Ray is Still the Man

[ravenjoe]

Things were pretty ho-hum yesterday UNTIL Ray put a big-time hit on Winslow, I believe, across the middle, which caused him to cough the ball up to Cmac. And what a hit it was!! That hit turned the game completely around, and there was no turning back. Say what you want about Ray wanting and deserving more money, but I believe Ray needs to be retained by this team, period! We all know about his leadership skills. But his competitive juices are second to no one that has ever played this game. He makes this team better just by his sheer presence on the field.

The vets stood tall and proud yesterday - Cmac, Ray, Reed, and my favorite, Derrick Mason - these guys are WINNERS, each and every one of them.

Hey, Kellen, do you still think the Stillers D is the best in the league? And, by the way, Coach Cowher, do you still think the Stillers are the Best team in the AFC?!?!!?

[Fiesty Ravens Chic]

:iagree:
I am tired of hearing how "old and washed up" Ray Ray is. I will be saving that MEAN hit from yesterday to show to all the haters who think he should be dropped at the end of the season. Ray Ray makes everyone around him play 3x better. He is the heart and soul of Baltimore Defense!

:respect

[HoustonRaven]

Agreed.

Ray gets hate even on these boards, but he still is an impact player at the highest level.

To let him walk after this year, assuming this level of play continues, would be a huge mistake.

[RAVENOUS52]

My deal with the Ray Lewis doubters is simply this: HAVE YOU EVER SEEN HIM GIVE LESS THAN 110% ON A FOOTBALL FIELD?!!

There is no greater compliment you can give to a guy than to call him a PLAYMAKER, yet Ray takes it one step further and transforms others into playmakers!

I want to savor these final seasons of his career because I'm sure that we won't see the likes of him again in my lifetime. And I'll definitely be one of the first to arrive to the unveiling of his statue outside the vault after he's inducted first-ballot into the Hall of Fame....

[Ravenswarrior19]

:iagree: Couldn't have said it better myself

[HoustonRaven]

The second Ray misses a tackle or comes out for a play or two, you will see Ravens fans on this very board (crpravens, shorttrack, etc) come out of the wood work and start slamming him.

Watch. It will happen.

[Tspot-D-Ravenator]

Get rid of, or trade Ray Lewis while we can still get something for him..He's old and he's slow and he's not the player he used to be.. Let's put this to rest!!

I heard this all off season long from quite a few fans on here and on the radio People forget how Ray Lewis can motivate and inspire average players like Ed Hartwell and others...They also tend to forget that Ray Lewis, by himself, can change the momentum of a game with one play...

Fact: Ray Lewis is a game changer RAY LEWIS BIG HIT (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwgNqQlHfQ8) <click

[UKRavenStockers]

I've harboured thoughts along this front in terms of looking for when it becomes profitable to trade in Ray Lewis, but that point hasn't arrived yet. He's not at the height of his powers anymore and he never will be again, but that's no shame, the height of his powers was some of the best and most dominant LB play ever.

There will come a point where it becomes profitable to trade Ray Lewis but that point hasn't arrived yet and frankly it still looks a way off. What he brings on the field in terms of his range, his physicality, his attitude and his leadership is still outstanding and far more than what we could get in a trade.

Veteran players you always have to keep an eye on when they're past their best, Ray isn't and we don't have a suitable replacement. An interesting comparison I think is the Green Bay situation with Favre, similarly the face of the organisation (OK Ray isn't pratting about with retiring but you get the basic comparison?), their FO has been blasted for how they handled it (and rightfully so), but early impressions suggest that they've moved at the right time, the fullness of time will tell whether they were right but they had to move now to keep Rodgers, and right now he's repaying that faith in him.

N.B. I haven't seen last night's game and won't until later this week so no flaming if he stunk it up last night. :D

[RAVENOUS52]

It's a tribute to Ray when your teammates say stuff like this about you:


Baltimore cornerback Samari Rolle said Lewis relies on instincts.

"People put entirely too much emphasis on age," Rolle said. "He knows the game. He's the greatest middle linebacker in history of this league."

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/1222072303284600.xml&coll=2

Now THAT'S the kind of respect a LEADER inspires!

[MRAVEN]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/MRAVEN/winslowfumblejk-1.jpg

[bmorebirds_24]

The second Ray misses a tackle or comes out for a play or two, you will see Ravens fans on this very board (crpravens, shorttrack, etc) come out of the wood work and start slamming him.

Watch. It will happen.

:iagree: i was hoping to see a few ray bashers somewhere on here but i havent seen any.

[RavensD52]

Ray may not have much more time but I sure hope he can bring the team and himself one more ring! If he keeps playin the way he is now, along with the rest of the defense we may just see it.