An obituary is written about someone after they have passed
away as it’s a time to reflect on his life. In my opinion, there is a
similarity when discussing an athlete’s legacy as it’s difficult to reflect
upon the total impact and career of someone who is still playing. Entering into
the playoffs this year, possibly the greatest linebacker to play the game
emphatically said that this would be his last ride. Ray Lewis, after 17 years,
was going to hang-up his cleats in order to spend time with his children and
attend the oldest son’s college games at the U. But Ray still had several weeks to
play. Sports media went absolutely ape-shit discussing his troubled past, his
legacy, and his impact on the game but I thought it would be better to hold-off
and I was damn right since, once again, he showed his impact, adding another
notch to what is one of the most storied belts in sports history.
He fights grizzly bears for fun. When demolishing buildings,
the only equipment he needs is his hands. When Freddy Kruger has nightmares,
they're centered around Ray Lewis. Ray-Ray is a beast. As an avid Ravens fan, I have had the
luxury of calling Ray Lewis a member of Ravens nation, but it would be doing
him an injustice to call him anything else but the king of this purple legion. There
is no single person in Baltimore who does what he does for this city.
Everyone from every walk of life has united under the flag of Ray Lewis in this
diverse, struggling city.
Statistically, he has proven to be the most well-rounded linebacker in the game's history. Sure, there are many players who have more
sacks and others who have more interceptions, but he’s the only member of the
40 sack/ 30 pick club. Although the tackle is a relatively a new stat, it’s
hard to fathom anyone ending up with more than the 2101 combined tackles he has
acquired over his career. He is a 2x
Super Bowl Champion, 13x Pro Bowler, 7x first team All-Pro (10x total), 2x NFL
Defensive Player of the year, 3x AFC Defensive player of the Year, and Super
Bowl MVP. He has the most games started at Inside/Middle Linebacker, most
Interception yards for an inside/middle linebacker, and is on the NFL 2000s
All-Decade Team. As the game progressed from a running to a passing game, he
too had to adapt as he became
responsible for not only smashing blockers to get to the running back but he
had to drop into coverage and keep up with slot receivers and tight ends. He
has received so many accolades and statistically he is among the best ever, but
with age comes a decrease in effectiveness and although it was evident he was
somewhat of a shadow of his former self, he not only had the most tackles in a single
postseason since 2000 with 51 but he elevated everyone around him. The thing that
separates Ray from any other player in NFL history is that he is unquestionably
the greatest leader of all-time.
Ray Lewis maintains the same passion in his 17th year
as he did in his first game. He is a general, leader, motivator, and idol
whose passion on the field spills out into his off-field habits. He trains 8
hours a day in the off-season and studies film so extensively that he knows what
plays the offense is calling before every snap. Because of this, he
elevated the team and the players around him more than any player in NFL
history. Ray’s teammates have been
signed by other teams for exorbitant contracts and never seem to deliver
(Adalius Thomas, Bart Scott, Duane Starks, Ed Hartwell, Sam Adams, Jarrett
Johnson, LaRon Landry). How many head coaches has Ray Lewis made? Well there is
Marvin Lewis (DC), Mike Nolan (DC), Mike Smith (DL), Jack Del Rio (LB), Rex
Ryan (DC), Chuck Pagano (DC), Mike Singletary (LB), and Jim Schwartz (DA). All
former coordinators/assistants for the Ravens while Ray played who all eventually
became head coach at some point in their careers. It’s his ability to make
players around him better that separates him from those who currently and
previously played the game.
Ray Lewis is a once in a generation athlete. In Baltimore he is comparable to Michael Phelps, Cal Ripken Jr., Johnny Unitas, and Frank
Robinson. So I held off writing this “sports obituary” knowing that Ray Lewis
was not completely dead in the sports sense. It has also taken me this long to
finally write this piece not only due to the two week hangover from winning the most prestigious title in the game (Lombardi Trophy for those of you who live under a rock), but I also don't want to believe that he’s leaving. There was a rancid smell surrounding the
Ravens according to analysts because, going into the playoffs, they had lost
4 out of the last 5. The Ravens and the Colts were considered the worst two
teams entering the post-season with no chance of winning the AFC championship,
let alone the Super Bowl. Well, they were right about one of those teams. Then
Ray Lewis returned. Of course, Flacco was a huge factor in the playoffs as he
was simply unstoppable. But the pulse of the team changed when 52 re-entered the
building. They played each second of each game with everything they had; they developed
a swagger that no other team in the post-season had; and they wanted it more
than anyone else; all of which flowed from Lewis. There are those who
feel that Lewis was too emotional during the playoffs but it’s because the man
has more passion, emotion, and respect for each football game than most people
in this world have for their entire lives. It’s what set him apart and
why he was able to get so much out of everyone around him. There never was nor
will there ever be another Ray. I can’t wait to see the statue.
- Kyle
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