Merged Source: Ray Lewis possible return dates

[TreTheRaven]

Did you folks see this? While I would love to have him back on the D, I would prefer him to be healthier even more. It would be huge, of course, but having him healthy for the playoffs would be even greater.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/11/26/ray-lewis-could-be-back-by-week-15/

[H8R]

I figured he'd be back pretty soon. Especially the way he's throwing that arm around during the before the games when speaking to his players.
I like Ray especially in the pass rush .. he's our best blitzing LB .
Not to mention, looks like he gained a couple lbs which may be good! Those legs are probably nice and fresh too. WHOAH nelly!

[BloodRaven]

Hopefully he'll be used conservatively so we can maximize his impact during our playoff push. This is going to be one unforgettable postseason.

[jdynamite]

I heard Dan Fouts say that Harbaugh mentioned it the night before. And I read that Yahoo Sports reported it with 6 sources confirming but did not say the sources name, but someone from yahoo sports approached Ray Lewis after the Chargers game and he wouldn't confirm it but did say[size=5][b] "You've got eyes -- what do you expect to happen? I'm here to support my team,"[/b][/size]

[shootyoup]

I'd hate for him to come back when he's not 100% and force Ellerbe, who has been great, to the bench.

[redlobster]

I wonder if him coming back will mess up the continuity the defense is building, I was not sold on ellerbe but he has played pretty well in Lewis's place and would hate to see Lewis come back for pride reasons only to throw off the defense. I vaguely remember that with Lewis in the defense was getting absolutely abused and that was with the Webb and Smith in the secondary as well.

[Grapple Raven]

Ellerbe hurt his foot in the Chargers game, and said he hopes he can be back next week. I know the team will be smart with Lewis, but this news couldn't have come at a better time!

With all the injuries we've faced this season...defense by committee has been looking good so far, just sayin' lol

[Militant X 1]

i wouldn't mind if Ray continues to rest and heal up and return in the post-season. the young lions are roaring in his absence...we don't need to silence them just yet.

~Mili

[gotekiraven]

The defense has improved greatly without him. Let's be honest. Lewis isn't the dynamic player he once was. The team was more vulnurable with Webb out then Lewis. Look at the points allowed by the defense in al the games from the beginning of theseason up to and including the Dallas game in which is was injuried. Now look at the points allowed by the defense so far after the nightmare Houston game.

They only allowed
15 points against Clevland.
20 points against Oakland
10 points against Pittsburg and just
13 points againt San Diego who torched us last year.

So the question is will Ray be more harm then good going into the playoffs. It's great that we are on the verge of winning the North again, but at best we are still trying to catch Houston and the very least get the 2nd seed. I am not the only one who is questioning whether ray's return is good for the team. Have a look.

[url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8676567/ray-lewis-baltimore-ravens-likely-return-year-report"]http://espn.go.com/n...urn-year-report[/url]

[H8R]

The thing I would say is that we've had some luck of the draw in the offenses we've faced. Lets not forget how much better the dline has played + the addition of Tsizzle on the field. Too many moving parts in our defense to point at Ray as the weakest link.

[tiptopjj]

That would be great if we could get him back in in time for the playoffs!

[Bltravens]

You don't not play Lewis. But if I was Pees I'd play Ellerbe in front of McClain and I'd also swap out the positions of Lewis and Ellerbe. McClain has been playing better, but I'm still not overly impressed with him. Ellerbe is a smaller guy and plays about twice as physical, a better blitzer and better in coverage.

Having said that, there's no reason to play him until he's actually 100%. McClain and Ellerbe are doing fine now because the Dline is playing 500% better than it was the first 6 weeks.

[LouieDaLug]

Ravens have a tough problem here....Lewis is no longer one of the best 4 linebackers on this team. He's gonna expect to start, yet Ellerbe has played much better then Lewis has. Ray is finished, he's a 15 play player at the most now, so how are the Ravens gonna handle this. The defense is better with him on the sidelines....

[The Raven]

[quote name='LouieDaLug' timestamp='1353958283' post='1234907']
Ravens have a tough problem here....Lewis is no longer one of the best 4 linebackers on this team. He's gonna expect to start, yet Ellerbe has played much better then Lewis has. Ray is finished, he's a 15 play player at the most now, so how are the Ravens gonna handle this. The defense is better with him on the sidelines....
[/quote]

Ray is definitely one of the Top 4 LBs on the team. You think McClain is better than Ray Lewis? Even at this stage in his career? Get real. The only LB I can put above Ray without hesitation is Suggs.

Ellerbe's done great and all, but I fully believe that has more to do with the improved dline play than anything.

[LouieDaLug]

[quote name='The Raven' timestamp='1353962326' post='1234990']
Ray is definitely one of the Top 4 LBs on the team. You think McClain is better than Ray Lewis? Even at this stage in his career? Get real. The only LB I can put above Ray without hesitation is Suggs.

Ellerbe's done great and all, but I fully believe that has more to do with the improved dline play than anything.
[/quote]

Your entitled to your opinion, but yes McClain is better than Ray Lewis. Here's the list linebackers who are better than Ray. Suggs, McClain, Ellerbe, Krueger, Ayabadejo and Upshaw.

This has nothing to do with talent, it has to do with age......Ray is about 1/4 of the player he was in his prime.

Ray can continue to run out of the tunnel, give his speeches and act as a motivator, but he is done as a player.

As I said, Ravens have a sticky situation on there hands because fans like you refuse to acknowledge the obvious and there's gonna be a whole lot of screaming when they eventually bench Ray, not to mention the millions they are gonna pay him to ride the pines. I wonder if they will ask him to take a pay cut next year.

Ray's Hall of Fame career is done, all that is left is how to nudge him out of the starting lineup. As I said, he's valuable for maybe 15 plays a game. Anything more hurts the defense.

<insult removed>

[Bltravens]

[quote name='LouieDaLug' timestamp='1353963972' post='1235036']
Your entitled to your opinion, but yes McClain is better than Ray Lewis. Here's the list linebackers who are better than Ray. Suggs, McClain, Ellerbe, Krueger, Ayabadejo and Upshaw.

This has nothing to do with talent, it has to do with age......Ray is about 1/4 of the player he was in his prime.

Ray can continue to run out of the tunnel, give his speeches and act as a motivator, but he is done as a player.

As I said, Ravens have a sticky situation on there hands because fans like you refuse to acknowledge the obvious and there's gonna be a whole lot of screaming when they eventually bench Ray, not to mention the millions they are gonna pay him to ride the pines. I wonder if they will ask him to take a pay cut next year.

Ray's Hall of Fame career is done, all that is left is how to nudge him out of the starting lineup. As I said, he's valuable for maybe 15 plays a game. Anything more hurts the defense.

[/quote]
That's just an ignorant statement. Ayanbedejo is a better LB than Lewis right now? That's just a flat out joke. Ayenbedejo breaks up 1 pass and he's all of a sudden a complete 3 down LB? Ludicrous. Not only that but you posted guys who play totally different positions than Lewis. Kruger, Upshaw and Suggs are OLBs with totally different responsibilities. Kruger is a pass rush specialist, he's good for 2nd/ 3rd and long. McClain doesn't do [i][b]anything[/b][/i] better than Lewis right now. Ellerbe I can accept because it's true. McClain is not.

[tsizzle95]

Awesome news. I just hope we dont rush him. Lets just wait until he is at full strength.

[GrimCoconut]

[quote name='The Raven' timestamp='1353962326' post='1234990']


Ray is definitely one of the Top 4 LBs on the team. You think McClain is better than Ray Lewis? Even at this stage in his career? Get real. The only LB I can put above Ray without hesitation is Suggs.

Ellerbe's done great and all, but I fully believe that has more to do with the improved dline play than anything.
[/quote]
Ellerbe has played better than most of our LBs. I can't believe he said Lewis (healthy) is not in the top-4 LBs on the team. McClain hasn't performed better than Ellerbe let alone Lewis.

Suggs is the only LB playing better than Lewis and even then it's not by a great margin. He's still recovering from his Achilles, though.

Too many people here are writing off Lewis as some washed-up LB. While it's true he has visibly lost a step now, and has had some difficulty bringing guys down he is still a major threat. His football IQ compensatses for his lost athleticism. He was applying pressure up the middle before he went down. Lewis was greatly impactede by the loss of Suggs, a wounded Ngata, and poor play from our DL.

[LouieDaLug]

[quote name='Bltravens' timestamp='1353964116' post='1235043']
That's just an ignorant statement. Ayanbedejo is a better LB than Lewis right now? That's just a flat out joke. Ayenbedejo breaks up 1 pass and he's all of a sudden a complete 3 down LB? Ludicrous. Not only that but you posted guys who play totally different positions than Lewis. Kruger, Upshaw and Suggs are OLBs with totally different responsibilities. Kruger is a pass rush specialist, he's good for 2nd/ 3rd and long. McClain doesn't do [i][b]anything[/b][/i] better than Lewis right now. Ellerbe I can accept because it's true. McClain is not.
[/quote]

take the glasses off and watch Ray play. He can't run anymore, he can't shed tackles anymore, he's never been able to cover backs out of the backfield, he whifs on tackles he made just a year or two ago, he gets easily handled on every play, McClain and Ellerbe do ALL of these things better than Ray and not that McClain is a great linebacker, but he's certainly better than 38 year old Ray Lewis.

Ray WAS a great player, no question, but father time has caught up and it's there for all to see. Ravens got a tough situation because guy's like you will be screaming bloody murder when they tell him its over.

15 plays a game for the rest of his career, thats his value now and in the future.

[luvrayrice27]

I can't wait for him to come back!! I feel like he'll come back in a big way for our d. I remember a lot of people thinking suggs coming back when he did was too early and hes doing great! I have high hopes for ray:)

[mdrsharon]

Are you guys kidding?
Who cares how old he is.

Ray is the heart and soul of this team. Yes the young guys are getting better, but Ray is Ray, we need his energy as well as his talent and experience ON the field.

When he is out there, he is the General - you can tell even on tv.

[jazz1988]

[quote name='GrimCoconut' timestamp='1353964814' post='1235060']
Ellerbe has played better than most of our LBs. I can't believe he said Lewis (healthy) is not in the top-4 LBs on the team. McClain hasn't performed better than Ellerbe let alone Lewis.

Suggs is the only LB playing better than Lewis and even then it's not by a great margin. He's still recovering from his Achilles, though.

Too many people here are writing off Lewis as some washed-up LB. While it's true he has visibly lost a step now, and has had some difficulty bringing guys down he is still a major threat. His football IQ compensatses for his lost athleticism. He was applying pressure up the middle before he went down. Lewis was greatly impactede by the loss of Suggs, a wounded Ngata, and poor play from our DL.
[/quote]

I agree with your statement and I think that Ray maybe lost too much weight . The Weight loss indeed help him in the speed department but it effected his strength which is probably why he wasn't shredding blocks like he known to do. Ray a smart man im sure he knows this and he may decide to gain more weight or he could just think about smarter ways to play at his lighter weight

[bauer77]

People seem to forget another thing too, Ngata hasn't been able to eat up 2 blockers at a time like he normally can because he's been injured. Another reason why Ray hasn't been able to make as many plays.

[redlobster]

In this Thread :<insult removed> A clearly deteriorating MLB that was having trouble BEFORE tearing his triceps, coming back and having a profoundly positive effect on a defense that is finally gelling, is very unlikely. He is doing what he does best when considering his age and physical skills on the field; cheering and "coaching" from the sidelines. People cannot accept the fact that Ray Lewis is not the same player or what will happen after him.

[1/28/01]

The man deserves to be on the field. Flat out, no question!

[gilgamesh]

[quote name='redlobster' timestamp='1353967430' post='1235103']
In this Thread : <> A clearly deteriating MLB that was having trouble BEFORE tearing his triceps, coming back and having a profoundly positive effect on a defense that is finally gelling, is very unlikely. He is doing what he does best when considering his age and physical skills on the field; cheering and "coaching" from the sidelines. People cannot accept the fact that Ray Lewis is not the same player or what will happen after him.
[/quote]
Almost everyone on defense was having trouble at that point in time. They look better now because of Pees in the booth and Suggs on the field. Who says Ray also won't look better? I'm not saying that he will play better, but it's a shame anyone would flat out rule him out. I'd trust the coaches can make a good decision on this.

[RedFire]

How did Ray recover so quickly?!?! wasn't this a three month sideline?

If Ray comes back he should get back into rythm during the regular season and then go hard in the playoffs. The defensive line struggled and Ray couldn't stay clear of offensive linemen. Ray lost weight to get quicker even though the AFC North is still smashmouth....but Ray is thinking about playoff matchups against the likes of speedy backs and pass catching TE's.

London Fletcher down the beltway is the same age and is still doing his thing. Ray did the best he could with the situation given to him. Suggs coming back and the defensive line being healthy is major.

[SuggsBarber]

[quote name='mdrsharon' timestamp='1353966645' post='1235092']
Are you guys kidding?
Who cares how old he is.

Ray is the heart and soul of this team. Yes the young guys are getting better, but Ray is Ray, we need his energy as well as his talent and experience ON the field.

When he is out there, he is the General - you can tell even on tv.





That may be,but can he make a key stop against a 23 yr.old rb short of the first down marker in open space?Increasingly the answer is probably not.
[/quote]

[Gashman]

I love Ray Lewis, but with the Defense playing lights out without him, I would look at the San Fran situation with Alex Smith. If it ain't broke......

Let him ease back in. His injury affected his upper body strength.

[wayne]

[quote name='gotekiraven' timestamp='1353945692' post='1234671']
The defense has improved greatly without him. Let's be honest. Lewis isn't the dynamic player he once was. The team was more vulnurable with Webb out then Lewis. Look at the points allowed by the defense in al the games from the beginning of theseason up to and including the Dallas game in which is was injuried. Now look at the points allowed by the defense so far after the nightmare Houston game.

They only allowed
15 points against Clevland.
20 points against Oakland
10 points against Pittsburg and just
13 points againt San Diego who torched us last year.

So the question is will Ray be more harm then good going into the playoffs. It's great that we are on the verge of winning the North again, but at best we are still trying to catch Houston and the very least get the 2nd seed. I am not the only one who is questioning whether ray's return is good for the team. Have a look.

[url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8676567/ray-lewis-baltimore-ravens-likely-return-year-report"]http://espn.go.com/n...urn-year-report[/url]
[/quote]

Suggs coming back factored majorly in the defense getting better so those numbers doesn't mean too much when you factor that in. Now, if Suggs wouldn't have returned you would have a solid point but that's not the case. Sure, it's things that McClain and especially Ellerbe can do better than Ray........ they better be able to do things better than a 38 year old. Thing about it is, do they do the things that much better than Ray to keep him off the field and I say NO, especially with McClain. I expected more from McClain ( as far as at least making a impact getting sacks since he use to be a OLB ).