Ray Lewis Is Our Weakest Link to Super Bowl

[Dan The Man Ravens #1 Fan]

This has got to be the most rediculous thing I have ever read. How can your most dominant player and team leader be your weakest link.

According to Fox Sports Ray is our weakest link. Check out this B/S. [url="http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/2010-Super-Bowl-NFL-contenders-weakest-positions"]My link[/url]


I know what you will say but lets hear it anyway!

[FerrariFan87]

[quote name='Dan The Man Ravens #1 Fan' date='12 May 2010 - 08:40 AM' timestamp='1273668045' post='408939']
This has got to be the most rediculous thing I have ever read. How can your most dominant player and team leader be your weakest link.

According to Fox Sports Ray is our weakest link. Check out this B/S. [url="http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/2010-Super-Bowl-NFL-contenders-weakest-positions"]My link[/url]


I know what you will say but lets hear it anyway!
[/quote]

Well, I don't think he's saying Ray Ray is our weakest link, per se, but the MLB position in general, should something happen to Ray and Gooden/McClain have to fill in...

[raven disciple]

nothing but foolishness and hateration on the best MLB to ever play and just so happen to be a raven am proud to be a ravens fan

[Dan The Man Ravens #1 Fan]

[quote name='FerrariFan87' date='12 May 2010 - 08:49 AM' timestamp='1273668558' post='408943']
Well, I don't think he's saying Ray Ray is our weakest link, per se, but the MLB position in general, should something happen to Ray and Gooden/McClain have to fill in...
[/quote]

I think it is very clearly written that Ray is the weakest link.

"Every one of these teams has Super Bowl aspirations this season.

But like most teams, they too have a weakness, a missing ingredient that could undermine their run toward championship season."

"It’s not so much the regular season as the question of where will Ray be physically in the playoffs?"


Yes they do mention no guarantees that Gooden and McClain are is eventual replacement, but clearly state that Ray is the weakest link.

Maybe it comes down to interpretation. I read it as them saying weak link/Ray Lewis. I just dont agree with the article.

[BmoreLAT52]

Thats ridiculous. 134 tackles, 3 sacks 2 FFs 21 postseason tackles in 2 games, what are they smoking because I want some of it.

[Runnin Raven]

Trying not to laugh at this, but its impossible not to.

[raven disciple]

[quote name='BmoreLAT52' date='12 May 2010 - 08:05 AM' timestamp='1273669548' post='408951']
Thats ridiculous. 134 tackles, 3 sacks 2 FFs 21 postseason tackles in 2 games, what are they smoking because I want some of it.
[/quote]
you dont want none of that stuff man that kind of talk get you put in nut house

[JohnnyBoy8102]

I saw this on the baltimoresun.com message board.
The article states that Lewis makes "too many tackles" way past the line of scrimmage.

"The funny thing is, look at these tfl stats from last season:

Patrick Willis-5
London Fletcher-5
Jon Beason-9
David Harris-1
Jon Vilma-7
Ray Lewis-7

It doesn't seem as if he is too far off on the tackles for loss category.

Also, look at profootballfocus.com...It looks as if Ray did "okay" last season."

http://profootballfocus.com/by_position.php?tab=by_position&season=2009&pos=ILB&stype=r&runpass=&teamid=-1&numsnaps=25&numgames=1

[BloodRaven]

Nobody should take Fox Sports seriously.

[RichieAsh]

Guy's just saying Ray can get worn down over the course of the year since he's 35, which is true. If a QB sees Ray with responsibility for a TE or RB, it does make sense to target that match up. He's not a play maker in coverage anymore, so over the course of a long season why not have a Gooden give him some rest on obvious passing downs.


[quote name='Dan The Man Ravens #1 Fan' date='12 May 2010 - 07:40 AM' timestamp='1273668045' post='408939']
This has got to be the most rediculous thing I have ever read. How can your most dominant player and team leader be your weakest link.

According to Fox Sports Ray is our weakest link. Check out this B/S. [url="http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/2010-Super-Bowl-NFL-contenders-weakest-positions"]My link[/url]


I know what you will say but lets hear it anyway!
[/quote]

[theFRANCHISE]

Though I do see where the article says that depth at the MLB position is the weakest link, it also [i]does[/i] infer that Ray Lewis could be a weak link because it suggests that he won't be playing at the same level in the playoffs. Though Father Time dictates that every player will eventually regress, how many times has it been said that Ray Lewis is old, and how many times has he proven that being old doesn't correlate to playing poorly?

[JohnnyBoy8102]

[quote name='theFRANCHISE' date='12 May 2010 - 10:21 AM' timestamp='1273674107' post='408980']
Though I do see where the article says that depth at the MLB position is the weakest link, it also [i]does[/i] infer that Ray Lewis could be a weak link because it suggests that he won't be playing at the same level in the playoffs. Though Father Time dictates that every player will eventually regress, how many times has it been said that Ray Lewis is old, and how many times has he proven that being old doesn't correlate to playing poorly?
[/quote]

Exactly and in obvious passing downs Ray has been blitzing more and doing a very good job at it.

[JO_75]

[quote name='theFRANCHISE' date='12 May 2010 - 10:21 AM' timestamp='1273674107' post='408980']
[b]how many times has it been said that Ray Lewis is old, and how many times has he proven that being old doesn't correlate to playing poorly?[/b]
[/quote]

Exactly. I was going to say it seems as if it's the same BS that they say every year. They have been saying Ray is getting old and won't be the same yet he does it and still remains a crucial part to our defense even at 34 last season. Ray will just prove them wrong again this year when he's hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in Dallas.

Also do people not know of this play last year, no other Middle Linebacker would have been smart to pick that play up and know where to be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ6H9o0lpvA&feature=related

[Dan The Man Ravens #1 Fan]

[quote name='RichieAsh' date='12 May 2010 - 10:21 AM' timestamp='1273674084' post='408979']
Guy's just saying Ray can get worn down over the course of the year since he's 35, which is true. If a QB sees Ray with responsibility for a TE or RB, it does make sense to target that match up. He's not a play maker in coverage anymore, so over the course of a long season why not have a Gooden give him some rest on obvious passing downs.
[/quote]

I am not sure I completely agree with you. I think Ray has proven year in and out that he is a player only to get stronger as the season progresses. Bringing along with him other players who tend to follow his example of play style and intensity. That is why I disagreed with the whole article of him being our weakest link. I think you could cut his stats in half and he would still be the glue that holds the ship together.

[flynismo]

Whatever.

Lets be honest, Ray has been past his peak physically for the past five or so years. And last year, it did start to really show on a few occassions.


But there's not anyone else that I want leading my defense, and to call him a weakness is just flat out stupidity.

[AsianRice]

I smell alot jealousy going on in the article. Our success with Ray Lewis will speak of itself.

I wonder are we going to build a statue of Ray Lewis like they did to Michael Jordan in Chicago?

[Ed_Reed20]

Like others have said, Ray isn't a weak link.

However, he's struggled changing directions in pursuit and coverage for a few years now. But unless someone can prove they're better than him on passing downs, I'd rather see him on the field, even with his lack of quickness.

[Lonecrow52]

Ray Lewis as the weakest link? That's a pretty strong weakest link!

[Catfish81]

[quote name='FerrariFan87' date='12 May 2010 - 07:49 AM' timestamp='1273668558' post='408943']
Well, I don't think he's saying Ray Ray is our weakest link, per se, but the MLB position in general, should something happen to Ray and Gooden/McClain have to fill in...
[/quote]
No he straight up said Ray was our weakest link. But he did go on to say that that doesnt mean that McClain and Gooden are the answer at that position either. But lets make it clear he is an idiot and doesn't watch the Ravens. Ray is one of our more reliable tacklers. That being said I wish we had another 2nd round pick this year so we could of taken Brandon Spikes.

[flynismo]

Even if he was saying MLB in general is a weakness for us, this guy is still a moron.
Ellerbe, while not yet a proven commodity, showed he can handle the job. I dont think he'd ever be Pro Bowl caliber, but I can see him becoming an EJ Henderson kind of guy.
JJ could easily make the transition to MLB. Quite frankly, I think that's where he should be playing anyway. He'd be another quality MLB
Gooden was bland in his limited playing time, but there is some upside there. I wouldn't use him as an example to defend our MLB position, but he has very obvious talent that could pay off at some point.
Jason Philips doesn't have the ceiling that Gooden has, but he also has much less bust potential. Philips could very well develop into another JJ, or close to it.

In summary, if Ray retired today, I would not be concerned about MLB.

Now if he is saying that MLB is a weakness relative to the rest of our team (i.e. the weakest link), well, thats still a dumb comment. This is Ray Lewis he's talking about.

[Ed_Reed20]

Like other writers, I think Czarnecki is simply trying to get a rise out of people. Had he talked of Webb and Fabian coming off major injuries and Foxworth and Carr not being All-Pros, he would have been stating the obvious and no one would've cared. But by using the phrase 'weak link' and Ray Lewis in the same sentence, he attracts more hits.

[beasy2487]

I agree with the sentiment that all of this is just cannon fodder for another boring offseason stretch. Just like making judgments about players based on what they do in noncontact drills in minicamp is premature.

I will say this, saying that Ray is a weak link is the same argument some make about Derek Jeter. Yea, quickness has deteriorated greatly for both of them, lateral quickness being the largest drop-off; but that quickness is most valuable when it comes to making up for mistakes. For a young player, being that fast allows them to make up for missing tackles, being in the wrong spot, or similar mistakes from their teammates. For veteran players, if they can eliminate the mistakes because of their knowledge of the game, the quickness becomes less of an issue. When you factor in the intangible lift the entire team gets when guys like Jeter and Ray are on the field, the quickness becomes a complete non-issue. It would be one thing if Ray wasn't making it through games/seasons but we all know he's an iron man above all other things.

This is all evidenced in the San Diego game-ending tackle that has been referenced earlier in this thread. Yes, you're going to get plays like the one in the Indy game where Addai put a shake-and-bake on Ray that was so painful i almost couldn't watch it; but when you have a guy that can read an offense the way Ray can and make a 4th and Game type of play against one of the most elusive players on one of the best offenses in the league, you keep that guy on the field, period.

Dear Fox Sports,

Only Ray Lewis will end Ray Lewis' career.

Sincerely,

The Flock

[JohnnyBoy8102]

I did some research and Ray is the only MLB/ILB in NFL History to make the pro bowl in [b]BOTH[/b] his 13th and 14th pro seasons. He is also the only MLB/ILB [b]EVER[/b] to be named a 1st team all pro in either his 13th or 14th pro season and he did it in BOTH seasons.

He also has the highest total approximate value of any player at his position for his 13th and 14th seasons.

Here is the link.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/tiny/QXhXk

[Bazooka Joe]

[quote name='Runnin Raven' date='12 May 2010 - 09:06 AM' timestamp='1273669600' post='408952']
Trying not to laugh at this, but its impossible not to.
[/quote]


Right. If Ray Lewis is our weakest link (and not our secondary) then I love our chances to win the SB.

[RavensAllTheWay]

So let me get this straight. Were a better team on the field without his leadership, without him setting the tone in terms of focus and intensity, without him reading/knowing/disecting plays before they can happen. There's only one Raven on our defense that can do all of these at the same time. Ray Lewis.

I'd rather have an intelligent leader on my team as MLB than a talented athlete. What he APPARENTLY loses in strength and athleticism, he makes up for in intelligence.

[Ravnet]

It's hard to choose a weakest link on our team as nearly every position is very strong, but considering that Ray led the AFC in tackles last season, I would say that the CBs or DLine are bigger holes.

That being said, Ray's stamina has been questioned during the playoffs each of the past two seasons.

[TSizzle00]

The MLB position didn't lose the Ravens that playoff game last year nor did it the year before.

[theFRANCHISE]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' date='12 May 2010 - 01:42 PM' timestamp='1273686128' post='409055']
Like other writers, I think Czarnecki is simply trying to get a rise out of people. Had he talked of Webb and Fabian coming off major injuries and Foxworth and Carr not being All-Pros, he would have been stating the obvious and no one would've cared. But by using the phrase 'weak link' and Ray Lewis in the same sentence, he attracts more hits.
[/quote]
Agreed. Keep in mind, Czarnecki is also the same guy who said that the Ravens haven't been as successful in the draft the past few years as people assumed. And yet, he didn't bother to fact-check on the number of Pro Bowls gained, nor did he bother to look at the draft-pick retention rate of the team relative to the rest of the league, especially with the number of quality starters that Ozzie has found and other teams have coveted.

[kash96ravenstotalfan]

[quote name='FerrariFan87' date='12 May 2010 - 08:49 AM' timestamp='1273668558' post='408943']
Well, I don't think he's saying Ray Ray is our weakest link, per se, but the MLB position in general, should something happen to Ray and Gooden/McClain have to fill in...
[/quote]
Excuse me, but isn't the article titled "Weakest links for SB contenders"? ...and it is a photo of Ray Lewis on the Ravens portion. I think he is blatantly saying that Ray is our weakest link. The guy is a moron PERIOD

[DrMoonTooth]

What drug was John Czarnecki on when he wrote that the weakest link for the Baltimore Ravens could be Ray Lewis????? He and Terry Bradshaw should be shipped to an uncharted island so that they can discuss their ignorant, malinformed opinions of numerous NFL icons. At least then they wouldn't be brainwashing any one idiotic enough to believe this nonsense. This is a perfect example of why I can't stand Fox Sports.