Imagining a "Ray Lewis-less" Ravens
by Rexx on Feb 6, 2009 9:26 AM EST
25 comments
Can you just imagine the devastation that we would feel as Baltimore Ravens fans if Ray Lewis leaves the team through Free Agency this off season? To see the face of this franchise since its inception in the colors of another team would sink this city into unimaginable depths. I realize some people think he's a little long in the tooth, but he had one of his better seasons last year and still has at least 2-3 more good ones in him. The issue that most people are concerned with is that the amount of cash that it will take to bring him back might prevent us from re-signing other big parts of the puzzle as well.
However, think about what the team will look like on the defensive side of the ball without Ray Ray. If he bolts, then I'd expect the team to re-sign Terrell Suggs and even Bart Scott, as they couldn't expect to lose both inside LB's in one fell swoop. That would leave Scott in the middle, perhaps with Tavares Gooden ironically (from Ray's alma mater -the "U") taking Ray's slot. However, the huge void would be in the locker room, on the practice field and in the tunnel, sidelines and huddle on game days. You cannot over-estimate the value that Ray provides to this team, it's veterans and younger kids with his motivational speeches, interviews and even tirades. He is absolutely a coach on the field and the Ravens need to do whatever it takes to not only keep him in purple for the rest of his career, but beyond that as a member of this coaching staff when he does decide to hang up his cleats.
Almost as painful as not seeing him in the Ravens defensive huddle, would be seeing him in another team's colors. Try to imagine him lining up in the New York Jets' green and white, or even worse, with the big blue star of the Dallas Cowboys on his helmet. I saw his interview with Jamie Dukes on the NFL Network the other day, where he said he wouldn't play less that what he was able to, so why would he accept less in a paycheck? So much for that "Home Team Discount." Ouch, that makes me nervous, but he still said Baltimore was his city and he loves the team, coaching staff and fans. He also said that being in Gotham City with Brett Favre, reunited with former Ravens defensive coordinator and new Jets coach Rex Ryan would be a great fit. He went on to say he loved TO and could easily play with him in Dallas. I was surprised he didn't say he'd love to play closer to home in Florida with the Dolphins or Jaguars while he was at it.!
Hopefully, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti will stay true to his word and do whatever it takes to keep Ray Lewis in a Baltimore uniform for the rest of his Hall of Fame career. The Free Agency period begins at the end of the month and it would be great to get this issue out of the way beforehand. Cross your fingers, Ravens fans.
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Ray Lewis' comment
Well ill b the first to post something on this.. Are you kidding me Ray???? you dont play lett you dont get paid less, ok heres how I see it.. YOU ARE A MILLIONAIRE! Do you really need 5 more mill that bad or do you want to be selfless and allow us to get some other good players so that we can make a super bowl run? and for that matter to turn onthe fans and even consider going somewhere else, baltimore made ray lewis who he is, this is a tragety in the making if he leaves baltimore
by bmoreraven12 on Feb 6, 2009 10:33 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I prefer Ray's honesty
over a player feeding the press and the locals bullshit about wanting to play or stay in a city when nothing is further from the truth. Old Mark Texiara talking about wanting to play for the Orioles in the local media and then not even responding to an offer from the Orioles comes to mind. I see nothing wrong with him trying to get what he has earn through his decades of hard work. Its going to suck if he leaves, but no one can honestly say that in his position, they would act differently.
"When they get drafted by the Baltimore Ravens, we expect them to play like that. Are we surprised? No."
by UMBC Oriole fan on Feb 8, 2009 5:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
My life is over if he leaves
It just is. I know people in Green Bay were upset that Favre signed with the Jets, but this situation is way worse and a lot different. Ray is to B-More as Favre was to Green Bay. An icon, the leader, and the face of that franchise for all of its history. But with Favre, he was in a way forced to retire, but still wanted to play.
RAY CAN STILL PLAY AT A HIGH LEVEL! If this man leaves us for Dallas of NYJ because they offered him a 3 year/35 million $ contract and we offered him a 3 year/ 31 million $, I will have lost all respect for Ray, PERIOD! You dont do this to us man, you just dont. The Ravens have been one of the few franchises in this league who has had to fight so hard to keep some sort of image up. Seeing Jaimie Dukes the other day basically antagonizing Ray and the rest of the NFL made me want to rip his lips off and back smack him in his fat face.
Ray only said how it would be great to play with Rex again, he never said that he wanted to.
My mind is going crazy, I cant stop thinking about dooms day if this shit happened. Please Steve and Ozzi, just get this shit over with before the month ends and get out leader back.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Feb 6, 2009 12:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Do we sell the farm for Ray?
Normally, you don’t sell the farm for any one player, but Ray freaking is the Ravens. I know the 49ers jettisoned Montana and Brett Favre was traded to the Jets, but there’s never been a Ravens team without Ray Lewis.
The frustrating thing is that I suspect the Ravens would be more than willing to pay for Ray, but Ray is just looking for far more than is realistic. With his name recognition and history, he might get that somewhere else. Losing Ray would obviously hurt the team defense and what-not, but I suspect we’d recover eventually. Suggs, Reed, Ngata and company are not going to magically lose their swagger.
But how many players who have spend their entire life with one franchise hit free agency without first pursuing how to get a deal done with their team. Favre wanted to stay in Green Bay, but they had Aaron Rodgers and weren’t really interested. Montana wanted to stay in San Francisco, but again they had Steve Young and were ready to go that direction. The Ravens aren’t going to push Ray out, but if he’s not interested, there’s nothing we can do. It’s just sad.
by math_geek on Feb 6, 2009 12:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
It really is sad
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Feb 6, 2009 12:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Life after Ray?
Let me play devils advocate for a moment here. Let’s be honest with ourselves and take a cold hard look at this. Do you really want to watch Ray get old before your eyes?
With the old Ray when he got near the ballcarrier you knew he was going down. This year I found myself sceaming “Get him!” and hoping Ray would make the tackle.
How many times did Ray make the tackle getting pushed back just enough to give up a 1st down where the old Ray would have stopped them short?
How often did he deliver the big hit on the sideline just past the 1st down marker where the old Ray was a step quicker and forced the punt?
How often did the student of the game’s mind know what was coming but he just can’t run with the tight end down the middle any more?
It’s like Cal anticipating the ball but at some point the mind can’t overcome what the body has lost.
Look at what he said this year and read between the lines.
He said he put on weight because he was starting to “feel the hits”. A couple of years back the old Ray dropped a few pounds so he could maintain his quickness and speed.
He said the only thing that hurt were his hands. Is that why he more and more would deliver a hit but fail to wrap up the tackle? The old Ray would reach out, grab the runner and drag him down. This year, backs consistently ran through his arm tackles.
There will be life after Ray. Remember a couple of years back when the hurt and disgruntled Ray sat silently on the bench NOT being the emotional heart of the team? I remember the “D” stepping up and playing very well with passion, heart and emotion. Leaders will emerge. The charachter of our players and coaches have this TEAM finally headed in the right direction. We need to learn a lesson from the hated Steelers. You just can not overpay or keep players for past performance.
Ray wants us to think this was not just a contarct year performace. We should offer Ray a non guaranteed incentive layden contract. If he bolts for a guarantee, we’ll know what the “bottom line” was. If he goes he will be the prime example of a player that excelled in this system and not able to repeat it elsewhere.
Don’t get me wrong. I love ray and want him to stay but if losing him means we keep and bring in the talent that gets us to the big dance, so be it. This is about winning football and the team comes first. Sentimental decisions are for losers.
by Monkey C on Feb 6, 2009 2:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I was afraid I’d have to be the first to say I wouldn’t be heart-broken to see Ray Ray leave Baltimore. I agree with everything you said about him aging before our eyes. How much is that really worth to the organization? $30million? $35million just to keep him in purple and black? He has every right to ask for his market value. Unless any of us here would willingly take a pay cut at work just to foster some good will (I definitely wouldn’t), then it is hypocritical to ask 52 to do the same. If he won’t take what Monkey C describes as a “non-guaranteed, incentive-laden contract,” then let him walk. He’ll flounder when he goes to an organization that won’t draft a Haloti Ngata to make sure Ray Ray can play just the way he likes, and he’ll regret the move like so many players have before him.
As to the void left in his absence, I say we rip the bandaid off quickly. It’s bound to happen sooner or later. Even if we keep Lewis here beyond retirement as some sort of coach or assistant, that still leaves an abscence of leadership. Even Ray Ray himself says there has to be one player’s voice leading in the locker room. Not a coach. Not a mascot. A player. So given that it’s going to happen at some point, I say we tackle the issue while we still have a great core on defense and a rising power on offense. Ray Lewis has outstanding leadership qualities that have cast a shadow on our offense for years and years. With Lewis gone, that leaves a vacuum on the offensive side of the ball that someone will have to fill. Let Flacco step up and officially take the reigns of the offense. This in itself is a crucial barrier that we must deal with at some point.
Now, all this is based on pure speculation as to whether we keep Lewis or not. I’d wager not, though. Harbaugh doesn’t have deep ties in Baltimore like Lewis does or Billick did. I can easily see him cutting Lewis loose if there’s no middle ground to be had, and using that extra cap space to lock up free agents with upside and add some firepower to the offense. We’ll see whether he does or not in the near future. But there remains the question of leadership on both sides of the ball in the abscence of Ray Lewis that will have to be answered eventually, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
by Ampallang on Feb 6, 2009 2:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Losing Ray and bringing in other people cancel out our chances of getting to the big dance.
As much as I would love to win the superbowl next year, if Ray were not a part of it, it just would not feel as good.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Feb 6, 2009 3:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
You must have very little faith in the other ten people on the field if you think losing one person — even if it is Ray Lewis — automatically makes us non-contenders. Color me optimistic, but I think we’ll find some way to pull through without the ever-loving and benevolent hand of Ray Lewis guiding our way to sacks and interceptions.
As to the second part of your post, all I can say is that I’m a fan of the Baltimore Ravens, not the Baltimore Rayvens (terrible, I know). If he moves on to the Jets or the Cowboys, then he’s just another person we’ll dominate in the post-season.
Come on, people. He’s a linebacker, not a god. I thought this was a blog celebrating the Ravens, not worshiping at the feet of Ray Lewis. There will come a day — either this season or within the next couple of years — when Baltimore will have to find a new face for the franchise. Remember all the good times we had with him and blah blah blah.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
by Ampallang on Feb 6, 2009 4:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe not to you
But to me he is a GOD! This franchise would not be where it is without Ray Lewis. There is no argument there. Ray Lewis makes everyone play at a higher level. He makes the players around him that much better. I would not be saying this if I saw a dramatic drop off in his game impact. But the fact of the matter is that he is still the BEST middle linebacker in football. He is the face of this team, the team revolves around him, and this is where he is going to win his next superbowl.
I admit, Dallas has a great group of Talent, but a terrible TEAM. Bringing Ray in there does not mean they are superbowl winners. The chemistry anywhere else he would go would not even come close to what he has here in the relationships with the players, coaches, and front office.
Yes, there will be a day where we need let go of Ray, and that day needs to be when he retires from football as a RAVEN. Right now is not the time to part ways with Ray. We are too close to another ring. Getting rid of Ray right now would push our move of getting rid of Trent Dilfer to the 2nd dumbest move in franchise history. If you are a Raven fan and really are not worried about contending for a superbowl next year without Ray, you are insane.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Feb 6, 2009 5:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Losing Ray
Ray Lewis is one of the greatest linebckers to play the game period. He has on field presence for his entire defense to pull from, more so than any other defensive player in the league. He is vocal and somewhat full of himself. Yet, a player that great can justifiably be full of himself to some degree.
All that said, losing Ray would not be the end of things. He will retire someday. It will not be too long…or at least him being able to play at the level his still is today. Is he as great as 4-8 years ago….probably not. But his level of intenisty and talent allows a minor slip of ability as his experience makes up for what he may have lost physically….for now.
All that said (pt2), and to get to my point…Ray is worth what Ray can get…and be happy. I know this. If I were rich…and Ray is most likely quite rich…it would be more of a decision of WHERE I wanted to play to be happy. Does he not have enough money to be happy in that regard?
If he is being requested to be reasonable, so that we can keep this core group together another 2-3 years and make additional serious runs to the Super Bowl, I understand the teams position.
If you are Ray, what the hell is in Dallas???….nothing. NY… I just do not see the Jets in Ray’s future. Some posturing? sure, from both sides.
If he likes Baltimore and likes Bart Scott and Terrell Suggs and truly bleeds purple, two things will happen. One, the Ravens will not make him a disrespectful offer. But it will be an offer that allows them to make the moves needed to climb above where they were last year…which was not enough to beat the Steelers by the way. Arghhh. Secondly, he will take less money then elsewhere because he wants to win and win in Baltimore.
I hope Ray gets a great payday, but is also willing to look at the picture and say…if I demand this amount, and then I stay, but we cannot win the big one now because we cannot sign who we need, what the hell is that?
Ray is not going to come out and say…yes, I’ll take a discount….but my hunch is he will get a good payday that allows him to feel proud of the offer, keeps him here and allows us to build even further.
If Ray chooses to go…he goes. We have talent at LB and this team has other men ready to lead if need be. I love Ray…we all do…but this has to be that acceptable, perfect balance of respect for the player, with the player keeping an eye out for the franchises well being to boot.
We’ll still be very strong…Pryce, Gregg, Ngata, Suggs, Scott, Landry back, Reed, etc… and who ever from the serious talent we have or have yet to draft or sign.
If we had not let go of Harrison!! Wow!!
Even Larry Fitzgerald offered to re-do his contract to keep Boldin…that is what this is all about. Winning…having a perennial winning franchise at that. I hope Ray wants that more than an extra million or two on top of his extra millions…
by DTMAN on Feb 6, 2009 2:58 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
The thing is that Ray Ray is a prideful person (and rightfully so). He attaches a lot of sentimental value onto his MASSIVE signing bonuses. I think he would feel it to be an insult to him if we didn’t offer him some kind of massive deal. He might be good enough to warrant that kind of pay now, based purely on the recent season. But there’s no telling how quickly he will drop off. He isn’t exactly known as an injury-free player.
Of course, if he does give us a home-town discount, I’ll gladly eat my words. I just don’t feel it this time around.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
by Ampallang on Feb 6, 2009 3:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I think the 53 men we have on this roster is enough to win a superbowl
Sure, we could use a WR here or a CB there, which we will address in the draft and sign a few minor FA’s. The fact is that we have the team, right now. It is in place to make a run.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Feb 6, 2009 3:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Man, don’t I feel silly! I was off in some fantasy world where we the Steelers beat us three times in one season, we had a substantial lack of options at wide receiver that severely hindered our offensive firepower at crucial moments during big games, and our lack of depth at cornerback hurt us frequently. I’m glad that I now know that what we had was enough to win the Super Bowl! We must be just like Tennessee: the better team lost this time around, right?
Back to reality, though.
To steal a phrase from your post, the fact is that we do NOT have the team to take us to the Super Bowl right now. This team couldn’t beat the Steelers early in the season or when it mattered, and we’ll have to go through them just to get a chance at the trophy. We can just keep banging our head against the wall, or we can make the changes we need to beat them. Letting Lewis leave will open up cap room to sign a proven and explosive receiver (if there are even going to be any available) that we need to put points on the board against the Steelers. Late first round receivers are probably not going to be able produce at the level we need to win now (just based on empirical evidence).
And, just like DTMAN says, we have depth at linebacker. We may lose some leadership without Lewis (read my post above to see why I’m looking forward to this rather than dreading it), but our defense will survive. Knowing what I do about our remaining players and coaching staff, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them thrive. It wouldn’t hurt us to get a little younger on defense, either.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
by Ampallang on Feb 6, 2009 5:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
You give me a Ravens team that does not have 19 players on IR
I think we can beat the Steelers everytime. Oh yea, and give me a QB that has a year of action under his belt. K? Thanks. Bye
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Feb 6, 2009 5:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
We had a bunch of injuries last year as well. Injuries are something you have to deal with. Harbaugh runs an old-school pre-season, so who knows what kind of crazy injuries we might see going into the next season. Hell, Ray Lewis has missed significant time due to injuries. And if you think that all we need is less injured people to beat the Steelers every time, then maybe I’m not the crazy one. And a year of action under Flacco’s belt might be just what he needs, or he might hit a sophomore slump. Either way, our options for picking up a play-making receiver are going to be limited if we use up all our cap space on 52, and a play-making receiver is exactly what Flacco needs right now.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
by Ampallang on Feb 6, 2009 9:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I very much doubt that he would come to Dallas
Mainly because we dont have the cap room. TO me his comments seemed more like a subtle way of saying to the Ravens or Jets, “If you want me, you better pay the big money because other teams are interested.”
"Ask Philly was it hard tryin' a stop TO, he da main reason that the fans would come fo'."
by aussie_cowboy on Feb 6, 2009 9:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Exactly.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
by Ampallang on Feb 6, 2009 10:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Ray's value is immeasurable
based on his contributions on and off the field. He should finish his career here and then go onto our coaching staff. Make him a contract offer that includes a “Personal Serivces” clause after his playing days are over. Yes, he has lost a step but is smarter and still as dominant as any MLB in football. He also takes the attention of the offense off of our other players just by being there, which would make a huge difference if he isn’t. With him and based on the crazy happenings in the NFL, I will expect us to beat the Steelers pretty much every time we play them, as long as it is not there on MNF on a cold, rainy night! We could have and should have beaten them twice last year. I’ll take that opinion to my grave.
Rexx
by Rexx on Feb 7, 2009 9:41 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I don't think you can do the combination contract
Like you can in MLB. I could be wrong though….
by DT711 on Feb 8, 2009 1:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Ray Ray
The Ravens need Ray back more than any team has ever needed anyone back. He is their MVP and their coach.
Here is an article that proves my point.
by brj1212 on Feb 9, 2009 6:04 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I’m not sure I like the word “viscous” being used to describe our defense. Makes me think of slow-as-molasses. That might end up being apropos for Ray Lewis sooner rather than later, though. He’s definitely not the game-changing linebacker he used to be, and it’s only going to get worse from here.
Your entire article is a massive embellishment. Lewis is actually not in “top form.” He hasn’t been at the top of his game for several years. He isn’t quite a shadow of his former glory, but that day is fast approaching. Just based on the nature of human metabolism, he is most definitely not in the best shape of any player on the team. You could argue that he works harder to stay in shape than anyone else on the team, but that’s purely subjective. And to say that he demands more respect from teammates, coaches, and opponents than any other player is laughable. Tell that to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning (just off the top of my head).
I’ve said it before (probably just a couple posts up), but I’ll say it again because it bears repeating. The changing of the guard within our defensive coaching staff is a great opportunity for newer, younger team leaders to emerge. This is really the crux of my argument for letting Ray Ray go. He WILL retire one day, and on that day, we’ll lose a massive chunk of our identity, leaving a void that will have to be filled. What better time than now to let Ed Reed, Terrel Suggs, and whoever else take the reigns of the defense? Also, the sheer dominance of Lewis’s personality is preventing a clear leader from emerging on offense. As long as Ray Lewis is here, the offense will always be the red-headed stepchild of the Ravens organization, and that is definitely going to hurt us now that we have a franchise QB. Finally, Mattison has said that the defense he’ll be running will be virtually identical to what we’ve seen from Rex Ryan in the past couple years, so I really don’t see the transition argument as being very solid.
All of this is moot, though. All the recent news points to Steve Bisciotti selling his wife as an online bride to scrape together the dough he’ll need to keep Ray Lewis. He’s committed himself to keeping all our linebackers, Jason Brown, and Leonhard. In order to pull that off, I think we’re just going to be scrapping the cornerback position right out. It’ll probably save us the headache of watching Ivey and Walker getting burnt all season, anyways.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
by Ampallang on Feb 9, 2009 8:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I think Lewis yells too much!
Look, it sucks if he leaves, but it isn’t the end of the world. Yes he’s a leader. If he leaves, someone will step up. One man didn’t make your defense! That’s what makes a team awesome!! Someone gets injured, or leaves, someone steps up without the expectation of performance dropping!!!!
by Cdsumm on Feb 11, 2009 4:35 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Why is this guy the only person that sees what I’m saying?
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
by Ampallang on Feb 11, 2009 4:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Dude, I'm just getting myself ready for after next year!! : )
a LOT of our older guys, who are still very good, contracts are up, Hines being one! I just hope they finish out with us without trying to rape us for money! God knows, they won’t get it. But it would be hard to see some specific people leave.
by Cdsumm on Feb 11, 2009 5:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
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