis as "The General."

That's why it's timely that Lewis is expected to be back for the Dec. 16 game against the Broncos. Peyton Manning is constantly audibling at the line of scrimmage, and Lewis is perhaps the best defensive player who knows how to counter that. If you've ever watched Lewis versus Manning, they're constantly shouting and signaling before the ball is snapped. It's a very vocal chess match.

Even though the Ravens could wrap up a playoff berth and possibly the division with a win over the Steelers on Sunday, Baltimore still will have a lot to play for in the next month. There is motivation to have Lewis back in the regular season. A veteran team like the Ravens is seeking a top-two seed and a first-round bye. A game against the AFC West-leading Broncos could determine whether the Ravens are playing in the first round or getting a much-needed week off.


(espn.com)

OWINGS MILLS — Middle linebacker Ray Lewis didn’t practice Thursday, the first day he was eligible to do so after being placed on the injured reserve — designated to return list Oct. 17.

Lewis was put on injured reserve with a designation to return following surgery to repair a complete tear of his right triceps.

Lewis’ injury typically involves a four- to six-month recovery, but Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday that he expects Lewis to return at some point this season and that it’s a possibility he could return to practice as soon as this week.

Under the NFL’s new designated to return exemption for players put on injured reserve, a player can return to practice six weeks after being placed on injured reserve and to game action after eight weeks.

The first game Lewis is eligible to play in is the Ravens’ Week 15 matchup with the Broncos Dec. 16.


(carrollcountytimes.com)

Ray Lewis has entered the building.

The 37-year-old, 17-year veteran linebacker has moved his rehabilitation location from Miami to the Baltimore Ravens' training facility, and becomes eligible to rejoin his teammates in practice on Thursday.

However, it's uncertain if Lewis, who tore his right triceps against Dallas in Week 6, will practice then. Coach John Harbaugh was noncommittal on Lewis' practice status.

"Ray Lewis is here rehabbing but he's not practicing (Wednesday)," Harbaugh said. "We'll play it day by day as far as whether he practices or not. It's not imminent that he returns to play or anything like that, so really it's a non-story. He'll go out there when he's ready to practice and when that happens, we'll let you know."

It's believed Lewis could be back to game action as early as Dec. 16, when the Ravens host the Denver Broncos.

On Monday, Harbaugh said there was no definite way to know when Lewis could come back because the training staff and coaches had been unable to see how far along the progress with his triceps tear has been.

Based on conversations he had with Lewis, Harbaugh was confident his middle linebacker would return this season.

RB Ray Rice saw Lewis in the weight room Wednesday, saying the future Hall of Famer was in a "full-out sweat" during a workout.

"It means a lot just seeing him out there," Rice said. "If he can come back to practice, that would be amazing. The guy, to me, he's my modern day Superman. If he can do it, anybody can do it."

For the 2012 season, Lewis has 57 tackles and one sack. Rice added that he believes Lewis is trying to return before the season's end because he believes the 9-2 Ravens have a chance to make one last run to the Super Bowl before his legendary career comes to an end.

"Why is he coming back? People ask that question all the time," Rice said. "He's coming back because he firmly believes this is the team that can do it. He does it for us. He's not doing it for stats or fame. He's doing it solely because he loves the Ravens, his teammates and the organization."


(cbssports.com)

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was rehabbing his torn triceps injury Wednesday at the team's facility, but it still is unknown whether the former two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year will practice this week.

Lewis, who is on the injured reserve/designated to return list, is eligible to begin practicing Thursday. Ravens coach John Harbaugh classified Lewis' status as "day by day."

"He is not imminent to return to play (in a game) or anything like that, so to me it's really a nonstory," Harbaugh said Wednesday. "He'll go out there when he's ready to practice when the elbow holds up. And when that happens, we'll let you know."

Lewis won't be eligible to play until Dec. 16 against the Denver Broncos at the earliest.


(espn.com)

When things break right for the Ravens, they really break right.

Less than 24 hours after their most exciting win of the season -- the 16-13 overtime victory over San Diego highlighted by Ray Rice’s electrifying (and game-saving) 30-yard catch-and-run in the waning moments of the fourth quarter -- there seems to be more good news radiating from the Under Armour Performance Center.

Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Ray Lewis is recovering so well from his torn right triceps he could be back on the field as early as the Ravens’ Dec. 16 game against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.

There’s no under-stating how much the Ravens feed off the intensity of their 37-year-old future Hall of Fame linebacker.

Did you see him cheering wildly on the sideline all game long yesterday, even when the Ravens’ offense was in that awful funk in the first half?

Did you see how fired up he was when the team finally started playing well in the second half and the defense made a number of heroic stands with the game on the line?

As each defensive player left the field, the CBS cameras captured him getting an arm-lock or a high-five or a fist bump from the Ravens’ emotional and spiritual leader. (Paul Kruger got a head-rattling smack on the helmet and beamed like he’d just hit the Lotto jackpot.)

Now multiply that excitement and focus ten-fold and you have a sense of what it’s like for the rest of the Ravens to have No. 52 stomping and snorting and battling on the field alongside them.

Maybe Lewis is trying to show that Terrell Suggs isn’t the only Raven who can make a seemingly miraculous return from a devastating injury weeks ahead of schedule.

It’s no surprise the man would throw himself into rehabbing his injury with all the fury and dedication he’s brought to the middle linebacker position for 17 seasons.

And maybe the fact he’s embraced alternative medical techniques – a hyperbaric chamber and platelet-rich plasma therapy, to name two – has helped speed his recovery, too.

Whatever the case, the Ravens have to be thrilled to hear Lewis could be back soon. His pre-game speech to the team before Sunday’s game – heavy on hope, faith and love, John Harbaugh said -- was thought by some to rank with his all-time best.

But nothing beats having No. 52 on the field -- even if, physically, he’s not the player he once was.

As the Ravens head into the playoffs, they’ll take any version of Ray Lewis they can get – every time.


(baltimoresun.com)

More than a half dozen sources told Yahoo Sports that Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis could come back from torn triceps by Week 15, when Baltimore plays host to Denver in a game that could determine a top-two seed and a first-round bye.

Under that timetable, Lewis would return nine weeks after undergoing surgery. That recovery would trump Terrell Suggs' comeback from an Achilles injury this year.

But do the Ravens really need Lewis to rush back? The play of the Ravens defense says no.

With Lewis, the Ravens went 5-1 and allowed 19.6 points per game. Without him, Baltimore has a 4-1 record and has given up 20.2 points per game.

With Lewis, the defense allowed 396.6 yards per game, including 136.5 on the ground. Without him, the Ravens have given up 344.6 total yards, including 118.8 yards rushing.

This isn't the same situation as the Steelers with injured quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers offense desperately needs him to return.

This Ravens, on the other hand, are considered a virtual lock to win the AFC North right now, leading the Steelers and Bengals by three games with five weeks remaining. The defense has found its groove in the red zone, not allowing a touchdown inside its 20-yard line in the past four games. There really is no need for Lewis to be a medical miracle.

One source told Yahoo Sports that Lewis could practice as soon as this Thursday, the day he's eligible to do so after having been placed on the "injured reserve designated to return" list six weeks earlier, and almost certainly will return sometime in the next month. Lewis wouldn't confirm any timetable return, saying, "You've got eyes -- what do you expect to happen? I'm here to support my team."

The Ravens have adjusted to life without Lewis, moving Jameel McClain to Lewis' spot and putting Dannell Ellerbe in the starting lineup. Ellerbe has been one of the Ravens' most consistent defenders this year.

But Ellerbe left the Chargers game with an ankle injury and didn't return. He told the Baltimore Sun that he plans to play against the Steelers on Sunday, although he may undergo an X-ray on Monday.

"I will do everything in my power to be out there," Ellerbe said.

Based on how the defense has been playing lately, Ellerbe's status may be more important than Lewis' this week.


(espn.com)

In a plot twist that may provide the NFL's answer to Willis Reed's one-legged inspiration in 1970 and Kirk Gibson's limp-off blast in 1988, the Ravens are quietly looking forward to another miracle, perhaps this one of the Christmas variety.

More than half a dozen sources told Yahoo! Sports that legendary linebacker Ray Lewis, believed to be lost for the season after suffering a torn triceps in mid-October, is expected to return before the end of the 2012 campaign, perhaps as early as the Ravens' Dec. 16 showdown with the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos at M&T Bank Stadium.

"At the end of the day, you're gonna see Ray Lewis again," said veteran linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, one of the many players attempting to fill the void during the future Hall of Famer's absence. "For the greatest player in Ravens history to be able to return from this injury and come on this championship run with us? When he was said to be down and out? Man, that's critical mass. When he comes through that tunnel, that's gonna be the earthquake and the tsunami."

Lewis, who gave a fiery speech before Sunday's game and cheered on his teammates from the sidelines, wouldn't confirm his plans to return, saying, "You've got eyes — what do you expect to happen? I'm here to support my team."

A source close to Lewis said the 37-year-old linebacker has been aggressively treating his triceps injury with a variation of the platelet-rich plasma therapy that helped injured Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Hines Ward return from a knee sprain to play in the team's Super Bowl XLIII victory. The source said Lewis could practice as soon as this Thursday — the day he's eligible to do so after having been placed on the "injured reserve designated to return" list six weeks earlier — and almost certainly will return sometime in the next month.

Depending upon the way his arm responds, Lewis could be activated to face the Broncos (the first game for which he'd be eligible), or for the following week's home game against the New York Giants — or, if a more conservative approach is favored, Baltimore's playoff opener. "He might not be back until we really need him," Ayanbadejo said. "Pittsburgh losing probably gives us more time."

"We'll see in another couple of weeks," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said Sunday. "Stay tuned."

Said Ravens coach John Harbaugh: "I would say it's possible. We can't put Ray out there until he's ready to win those battles. But if it can be done, yes, we want to do it."

One player who's especially captivated by the prospect of Lewis' return is Suggs, who recently made a stunning comeback of his own. Described Sunday by Harbaugh as a "walking miracle" — there's that word again — Suggs shocked the football world by making his 2012 debut in an Oct. 21 defeat to the Houston Texans, less than six months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.

"When I got hurt I asked the doctors, 'How long do I have to sit out?' " Suggs recalled Sunday. "They said, 'Well, the earliest most people come back from this is nine months, but it's usually a year.' I just chose not to accept that. I had to get back. We came so close last year. We're on the brink of something big. I didn't want to leave the job undone."

Now, when Lewis assures teammates he'll rejoin them, T-Sizzle is among the most fervent believers.

"He keeps saying, 'Just hold it down till I get back,' and we believe him," said Suggs, who had one of the Ravens' six sacks of Philip Rivers on Sunday. "He's gonna do whatever he possibly can to get back. No, [it's] not crazy. If anybody can do it, it's him."

In the meantime Lewis is contributing many of his trademark touches as a team leader, from Sunday's pregame speech (which focused on "faith, hope and love") to the first-down signals he gave while emphatically prowling the sideline in overtime. To get there, the Ravens had to overcome a sluggish offensive performance that included a 10-0 halftime deficit and punts on their first six possessions.


(sports.yahoo.com)

On Sunday night, Ray Lewis was on the sidelines in Pittsburgh, watching the Ravens pull out a crucial victory. With the attachment the linebacker has always felt for the Baltimore franchise it's understandable that he was completely entrenched in the game's action, despite an injury that will keep him out of action for the remainder of the season.

Yet as much as Lewis may have been focused on the Ravens' travails, the matchup was actually just the second-most stressful football game he attended over the course of the weekend. That's because Ray Lewis II was on hand to see his son, Ray Lewis III, and junior Lewis' Lake Mary (Fla.) Prep take on Deltona (Fla.) Trinity Christian School in a Class 2A regional semifinal. In this case, there was more than a playoff victory at stake, too, with Lewis III on the verge of a county record.

As reported by the Orlando Sentinel, Lewis III ran for two touchdowns and threw for another to lead Lake Mary Prep to a 38-12 victory. His second rushing touchdown -- an impressive 72-yard gallop to the end zone in the third quarter -- accounted for the 89th rushing touchdown of Lewis III's career, one more than former Lake Howell (Fla.) High running back Marquette Smith, who held the Seminole County career rushing touchdown record until Lewis III arrived on the scene.



While Lewis III still has opportunities to pad those stats in the weeks ahead, those won't be the final chance for fans in Florida to see the younger Lewis run with the ball. Lewis III has committed to his father's alma mater, Miami, where he hopes to leave as much of a mark as his father did.

Whether or not Lewis III ever reaches those heights remains to be seen. Regardless, he'll always have one proud papa following him whenever he's not on the football field himself.


(yahoosports.com)

Injured Ravens star middle linebacker Ray Lewis didn't attend his annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway event today due to a scheduling conflict with his rehabilitation schedule, according to an officer with his charitable foundation.

Lewis is on injured reserve-designated to return after tearing his right triceps and undergoing surgery, but is expected to potentially return in time for the postseason.

"He has some rehab things to take care of at this time," said Julian Brown, an officer with the Ray Lewis Foundation. "He had some other things he had to take care of as well on a personal level."

Lewis' foundation handed out holiday packages to 500 preselected families, including a turkey, carrots, potatoes, blankets and jackets.

"It's about giving back," Brown said. "We do it to reach a population and make sure we're touching different areas of the community."


(baltimoresun.com)

Some consider Baltimore Ravens star linebacker Ray Lewis, 37, an artist on the football field. But that's only one area where he expresses himself. You'll find creativity in how he presents himself -- he designs most of his suits -- and the world he sees around him in his photography — both of which were on display at Maryland Art Place's "LUX" Gala. "The Sun Diaries" is a group of five photos Lewis took of his favorite subject, the sun.”

"My art really symbolizes something that man doesn't control."

HIS STYLE: "Passionate. Everything I do, no matter what I put on, I do it with passion. ... Definitely dress is one of the biggest things I do with energy.”

WHAT HE'S WEARING: A three-piece gray suit he designed, that features hand-stitching on the lapels. "I design them to be a bit unique. You can never walk in the same place and be seen with the same suit on [as someone else]." A custom-made white shirt with French cuffs and spread collar. A woven red and gray tie in a double Windsor knot. Fiancee Juliana Childress says Lewis is meticulous about which knot he uses for each outfit. Jeweled cufflinks that were a gift. Diamond embellished Franck Muller watch. "I've had Francks for a while now. Probably when Francks first came out, I fell in love with them. ... I'm a big watch collector."

HIS FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHIC SUBJECT: "I'm more excited about a sunrise [and sunset] than I am about anything else. ... I just think it's one of the greatest creations ever."

IT'S A PASSION GREATER THAN FOOTBALL: "Because you're talking about life. Football itself is a game. You know, the game will fade one day."


(baltimoresun.com)

Eight months after a stirring pregame locker room speech from Baltimore Ravens star Ray Lewis helped propel the Stanford basketball team to the NIT championship, the Cardinal collectively decided to try to return the favor.

They sent Lewis a motivational video a few weeks ago encouraging the 37-year-old future NFL Hall of Famer to keep his spirits up as he fights to come back from the season-ending torn right triceps he suffered Oct. 14 against Dallas.

Forward Andy Brown, who has returned from three ACL tears in the same knee to crack Stanford's rotation, tells Lewis he's confident the linebacker can come back stronger than ever from his injury. Guard Gabe Harris, who missed the final three months of last season with a right knee injury, delivered the same message. And guard Aaron Bright and forward Josh Huestis referenced Lewis' famous "pissed off for greatness" phrase in urging him to get well soon.



Said Bright, "We know that you're going to bounce back. We're pissed off for greatness, so we know you're pissed off to get back out on the field."

Said Huestis, "We're supporting you. Thanks for everything. We know you'll bounce back from this. Pissed off for rehab. Get after it, Ray.

It was important to Stanford players and coaches to express support for Lewis because they're grateful he took the time to speak to them before their NIT semifinal against UMass at Madison Square Garden last March. The speech from Lewis subsequently went viral on YouTube and social media and had Stanford players transfixed in a way that would be difficult for Johnny Dawkins or anyone on his staff to duplicate.

"Wins and losses come a dime a dozen," Lewis said that day. "But effort? Nobody can judge effort. Because effort is between you and you.
"I'm pissed off for greatness. Because if you ain't pissed off for greatness, that means you're OK with being mediocre."

Stanford took Lewis' message to heart, beating UMass 74-64 with Lewis watching from behind the bench and upsetting Minnesota in the title game two nights later to win the NIT for the first time since 1991.

The NIT championship was a nice stepping stone for a young Stanford nucleus hoping to accomplish bigger things this season. The speech from Lewis, however, is a memory that will last a lifetime.


(sports.yahoo.com)

Brad Keselowski may be just a few days from claiming a NASCAR Sprint Cup championship, capping an astronomical 18-month rise from virtual anonymity to elite status. And what's gotten him going? A commercial.

Well, not just any commercial. An EA Sports/Madden 13 commercial featuring an inspirational Ray Lewis. Yes, this is the world we're living in now. Keselowski said on Twitter that he's "watched it 100 times and think about it every chase race." See what you think:



Look, put aside the fact that Ray Lewis has, at the very least, a checkered personal history; the man knows how to motivate. If you're not ready to run through a wall after watching that, you may in fact be asleep. Or worse.

Keselowski's 2012 championship run will end, one way or another, in Miami, which coincidentally enough is where Lewis played his college football. If Lewis does show up on Keselowski's pit box on Sunday, we'd imagine there wouldn't be any drivers trying to pull a Clint Bowyer chase-down on the No. 2.


(sports.yahoo.com)

Linebacker Ray Lewis returned to Baltimore's training facility for the first time since tearing his right triceps in Week 6 against Dallas.

Lewis has been rehabbing his injury away from the Ravens' complex but made a surprise visit Friday. Following practice, Lewis broke down the team huddle, telling his teammates that he's still planning to return if the current group can make a deep run this postseason.

"It's great to see the leader, the general of your army, out there," linebacker Terrell Suggs told CBSSports.com. "He let us know he's on pace to come back. If we handle business, he'll be back in a Ravens uniform this year. We have to do our part, though."

Coach John Harbaugh didn't know he was arriving and admitted he was caught off guard a tad when he saw Lewis on the practice field watching his teammates practice.

"It was great to see Ray," Harbaugh said. "All of a sudden, I look back and there's Ray Lewis. He's doing well. He gave a great talk."

Lewis was placed on the injured reserve-designated to return list, meaning there's a chance he could return to the 53-man roster late in the year.

Lewis released a statement after returning to the facility, saying he's happy to be back with his teammates.

“I've really missed these guys and the feel of being around the team and in the locker room," Lewis said. "I am focused on rehabbing and getting my arm and body as strong as they can be. I will speak in person when I know a little more about my progress. I'm working hard and looking forward to coming back and helping this team. But right now, the focus should be on the guys playing, and I'll be the biggest cheerleader I can be for them.”

With Lewis out of the lineup, Dannell Ellerbe has filled in as a starter and has led the team in tackles the past two games (18 tackles, one sack).

Right guard Marshal Yanda said it was good to see Lewis return to the facility Friday, saying Lewis gave another one his trademark speeches.

"It was inspirational," Yanda said. "He always gives inspirational speeches. He gave a couple of key points to think about and hold in there."


(cbssports.com)

Ray Lewis rejoined Baltimore Ravens practice as a spectator Friday, surprising teammates who were unsure when the 37-year old linebacker would return to Maryland while rehabbing a torn right triceps.

And, in a public statement released by the team, Lewis appears to indicate that he wants to return from the injury, not retire.

"It's truly great to be back with my teammates," Lewis said in a statement issued by the team. "I've really missed these guys and the feel of being around the team and in the locker room. I am focused on rehabbing and getting my arm and body as strong as they can be.

"I will speak in person when I know a little more about my progress. I'm working hard and looking forward to coming back and helping this team. But right now, the focus should be on the guys playing, and I'll be the biggest cheerleader I can be for them."

It is yet unclear when Lewis will return from the tear suffered Oct. 14 vs. the Dallas Cowboys. The injury is projected as a season-ending one, though Lewis was placed on injured reserve with an exemption that would allow him to return later in the season.

On Friday, Lewis watched practice in sweats and chatted with coach John Harbaugh, who recently said he was unsure when Lewis would return from rehab in Florida and Arizona.

In two games since Lewis went down, the Ravens were trounced 43-13 by the Houston Texans, and last Sunday defeated the Cleveland Browns 25-15, allowing rookie running back Trent Richardson 105 rushing yards on 25 carries. Baltimore (6-2) has five remaining games vs. teams which made the playoffs last season, including two meetings with the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers and a Dec. 23 visit from the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants.


(usatoday.com)

For anyone expecting to see injured Ravens All-Pro middle linebacker Ray Lewis at practice or attending games anytime soon, they'll probably have to wait a bit longer.

Placed on injured reserve-designated to return after undergoing surgery to repair his torn right triceps suffered during a 31-29 win over the Dallas Cowboys, the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year has been rehabilitating away from the Ravens' training complex.

Lewis has been spending time in Florida and following his surgeon's advice as far as his recovery plan.

"He's doing well," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "He probably won't be in the building for a little while. He's got a protocol he's following. I can tell you this: He's got the best doctors in the world, to my understanding, working on his triceps. So, I fully trust Ray with his rehab right now. I know he's doing everything he can to get back."


(baltimoresun.com)

You've heard this one before: The Baltimore Ravens haven't been the same team on defense this year.

Opponents have preyed on this once-dominant unit, pouring out yardage and points on a defense that spent the past nine seasons ranked in the top 10.

Pass rusher Terrell Suggs is back from the Achilles' injury that forced him to miss the team's first six games, but ailments have pulled too many other key players out of the mix.

Suggs rates the loss of Ray Lewis above them all.

"There's no word, really, in the English dictionary that can describe how important this man is to this team and this city," Suggs said in a Thursday appearance on NFL Network's "Around the League Live," set to air at 4 p.m. ET. "Losing him was catastrophic, and it's going to be hard to fill that void."

Suggs sees Baltimore's 30th-ranked defense as the product of injuries and transition. Young players have been asked to step in and fill the void left by Suggs, Lewis and cornerback Lardarius Webb during the team's 5-2 start.

It hasn't gone smoothly, but there's no sense of doom and gloom inside the building.

"We're a group of men built on doing the impossible," Suggs said.

What we saw against the Houston Texans on Sunday was disturbing. The Ravens couldn't stop the run or slow down the play-action pass. If the offense isn't singing, this team has trouble competing, and that's very new for the Ravens.

Baltimore's defense has rescued a typically floundering offense for a decade-plus, but times are changing. Suggs believes his teammates can weather the storm.


(nfl.com)

Before Ray Lewis became a football star at Miami and a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year with the Ravens, the future Hall of Fame middle linebacker was a dominant state champion high school wrestler.

Growing up in Lakeland, Fla., Lewis won the Class 4A state championship in the 189-pound class as a senior at Kathleen High School.

Lewis was honored Sunday by the Maryland chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, given the organization's Outstanding American award for exemplary accomplishments beyond the sport.

Lewis didn't attend the event at the Loews Annapolis Hotel, but his high school coach, Stephen Poole, accepted on his behalf. Poole said Lewis was unable to travel because of the rapid approach of Hurricane Sandy, a previously-scheduled therapy session for his surgically-repaired torn right triceps and a meeting with his surgeon.

Lewis, 37, is on injured reserve-designated to return after injuring his arm during a 31-29 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Although a return this season is regarded as unlikely, Poole predicted that Lewis will play football next season.

"Never bet against him," Poole said. "Knowing Ray, I think he's going to come back. He'll want to go out with a flair, a big splash. He'll come back if he can physically doing it. I can definitely see Ray coming back." 

Poole recalled Lewis as a fierce competitor on the wrestling mat.

"He's a natural leader, a great person," said Poole, who coached Lewis for his junior and senior years. "No hassles, you tell him to do something and he just did it. Whatever the opponent gave him, he took advantage of whatever there was to take advantage of. He wrestled some great athletes. The wins weren't easy. He was sweating bullets doing it."

Lewis was twice named the Most Valuable Player in football at Kathleen, recording 207 career tackles, 10 sacks and eight interceptions with three blocked field goals. He returned four punts and three kickoffs for touchdowns.

He also doubled as a running back who rushed for 591 yards and eight touchdowns,

"I'm sure wrestling helped him in football, and football helped him in wrestling," Poole said. "He was just great for us. This is a huge honor, and he's very deserving."


(baltimoresun.com)

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Jameel McClain knows he is no Ray Lewis.

But McClain emulated the team's injured spiritual leader when he summoned a Ravens front-seven meeting at his home two nights after Baltimore surrendered 227 rushing yards in Week 6 in a 31-29 escape against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Ravens lost again Sunday, getting pounded 43-13 at the Houston Texans as they allowed another 182 yards on the ground.

The Baltimore defense has gone from feared to feeble, from dominant to bent and broken. The Ravens are an NFL version of the 2012 New York Yankees postseason lineup, whiffing on a lot of tackles.

The Ravens missed 21 tackles against the Cowboys along with suffering the possible season-ending losses of Lewis, a 13-time Pro Bowl linebacker, and shutdown cornerback Lardarius Webb, who had eight interceptions in 2011, including the postseason.

The once-proud Ravens have been bludgeoned for a combined 623 rushing yards in three consecutive games — two of them wins — against the Kansas City Chiefs, Cowboys and Texans.

"If we didn't get used to it today, something's wrong," Ravens safety Ed Reed said after Sunday's loss. "Ray is not here. We know Lardarius is out for the season.

"We have to move on and know that those guys will be back around here and motivating and encouraging. Everybody needs to look at themselves and make those corrections that we need to make."

The first step took place before the Texans game, in what defensive end Pernell McPhee described as a defensive come-to-Jesus meeting.
"This will bring us closer together," McPhee says.

The group watched film and worked on fixing mistakes, and McPhee thought its impact was reflected Sunday.

"We were way more disciplined in playing the run," he says.

The Ravens had two consecutive three-and-outs to start the the game before the Texans took over with two interceptions, five front-seven bat-downs of quarterback Joe Flacco's passes, four sacks and a defensive feeding frenzy that limited Baltimore to 201 yards in total offense.

The 43 points allowed by the Ravens were the most since a 44-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in 2007.

"Adversity builds character," Reed says.

Shifting identity
Baltimore had already flipped its identity from a defensive dominant team to an attack-oriented one relying more heavily on the new alpha Ravens — Flacco, running back Ray Rice and a no-huddle attack that ranks 11th in scoring, averaging 24.9 points a game. They're covering for a trap-door defense.

The 30th-ranked run defense wasn't stopping the run even before Lewis was lost to a torn right triceps injury and Webb suffered a season-ending shredded left knee. The defense has not ranked lower than 10th against the run since 2002.

McClain, now calling defensive signals, is 10 years younger and faster than Lewis but has missed his fair share of tackles. Dannell Ellerbe, who fills McClain's spot on the weak side, acknowledges the overall problem.

"We just want to wrap up ballcarriers and use better fundamentals instead of trying to go for shoulder hits so we can play fast on defense," Ellerbe says.


(usatoday.com)

In the ongoing effort to fill cyber and print space space 24/7 and keep readers perpetually stirred up, Sports Ilustrated has released an NFL players' poll that lists New York Jets backup quarterback Tim Tebow as the most overrated player in the game.

The bad news, at least if you're a Ravens fan, is that Ray Lewis shows up at No. 5 on the list.

Yes, in a survey of 180 players, Baltimore's sainted middle linebacker and future no-doubt Hall of Famer was listed by three percent of the player vote as a guy whose reputation -- at least at 37 years of age, with 17 years in the league -- far exceeds his production.

And that probably hurts Lewis, a man with enormous pride, more than the torn triceps that has him sidelined, possibly for the rest of the season.

For those who care about this sort of thing, Tebow was listed on 34 percent of the player ballots as most overrated.


(baltimoresun.com)

Ray Lewis is injured and will not play again this season. Given that he will be 38 years old in 2013, his illustrious career might be over. The garish yellow jacket of Canton induction is in his future. How should Lewis be assessed?

The minor question is whether Lewis was tailing off this year. The answer is: Of course he was -- he was playing as an NFL linebacker at age 37. Sunday, Lewis whiffed badly on what looked to be a routine tackle at the line of scrimmage, allowing Felix Jones of Dallas a 22-yard touchdown run. In 2010, the Ravens' defense was fifth against the rush; in 2011, it was second; after Sunday, it was 26th. Father Time is catching up to others on the Baltimore front, too. But Lewis' decline is obvious. Traditionally teams run away from him; this season they've run at him. The reason is aging, a human condition that appears irreversible.

So how to assess Lewis? The positive are many: Super Bowl ring, two defensive Player of the Year awards, an amazing 12 Pro Bowl trips. Among the few middle linebackers of the modern era who do not come off the field on passing downs (Brian Urlacher and London Fletcher head the short list of others). Active in public service. And in an era of me-first job-hopping by players and coaches alike, Lewis has spent his entire 17-season career in the same place. He might be the last of a dying breed in terms of loyalty to team and city.

The negative: Lewis has a criminal record, from pleading guilty to a serious crime. He cannot be understood without this context, which in recent years has been strangely absent from sportscasting and sportswriting.

In 2000, Lewis and two other men were charged with murder in Fulton County, Ga. (Atlanta). The murder charge was dropped when Lewis pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and agreed to testify against the friends he had been with when the friends stabbed two men to death after a Super Bowl party. Lewis admitted lying to police, and based on his testimony, the best-case reading of his actions is that a huge, muscular NFL player stood by doing nothing while his companions killed a pair of men. The companions subsequently were acquitted on grounds of self-defense; it was suggested, though never proved, that the two men killed threatened Lewis' group with a gun. Society might never know for sure what happened that night. When a desperate fight occurs in the dark, even the people involved might never know for sure what happened.

Until the killings, Lewis had a reputation as a man to be feared. Since the killings, his reputation has changed: Now it is of a hard-nosed football player, but a kind person off the field. He talks to youth groups. He is tireless in having his photograph taken with strangers, something many NFL celebrities dislike. (I have observed Lawrence Taylor become angry when approached by kids for a photograph.) He is unfailingly accessible to the media, which many NFL players consider their enemy. He smiles and stops to help people.

That is -- Lewis, by appearances, is redeemed. No one can know what is in another person's heart. But since 2000, Lewis has seemed a changed man. And this is more important than his achievements as a football player.

The world is full of impressive athletes, and full of men who have done bad things and gotten away with it. There is a distinct shortage of those who have made themselves better people.

Assuming Lewis leaves the NFL, reporters and conventional audiences will want him to tell amusing anecdotes of his experiences his famous football players. He should tell awkward, unpleasant anecdotes about his own life. Lewis' experiences with himself are the essence to assessing him. The saying goes: What happens to a man matters less than what happens inside a man. In Lewis' case, it seems that what happened inside was good.

In football-tactics news, since when do teams try to set up very long field goals? Baltimore leading 31-29, the Cowboys had first down on the Nevermores' 34 with 26 seconds remaining, holding a timeout. Rather than run another play to improve field position, Dallas let the clock tick down to six, used the timeout, then watched the placekicker miss a 51-yard attempt. This botched sequence was partly due to wide receivers Miles Austin and Kevin Ogletree, who had gone deep on the previous snap, walking, not running, back toward the huddle. Still, 'Boys coach Jason Garrett had not prepared the team by calling two plays. A 51-yarder is automatic -- is that what they teach at Princeton?

This proved nothing compared to St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher's decision. Trailing Miami by three points, the Rams had fourth-and-7 on the Dolphins' 48 with 31 seconds remaining, holding a timeout. Rather than go for a first down to improve field position, Fisher let the clock tick, using the timeout at four seconds. Fisher set up a 66-yard field goal attempt. Which, shockingly, did not succeed.


(espn.com)

Ray Lewis' future has been a topic of much speculation since the 17th-year NFL veteran suffered a torn triceps Sunday that landed him on the Baltimore Ravens' injured reserve list, at least for now.

However one of his defensive teammates believes the 13-time Pro Bowler will be back at some point, though whether he believes it's later this year — the Ravens have the option of activating Lewis off IR later in the season — or in 2013 isn't clear.

"I believe and he believes he will be back," Baltimore all-pro defensive lineman Haloti Ngata told NFL Network's Melissa Stark. "Just knowing him, talking to him a day ago, (he was saying) 'I'll be back, don't worry.' "

Appropriate that Lewis, who once described himself as a "machine" on the field, is borrowing lines from The Terminator.

But triceps tears are usually season killers and have already claimed other NFL players like Levi Brown, Eugene Amano and Ty Warren this season, so it's hard to envision Lewis returning before next year.

"I don't know what other guys believe, but I definitely believe he will be back," said Ngata, who's battling a knee injury himself.

"Knowing the work ethic he has, he is going to work his butt off to get back on the field with us."


(usatoday.com)

9:14PM EDT October 17. 2012 - OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh is keeping a roster spot available in the unlikely case Ray Lewis can return for the postseason. The linebacker underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a torn right triceps muscle. Lewis goes on injured reserve with the new "designated to return" tag which enables a player to be re-activated after a minimum of six games.

The move seems more symbolic than realistic for a reeling Ravens defense that ranks 26th against the run and is coming off allowing two consecutive 200-plus rushing performances in wins against Kansas City and Dallas.

"Obviously, it's a very serious injury but there's an opportunity and we're going to keep the door open and we'll just see where that goes," Harbaugh said during his pre-practice news conference. "We really don't know any more than that."

Harbaugh said it's important to the team's psyche that Lewis, "the greatest leader in sports," have a chance to come back from an injury that usually requires five to six months to heal.

"Ray's still with us. He'll be around and be a part of what we're doing," Harbaugh said.

The feeling among his teammates is if anyone can make a return for a Super Bowl run, Lewis has the mental toughness and focus capable of doing it.

"Ray Lewis is the land shark. You've got to fear that guy. He's the greatest of all time," cornerback Jimmy Smith said.

"Will he come back next year? Nobody but Ray knows. But knowing Ray, he will definitely be back next season."

With cornerback Lardarius Webb lost for the season to a torn ACL and a meniscus tear inside his left knee, the Ravens did get some needed good news Wednesday when 2011 Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs returned to practice.

Suggs came off the physically unable to perform list after recovering from a torn Achilles' tendon suffered in the spring.

"We should temper our expectations a little bit," Harbaugh said. "He's coming off a very serious injury, an Achilles tear. And we'll just see how he does."

Ravens defensive end Pernell McPhee can't envision a Peyton Manning-like scenario in which the Ravens move on from Lewis after this season and Lewis winds up resuming his future Hall of Fame career wearing another jersey.

"Hell, no,'' McPhee told USA TODAY Sports when asked if he could see Lewis playing elsewhere next season. "Ray Lewis is the Baltimore Ravens.''

His contract runs through 2015. Lewis' salary-cap charge is $7.3 million next season, when he is due to make $5.4 million in base salary.

Even if Lewis can't defy the roughly six-month timetable medical experts place on a full recovery from a torn triceps surgical repair, McPhee doesn't see this as Lewis' last season with the Ravens. After 17 seasons, McPhee said the league should know by now never to count out Lewis, even if he is 37.

"I expect Ray back. I know how Ray is, how much he loves the game,'' McPhee said. "Yeah, he'll be back next year. Knowing Ray, he'll probably be back for the postseason.

"I hope he takes the time and makes his decision. He's one of the greats of all time. He's not just a father figure, a teacher, he pours his heart out when he plays and you want to do the same for him. "He's a real humble, down-to-earth guy.

"I wish him good luck in his recovery. And I hope he'll be back with us this (post)season.''


(usatoday.com)

Would the networks covet the injured Baltimore Ravens star linebacker, now out for the season with a triceps injury?

Yes.

"There's always interest in a player of this caliber, no doubt," says Eric Weinberger, executive producer at the NFL Network, which recently showed a documentary on Lewis and used him as a guest analyst on a 2005 Super Bowl pregame show. "With his Hall of Fame credentials, he'd fit in right away. He embodies what we're looking for here. ... We'll start quietly gauging his interest."

ESPN, which used Lewis for a week in 2008 and again in 2010, is game. "Yes, we have an interest," says ESPN's Mike Soltys.

Not every network carrying NFL games openly covets Lewis. CBS' Jen Sabatelle says, "We're always looking to add high-quality analysts, but right now our roster is pretty full." NBC's Adam Freifeld says, "We're happy with our on-air roster."

Fox will announce Wednesday that Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez, a top TV prospect himself, will take advantage of a bye week to be in Fox's NFL studio show Sunday -- and possibly in the college studio Saturday. Says Fox's Dan Bell: "We would consider having (Lewis) on the studio show, like we're doing with Tony Gonzalez."

Normally, NFL veteran stars snap at such cameos to get what amounts to auditions. But Lewis, who already has had cameos, won't need to show what he can do in exhibitions to eventually get into a TV lineup.

But does he want that? "I don't know if Ray would want to do that," Ravens fullback Vonta Leach says. "But I think if he wants to, Ray's the kind of guy that whatever he wants to do in the next chapter of his life, he's going to be successful."


(usatoday.com)

A look at some memorable statistics for Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who is out for the season with torn triceps muscle in his right arm. These numbers come courtesy of our friends at ESPN Stats & Information:

1 -- Lewis is the only player in NFL history to amass 40 sacks and 30 interceptions in a career (sacks became official in 1982).

2 -- Times Lewis has been named NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2000, 2003). The five others to achieve this feat: Bruce Smith, Reggie White, Mike Singletary, Lawrence Taylor and Joe Greene.

4 -- Games missed by Lewis in the previous four seasons. He had started every game from 2008 to 2010.

12 -- Pro Bowls for Lewis. Only Bruce Matthews (14), Jerry Rice (13) and Reggie White (13) have been to more. It's tied with Tony Gonzalez for the most by active players. Lewis is also tied with Junior Seau for most Pro Bowls ever by a linebacker.

17 -- Seasons in the NFL for Lewis. That's the third-most by a linebacker in NFL history. Junior Seau (20) and Clay Matthews (19) are the only ones who have played more than Lewis.

50 -- Career takeaways for Lewis, the second-most ever by a linebacker. Jack Ham finished with 53. Lewis has recorded 31 interceptions and 19 fumble recoveries.

57 -- Lewis' tackles this season, which ranks fourth in the NFL. He leads the Ravens and has 14 more than any other teammate.

244 -- Career starts for Lewis (which includes the postseason). That's the most among active players.


(espn.com)

Let me start this out by saying I think Ray Lewis is the best middle linebacker ever. But let me also say this, something nobody else will say: The Ravens might be better off without Lewis. Yes, I said it. Lewis has been horrible for most of this season. He gets engulfed by linemen and doesn't get off blocks. You never like to see a veteran like him go down, especially this late in his career, but a younger, faster player might be what the Ravens need now inside. Dannell Ellerbe and Albert McClellan will likely be the starters now. They haven't exactly been playing great, either. The bigger hit to the Ravens' defense is the loss of Lardarius Webb. He is their best cover player. Without him, they lack a premier cover player. That will show up without a pass rush -- probably starting this week in Houston.


(cbssports.com)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Ravens coach John Harbaugh announced Monday that linebacker Ray Lewis has a complete tear of his triceps muscle and is out for the season. Whether Lewis will be back next season is more unclear.

Lewis, a 13-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker, will turn 38 in May. Harbaugh, who said he heard the news about Lewis five minutes before the news conference, hasn't spoken to Lewis about 2013.

"I'm not going to make any comment on that," Harbaugh said. "But that's for Ray to speak on. I admire Ray Lewis, and everybody that knows him feels that way about him. I'll be looking forward to see what he says about that."

Lewis is one of the most versatile defenders in league history. According to ESPN Stats & Information, he’s the only player to amass 40 career sacks and 30 career interceptions (sacks became official in 1982).

Lewis tore the triceps muscle in his right arm toward the end of the Ravens' 31-29 win over the Cowboys. He was forced to stand on the sideline and watch as Dallas marched downfield to score a touchdown and pull within two points. Then, in the final seconds, the Cowboys moved into field goal range, but the attempt missed.

Lewis made 14 tackles Sunday and leads the Ravens with 57 tackles this season.

Lewis is the latest injury to hit a struggling Ravens defense. Lardarius Webb, the team's best cornerback, is out for the season after tearing his left ACL on Sunday, and Terrell Suggs, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, remains out after tearing his Achilles tendon in April.

Harbaugh didn't seem concerned about how these losses will affect the Ravens (5-1), who are tied for the AFC's best record.

"I feel great about our guys' chances," Harbaugh said. "It's something that we've been able to do in the past. Obviously, it's going to define what we're able to accomplish this year. That's something that we're going to need to do from a leadership standpoint and from a playing standpoint. Our chances of doing it? I don't put odds on it. That's something we're going to have to get done."


(espn.com)

Even as Ray Lewis' game weakened (a little) and the criticism strengthened (a lot) as the Baltimore Ravens attempted to morph into an elite offensive team led by Joe Flacco, there was never doubt about one thing inside the club's locker room:

If Baltimore again gathers in a pregame tunnel leading out to another AFC championship game, it wants No. 52 there – clad in purple and black – barking one of his over-the-top motivational speeches, setting the tone and believing he'll deliver in the biggest moments.

The Ravens are built to play in February – a Super Bowl-or-bust kind of season at hand – and that road is easier traveled with linebacker Ray Lewis leading the way; even at 37 years old and blockable.

Lewis is gone for the season, his 17th in the NFL. The bad news came on Monday, courtesy of an MRI on torn triceps.

At his age, it could be the end of a legendary and dominating Hall of Fame career, the ferocious middle linebacker of a generation. That decision, which would be as chilling as it is sudden, is still to come.

Thirteen Pro Bowl selections, 10 All-Pro nods, two NFL defensive player of the year awards, a Super Bowl MVP, nearly 1,600 career solo tackles and 41½ career sacks is what the résumé reads. Yet Lewis meant more than that. His legacy will come from his presence, his essence, his leadership and his ability to lift teammates and drop opponents at the same time.

That's what was taken from these 5-1 Ravens.

And for all the talk about Lewis' slowing speed, or the emergence of Flacco, or the transition to an offensively-minded, capable-of-winning-a-shootout club (evidence: 31-29 victory over Dallas on Sunday) the impact of the man in the middle of that iconic defense can't be understated.

No, he isn't as great as he was. No, he isn't as fast or as strong or as sure a tackler. Yes, he lost weight to regain speed, then probably lost the speed anyway, only now he was weaker. He was clearly beat on a couple of key Felix Jones runs Sunday.

Yet it's not like he was some stiff. He was dealing with the expectations that come from playing in your own former shadow. He still made a team-high 14 tackles against Dallas, eight of them solo before getting hurt – his career perhaps ending on regular season solo tackle No. 1,567.

He has a team high 57 on the season despite playing without running mate Terrell Suggs, the reigning defensive player of the year who's been out all season with injury. It was Suggs' return, expected soon, that could've alleviated a bit of Lewis workload.

Instead the Ravens' defense isn't just in transition, it's without its transformative figure – the one that gave the franchise its identity.

Lewis is a larger-than-life figure, even in a big-ego world of the NFL. The way he carries himself, preaches, dresses and, most important, brings intensity to every task – be it an offseason workout, a late-game stand or a midweek meeting – rubs off on all.

His younger teammates – who grew up watching him, even listening to the speeches on his regular "mic'd up" TV sessions – were often in awe. He was the relentlessly positive force that preached the team, the team, the team.

When a botched field goal cost the Ravens a shot at the Super Bowl last season, and gave them a frustrating fourth consecutive playoff with at least one victory but no conference title, he defended the kicker. Over the years when the Ravens routinely fielded one of the NFL's best defenses – top three in fewest points allowed in each of the past four seasons – only to be failed by a sputtering offense, he mostly held his tongue.

Even now, with an offense capable of spinning a scoreboard, he wouldn't even retroactively attack the unit. Is this the offense you've been waiting for all these years, Lewis was asked after a Week 1 blowout of the rival Cincinnati Bengals?

"I've been here a long time …" he said, before breaking into a smile. "You can finish that off for me."

These weren't just the Baltimore Ravens that young players were joining. These were Ray Lewis' Baltimore Ravens. Everything, on both sides of the ball, appeared to run through him.

And so when the offense finally turned the corner and showed an ability to reach elite status, the season became a bit of a rallying cry for Ray (and veteran safety Ed Reed).

"[I want to] give Ray another [Super Bowl]," cornerback Lardarius Webb said earlier this season. "It's not even about me."

And, yes, that's the same Lardarius Webb, the team's best cover corner, who also was lost for the season Sunday with a torn ACL in his left knee. And nose guard Haloti Ngata was banged up Sunday. And Suggs is still out.

So increasingly the key to this Super Bowl contender is on offense. Suggs will return. Ngata will heal up. Reed will still ball hawk.

But gone is the heart and soul, the big talking, bigger hitting legend; the prototype middle linebacker that didn't just deliver sacks and wins but defined the franchise's soul for all these years.

Ray Lewis is gone for the year, gone maybe forever, and whether it's in the middle of a key possession or those emotional moments in a pre-game, championship game tunnel, there isn't any way to replace everything he brought to the Ravens, slow, slowing or not.


(sports.yahoo.com)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- With Ray Lewis out for the season with torn triceps muscle in his right arm, the biggest question now is whether this marks the end of a Hall of Fame career.

No one knows what Lewis is thinking at this point, but don't expect him to announce his retirement anytime soon. Even if Lewis was thinking of hanging it up this season, the injury shelved those plans.

Lewis, 37, is the type of leader and player who will want to leave the game on his own terms. He won't be forced out by an injury, a coach or critics. If you think this is the end of Lewis' career, you haven't been paying attention to the 17 years he's been in the league. This is a linebacker who has built his reputation on taking away the wills of running backs. It will not sit well with Lewis that his final NFL game was spent as a spectator while his defense was trying to stop the Cowboys from a winning drive. As Lewis stood there wearing his shoulder pads and standing as close as he could to the field of play, it was not a picture of a player who was ready to say goodbye to the game.

What fuels Lewis is the desire to win another championship. His goal has always been to announce his retirement as the best player to have ever suited up for this game. He has the multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards, Pro Bowls and All-Pro selections to back that up. The only part of this game that has eluded Lewis is a second Super Bowl championship. That's why it will be tough for Lewis to sit out the rest of this season with the Ravens at 5-1 and primed for another playoff run. That's why Lewis will return in 2013.

"I don't know when it will all be over for me," Lewis said before the 2011 season. "People want to use my age against me. They say I'm too old. People fear getting old. I don't fear that because now I have wisdom and a tough body to go with that wisdom."

Based on what he has done for the Ravens and the game, Lewis has earned the right to make the decision on when he will play his last snap. Lewis is one of six players to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award multiple times since it was first awarded in 1971. He's been selected for 12 Pro Bowls, fourth most in NFL history and two behind offensive lineman Bruce Matthews' record of 14. His 50 career takeaways rank second most by a linebacker in NFL history, according to Elias Sports Bureau (Jack Ham had 53).

Lewis is under contract through the 2015 season, and one former teammate told me that he wouldn't be surprised to see Lewis play to the end of it.

"The Ray Lewis i know will not end his career off this injury. He's conquered much more than this. He will determine when its over not a injury," Lewis' close friend Deion Sanders wrote on Twitter.

Whether Lewis wants to come back is up to him. The injury is not a career-threatening one, according to ESPN injury expert Stephania Bell. She said it takes at least four months for an injury of this nature to heal. So, Lewis would be fully healed by the start of training camp.

"It can be repaired," Bell said. "He can come back strong. He can play the position again."

How effective Lewis is at playing the position has been scrutinized this season. He lost an estimated 20 to 30 pounds before the season in order to increase his speed. But Lewis had trouble getting off blocks and making plays in space, one of the reasons the usually dominant Ravens defense dropped to No. 26 overall.

The numbers, though, show that Lewis was still making an impact. He led the Ravens this year with 57 tackles, which ranked fourth in the NFL after six weeks.

Lewis is the Iron Man of NFL linebackers. Mike Singletary retired after 12 seasons with the Chicago Bears, before his play declined. The Pittsburgh Steelers' Jack Lambert walked away after 11 years because of a severe toe injury. And the Bears' Dick Butkus stopped after nine seasons because of knee injuries. Lewis is approaching two decades in a league where 300-pound linemen are coming at him every time the ball is snapped. The reason for his longevity is his work ethic, which will be a factor in Lewis making a fast recovery from the triceps injury.

What hasn't changed with Lewis over the years is his ability to inspire teams and players. He spoke to college teams across the country this offseason, and two of them (Stanford in the men's basketball NIT and Loyola in the men's lacrosse NCAA tournament) won championships after his talk. He is considered the "godfather" of the NFL because he talks to hundreds of players on a daily basis, which is why he is one of the most respected players to ever play this game. Even his biggest rivals offered support Monday.

"Just heard on ESPN that ray lewis is out 4 the yr. hate hearing that because hes 1 of the NFL's true legends. wishing him a full recovery," Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley posted on Twitter.

While Lewis isn't the same dominant player from a decade ago and they will miss cornerback Lardarius Webb (torn ACL) more on the field, the Ravens still need Lewis to come back. Baltimore can replace Lewis in the starting lineup with Dannell Ellerbe, but the team can't fill the void of Lewis. No one can think about the Ravens without picturing Lewis. He is the longest-tenured Raven on the roster by six seasons (safety Ed Reed is second). The Ravens selected Lewis in the 1996 draft before they selected their team colors.

Lewis remains the unquestioned leader of the Ravens locker room. When Baltimore lost last season's AFC Championship Game in heartbreaking fashion, the players said they left with the words spoken by Lewis after the game: "This year, we did what we were supposed to do, we fought as a team. ... There will be one Super Bowl champ crowned at the end of this year, that's it. So the way we feel, somebody gonna feel like that tomorrow, and somebody gonna feel like that in a week. That's a fact. And the fact is, we gotta come back and go to work to make sure we finish it next time. That's all we gotta do."

And that's why Lewis will be coming back in 2013.




(espn.com)

If the worst case scenario holds true for the Baltimore Ravens, their long-time respected defense is about to take an even bigger hit with the injuries to linebacker Ray Lewis and cornerback Lardarius Webb.

@JeffDarlington: Very bad news for Ravens' defense: The team fears torn triceps for LB Ray Lewis and torn ACL for CB Lardarius Webb, according to sources.

The Ravens had already lost linebacker Terrell Suggs, who tore his Achilles tendon early in the offseason and has missed the entire season so far as a result. Without Lewis or Webb, the Ravens' defense loses even more credibility, putting the pressure on Joe Flaaco and the Ravens' offense to make plays.

Over the years, Baltimore has slowly transitioned into a respectable offensive force, which it needs to be even more if key defensive players end up missing significant time.

There's no reported timetable for how long either Lew or Webb will be out, as this is just team speculation until the diagnosis is released.


(baltimorebeatdown.com)

Observers around the NFL are talking more and more about the Baltimore Ravens' Ray Lewis being “over the hill.” In fact, one national sports website recently ranked him fourth in the league in that very category.

“He's still viable, but you can see the old age beginning to show,” CBSSports.com's Josh Katzowitz wrote.

But at age 37, the 13-time Pro Bowl linebacker is still in his prime when it comes to breathing fire and brimstone.

Take, for instance, his performance during a conference call with the Dallas media Wednesday to promote Sunday's game between the Dallas Cowboys (2-2) and the AFC North-leading Ravens (4-1).

When it was suggested the Cowboys' moribund running game (31st in the NFL, 67.8 yards per game) could return to health in Baltimore against a Ravens defense ranked 22nd against the run (118.4 yards) and coming off a game against Kansas City where it yielded 214 yards on the ground, Lewis' determination surged through the long-distance line.

“I tell you what,” he said. “They can look to do whatever they want to do, but it ain't going to be what they think it's going to be.”

That's the kind of leadership that has made Lewis an NFL legend.

“Ray is a one of a kind, historic type of leader,” Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said in another conference call.

In February, Cowboys defensive end Jason Hatcher made headlines by saying he couldn't identify the leaders inside the team's locker room and suggested the club could use a Ray Lewis type.

“I don't even want to talk about that,” the Dallas Morning News quoted Hatcher as saying Wednesday. “That is so over.”

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett also tried to do his best to squelch comparisons between the leadership-heavy Ravens and the Cowboys, who have plenty of players who lead by example but lack emotional ones such as Lewis.

“I think it's unfair to compare anybody to Ray Lewis,” Garrett said. “This is a great player, first ballot Hall of Famer, as good as it gets. We feel good about the leadership we have from our best players.”

One of those is third-year linebacker Sean Lee, who Lewis went out of his way to praise.

“You see (on tape) this one Energizer bunny that's on that defense,” Lewis said, referring to Lee. “... He's definitely one of those high-motor guys, always around the football. ... I really, really appreciate the way he plays the game.”

In his 17th season, Lewis leads all active players in tackles with 2,629, including a team-high 43 (36 solo) this season. He's a big reason the Ravens have ranked in the top 10 in the league in yards allowed for nine straight seasons, a streak they're determined to continue even though they entered Week 5 ranked 24th with an average of 379.8 yards per game.

“We need to do a better job of controlling the big plays, and I think we'll be in good shape,” said Harbaugh, who pointed out the Ravens are seventh in scoring defense, allowing just 17.8 points per game. “We take a lot of pride in defense around here, so we'll keep chasing that.”

With Lewis leading the way, their pursuit will no doubt be furious.


(mysanantonio.com)

There's no question Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis has had a Hall of Fame career, one that has somehow continued into his 17th NFL season.

Lewis was the second selection in franchise history in 1996. He was a Super Bowl champion in 2000 and could go down as the best middle linebacker to ever play the game.

But at age 37, is his time nearing an end? Is his skill set diminishing to the point where his performance on the field could negatively effect the Ravens each game?

CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco evaluated the game film from Baltimore's 9-6 win over Kansas City and came to the conclusion that Lewis isn't the same player, though noting there are a lot of other deficiencies on the defense.

"Inside linebacker Ray Lewis is a big part of the problem, but he's not the only part," Prisco wrote. "The down linemen are getting blocked. The linebackers are getting mauled at times, including Lewis. And the safeties aren't tackling like they should on some long runs."

Prisco's assessment is correct from the Kansas City game, as the defensive line failed to occupy blocks consistently against the Chiefs. For a 3-4 base defense to be successful, the three down linemen need to force blockers to pay more attention to them with double teams, freeing up the linebackers to attack backs at line of scrimmage.

In the first half against Kansas City, Baltimore lost most of its one-on-one battles, freeing up Kansas City offensive linemen to move into the next level and block players such as Lewis, making his performance look worse than it possibly was.

"We're not playing good technique up front," defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. "A lot of times you can say whatever you want about the linebackers. It isn't going to matter if a guy comes off and has him sealed. I don't care who it is. It could be Dick Butkus, it ain't going to make a difference."

When Lewis was in his prime, he had a great ability to shed blocks and get to running backs quickly. So far this season, he's been blocked more and has been caught chasing more often than not.

Then again, that should be expected when you're talking about a 37-year-old middle linebacker playing a game against men who average an age 10 years younger than him. Factor in the speed of the game getting faster each year, and it's a lot for Lewis to keep up with.

But Lewis, being the veteran and playbook junkie he is, remains one of the smarter football minds in this league. Teammates rave about his knowledge and his ability to keep them in position to make plays based on what he sees before the snap.

Outside linebacker Paul Kruger said Lewis' knowledge of the game makes up for any athleticism that lessens with age.

"For a lot of guys, (the mental aspect) is 90 percent of the game," Kruger said. "Everybody out here is talented, everybody's fast. Everybody's strong. The guys who figure it out are the ones who are making the plays. If you look at what he's doing right now, he's leading the team in tackles. He's playing unbelievable. Yeah, he might've been faster a couple of years ago, but he's still dominating the game. I give Ray all the credit in the world. He's done something not many players have been able to do."

It's been stated that Lewis' weight loss -- he's under 240 pounds for the first time in his career -- could have caused his run support to diminish. Pees hasn't seen Lewis' weight loss being a factor at all this season, as Pees seemed to place some blame on Baltimore's struggles on the defensive line.

"If the offensive line is coming off the front and getting to the second level to the linebackers, then we're not in a good system here," Pees said.

Despite the noticeable difference in Lewis' game compared to the days when he dominated offenses, he's still finding ways to get to the football. He leads Baltimore in tackles with 43 through five games this year.

It should also be noted that against the Chiefs, when it mattered most in the middle of the fourth quarter, Lewis executed a perfect run fit to stop running back Cyrus Gray from gaining any ground at the Baltimore 14-yard line. This forced Kansas City into second-and-11, and ultimately forced the Chiefs to kick a field goal instead of scoring a go-ahead touchdown.

"I see the same guy," said Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, whose team plays Lewis and the Ravens on Sunday. "I see a guy who is the emotional leader of that defense and the emotional leader of that football team. They all look to him. I see a guy who makes a ton of plays once the play starts. He makes a lot of tackles, is around the football a lot. He is the same guy that we have been seeing here for the last (17) or so years."

What's transpired on the field has put Lewis in an interesting position, talking about himself with the media. It's been a long time since he's been asked about his own performance, since it's been understood that he's one of the best to ever play the position.

Sure, there are elements to Lewis' game missing in 2012 that was prominent from 2000-2010. But that doesn't necessarily also mean Lewis is at the end of his line just yet.

"I think for us to be where we are right now as a team, it's probably more important than anything individually," Lewis said. "You look around the league and you always hear these personal stats by guys, and their teams are 1-4 or their teams are 1-3. So, I throw things out the window. The blessing is there is not an accolade or record I don't have. None of that impresses me. What impresses me is having my team ready to play every week to come out and get a ‘W.'"


(cbssports.com)

IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys need to get their struggling running game going against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The Cowboys have rushed for just 128 yards the last three weeks combined.

Overall, the Cowboys are 31st in the NFL with 271 total rushing yards.

Now they face the Ravens a team that's allowed 592 rushing yards, 22nd in the league, and coming off a game against Kansas City last week where they gave up 214 rushing yards. In the first five weeks of the season, the Ravens have allowed at least 100 rushing yards in four of the games.

But inside linebacker and 13-time Pro Bowler Ray Lewis isn't backing down.

"I tell you what, they can look to do whatever they want to do, but it ain't going to be what they think it's going to be," Lewis said on a conference call with reporters Wednesday morning.

Now, Lewis wasn't trying to start anything, he was just answering a question.

But he understands the Ravens can't allow another running back to produce the numbers like the Chiefs' Jamaal Charles did. He rushed 30 times for 140 yards, but had no touchdowns.

"If you look at it per play, we're No. 3 per play, so if you take out the big plays, which every team has to figure it out, whether you go through it sooner or later, that's the business of football. We've been through this before," Lewis said.


(espn.com)

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was lauded before the season for slimming down in an effort to improve his pass protection against the league's wave of up-tempo, no-huddle air attacks. Now he's catching heat for it.

In Baltimore's narrow win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, the Chiefsleaned heavy on the run game, eating up 19-plus minutes of the first half by feeding running back Jamaal Charles no less than 20 times. The Ravens hadn't allowed a 100-yard rusher in the first half since December 1998, but Charles racked up 125 by intermission and made it look easy.

ProFootballFocus.com rated Lewis as Baltimore's worst defender on the day, and pointed to his troubles against the run. Lewis spent too much of the game skirting around blockers when he used to power through them. SI.com's Peter King suggests Ray Ray's "weight loss looks like it's hurting him a lot. He just isn't a factor against the run the way he used to be."

Lewis is playing closer to 235 after weighing as much as 260 at points during his career. He played heavy in the past to take on the steady stream of monster fullbacks around the league, but the game has changed and Lewis was committed to become leaner to change with it.

Lewis is 37, but I've waited to mention that because I don't believe he's aging the way others might. He's in fine condition, but he's lost some speed and he's struggling right now to dominate his lanes. It's something to monitor as you watch Ravens games this season, but hold off on tapping the panic button. Lewis has a knack for bouncing back.


(nfl.com)

IRVING — If Ray Lewis wants to give Dez Bryant any advice, the 37-year-old middle linebacker will share it with the Cowboys wide receiver in private.

“A lot of the things he’s doing as a man I think would definitely be more personal attention that would help him kind of figure things out in life than hearing this or hearing that,” Lewis said. “He is a person that I have said that I would definitely like to rap with for a minute and then just kind of see where his head is.”

Like Bryant, Lewis has been arrested during his NFL career.

In 2000, Lewis was involved in an Atlanta fight that led to two men being stabbed to death. Lewis avoided murder charges and jail time by pleading guilty to misdemeanor obstruction of justice and testifying against two co-defendants.

Bryant was arrested in July on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge for allegedly assaulting his mother.

Since Lewis’ arrest, he has worked to repair his reputation. One sign of that is his large amount of charitable work. In 2010, a street in Baltimore was renamed “Ray Lewis Way” in honor of his charitable contributions.


(dallasnews.com)

IRVING – Lawrence Vickers says it doesn’t take a matchup against Ray Lewis to get him ready to play.

The Cowboys fullback lined up against the Baltimore Ravens’ 13-time Pro Bowl linebacker twice a season for four years when Vickers was with the Cleveland Browns. He’ll get another opportunity Sunday when the Cowboys travel to Baltimore.

“I stay ready, for whoever. Ray. Bernard. Bryant. Whoever it is,” Vickers said Wednesday, standing in front of his locker at Valley Ranch. “Names don’t scare me, man. Teams don’t scare me, man. I’m a man before anything, so I let other men just talk. See me in between them lines, that’s how I get down, like that.”

During a conference call earlier in the day, Lewis suggested that if the Cowboys think they’re going to get their running game on track in Baltimore, the Ravens defense has other plans.

“They can look to do whatever they want to do but it ain’t going to be what they think it’s going to be,” Lewis said.

When told of Lewis’ comments, Vickers said, “That’s just the way he feels. I don’t remember him being a Houdini or anything like that. He’s entitled to his own opinion. And if that’s how he feels, that’s cool, too. Kudos to him.”

And just in case the media members gathered around Vickers’ locker didn’t believe he wasn’t scared of Lewis, he added the following.

“Let me tell you something, I played against him two times a year every year I’ve been in the NFL, right. And I’m I still here standing tall, still mean, still stiff,” Vickers said. “They’re going to have to jump me, man. They’re going to have to jump me, that’s what it’s going to be. If you go back and watch them they’re jumping me because I’m coming with it and they know I’m coming with it just like I know they’re coming with it. Let’s meet in the lines. That’s just how it goes.”


(dallasnews.com)

After last week’s win over the Browns, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis told NFL Network that he’ll know when it’s time to call it quits as a player, and that when the time comes he’ll be done — with no waffling and no unretiring.

On Tuesday’s Pro Football Talk, I asked Lewis if he’ll wait around at the NFL long enough for a chance to tackle his son, Ray Lewis III, who’ll enroll next year at the University of Miami.

After having a good laugh, Ray made it clear that the time to be a full-time father is coming.  And it sounds like it’s coming whenever Ray III actually starts playing in games at the University of Miami.

To judge for yourself, check out the video.

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

(profootballtalk.com)

More than 7 million people have viewed the video online of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis answering questions from a little girl in a TV commercial for Visa.

Viewers are struck by the cuteness of the girl, but also by the warmth of Lewis, known as one of the toughest players in the NFL.

"It was just one of those good days for me," said Lewis, who is a 13-time Pro Bowler. "I didn't know the setup beforehand and saw what they wanted me to do. I said, 'This is cool. I got this.' "

Lewis said he's a changed man these days, enjoying life more as a 37-year-old father of six and not getting caught up in the drama that consumed his early 20s.

"I'm now thinking about my legacy. The game will fade. I'm thinking what impact did I leave on this earth?" said Lewis, who created a foundation for disadvantaged youths. "I want people to look back on me and see my passion on the field and my heart off the field."

That's why Lewis spends a lot of time at children's hospitals and supports police and military programs.

"You have to look outside the game," Lewis said, "and listen to the stories and the impact that it can have for you inside the game."

Lewis is making the promotional rounds for Visa as part of the NFL Fan Offers program. In the coming months, Visa will debut TV spots featuring other potential experiences, including sitting in on an NFL coach’s game-day speech (featuring San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh) and watching an NFL game on a Sunday with John Madden.

Lewis, who has played for the Ravens since 1996, said this season has been his most rewarding. The team's offense has propelled it to a 3-1 record, which is OK with the defensive-minded Lewis.

"Sometimes, I need to educate my boys never to get caught up in the wins and losses and to get caught up in the opportunity," Lewis said. "Don't carry too much on your shoulder. We need to be the light among the darkness. This year, I tell them to just be the light."


(espn.com)

The voice of Ray Lewis on my telephone Tuesday was unmistakable.

Lewis sounds the same, but he has a new look. He’s lost at least 20 pounds since last season to increase his quickness at age 37.

“I like the way I look, love the way I feel,” Lewis said. “Definitely something I’m comfortable with.”

The Ravens have a different look, too. They’re still winning, with a 3-1 record heading into Sunday’s road game against the Chiefs, but they’re winning in a different way.

Look at the NFL statistics. Has somebody reversed the Baltimore's numbers? The Ravens are ranked 23rd in total defense but No. 2 in total offense, trailing only the Patriots. The Ravens have made the transition from a team led by its defense, to a team fueled by the offensive production of quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Ray Rice.

Lewis says he loves watching Flacco run the no-huddle, watching Rice and wide receiver Torrey Smith make big plays, watching the Ravens morph into a more explosive team.

“The teams that go places at the end of the year have balance,” Lewis said. “You’re running it, you’re throwing it, you’re playing good D. Those are the teams that are around at the end. That’s what we’re becoming, that total team.”

Lewis said he wasn’t worried about whether the Ravens would pick things up defensively. Teams are throwing more against the Ravens, who are giving up just 3.2 yards per rushing attempt, which is tied for third best in the league.

It will be interesting to see if Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles can have a big Sunday against Baltimore. Running the football and butting heads with Lewis and star defensive tackle Haloti Ngata generally is not the best way to attack the Ravens. Better to spread them out and make them defend the pass, especially since the Ravens have just nine sacks in four games.

The Ravens expect their pass rush to pick up whenever linebacker Terrell Suggs (torn Achilles’ tendon) returns. They hope to get him back in either November or December.

Lewis can hardly wait.

“We’re 3-1 without the reigning defensive player of the year,” Lewis said. “That’s the plain truth. Some of our younger guys are getting experience, and then you bring ‘Sizzle’ (Suggs) back into the mix. Now the whole team is back and we’re clicking on all cylinders. That’s when you should be most dominant. None of these other teams want to talk about that.”

Plenty of people are talking to Lewis about his hit Visa commercial, where a little girl at a press conference peppers him with questions like “What’s your favorite color? What’s your bedtime? Do you believe in space aliens?”

It’s part of a promotion (Visa NFL Fan Offers) that gives fans a chance to win prizes and interact with players. Lewis said he had never met the little girl before the commercial shoot, but that he loved doing it.

“It’s a cute spot, no doubt,” Lewis said laughing. “I’ve gotten so much feedback from it.”

It shows another side of Lewis, which is fitting. Because this season, Lewis and the Ravens are showing a different way to win.


(sportingnews.com)

Tuesday’s Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports Network features an interview of Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.  Among other things, Ray is asked to share with football fans something they should know about former Ravens defensive coordinator and current Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, who is fighting a treatable form of leukemia.

“That he’s a man of men,” Lewis said.  “He’s a man that people want to aspire to be like.  That when you grow up as a man, that when you’re around Chuck you realize that, you know what, if life offers nothing else it offered me the opportunity to be around a man.  A true man.”

Ray’s full response appears below.  His full interview appears in roughly two hours, on the show that airs starting at 5:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
And if you’d like to share some thoughts with Coach Pagano, you can send them to P.O. Box 535000, Indianapolis, IN 46253.

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

(profootballtalk.com)

First-year defensive coordinator Dean Pees has been waiting for some of his young linemen to develop into good pass rushers, but he appears set to move on and blitz as much as possible.

The strategy worked in the second half of the New England game Sunday night, and Pees will employ it again Thursday night when the Ravens host the Browns.

The Browns run a variation of the West Coast offense and start rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden. The Ravens will throw a lot of different pressure packages at Weeden, and they love to bring pressure off the perimeter using cornerback Lardarius Webb and safeties Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard. The Ravens have also been moving inside linebacker Ray Lewis outside to rush on third-and-long situations, and have blitzed outside linebacker Darnell Ellerbee more.

Pees knows he won't get much pressure from his front four, so if the Ravens are going to lose, they will lose gambling instead of waiting and hoping.


(sportingnews.com)

A different side of Ray Lewis was portrayed in the NFL Films documentary, "A Football Life: Ray Lewis" that premiered Wednesday night on the NFL network.

The hour-long presentation featured two relationships he's had off the field that showed a softer side to the linebacker fans have seen on the gridiron for 17 seasons.

Lewis welcomed Sgt. First Class Allen Wiseman for practice after Wiseman contacted the Ravens about his story in Afghanistan. Normally, Wiseman wore his Ray Lewis jersey underneath his combat gear when he was on a mission, but wasn't able to the day his helicopter was shot down.

He sustained a bullet wound and received a Purple Heart after surviving. As a gift, Wiseman gave his Purple Heart to Lewis as a thank you for what he's done to the Baltimore community and for how he's led the football team.

Another relationship prominently shown was one Lewis had with Dundalk, Md. resident and longtime Ravens fan Bill Warble, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. During the 2011 season, Lewis spent time with Warble's family and invited him out to a practice days before the AFC Championship game in New England.

Lewis introduced former defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano, now the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, to Warble, who was sitting in his motorized wheelchair hooked up to an oxygen tank.

“I ain't gonna die until we win the Super Bowl," Warble told Pagano.

The Patriots defeated the Ravens 23-20 that week. Sadly, Warble passed away in 2012.

“Papa Bill changed my perspective about what you complain about, what you don't complain about," Lewis said on the show.

The Ravens lost to the Patriots 23-20 that week.

Lewis was mic'd throughout the 2011 season, even when he was on the football field. When he injured his toe against Seattle, he told Ed Reed he broke it (it was later deemed a turf toe injury). Local media didn't see Lewis at the facility in the following weeks because he was at his south Florida home rehabbing, with the NFL Films camera crew alongside.

Lewis also spent a considerable amount of time with his children, attending his sons football games and working out with his daughter. In one scene, he's playing the board game Monopoly with them, to which his sons deemed him a cheater.

Linebacker Jameel McClain watched the hour-long special Wednesday night and offered one thought about what he saw.

"He wouldn't cheat me in Monopoly," McClain said.


(cbsports.com)

Owners, coaches and players who knew Steve Sabol, who died Tuesday at the age of 69 after an 18-month battle with brain cancer, raved about the NFL Films president’s ingenuity and integrity.

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who is the subject of NFL Films’ “A Football Life: Ray Lewis” airing at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday on NFL Network, told “NFL AM” Wednesday morning that his trust in Sabol was what drove him to allow cameras to follow him for a year.

“You can have reservations if you have anything to hide or if you don’t trust the people you are working with,” Lewis said. “I had worked with those guys for so many years and I knew Steve and them had a great vision for what they really wanted to accomplish so when they asked me to do it I was overwhelmed and was humbled to go in ‘A Football Life’ right after Bill Belichick.”

Lewis said Sabol was one of the visionaries who helped make the NFL the league and business it has become.

“I think young kids in this business … really need to understand the impact that Steve Sabol had,” he said. “We lost a great pioneer a few days ago with Art Modell and now lose another one. These men had a vision to do something great. The beautiful thing about what they were doing is it wasn’t for them, they had a vision to expand our league to expand our game and to expand our brand.

“You will not be able to mention the NFL, NFL Films, without Steve Sabol’s name. He was one of those people that we have to learn from we have to research what spoke to him what pushed him to the edge,” Lewis said.


(nfl.com)

One thing quickly became clear while watching “Ray Lewis: A Football Life,” which will air Wednesday night at 8 p.m. on NFL Network -- Baltimore and the football world outside of this city have a lot of love for Ray Lewis.

The crew of NFL Films followed Lewis throughout the 2011 season, and in Wednesday’s hour-long look at the life of the Ravens linebacker, Ravens coach John Harbaugh; a giddy, purple-clad mom from Baltimore; an older fan who eventually lost his battle with cancer this year; and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady each tells Lewis that he or she loves him. “I mean that,” Brady said after the AFC championship game. And Lewis, at least while the cameras are still rolling, shares his love and his gospel with all those who seek it out.

And boy, is there a lot of preaching and praying -- not that there is anything wrong with that. Lewis talks to God on the sideline and in the bowels of the stadium. He leads an impassioned prayer in the house of Bill Warble before he dies. He shares with a group of law students at Harvard that God spoke to him when he was prison in Atlanta after being accused of double murder (that segment was one of the most interesting moments).

Lewis was the first NFL player to ever wear a microphone for every game in a season, and with good off-the-field access to the future Hall of Famer, too, NFL Films is able to show him in a few different environments. My favorite moment is when Lewis spends time with his six kids during the team’s bye week last season, and he screams like a girl at a Justin Bieber concert as his oldest son, Ray III, runs for a long touchdown in a high school football game.

But this series is called “A Football Life” for a reason.

It is cool to eavesdrop on his on-field conversations, like his postgame hug with Brady or Harbaugh telling Lewis in the Week 1 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers that he is “carrying us on your back because you’re a great leader.” And it is revealing when they show Lewis reacting to the toe injury he aggravated in the loss to the Seattle Seahawks, as right away he barks to one of his Ravens teammates, “No. No. I’m not alright.” He finishes the game, though.

Along the way, the documentary show also does a good job of chronicling the 2011 season for the Ravens, from the highs of beating the Pittsburgh Steelers twice and winning the division to the low of Lee Evans, Billy Cundiff and the missed opportunities in the 23-20 loss to the Patriots in the AFC championship game. Lewis, whose face is noticably heavier on the show before his offseason weight loss, refuses to point the finger at any one player.

The walk-off shot is Lewis running out of the tunnel at M&T Bank Stadium and disappearing through a cloud of smoke, with him saying in a voiceover that he owes one more Lombardi Trophy to Baltimore and to his teammates before he can finally walk away.

No wonder there is so much love for Ray around here.


(baltimoresun.com)

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco wasn’t the only member of the team to sound off on the absence of the locked-out officials after Sunday’s loss to the Eagles.  Linebacker Ray Lewis did the same.

“[T]he game is played the way the game is played, but there’s some serious calls the refs missed,” Lewis said in the locker room, via WNST.net.  “And that’s just the way it is, man, all around the league.  And that, for our league to be what it is, we have to correct that.  Because these games are critical.  And guys are giving everything they got all across the league, but there are calls that the regular refs, if they were here, we know the way calls would be made.  For the conversations to be had the way they had on the sidelines saying ‘If the real refs were here, that could would have been made.’  That shouldn’t happen.  That shouldn’t be the case around the league.  But it is.  And we have to deal with it.”

Lewis then complained specifically about a decision to reverse a call on the field that Eagles quarterback Mike Vick had fumbled the ball when trying to throw it.  And that’s where Lewis undermined his broader point, because it’s clear that Vick was trying to throw the ball.  Indeed, he was able to flick his wrist and put a partial spiral on the supposed fumble.

But Ray’s message seems to reflect a growing sentiment among players that the regular officials should return.  “The time is now,” Lewis said.  “How much longer are we gonna keep going through this whole process?  I don’t have the answer, I just know across the league teams and the league are being affected by it.  It’s not just this game, it’s all across the league.  And so if they want the league to have the same reputation it’s always had, they’ll address the problem.  Get the regular referees in here and let the games play themselves out.  We already have controversy enough with the regular refs calling the plays.”

As more high-profile players speak out, the question becomes whether more will do the same — and whether a tipping point will eventually be reached.  Until then, look for the league to continue to hunker down, circle the wagon, and wait for the locked-out officials to cry uncle.




(profootballweekly.com)

BALTIMORE — They’re not getting older. They’re getting better.

Well, maybe Ray Lewis and Ed Reed aren’t getting better, but they’re still dominating players.

Lewis and Reed remain the emotional hub of the Baltimore Ravens defense.

At 36, Lewis took his offseason training to a new level, losing weight and looking even leaner.

Reed, who turns 34 on Tuesday, teased the Ravens with his familiar retirement talk, but in the end came back.

On Monday night, Lewis had 11 unassisted tackles, assisted on three others and delivered a key sack.

“When we step on the football field, we’re a totally different breed,” Lewis said.

Reed set an NFL record for yards on interceptions and had his first touchdown in nearly three years.

“I wasn’t going to let the [offensive] linemen catch me,” Reed joked. “So, I just dove. It strained my hamstring trying to dive. I’m going to be 34 in two hours. Father Time does catch up with you.”

Reed admitted that he was tired after chasing Cincinnati’s receivers.

“I think I ran about four miles today,” Reed said.

On Sunday night, Lewis spoke to the team.

“Take advantage of the opportunity,” he told them.

Reed remembered. He missed two possible interceptions before he ran back his seventh career touchdown.

“It’s about making those plays. I’ve been doing that basically my whole career,” Reed said.

Reed gets to watch the Ravens’ no-huddle offense and it helped him prepare when the Bengals threw one at them.

“We’ve been preparing for that for a long time. It’s a matter of us clicking at the same time,” Reed.

There were some hiccups. Twice in the first half, they had to take time out for too many men on the field and once were penalized for it.

“The biggest thing is communication, and we know it’s something we have to work on,” Reed said. “We’re just getting started on this journey. We know what we need to get better on.”

The Ravens missed Terrell Suggs, who tore his right Achilles tendon. Suggs, on the physically unable to perform list, stood on the sidelines wearing a black Ravens baseball cap on backward, pacing and talking with teammates and coaches.

“I think people think we’re going to have a tougher time without Terrell Suggs,” Haloti Ngata said. “But we’ve been working hard all training camp to create pressure and get to the quarterback.”

Ngata had two of the four Baltimore sacks.

Instead of Suggs, there was Paul Kruger with rookie Courtney Upshaw backing him up.

“Can you replace a Terrell Suggs? Absolutely not,” Lewis said. “Can you get a young Paul Kruger playing better? Can you get a younger Upshaw to pick up the level of his play? Absolutely. That’s what we did tonight. For our sake, keep adding those pieces, adding those pieces.”

When the Bengals’ BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored on a six-yard rush just before the end of the half, Suggs put the cap on straight, stood behind coach John Harbaugh and yelled along with the coach.

“We didn’t play perfectly as a defense,” Lewis said.

Maybe it was a sign that the Ravens chose to introduce their offense first on Monday night.

Instead of the Lewis dance for the emotional season opener, the defense was relegated to second string. The attention that was usually the defenses’ was on the new no-huddle offense.

“We’re a totally different team right now than we were last year or the year before that. I think we have the guys who understand that. We know what we’re trying to get done,” Lewis said.


(carrollcountytimes.com)

Shannon Sharpe remembers vividly the late-night conversations in his kitchen with a 25-year-old Ray Lewis.

It was 2000, and the young linebacker was staying with his new Ravens teammate in Sharpe's Atlanta home as he endured a murder trial that could have cost him his career and freedom. Even during those most trying times, Sharpe noted, the young man steered conversation to his future, to greatness. Not excellence, which Lewis had already achieved, but lasting, stamp-on-the-game greatness.

"A lot of people talk about wanting to be great," advised Sharpe, then preparing for the 11th season of his own Hall of Fame career. "But you've got to pay the price. You've got to do what other people can't or won't."

When Sharpe, now an NFL analyst for CBS, thinks about why Lewis has endured beyond any reasonable expectation, he thinks of the way Lewis embraced his message.

For Ed Reed, the quest never carried such a grand arc. Oh, the Ravens safety worked like a demon as a young player, going to 6:30 a.m. spring practices at the University of Miami, throwing his body into every game with rare abandon.

"But everything is moment-to-moment with Ed," says his former coach, Brian Billick. "He and Ray share the same passion, but with Ray, there's a calculation. With Ed, it's all on the surface."

Perhaps this explains the ambivalence that has marked the twilight of Reed's career. Where Lewis stated his unequivocal plan to return for a 17th season in the moments after last season's agonizing playoff loss to the New England Patriots, Reed avoided interviews. Instead, he serenaded the locker room with a soul tune by Teddy Pendergrass, emphasizing the portentous line, "I think I better let it go."

He did little to clarify his plans in the offseason, talking one week about playing five more years, then skipping a mandatory minicamp and musing about the comforts of staying home with his young son and watching the NFL season from his couch. Come late July, however, Reed was back to practice, crisscrossing the field to break up passes like a man 10 years his junior.

As Lewis, 37, and Reed, 34, approach the late stages of their all-but-certain Hall of Fame careers, they might appear to be on divergent paths — Lewis' a straight course to Baltimore's sports pantheon, Reed's a more jagged trail of retirement threats and contract gripes. In reality, say teammates and coaches, the most enduring pillars of the Ravens defense are more similar than they are different.

Both begin relentless conditioning regimens just a few weeks after the end of each season. Both bury their heads in game film, looking for any pattern that might set up a miraculous play against next week's opponent. Both see mentoring — Lewis for the world to hear, Reed in more private moments — as essential to their continuing thirst for football.

"If you look up the word 'professional,' it'd be those two guys — the way they prepare, the way they act on the field and in the classroom," says first-year defensive coordinator Dean Pees. "These guys are such high-profile players that you could walk in and expect to see such an ego that nobody can talk to them — but that's the furthest thing from these two guys."

Fourth-year cornerback Lardarius Webb has made a point of studying both men. "Anytime I see Ed walking around the locker room during the season, same as Ray, they always have their playbook in their hands, their film in their hands," Webb says. "I'm like, 'Man, we just got a 10-minute break out of a meeting. Why is he over there at his locker watching film? Why isn't he getting a break like all the rest of us?' It's like they never come off of our opponent."

'He looks younger'

Everyone who cares about the Ravens has already said so, but it's amazing to lay eyes on the trimmer version of Lewis that emerged this summer. It's not just that his body looks more cut; his face is leaner, almost youthful.

"That's the sign of a man who understands the game, that always evolves," says fellow linebacker Jameel McClain. "He came in faster, stronger, slimmer, all of those things. I mean, he looks younger.”

Football analysts have latched on to Lewis' statements about staying relevant in a pass-happy game that demands agility more than brute force. But sitting at his locker after a recent practice, the dean of the Ravens alludes to deeper motivations for his offseason of swimming, biking and sucking down blended concoctions of pure vegetable juice.

"I've had a lot of sick people in my family," he says. "I didn't do it for sports. I did it for lifestyle, just to live longer."

Lewis isn't the first great athlete to be driven by fears of mortality. Mickey Mantle assumed he would die young, like all the other men in his family. So the great New York Yankee drank and caroused, figuring he'd never live to suffer the effects. It's typical of Lewis, say those who know him well, that instead of taking a fatalistic view, he has sought to improve his health.

Even as a young player, Lewis, who has already played longer than any linebacker in the Hall of Fame, demonstrated a rare analytical bent. He watched veteran stars Sharpe and Rod Woodson — their diets, the way they focused on stretching and flexibility as much as strength or speed, their ability to relax completely when a day's work was done.

Sharpe remembers telling Lewis that it wasn't enough to love the games. He had to embrace every practice, every meeting, every bruise and ache. The veteran told Lewis he'd be fooling himself if he didn't train hard enough to wonder, "Why am I doing this? When will it end?"

Billick says he knew Lewis would play at a high level long past the point when most players fade. "He's one of the best-conditioned offseason athletes I've ever been around," the former Ravens coach says. "He has a very specific plan for how to deal with every point of his career."

But Lewis has surprised even Billick, who told his former star two years ago that he had become a liability on passing downs. "When I saw him last year, he looked rejuvenated," says the Fox and NFL Network analyst.

Sharpe and Billick both say Lewis will benefit from his offseason weight loss (he's below 240 pounds, down from about 260 last year).

In his musical, preacher's voice, Lewis says he finds it easier, not harder, to gear up for a season as he gets older. This year, he began two weeks after the season-ending loss in New England, filling his days with five or even seven short, hard workouts. The pounds slid off.

Typical of Lewis, he has preached his methods to teammates. Hulking tackle Bryant McKinnie even tweeted a picture of the vegetable juicer the linebacker recommended.

Lewis has brushed aside all questions of whether this will be his last season. But unlike many athletes, he talks openly about the importance of leaving a legacy. One thing that keeps him going, he says, is meeting new generations of players who grew up watching him. "Hearing that you helped them change their lives," he says, "it's like, 'My God, son, you don't know what that means to me.'"

Some have wondered whether Lewis' pride will ever allow him to walk away from the game willingly. "I believe you always know," he says. "When you go at life as hard as I go at this game, you know when it's over."

'I knew I could still play'

Those who've been around the Ravens a long time talk about two Ed Reeds — one who wraps himself in a hoodie to avoid conversation, another who speaks with rare candor and emotion about the peaks and valleys of a football life.

The unguarded version stops to talk in the hallway of the team's training facility before a recent practice. Reed played in all 16 games last season but intercepted just three passes and at times looked reluctant to throw his injured neck and shoulder into tackles. Two weeks from the 2012 opener, he says he feels better than he has in a few years.

Unlike Lewis, Reed did not spend his first seasons in the league studying older stars for the secrets to longevity. He built his career more by feel, working out with college roommate Reggie Wayne in the early years, then doing it all by himself in future offseasons.

This year, he began workouts almost immediately after the Patriots loss, not wanting his hip, shoulder and neck injuries to worsen with inactivity. He dived into his work with the expectation of returning to the Ravens for an 11th season.

"If I was going to retire, it would have happened right after the season," Reed says, his voice low and slow like the soul singers he's been known to imitate.

But in the next breath, the story of his offseason becomes more complicated. Many mornings, he awoke to an internal debate, weighing the pros and cons of continuing his life's work.

"This is a gift that's been given to you, and if you can do it, and you're in the right mindset to do it, then go do it," Reed says. "If you're not in the right mindset, you tend to question things. And I didn't feel like my mind was here at the time. I didn't feel like I was in a place where football, where I was even thinking about it. I mean, I was thinking about it, but not with that same mentality I was in the past few years of 'I have to do this, I want to do this.' I wasn't there."

He was comfortable at home with his son, with a body that hasn't fully betrayed him, with a career that will surely send him to the Hall of Fame.

Pulling in the other direction were thoughts of chasing an elusive Super Bowl ring and of young teammates such as Webb and McClain, who lean on him for advice.

Reed talked with his father and a few close friends about the fleeting nature of football careers, about honoring the talent he still possesses. "I know there's a fight in me and a love that I have for this game," he says. "And also for a bunch of young guys that I mentor, where I knew I could still play, and I knew I could still help them."

Then there was the matter of his contract, which ends after this season. Did he skip minicamp and make some of his cryptic comments because he was angry about money?

"Was it about me getting a new contract?" he says. "Maybe a little bit. Maybe a little bit. If I want to get a contract, I know how to get a contract. Trust me."

Holding out is a player's only leverage, says Reed, who will make $7.2 million this year, and he finds it hurtful that fans react by dismissing their former heroes as bitter or out of touch.

"I've been nothing but loyal to this city and to this organization when it comes to doing my job," he says. "I've been nothing but loyal to this organization in trying to help my teammates better themselves. So when I chose to put the business in the streets, so to say, it was a problem for some people. And I knew that. I knew you can't please everybody. What I did was not for everybody. It was actually just for me, doing the interview — a question asked of me, and I'm a person who's going to tell it like it is."

Teammates seemed less concerned than anyone, saying they never doubted Reed's commitment. In fact, though Lewis is perceived as the leader of the defense from outside, younger players often describe Reed as the one they seek out for wisdom.

"Ed has been real instrumental in my career, because Ed is actually someone that I really go to," McClain says. "Whatever it is — if it's a coverage aspect, if it's 'What do you think I could have done different in this situation?' Or if it's a home situation, if it's something that's happening with my brother. I have a lot of respect for him."

Billick says he learned to accept Reed's shifting moods and unexpected statements as the price for the safety's equally wild brilliance on the field. It's the same tack the entire organization has taken with him over the years.

Reed replies adamantly when asked if the contract situation or retirement thoughts will nag at him during the season: "No, I'm already in the mindset. I would never have come if I wasn't in the mindset. I would never have reported to camp."

It's hard to get a handle on where Reed stands regarding his future because, as he acknowledges, he answers questions based on the emotions or the physical pain he's feeling at a given moment. Like Lewis, he says he'll know inside when he's finished and that the moment will likely come when he's still good enough to play at a high level.

"I know it ain't far-fetched for me," he says of the end.


(baltimoresun.com)

Ray Lewis has done it all in his illustrious 17-year career for the Baltimore Ravens. He’s been selected to 13 Pro Bowls, named a first-team All-Pro seven times, won a Super Bowl, been named Super Bowl MVP and is a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Now the 37-year-old Lewis is trying to defy Father Time.

After the Ravens’ gut-wrenching defeat to the New England Patriots in last season’s AFC Championship game, Lewis was eager about returning for the 2012 season, but there has to be questions about whether he will play beyond this year.

In an April 2011 interview with NFL Network’s Frank Tadych, Lewis said, “I can’t see myself playing football past 37.” Things changes, though.

But at some point, Lewis is going to have to hang up the pads. Nothing lasts forever. Recently, though, there haven’t been any indications that he will be calling it quits anytime soon.

He is under contract through the 2015 season, and the Ravens showed their faith in Lewis when they passed on drafting his eventual successor in April’s draft.
Lewis was his normal self and played like one of the best inside linebackers in the first half of 2011. Then, after missing four straight games (Week 11-14) with a turf toe injury, it was evident he lost a step. This offseason, the University of Miami product shed 15 pounds to get down to 240 pounds to try to retain his trademark sideline to sideline speed.

He’s been one of the league’s most reliable players. Lewis has played in 222 games, second-most among active players, trailing only Detroit Lions’ kicker Jason Hanson. He’s also the only holdover from the 1996 team (the Ravens’ first year in Baltimore). To put that in perspective, the second-longest tenured Raven is safety Ed Reed, who was drafted by Baltimore in 2002.

As Lewis continues to age, you really have to wonder whether 2012 will be his final rodeo. 


(raven24x7.com)

"When you think about Art Modell, you think about a great man, a leader, a father and a servant. Every minute of his life, he cared more about everyone around him than himself. Anytime I saw him, he would always make me smile. He always had a joke to lighten your mood or some sort of wisdom to impart to make you a better man. I genuinely loved Art as a man, and he showed me what to strive for in life. When you truly see the impact he had on everyone he touched, it humbles you. When I found out he wasn't doing well, I knew immediately I had to see him. When I was with him yesterday, I prayed with him and shared with him things that a son would say to a father. Even though he has left us, he is going to a place that one day we all want to be. I am truly blessed to have had Art in my life. He was a humble servant, and one of the best men I have ever known."


(usatoday.com)

Wouldn't it be cool to pose for a picture with the Ravens' Ray Lewis on the 50-yard line of M&T Bank Stadium with Ray Lewis?

How about on the boardwalk of Ocean City or at a table at the Prime Rib over steaks or, hey, why not the privacy of your own privy? With a brand new smart phone app, it looks like you can be with Mr. Lewis pretty much anywhere.

MoZeus Worldwide has a deal with the gridiron star to create an app where fans will be able to take (or perhaps the word is "make") pictures with Lewis and download them.

The app will raise money for one of Lewis' favorite charities, the United Athletes Foundation. It will cost 99 cents and be available on the iTunes store, the Android Marketplace and www.MoZeus.com.

When the app is available later this fall, it will work on Android and iOS platforms, its makers say.

They'll usher it in with a promotion where a fan will win a real photo with the real Ray after a Ravens home game.

 “I’m excited about this cutting-edge technology which will allow my fans to interact with me in a whole new way – while raising money for charity,” Lewis said in a release. “Fans will be able to share photos via social media and then one lucky person will get to meet me after a Ravens home game later this season.”


(baltimoresun.com)

Six months ago, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis lent his voice to the NFL’s campaign for player safety. But he now says he is not a fan of the NFL’s measures to make the game safer.

Lewis told Bob Glauber of Newsday that the league is meddling too much with the way players play the game of football, and that it’s time for the league office to just allow football players to do their jobs.

“I think the safest thing to do is leave the game alone,” Lewis said. “The game will take care of itself. It always has. Should we be aware of these things? Absolutely. But when you adjust so many [rules], sometimes it makes it worse.”

But adjusting the rules to make the game safer was exactly the message of the commercial the NFL aired during the Super Bowl about how the league is committed to making changes to protect players’ health. That commercial was narrated by none other than Ray Lewis.

In the commercial, Lewis declares that the advancement of American football came because the game’s forefathers “added new rules and better equipment.”
“We certainly have come a long way,” Lewis says in the commercial. “The thing is, we’re just getting started. Here’s to making the next century safer and more exciting than ever. Forever forward. Forever football.”

It’s hard to square Lewis’s comments in that video with his belief that adjusting the rules can make the game worse. Apparently Lewis was spreading a message he doesn’t really believe to the largest television audience in American history.


(profootballtalk.com)

Madden '13 will be in stores Tuesday, Aug. 28, to the delight of video gamers and football fans everywhere. You probably won't have as much fun with it as Paul Rudd, though, who gets to taunt Ray Lewis and walk away unharmed.

If you aren't familiar, Rudd is referencing Wiz Khalifa's "Black and Yellow," the Pittsburgh-centric jam that swept Pittsburgh and annoyed Baltimore around the time the Pittsburgh Steelers were heading into the playoffs last season. Ray Lewis, dominating linebacker for the rival Baltimore Ravens, likely did not love the song.



As for the game itself, anticipation remains as high as ever, and early indications look good. Calvin Johnson is on the cover, of course, and there will be Tebowing aplenty.

EA Sports made a handful of the Paul Rudd/Ray Lewis commercials. You can see the rest of them here at Thunder Treats.


(sports.yahoo.com)

As Jets jack-of-many-trades Tim Tebow gains weight to prepare for the additional punishment he’ll absorb this year, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis has opted to go lean.

Gantt points out in the one-liners that Lewis is lighter than 240 pounds.  So how much lighter?

Lewis won’t say.  He could be at 230 or less, and he looks noticeably thinner in a video posted at the Baltimore Sun website.

Lewis attributes the adjustments in his body to the adjustments in the sport.  “[T]he game is changing,” Lewis said, via Matt Vensel of the Baltimore Sun.  “[A]in’t no more 250, 260-pound fullbacks and the offense running the ball 25, 30, 40-plus times.”

Lewis said that coaches have told him over the years that it’s important to get lighter as a player gets later in his career.

His goal is to be able to keep up with the Gronkowskis of the world, as passing offenses rely on versatile tight ends to attack the middle of the field that Lewis previously has patrolled in search of tailbacks.  If Lewis can’t run with the tight ends, he could be chased off the field.

While the reduced weight could make Lewis more mobile, it also could make him more susceptible to injury.  And it could cause 2012 opponents that have potent running games to run right at Ray.


(profootballtalk.com)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Ray Lewis has made a Hall of Fame career out of stopping running backs. Entering his 17th NFL season, Lewis is looking more like a running back.

As the Ravens reported to training camp Wednesday, Lewis acknowledged that he is at his lightest weight since entering the league in 1996. A coach told him that the later you get in your career, the lighter you need to be in order to play.

Lewis took that to heart this offseason, saying he is "much lighter" than his listed playing weight of 240 pounds.

"The game is changing," Lewis said. "The game ain't no more 250, 260-pound fullback and you don't have offenses running the ball 25, 30, 40-plus times. That was my thought process was coming into this year. Playing lighter is much smarter for me."

This is rationale thinking considering the NFL has turned into a passing league, and it's hard to second-guess perhaps the greatest linebacker to ever play the game. But you have to wonder if Lewis lost too much weight this offseason.

Lewis wouldn't reveal his weight -- "I keep that to myself," he said -- but let's estimate he's around 230 pounds. He still has to fight through blockers. He still has to take on big running backs in the AFC North like the Browns' Trent Richardson (228 pounds), the Bengals' BenJarvus Green-Ellis (220 pounds) and the Steelers' Isaac Redman (230 pounds).

Baltimore has never had to worry about teams consistently running against its defense with Lewis in the middle. The Ravens have never allowed more than 3.9 yards per carry in any season. But that's been with Lewis weighing between 250 and 260 pounds.

Still, you have to respect Lewis' longevity. When he goes against Richardson, he's facing a back who was 5 years old when Lewis played his first game in the NFL.

Lewis said he never thinks about retirement and doesn't reflect on the toll in making 2,586 tackles.

"It's really about making the play, whether it's a tackle, a big hit or a sack. It's about making a play," Lewis said. "Whether you think about how you feel or not after the play, I really don't. Somebody feels it."

But inflicting those hits could be more challenging at this lower weight.


(espn.com)

Athletes have been making news recently, and it hasn’t been entirely positive. From domestic violence to drunk driving to confrontations with media and fans, sports figures have been highlighted in the news.

Those stories have pushed aside those of athletes who are working to improve their hometowns and their communities. Ray Lewis said he has come to accept that athletes behaving badly will always grab more headlines than those working to make a difference.

“That’s just the way it is,” the Ravens inside linebacker said Monday evening during an appearance at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore where he announced a partnership between the United Athletes Foundation and accounting firm Baker Tilly. “People have made it their jobs now to report all the bad stuff. Is it fair or not? I don’t think it is because the people you’re actually covering are human beings who have emotions and have kids and stuff like that. So there’s a human side to everything that we’re trying to do. That’s why these benefits are so beneficial because when people meet you and realize that the football pads are off, you’re just a regular person that is trying to figure out ways to make the community better. That’s the way that I think we have to use social media to spin that ourselves and really put a light on the things that are opposite from the bad that’s being reported.”

Monday night’s event kicked off a cooperative effort between UAF and Baker Tilly to assist in providing affordable housing and community development in this country. Lewis’ presence signaled an opportunity to help the city of Baltimore, but Lewis pointed out that he is one of approximately 100 pro athletes associated with UAF.

“I think a lot more people do the things that I do. They’re just not mentioned as much as the other side of things,” he said. “I think that other side – trouble – draws more attention and that gets the ‘Breaking News’ label. Things like this just don’t because people do it from their hearts. I’m not going to announce this real loud. If people want to express it, they express it. But to be able to give back to the community the way that I want to give back to the community, you really don’t care about that other side of it. You try to educate people and say, ‘Come do this.’ At the same time, you realize that there are so many people with real problems, and that’s why you keep giving back to organizations like this one time and time again. You realize how huge the problem really is.”


(baltimoresun.com)

On the eve of his 17th training camp with the Ravens, inside linebacker Ray Lewis said camp never gets old or boring for him.

In fact, the 12-time Pro Bowler and certain Hall of Famer said he still feels like a rookie trying to carve out a niche for himself on the starting defense.

“It can’t get old because I’m fighting for a starting job,” Lewis said Monday evening during an appearance at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore where he announced a partnership between the United Athletes Foundation and accounting firm Baker Tilly. “I’ve been fighting my whole life. That’s what people don’t realize. I don’t think I’ve ever come in and said, ‘Oh, I’ve got a good day.’ I don’t. And that’s why every year is a new year for me. It’s a new opportunity.”

If Lewis, 37, is a pillar of the Ravens defense, free safety Ed Reed is just as significant. In recent weeks, Reed seemed to hint that he was reconsidering whether he would return to the Ravens this season before telling Comcast SportsNet, “I always planned on playing this year,” and working out at the team’s complex in Owings Mills last Thursday.

Reed’s actions appeared to prove Lewis’ belief during last month’s minicamp – one that Reed skipped without informing coach John Harbaugh – that Reed would return to the team.

Asked how he knew a month ago that Reed would come back, Lewis said with a laugh, “We talk. It ain’t hard. Not when you know my boy.”

Running back Ray Rice figures to be at camp after agreeing to a five-year, $40 million extension a week ago, and Lewis said he was happy for his teammate.
“Awesome,” Lewis said. “I think it was awesome for him to get that deal done.”


(baltimoresun.com)

It happened 12 years ago but the events of that night still cling to one of America’s greatest sportsmen.

Talking to Ray Lewis about it at a smart London hotel this week, we called it ‘the situation’ or ‘the case’. Or just ‘Atlanta’.

Atlanta. It was Lewis’s Chappaquiddick. The tragedy he has never been able to shake despite an ongoing stellar career and a wealth of inspiring charity work.
Two men were murdered. He was at the scene. Or close to it. No one was convicted.

“What you learn quickly in this world,” Lewis said, “is that if you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time, trouble don’t care who you are.

“Trouble don’t have no name on it. That’s why so many people find themselves in it so quickly.

“I will live with Atlanta my whole life in the perception of how people want to look at me. That’s why I don’t live to please people. I don’t live to be liked. I live to be respected.”

Atlanta. Lewis was easy to spot there during Super Bowl week in January 2000. He wasn’t playing. He was a young man then, 24 years old. He had come to party.

Contemporaneous reports said he wore a full-length white fur coat and rode around town in the back of a 40-foot Lincoln Navigator limousine.

The night of the game, a group Lewis was with became embroiled in a violent brawl outside a smart club called the Cobalt Lounge.

At the end of it, Lewis and his companions fled in the limo. Two men, Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar, lay dead. They had been beaten and stabbed.
Eleven days later, Lewis and two companions were indicted on murder and aggravated assault charges.

Then, the murder charge was dropped. Lewis pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice. He was given a year’s probation and the NFL fined him $250,000.
A year later, Lewis won the Super Bowl in Tampa with the Baltimore Ravens. Not only that, he was voted the game’s Most Valuable Player.

He cut a sullen, bitter unrepentant figure that year. Questioned by the media about Atlanta, Lewis refused to engage.

It has been hard for the public to shake that image, even though many idolise him as an intimidator, the heart and soul of the Ravens team for close to two decades.

I was in Tampa. The stories about Atlanta were fresh and vivid then. So this week, I told him I had always found him rather sinister.

Does he now, 12 years on from their deaths, have any sympathy for the families of Baker and Lollar?

“Why wouldn’t you?” Lewis says. “I have sympathy for a lot of people when it comes to death and stupid deaths and people getting involved in stupid things.
“The difference is that if you take me out of the equation, that is just two dead black brothers on the street. That’s it. That’s the sad part about the whole thing.
“At the Super Bowl in Tampa I was so pissed off that people would not give a damn about the people affected. They don’t care. All they want to do is write.
“That’s a family. If you all want to talk to me about the story then you are opening up wounds afresh.

“You have to be careful about how much you share with people. If you pray to God you don’t have to try to convince people too much.”

Atlanta. Lewis says it did not change him. Not immediately. He said it took time. “That is what wisdom is,” he said. “Learning things over time.”

Gradually, he stopped moving with the same crowd. He stopped going out late. He stopped drinking what he called ‘heavy alcohol’.

And he began to live by a simple creed. “The people around you – either they are helping you or they are hurting you,” he said. “There ain’t no in-betweens.”

Meeting Lewis now, it is impossible not to be enthralled by what he once was and impressed by what he has become.

He has played at the top level of the NFL for 16 years, a remarkable achievement in a brutally physical and attritional sport.

For five of his 16 seasons as a linebacker, he led the league in tackles. Last season, he became the first player in NFL history to achieve 40 sacks and 30 interceptions in his career.

But he is to be admired for other things, too. He has set up the Ray Lewis 52 Foundation to help deprived families.

There is no doubting the sincerity of his involvement in his charitable work nor of the extent of it.

The reason for his presence in London, for instance, was to pay a surprise visit to the London Warriors.

Based in Croydon, the Warriors have players who have been taken out of gang culture and persuaded to use sport to change.

Lewis was not paid for his visit. He wanted to do it. “I found out when I got there that they are exactly who I am,” he said.

He knew all about deprived, difficult childhoods. Born in Bartow, Florida, he had one himself.

“Mum would walk in my room sometimes and say ‘I can’t feed you tonight’,” Lewis said. “’Okay, I got it’,” I’d say. ‘Feed my brothers and sisters. I will survive’.

“I started to weightlift or train because I got tired of seeing my mum with black eyes. The guy she was with just loved to beat her.”

He talked to the Warriors players for more than an hour the first night he was here.

He talks now with the articulate force and intensity of a preacher, an evangelist, a man who wants to warn others away from the dangers he once faced.

“One kid asked me ‘when does the grind stop, when do you feel that you made it?’” Lewis said.

“I am 17 years in and I am 37 years old and I am still grinding. There is no stopping.

“I don’t know what point you are looking to get to but you will always have the next step, next step, next step.

“That’s the thing that sports is able to give you: next step, next step, next step and if you use it right, it can step you right out of the situation you are in.

“With a lot of kids, talent overrides morals nowadays because they have figured out that if they can run a fast 40m and jump a high vertical leap, they can make a lot of money.

“So they think they don’t have to work on these other things that ultimately define them as a man. They think they don’t need those. I tell them there are no short cuts. Period.”

Lewis talks with great feeling, too, about others he has encountered and helped through his foundation.

A Baltimore patriarch called Papa Bill who died of cancer last week after Lewis helped him to reunite his fractured family.

And the kid Lewis had been planning to visit before the end of last season but who died on the eve of the Ravens’ narrow AFC Championship defeat to the New England Patriots which cost them a chance to return to the Super Bowl.

“I spoke to his mom on the phone and she was screaming ‘my only son is gone’,” Lewis recalled.

“I appreciated the game so much that day but I appreciated life even more. That’s what I tried to relate to my teammates, that win, lose or draw, don’t ever discredit life.

“In the locker room, I said to them ‘for you to be in here crying right now because of the loss of the game but I got a different story that means you can’t cry over no game’.

“Nah, we are bigger than that because there is real pain in this world.”

There was real pain in Atlanta, too. Whatever happened that night outside the Cobalt Lounge, Lewis has done much that is good in the second act of his American life.

“Before I was a football player,” Lewis said, “I was a man. I was a son. Now I love for people to meet me because they say ‘oh, you’re so different’.

“In America, they say once you go through something like Atlanta, you never bounce back.

“Your name never resurfaces. You kind of fade away. But I claim that to be a totally bogus lie.”


(mirror.co.uk)

There's no question Ray Lewis is one fit, fierce guy. But just a bet here -- his muscles have nothing to do with playing cards.

And yet, the Ravens linebacker is selling a new fitness programs that involves little more than a deck of cards. It costs $75 but dealhunters can snag it today for $35 through Groupon. (Plus shipping.)

A $35 deck of cards? For working out?

Maybe for working out AND a Go Fish. Still.

Lewis' website, RL52 Cycling Shop, insists that all anyone needs to build muscle and lose fat, Ray-style, is that deck of cards and 52 days. Oh, and some hand weights, a jump rope and motivation -- none of which are included.

"The program allows you to play your way to fitness," says the site. "Join the movement."

Buyers choose between three types of decks. The "Rookie" for beginners, "Amateur" for people who've been to the gym before and "Pro" for athletes.

By mid-morning today, two people had gone for the cards through Groupon.

Lewis, by the way, is also selling workout DVDs -- they're going two for $59.90.

One of his exercise bikes -- he's got three models on the site -- will cost $1,100 to $1,900.

Being fit like Ray Lewis doesn't come cheap.

"Ray Lewis has worked with thousands of ordinary people and changed their lives forever by helping them transition to a healthier lifestyle," the site says. "At 36 years of age and in the best shape of his life, Ray Lewis knows what it takes to achieve a healthy and fit lifestyle."


(baltimoresun.com)

Seventy-eight percent of former NFL players are bankrupt or facing serious financial difficulties two years after their football careers end. When Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis finally hangs it up, he will not be a statistic. That's because one of the best linebackers in the history of the game also has a knack for motivational speaking.

Lewis is the unquestioned inspirational leader of the Ravens, where he's been a fixture since 1996. But he's graciously shared his talents -- and his message -- to others during the NFL offseason. A few months back, in the middle of March Madness (the NIT version, but still), Lewis made a guest appearance in the Stanford Cardinal locker room to deliver a pep talk to the men's basketball team.

Apparently, it took because Stanford went out and beat UMass by 10 points. (Note to Johnny Dawkins: next time invite Lewis back at the beginning of the season.)

And this week, Lewis took his oratory skills to Great Britain. Specifically: London for a three-day minicamp with the London Warriors of the BAFA National Leagues in advance of their epic clash (or so we've been told) with the London Blitz (reigning champs!) this weekend.

"The Warriors, keen to do the double against their cross town rivals have scored a major coup in getting Lewis to train with them," Jonathan Little wrote on the league's website. "This follows after Sussex Thunder trained with Oklahoma Sooners Linebacker Tom Wort in the offseason. Will the presence of the Super Bowl XXXV MVP this week lead the Warriors to victory and a title Sunday?"

Lewis was so moved by a letter he received from the Warriors that he crossed the Atlantic to take part in the minicamp. Below, in an interview with SkySports.com, Lewis explains why he accepted the offer. Bonus: Warriors player Kendrick Tackle-Berry Agu posted one of Lewis' pep talks to Facebook. It's not delivered with quite the intensity of this spring's Stanford pregame chat but maybe Lewis is saving that for the weekend.

(We're secretly hoping the Warriors bust out the Ray-Rey shuffle prior to kickoff. Because nothing conveys the message "we're clearly insanse and are willing to do anything to win" like grown men rubbing grass all over themselves while dancing.)

Steve Nash is going to play for the Los Angeles Lakers next season following a blockbuster deal this week. Nash’s trade to the Lakers comes months after Peyton Manning signed a deal with the Denver Broncos. But Nash’s deal is much more striking, considering nobody ever thought they’d see the day when Nash would call longtime Lakers rival Kobe Bryant a teammate.

So with that in mind, we turned to Twitter on #talkaboutit Friday and asked you to select one NFL legend and a “no way” team for him to finish with, similar to Nash and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The most-mentioned player was Ray Lewis on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Far and away. Nobody can imagine that scenario ever playing out.

Another oft-mentioned one was Tom Brady on the New York Jets. And the Buffalo Bills. And the Indianapolis Colts. And the Oakland Raiders. (But to be honest, don’t rule out Brady finishing with the Raiders. The “Tuck Rule” has been put into the distant past, plus he’s from the area.)


(nfl.com)

Ravens MLB Ray Lewis reportedly looks slimmer than usual, and it's clear he's trying to become quicker. For Lewis, who’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 250 pounds, it’s a nod to a game that’s different than when he entered the NFL in 1996.

“(Anytime) you come back in your 17th year, you kind of want to come back with a different mentality and different thinking,” Lewis, who was listed at 240 in his rookie season, told reporters in June. “So, my mentality was, change with the game. There’s no more true, true, true, physical, physical fullbacks that are going to come at me and sledgehammer all day.

“So, everything is about mismatches now. And everything is about speed and about running and trying to get smaller people on the field. So, just adjust to the game, and as you see guys get older in their careers, you see a lot of people don’t do that. And that was my thing this year. … Everybody wants to go with all these little five-wides and all this different stuff. Just change with the game, and that was kind of my thought process.”

Of slimming down, Lewis said: "I think it becomes kind of easy when you go through the things that I went through in my regiment as far as training and then as far as eating and everything. So, it just naturally comes off, and as hard as you go with it, it’s just going to naturally take care of itself, and that’s pretty much, it’s been the course for me."

One longtime NFL defensive assistant who’s familiar with Lewis’ game believes getting leaner — Lewis was coy on whether he had actually shed a few pounds — is the right move for the future Hall of Famer.

“It’s very smart,” the coach, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told PFW. “Guys who know what they’re doing, that’s what they do.”

One example the coach cited was Giants DE Michael Strahan, who dropped weight toward the end of his career and still played at a high level.

Whereas a younger player can carry a few extra pounds and get away with it, that excess weight can be problematic for an older player, the coach said. “A lot of that extra weight is not good weight,” the coach said.  

Shedding a few pounds, the coach said, can be very helpful. 

“It’s easier on your joints,” he said. “You recover faster.”

The reduced bulk isn’t a big concern for a veteran, the coach said, “because you know how to play.”

One NFL personnel man told PFW that Lewis’ decision to try to get quicker isn’t uncommon among accomplished veteran players trying to fight off Father Time.

Of Lewis, the evaluator opined: “He knows that his window is closing fast.”


(profootballweekly.com)

Four proCanes are ranked in the NFL Top 100 poll in spots 20-11. proCane Saints TE Jimmy Graham points himself out at Number 14.

Additionally, Frank Gore was ranked at Number 28, Devin Hester 48, Jon Vilma 58, Vince Wilfork 81, Willis McGahee 98.

Last week, he watched a former teammate and fellow late-thirtysomething, Derrick Mason, call it a career after 15 seasons of pro football.

Monday, he watched LaDainian Tomlinson, a running back four years his junior, walk away from the NFL.

But Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis isn’t seriously contemplating the end of his career. Even though he turned 37 last month, he is preparing for his 17th season in the NFL in 2012.

What has enabled him to outlast not only so many players of his generation but also those who are younger?

His maniacal devotion to fitness and sheer love of football certainly have contributed to his longevity, but Lewis mentioned another factor when he spoke to reporters at the Ravens’ minicamp last week.

The fact that he has played his entire career with one team has helped him keep going, he said.

Asked about Mason, who played in Tennessee for eight years before spending six with the Ravens, Lewis said, “He’s one of the best receivers I’ve been around, but he had a couple of different homes. And that kind of drains you. Being here in Baltimore for 17 years (is) a different energy. You never really think about, ‘Oh, when’s it going to come? I’ve been traded to this team. I’ve moved on.’”

Mason was cut by the Ravens in a salary cap purge a year ago and played briefly for the New York Jets and Houston Texans in 2011, but neither valued his services and he saw the writing on the wall. Similarly, Tomlinson parted ways with the San Diego Chargers after nine seasons and spent two lesser years with the New York Jets before retiring Monday.

Lewis, meanwhile, has continued to start for the Ravens and earn Pro Bowl selections. Although he has played through a handful of contracts and shopped his services on the open market several times, including as recently as two years ago, he has never worn another uniform.

“For a lot of guys, that’s kind of a sign for them. If I’m trading teams here and there, OK, my window could be closing,” Lewis said. “For me, the relationship that (GM) Ozzie (Newsome) and (owner) Steve (Bisciotti) and I have, and the relationship I have with my body is ‘go as long as you want to go.’ And so that thought process (of walking away) never comes up. Whenever it happens, it happens. But it’s definitely nothing that I think about.”


(csnwashington.com)

HIALEAH GARDENS, Fla. — It was a hot and humid Monday morning. Just the way Ravens inside linebacker Ray Lewis prefers it.

Approximately 130 high school football players, mostly from Broward and Miami-Dade counties, sweated their way through an intense 21/2-hour workout during the first of two days at the Ray Lewis Football Camp at St. Thomas University.

“You always see something different,” Lewis said. “All the kids have different backgrounds. When we finally started to train them, the thing they don't understand is it's all about endurance. It's all about going past the level of fatigue.

“When they start to get it, their effort starts to change. It's not about seeing how much you got left, it's about how fast you can push yourself to that point, and once you get to that point you can go past that.”

Lewis, 37, will give you a first impression that he is fearless, engulfed with intensity once he steps on the football field.

Yet there is more to the former Miami star.

He is an educator of the game, distributing the knowledge and commitment of what it takes to make it to the next level. Lewis will be the first to say it's just not how the athlete performs on the field, but how he prepares off it.

“The difference in this camp is we train for lifestyle,” Lewis said. “Football is the last thing we go over. The bottom line is physical fitness and the things that will keep them healthy.”

During his 16-year career, all with the Ravens, Lewis has 2,586 combined tackles, 40.5 sacks and 31 interceptions in 222 regular-season games. He's also been named to the Pro Bowl 13 times.

“What really brings these kids down to earth is the type of camp we run,” said Lewis. “The world offers too many things that can keep them from being a better person.”

The camp is a combination of football instruction, film breakdown by Lewis and sports performance training, product knowledge and health awareness.

“The goal at the end of the day is to change someone's life,” Lewis said. “That's what my first message is all about: making the right choices, eating the right food.”

The first choice was making the commitment to attend the camp and surviving the hard workout Lewis promised they would endure through two days.

“I know Ray Lewis is a hardworking man, so I wanted to see what the camp was all about,” defensive tackle Maquedius Bain said. “This will help me become more focused on the next mind set.

“This is harder than high school, but he's getting us ready for the next level.”

It was clear Monday that a number of the participants weren't prepared for the intense workout Lewis had in store. Heat took its toll on some, while others dealt with leg cramps.

Lewis pressed hard on a message that was loud and clear.

“Let's grab what that pain feels like and let's go past that,” he said. “That's what these young kids got to start to get.

“My camp is about living a long time. You do see someone walking up and saying little things like, ‘I got it, I get it.' That is the reward.”


(baltimoresun.com)

Here in 2012, Ray Lewis doesn't have to prove his worth to anybody. Twelve Pro Bowl selections in 16 seasons says it all, but Lewis isn't sitting tight.

The Baltimore Ravens linebacker has watched the NFL morph into a pass-happy carnival ride and he's tweaking his game to adjust to the aerial onslaught.

"My mentality was change with the game," Lewis told The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday after the team's mandatory minicamp. "There are no more true, true, true, physical, physical fullbacks that are going to come at me and sledgehammer all day. So, just adjust to the game, and as you see guys get older in their careers, you see a lot of people don't do that. And that was my thing this year. It was like, 'All right, the game is changing like that. Everybody wants to go with all these little five-wides and all this different stuff.' Just change with the game, and that was kind of my thought process. ... If you've been in the game so long, you just learn to adjust to it."

Lewis shifted his famous offseason training regimen to include swimming and bike riding in recent months. The Sun reported Lewis, nearing his 37th birthday, took the field this week at the Ravens' mandatory minicamp looking leaner than last season, when he tipped the scales at 250 pounds.

We're a long way from Trent Dilfer leading a ground-oriented Baltimore offense to the Super Bowl in 2000, which in itself was an aberration. Last year's New York Giants ranked dead last in running the ball. The New England Patriots were 20th. Ground-and-pound remains effective -- the Houston Texans leaned heavily last season on Arian Foster and Ben Tate to rescue them out of a slew of quarterback injuries -- but we've seen a distinctive shift toward the pass.

Records are being shattered through the air and Lewis, instead of denying this, is tweaking his game along with it. If you've ever seen Lewis fawned over by ESPN and the Monday Night Football crew, you know he doesn't lack supporters. We're not going to go overboard here. After all, he's not the only defender learning to alter his on-field approach, but it's another example of what makes Lewis an ageless threat to offensive coordinators everywhere.


(nfl.com)

Unlike his teammate Ed Reed, linebacker Ray Lewis is attending the Ravens’ mandatory three-day minicamp in Owings Mills.

He was at practice Tuesday, looking noticeably slimmer after months of biking, swimming and other offseason exercises in South Florida.

“Pulled a little bit from this, a little bit from that,” he said of his training regimen. ":When you go through what I go through during the season, (weight) just naturally comes off."

How much weight has he dropped since the end of the 2011 season?

“I’ll keep that between me and me,” he said with a smile.

He did reveal that there is a method to his madness, or whatever you want to label his rigorous offseason work. Having watched the NFL become more pass happy every year, he is feeling the need to be lighter and more agile. There’s no doubt some teams picked on him on third downs last season.

“In your 17th year, you want to come back with a different mentality. My mentality was change with the game,” he said. “There’s no more true, true, true, physical, physical fullback who is going to come at me and sledgehammer me all day. Everything is all about mismatches now, about speed and running and getting smaller people on the field. So just adjust to the game. You see some guys, as they get older, a lot of people don’t (adjust). That’s my thing. OK, the game is changing, everything going five wide, so just change with the game. That’s my process.”

Expect to see a lighter Lewis in the middle of the Ravens’ defense in 2012.


(csnwashington.com)

LB Ray Lewis is certain S Ed Reed will report for training camp in July. "These three days won't take away from what Ed Reed's focus is, and that is to come back and help our defense be the best defense there is in football," Lewis said. "I don't think it's an issue at all," Lewis said. "When July 25 comes, Ed will be here."

Ed Reed not attending mandatory minicamp, is a finable action under the NFL collective bargaining agreement.

Reed can be fined up to $63,000 for the missed practices and $9,915 for missing a team physical, all at the Ravens' discretion.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he hasn't spoken with Reed. "I have not communicated with Ed," Harbaugh said. "I'm not sure what the situation is."


(cbssports.com)

The new Madden NFL won't be out for a few months but judging from the way Ray Lewis acts on the game's trailer, it's safe to say they've sold at least one.

In the minute and a half long trailer, released online this week by EA Sports, Lewis lets loose an impassioned stream of dialogue that's part poetry, part prayer. He doesn't mention the game. But that's kind of beside the point.

It opens with soft, somber, piano music -- none of that thumping bass that usually introduces anything selling football. Lewis' voice comes on, dead serious.

"I've always been that I'm too small, i'm not big enough, i'm not fast enough, i don't have want it takes," he says. "I prepare so no one can take what is mine. No one can replace my mind, my heart."

He continues, sounding like a beat poet at an open mic, or a preacher rousing the Sunday regulars:

"To be the best and stay there sweat is necessary. I'm older. Of course I'm older. That's the beauty of it. Sixteen years plus different level of wisdom. Different level of understanding. Different level of punishment. i want to live loooong after my records have fallen, long after my rings have tarnished. Whatever you got to do to make sure you chase your legacy. Every second of your life. How will you be remembered? How will you be remembered? Why wouldn't you fight for the greatest achievement ever? Leave your mark to endure forever."

The trailer ends with Lewis staring steel-eyed into the camera, gridiron war paint under his eyes.

A final note from the piano.

Get chills. Pre-order.


(baltimoresun.com)

Ray Lewis is preparing for his 17th NFL season with the same approach he’s used his entire career. In fact, when the 37-year-old joined Michael Irvin on his radio show Wednesday, you could barely hear what Lewis was trying to say because he was in the midst of a 30-mile bike ride as part of his training regimen.

Ray Lewis joined Michael Irvin and Curtis Stevenson on WQAM in Miami to discuss the Miami Dolphins’ decision to undergo the “Hard Knocks” treatment and his son’s decision to follow in his footsteps at the University of Miami.

On the Miami Dolphins agreeing to be the subject of the 2012 season of HBO’s “Hard Knocks”:
“For us, we had the right group of men. We had the right group of characters, who understood. So it wasn’t as much of a distraction as people have talked about it being. And I think for us, we enjoyed every moment of it just being ourselves. And if I have any advice to the Dolphins, it’s just try to do something in the game, let the cameras be the cameras. And just remain yourself, bottom line. … All we did was maintain being ourselves, and I think that was the beauty of how it came out the way it came out.”

On how he felt when his son committed to the University of Miami (Fla, obviously.):
“There’s no greater reward, as a father, to have that. To walk into your alma mater and look at your baby — my baby — who was born on that campus. That’s what’s so special about what all happened. That boy was born on that campus my senior year, 1995. And when I walked him back there, Coach (Al) Golden looked at him and said, ‘We want you to be a Hurricane.’ Remember Michael, I didn’t have that opportunity. I got the last scholarship the University of Miami had. So for my son to be a junior and get that scholarship? C’mon, man. All my hard work, all my pain. … That thing right there, it kept motivating me all over again this offseason. I got me pissed off all over again, Mike, because I realized what I had sacrificed for my kids. And now I realized, now I keep sacrificing for my kids.”

Listen to Ray Lewis on WQAM here

If you're a college team in need of some inspiration, don't call Tony Robbins or waste your time with Deepak Chopra.

The guy you need is Ray Lewis. Yes, the Ravens' middle linebacker/motivational speaker/good luck charm.

Lewis, a 13-time Pro Bowl player, spoke to the Loyola men's lacrosse game three days before their NCAA quarterfinal game against Denver and encouraged them to play with passion. The result: Loyola won, 10-9, to advance to its first Final Four in 14 years. (you can view the video on YouTube).

"The most important thing anytime you're dealing with big games is team," Lewis told the players. "That's where champions are developed -- through unselfishness to figuring out nothing else matters but the man that's beside me."

By my count, teams are undefeated in tournament play after listening to Lewis. It was nearly two months ago when he spoke to the Stanford basketball team before the NIT semifinals. Stanford went on to beat Massachusetts in the Final Four and Minnesota in the championship game.

Some might discount Lewis' influence. But players in all sports and at every level respect Lewis. That's why colleges call on Lewis and NFL players do the same. Lewis has been the "godfather of the NFL" for years because players from around the league call and text him for advice. The contact list on his cell phone is a who's who in the NFL. Maybe Lewis should give Ed Reed a buzz since the Pro Bowl safety is struggling with is commitment to football.

"Winning on Saturday doesn’t start on Saturday," Lewis told the Loyola lacrosse team last week. "It starts right now."

A lot of colleges have their good luck traditions. Auburn has the War Eagle, and Clemson has Howard's Rock. But if you're a team needing to get pumped up before a big game, your best bet these days is Lewis. My guess is his pre-game dance will cost you extra.


(espn.com)

The AFC North blog doesn't give birthday shout-outs, but this one has special significance.

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis turns 37 today, which could be the magic number for him. In April 2011, Lewis hinted at a target date for his retirement when he told the NFL Network, "I can’t see myself playing football past 37.”

Lewis made it clear after Baltimore's AFC Championship Game loss that he was returning in 2012, but there has to be questions about whether he will play beyond this year. At some point, Lewis is going to have to say goodbye to football, although there haven't been any recent indicators he will be calling it quits anytime soon. His contract runs through 2015, and the Ravens showed confidence in Lewis when they once again didn't draft his eventual replacement in April.

Lewis started off strong last season and was among the NFL's top inside linebackers in the first half of the 2011. Then, after missing four games with a toe injury, he seemed to wear down toward the end of the year.

Still, he has been one of the league's top Iron Men. His 222 games played is second-most among active players, ranking only behind a kicker (Jason Hanson). He is the longest-tenured Raven on the roster by six seasons (safety Ed Reed is second).

No other great middle linebacker has played as along as Lewis. Mike Singletary retired after 12 seasons with the Chicago Bears before his play declined. The Pittsburgh Steelers' Jack Lambert walked away after 11 years because of a severe toe injury. And the Bears' Dick Butkus stopped after nine seasons because of knee injuries.

Lewis is now entering his 17th season in the NFL. And, after turning 37 today, you have to wonder whether this will be his last.


(espn.com)

Tommy Streeter will never forget the pain he felt the weekend of the NFL draft. Projected by some analysts to be a second-day pick, Streeter remained on the board until late in the sixth round. But shortly after the Ravens ended his disappointment, his phone rang. Linebacker Ray Lewis was reaching out to the Miami Hurricanes wide receiver and welcoming him to the family.

“I basically told him that I was ready to make that next step, ready to train,” Streeter said Sunday, the final day of the team’s three-day rookie minicamp in Owings Mills. “He took it upon himself to extend that invitation. He stays probably 40 minutes away from me in Miami. He just invited me to come over, work out. I accepted it and we’ve been on a roll ever since.

”Since draft day, Lewis and Streeter have pumped iron and worked up a sweat together in Florida. Steeler, who at 23 is 13 years younger than Lewis, marveled at his new teammate’s work ethic.

“It’s been tough. He pushes his body to the limit,” Streeter said. “It’s no surprise that he plays the way he plays on game day and why he’s been playing so long in the NFL."

Standing tall at 6 feet 5, Streeter was easy to spot during Sunday's practice. His size and speed are his most enticing attributes, but the deep threat has a long way to go to become a complete receiver. Streeter had 52 catches for 967 yards and nine touchdowns in three seasons at Miami. 

Ravens coach John Harbaugh provided this scouting report: “First impression, he’s really tall. Second impression, he’s really fast. I’d say third impression, he’s going to be a good player.”

Streeter isn’t the only Ravens rookie who is being mentored by one of the team’s Pro Bowlers. Safety Christian Thompson, a fourth-round pick, has been getting advice from safety Ed Reed.

“Being a DB, you always want to play under the best players and Ed Reed, to me, is the best,” Thompson said. “Being able to play under him is a blessing. I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”

Streeter said he would always remember how 31 teams passed on him, but he, too, feels blessed to be given the opportunity to be with the Ravens and around Lewis, a former Hurricane himself.

“I kind of felt like a lot of people didn’t believe in me even though I believe in myself. I thank God that the coaches believed in me and gave me this opportunity,” the introspective Streeter said. “Ever since I got that phone call on draft day, I had the mindset that I was willing to work.”


(baltmoresun.com)

If Michael Phelps again wins multiple gold medals at the Summer Olympics, Ray Lewis will deserve some of the credit.

Phelps told the Baltimore Sun that he experienced some burnout after winning eight gold medals in Beijing four years ago, and it was tough to get as motivated to compete in London this year. But getting to know Lewis, hearing his pep talks and seeing the passion the Ravens’ linebacker still has for his sport after 16 seasons in the league helped Phelps to rediscover his own passion for his sport.

“I love to watch him play. It sends chills up my spine,” Phelps said. “And his words are so powerful. It’s what friends are for.”

Phelps is a big Ravens fan, and he and Lewis have developed a bond over the last few years. Lewis has a reputation for being as good a motivator off the field as he is a linebacker on the field (he recently gave a rousing speech to Stanford’s basketball team), and Phelps says his relationship with Lewis has meant a lot to him.

“Ray is a good friend of mine,” Phelps said. “Baltimore is my hometown, and it’s where I grew up. I’m always going to have a place there. I love Baltimore, I love being close to [where] the Ravens play.”


(profootballtalk.com)

A nonprofit affordable-housing builder says it will rehab at least 500 vacant Baltimore homes -- in a partnership that includes the Ravens' Ray Lewis -- and intends to start soon.

The North Carolina-based Builders of Hope is announcing the "Bring It Home" initiative today. It says it has secured about $100 million from an investor who wants to remain anonymous and plans to use up to $30 million of that rehabilitating vacant homes in Baltimore and Atlanta.

Lewis and the United Athletes Foundation are involved in the effort, along with debt-counseling group Consumer Education Services Inc.

In Baltimore, Builders of Hope is working with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s Vacants to Value program. The plan is to find a neighborhood close to the Johns Hopkins Hospital with "a good density of vacant, blighted housing all within a certain block radius so we can really have an impact on the community there," said Nancy Welsh, Builders of Hope's founder and chief executive.

Neighborhoods near the East Baltimore hospital have hundreds and hundreds of homes tagged by the city as vacant and unsafe or uninhabitable.

Stay tuned -- colleague Lorraine Mirabella will have more later.


(baltimoresun.com)

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis won't be called to testify in the ongoing trial of former NFL linebacker Nate Webster, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Lewis had been subpoenaed as a defense witness earlier this week. It was never revealed why Lewis was originally called as a witness or what information he was expected to present for the defense. Lewis and Webster were both linebackers at the University of Miami in the 1990s.

Webster, a nine-year veteran who played for the Bengals in 2004 and 2005, is facing sex-related charges involving the teenage daughter of a former Cincinnati assistant coach.


(espn.com)

While former Cincinnati Bengal Nathaniel “Nate” Webster had his trial start today, the big news was another linebacker who is scheduled to testify.
Mary Jill Donovan, Webster’s attorney, issued a subpoena requiring the Baltimore Ravens All-Pro linebacker Ray Lewis to testify in the trial.

Donovan, representing Webster against allegations he had sex with a 15-year-old girl in 2009, wouldn’t say why she called for Lewis to testify.
A message about Lewis’ testimony left with the Ravens wasn’t immediately returned today.

The case began Monday with jury selection. The actual trial is expected to begin Tuesday with opening statements.

Webster, who has denied all allegations, was 31 and the girl 15 when she said he had sex with her at least four times in 2009 in and around their Symmes Township neighborhood. He now is 34 and she is 18.

Webster is charged with sexual touching, sexual battery and five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

Hamilton County prosecutors were unconcerned with Lewis’ possible testimony, saying the only issue in the case is if Webster has sex with a minor. If they can convince a jury he did, he could go to prison for more than 30 years.

That’s far less than the plea deal Assistant Prosecutors Seth Tieger and Katie Burroughs offered Webster earlier.

Tieger, who said the plea deal was offered to try to spare the alleged victim from having to testify in a high-profile case, said the plea deal included a mandatory prison sentence for Webster that also required him to register as a sex offender after his release.

Common Pleas Court Judge Ralph “Ted” Winkler told the sides he would send Webster to prison for four years if such a plea was accepted by the former pro football player, who has seven children from four women.

The judge also raised a potential conflict of interest in the case: Webster is represented by the wife of Sean Donovan, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy who is running for Sheriff this fall. He is also is the boss of the police officers who arrested Webster and will be testifying in the case for prosecutors.

Mary Jill Donovan said there was no conflict.

“It's fraught with danger for everybody and I'll leave it at that," the judge said.

Webster played in Cincinnati for four games over two years, 2005 and 2006, before knee injuries ended his Bengal career. He played three more years in Denver, the last in 2008. He also coached for a time in 2010 at Bellevue High.

Winkler said the case is expected to go into next week.


(cincinnati.com)

LAKELAND | Three years ago, Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl linebacker Ray Lewis wanted to establish a wing of his foundation in Lakeland. After all, Lewis graduated from Kathleen High School.

So far, so good.

The Ray Lewis Foundation will host Ray's Spring Fest this week, filled with meet-and-greets, fundraisers and activities for adults and children.
The activities start at 7 tonight when Lewis will be on hand for a meet-and-greet at the Dream Center, 635 W. Fifth St., Lakeland. On Friday, he participates in a celebrity bowling tournament at Orange Bowl Lanes as well as an after party.

On Saturday, Lewis will hold a youth fitness clinic during the day, then give the coin toss at the Lakeland Raiders football game at The Lakeland Center at night.

The activities tonight and Friday are fundraisers that help the foundation do other activities during the year, like back-to-school and holiday activities.

"Ray's goal has been to bring his foundation back to the community where it all began," said Gwen Gentry, vice president of the foundation. "His foundation has been active and involved in the Baltimore community, and now Ray is making an impact here in Florida through the activities of the foundation."

The jewel of the weekend is the youth fitness clinic on Saturday at his alma mater, Kathleen High School.

The clinic is not a football camp.

Lewis and area coaches and athletes will lead the youth participants through various exercises meant to get them physically active. Registration for the camp is closed.

"Ray really wants the kids to get out there and have fun and understand, one, the importance of exercise," said John Ruffin, chairman of Lewis' foundation in Lakeland. "And two, how the cultivation of determination in this capacity can be carried forward to build the character needed to be successful in all aspects of life. He's a living testament to that every day of his life."

Tickets to the fundraisers tonight and Friday are limited. For more information on the foundation, contact Ruffin at 863-712-6125 or Gentry at 863-279-2122.


(theledger.com)

The Dolphins will check out UM draft prospects on Wednesday and Thursday, which reminds us that they have selected only two Hurricanes in the past 20 drafts (Yatil Green in 1997 and Vernon Carey in 2004). “It’s mind-boggling,” Ed Reed said at UM’s Hall of Fame inductions Thursday. “We’re right here!” Bryant McKinnie said. “You would think they would know us better than anybody.”

If the Dolphins sign McIntosh, he would be the only Hurricanes player on the roster - for now - because Carey is not expected to return.
The Dolphins insist they have no objection to drafting UM players, and they are believed to like a few departing Canes, including receiver Tommy Streeter.

Keep in mind this is a franchise that took John Jerry at 73 over Jimmy Graham (who went 95th) in 2010 when Bill Parcells mistakenly thought he could draft Graham in the fourth round; Jamar Fletcher (26) over Reggie Wayne (30) in 2001; selected Jason Allen 16th and traded the 51st pick for Daunte Culpepper in 2006 (instead of signing Drew Brees), thus eliminating any chance of drafting Devin Hester (57) or Eric Winston (66); and took Anthony Alabi over Chris Myers in 2005, among other moves. Choosing solid pro Daryl Gardener at 20 instead of Ray Lewis (26) in 1996 would have been regrettable if Jimmy Johnson hadn’t found a gem in Zach Thomas at No. 154 that year.

McKinnie said he, Reed and Jeremy Shockey used to talk about finishing their careers with the Dolphins, but “the Dolphins wouldn’t do that. In college, we all said we would take pay cuts to come to the Dolphins.”

McKinnie said he doubts that would happen now. "I don't know what direction this team is going in," McKinnie said.

Miami didn’t try to sign McKinnie or Shockey when they were free agents last year, opting for Marc Colombo and Jeron Mastrud. Wayne would have considered the Dolphins last month, “but it didn’t seem like they wanted me.”


(miamiherald.com)

Ray Lewis III has already stoked plenty of excitement with his blend of power and agility in his first three seasons as a running back at Lake Mary (Fla.) Preparatory School. Now he's officially following in his father's footsteps, committing to play college football for the University of Miami.

As first reported by Rivals.com University of Miami affiliate CaneSport.com, Lewis III agreed to join the University of Miami's Class of 2013 on Monday, giving Hurricanes coach Al Golden his commitment in person alongside his more famous father. The younger Lewis committed as soon as he received the offer during an on campus visit on Monday, which the Lewis family made together, then announced the decision publicly on Twitter Tuesday.

Lewis III has made his name in Florida football circuits primarily as a running back, but that doesn't ensure he won't move to the defensive side in college. The junior has also been a significant contributor (albeit a less high profile one) as a safety.

"Ever since I was born, it has always been Miami," Lewis III told CaneSport. "My mom and dad both went to Miami and so much has gone on through the years. But I took a tour today and I just felt like this was home. The way the players practiced, talking to the players and the coaching staff. I just felt like I was home. This is a great day."

Given his father's reputation, it may be even more difficult for Miami coaching staff to overlook Lewis III's defensive talents than his offensive explosiveness.

Regardless of where he's played, Lewis III said he was happy to be a part of the Miami program, which has been as much a part of his DNA as the teen's leadership qualities on the field.

His father, for one, is already getting goosebumps about how his son could contribute at 'The U'.

"It's hard as a father," Ray Lewis told CaneSport. "It's hard. It's so hard. I was sitting in the office and I didn't want to show my emotions in front of [Miami head coach Al] Golden. But I had butterflies. Once he started to get older and started to understand, and I saw what he was turning into, I said 'Oh my God.' I used to say can you imagine if you went to UM? Can you can you imagine if you followed that up.

"I dreamed about this from the time he came out. The first thing I said when I saw I had a son was, wow, my son is going to go to UM. Now it's almost like looking in a mirror. The way that he talks, the way that he walks. It's one of the most awesome things I have ever seen. And now he is a Hurricane."


(yahoosports.com)

Ray Lewis III wants to make his mark with the Miami Hurricanes.

His father Ray Lewis, a probable future NFL Football Hall of Famer as a linebacker with the Baltimore Ravens, is already in the UM Sports Hall of Fame.

Lewis, a 5-9, 175-pound running back/safety at Lake Mary Prep, gave his oral commitment to UM coach Al Golden on Tuesday. Lewis rushed for more than 2,000 yards in his junior year. He would arrive for the 2013 season.

“Just committed to Miami Baby!!!!!’’ Lewis III posted on Twitter on Tuesday night.


(miamiherald.com)

Former Hurricane stars WR Reggie Wayne, LB Ray Lewis, LB D.J. Williams, LB Jonathan Vilma and TE Jimmy Graham watched the team pracitce on Tuesday. While Williams, Vilma, and Graham are regulars at practice, Wayne, and, especially, Lewis, are rare visitors to the Greentree practice fields.



(cbssports.com)

Having formerly worked in the Cockeysville area, I was able to watch the transformation of the Hunt Valley Town Center. Crappy restaurants were replaced with nicer ones, Wegmans (the greatest grocery store in the world) was built and Wal-Mart moved out for a new project by Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.

Two years ago Lewis announced MVP Lanes, an upscale bowling alley featuring a sushi bar and restaurant. Today, Lewis’ project “has devolved into a swirl of lawsuits,” according to Gus Sentementes of the Baltimore Sun.

The project’s subcontractors have complained that they are owed over $1.1 million and building has stalled. Today, MVP Lanes features boarded off windows and a chain linked fence around what would be the front door.

All signs point to the project being scrapped, Ray Lewis’ official website no longer mentions MVP Lanes and the project’s homepage, MVPEntertainment.com, is offline.

It’s crazy to think that a guy who signed a $22 million contract three seasons ago can’t seem to get this project off the ground.  Hunt Valley would have been a perfect location for an upscale bowling alley like this, but after reading the details in The Sun, I can’t imagine Lewis can pick up the pieces to finish MVP Lanes.


(baltimoresportsreport.com)

Former Ravens head coach and current NFL Network analyst Brian Billick just exited the podium at the NFl Scouting Combine. He was his engaging and interesting self, calling Stanford's Andrew Luck the best quarterback prospect since John Elway and relaying a story where he once asked an NFL prospect with character questions, "Are you a thug or are you stupid?"

He also discussed the difficult decisions former players - Ray Lewis and Ed Reed - will face in deciding when it's time to hang it up and call it quits on expected Hall of Fame careers. Lewis and Reed have both said that they will play next season.

"It’s eventually going to happen for everyone," Billick said. "Ed Reed is a little bit different because of the injuries. ... Ed, as you know, is very in tune to that. The demands on his body and the hits that he takes, at some point. Ed will be prudent that way. It may take for the entire offseason. When we had Jonathan Ogden, Jonathan could have continued to play but Jonathan knew because the toe injury at the end, ‘You know what? I’m not going to do what I know how I have to do in the offseason to come back and play. Yeah, I’m going to keep playing but I know what that offseason has to be.’

"Ed Reed, I think, has the intelligence obviously to [say], 'You know what, I just know that I can’t and won’t do the things that I have to do in the offseason in order to play.' Ray, gosh, it amazes me. I thought a couple of years ago he was a bit of a liability on third down and he seemed to bounce back in only the way Ray Lewis can, and needed to be on the field every snap. Amazing. But even for Ray Lewis, at some point. Ray has such a high expectation for himself and again, it’s hard for a player sometimes to truly recognize where are you. I’ve had a number of my former players – typically the smart ones – that will call outside sources and say, ‘Coach, look at my film, tell me if it’s time for me to go.’ It’s a tough question."


(baltimoresun.com)

The clear-cut top player on ESPN.com's Any Era team is Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who has defined toughness for this generation of football.

Lewis' career has spanned over three decades and has featured him delivering bone-breaking hits, playing through pain and carrying a team to a Super Bowl. He has become the most feared and most respected player in the NFL.

This is why Lewis was the overwhelming top pick on ESPN's Any Era team in a poll of 20 Pro Football Hall of Famers and John Clayton, ESPN.com's senior writer who has covered the league for nearly four decades. The Any Era team is comprised of current players whose play, attitude and grit stand the test of time. When it comes to this test, Lewis stands alone. (Here's a full explanation of the project).

In my Q&A with Lewis, he was humbled by being named No. 1 on the Any Era team. "Because those are guys that I had a dream one day, to say, 'I want to be in the NFL. I want to be that, and leave a mark on it,'" Lewis said. "When you watch Jim Brown, he left a mark on the game by the way he played. And the difference of Jim Brown and all the others -- the Lynn Swanns and all the other people, it's pure effort -- that's it."

Here are explanations from three Hall of Fame players on why Lewis made the cut:

Jim Brown: “Ray Lewis embodies everything that a player should have and more because not only does he fulfill his role, but he helps everybody else on the team. He has a great heart, and his mental toughness is as good as it gets. You don’t want to have a physical tough guy without him being mentally tough and having heart, which means he can hang in there and give up a certain part of himself that other people are afraid to give up.”

Marcus Allen: “The passion Ray Lewis plays with is -- you’d have to search the dictionary for something really adequate. Words like extreme don’t measure how a guy like him loves the game of football and is willing to lay it on the line every day to be great.”

James Lofton: "There is an awareness when you play against Ray Lewis. When you are coming out of the huddle, if you are a QB or a ballcarrier, you try not to make eye contact with him. But you have to look at him, so you can figure out how the defense is aligned and looking at him is like looking into the face of fear -- you just have to look at it."


(espn.com)