Ray Lewis Looking Forward To Another Season

It seems hard to believe, but Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis will be entering his 17th NFL season. There have been players who have played longer, but rarely at a position as physically demanding as where the 37-year old Ray plays. In addition, while others have wound down their careers in backup roles or obviously declining skills, Lewis remains one of the most feared players in the league.

After practice at the team's training camp yesterday, a noticeably slimmer Lewis took to the podium to answer the media's questions. In the past, Ray has bulked up to better absorb the hits his body was taking from opposing players. Now, he has lost weight and is probably at the lowest weight of his playing career. While there is no official listing of a weight change, the roster still lists him at 250 pounds, although he reportedly could be as low as 230 pounds now.

Lewis addressed topics such as another training camp, the defense's comparisons to past units, and the other players around him on defense. On trying to compare this year's version to the great Ravens' defense of the past, Lewis had this to say:

"The question that will always be is the only thing that will ever figure...The only way you can ever figure that out is at the end of the year. That's it. You can't...Year after year, we always try to compare this defense to that defense. It's just impossible to do. The thing is, you have to play the whole season out. Once you play the whole season out, you'll see where it goes from there."

Read the full transcript of Ray Lewis' Q&A with the media at BaltimoreRavens.com.