Friday, January 16, 2009
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Gail Burton/Associated Press
Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, center, leads the team off the field after practice yesterday in Owings Mills, Md.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- There is one overwhelming reason why Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan is certain to become an NFL head coach, perhaps as early as next week with the New York Jets or St. Louis Rams.
Ray Lewis.
You know Ray-Ray, right? No. 52 in the purple-and-white uniform. One of the great middle linebackers in NFL history. A 10-time Pro Bowler, two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and MVP of Super Bowl XXXV. "A shining star of a leader," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said.
The kind of player who makes his coaches seem awfully smart. "He's a once-in-a-lifetime guy," Ryan said.
When last seen on a football field Saturday in Tennessee, Lewis, 33 and in his 13th NFL season, showed Polamalu-like quickness to get to the sideline and Lambert-like ferocity to send Titans fullback Ahmard Hall flying one way and his helmet another. When last seen on Heinz Field in September, Lewis put such a lick on Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall that he broke Mendenhall's shoulder.
"If he's slowing down, I can't see it," Ryan said. "He still has range. He's still hitting. He's still the top middle linebacker in the game."
Heinz Fields fans won't have any trouble finding Lewis when the Ravens and Steelers meet Sunday in the AFC championship game for the right to go to Super Bowl XLIII. Right from the start, when the Ravens leave the tunnel from their locker room to take the frozen lawn, Lewis will be front and center, dancing and preening, the ultimate look-at-me player of his time.
Silly? Sure, his little routine looks silly. The home crowd will hiss and boo. But the Ravens will love it. They love everything about the passionate Lewis, their emotional leader. Much like when Joey Porter was with the Steelers, Lewis' value to the squad goes far beyond what he does on the field.
Lewis had a total of 20 tackles -- including 17 solo stops -- in the Ravens' playoff wins against Tennessee and Miami the past two weeks. During the regular season, he had a team-high 160 tackles, three interceptions, 31/2 sacks and two fumble recoveries.
Those close to Lewis, as well as the man himself, will tell you none of it happens by accident. "He doesn't just show up on Sundays," said Pitt offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh, who was on the Ravens' staff when they won the Super Bowl after the 2000 season and Lewis was the MVP. As Ravens offensive tackle Willie Anderson put it, "When your best player is your hardest worker, good things happen for your team."Lewis' game preparation is legendary at Ravens headquarters. "Football never changes. It's whatever you put into it," Lewis said.
Ryan called him "such a student of the game," adding, "The practices and meetings we have are only part of it. If you want to be great, you've got to study the tapes yourself. Ray probably puts in as many hours as most coaches do."
Lewis' teammates are convinced his hours of video study and ability to recognize an opponent's formations and tendencies give them a sizable advantage. "With Ray, no one is going to know an offense better than we do," linebacker Jarret Johnson said.
Then there's Lewis' intensity.
"What you see on Sunday, you get every day at every practice," Cavanaugh said. "He takes every play, whether it's during the season or at fall camp or at mini-camp, as a challenge. He's got the same focus all week long. It becomes infectious for the rest of the team."
Case in point: All-Pro safety Ed Reed.
Like Lewis, Reed played at the University of Miami. Again like Lewis, Reed is adored by his teammates because of the preparatory work he puts in each week.
"I know Ray took that young kid Ed under his wing," Cavanaugh said. " 'This is how we do it here. This is the only way we do it.' "
The result has been lights-out defense, year after year, during the Lewis era. The Ravens ranked second against the pass this season, third against the run and third overall, right behind the Steelers' defense in each category. The Ravens certainly are capable of leaving Heinz Field Sunday night with that prized Super Bowl trip.
Lewis said it's all about chemistry. "The togetherness and the brotherhood we have is kind of more overwhelming than anything."
Chemistry and accountability.
"Play for the man beside you, bottom line," Lewis told the Baltimore media earlier this season. "When the ball is snapped, find it. Don't ever get caught loafing. ... You won't have to answer to the coaches; you've got to answer to us."
Would you want to have to answer to Ray-Ray?
Didn't think so.
There's a concern in the Baltimore organization that the Ravens' defensive dominance will end soon. It's not just because Ryan could be leaving for that head job. Lewis and fellow linebackers and noted Hines Ward fans Terrell Suggs and Bart Scott all will be free agents after the Super Bowl. Although it's hard to imagine Lewis playing elsewhere -- of course, it was hard to imagine Hall of Famers Franco Harris and Mike Webster leaving the Steelers, wasn't it? -- the Ravens aren't likely to keep all three. Scott seems the most likely to move on.
Ravens fans aren't the only ones hoping Lewis sticks around for a few more seasons. A Steelers-Ravens game just wouldn't be the same without him.
Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.
First published on January 16, 2009 at 12:00 am
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