Merged Source: Ray Lewis possible return dates

[SecretAgentMan]

[quote name='wayne' timestamp='1353974183' post='1235235']
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 ).
[/quote]
Ray is a coach on the field. He is the peyton manning of MLB's. Only reason why we would start him with Ellerbe

[-Truth-]

Lewis' performance did tail off a little right before the injury, but outside of the Kansas City game, I don't recall him struggling enough in the running game not to see the field. He hasn't had as much success shedding blockers, but his 20 stops through 6 weeks still rank 6th best on the Ravens and he's missed just a single tackle in that span. Ellerbe's been lights out in run support and in pass rushing, so he definitely deserves to see the field. But I don't know if McClain has done enough to entrench himself as a mainstay opposite of him. I predict that we'll see a switch off between McClain and Lewis, at least until he's healthy.

[The Raven]

[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.

Time to deal with reality there bubba.
[/quote]

Have you ever thought of doing stand up? That was pretty funny!

[The Raven]

Has anyone even entertained the idea that the improved defensive line play has improved the linebacker play? Or does that require too much logical thought?

So Ray getting hurt made McClain play better? Hmm...

[VitaminMawc]

[quote name='bauer77' timestamp='1353966996' post='1235100']
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.
[/quote]

um Ngata was playing great early in the year with lewis in. I really don't think Lewis should be a starter right now/if at all.
He deserves nothing, you dont play someone just because he is ray lewis, if he is a detriment to the team he shouldnt play, he was getting run over early in the year, couldn't shed a block, he was racking up tackles ,but 5 yards past the los.

The organization will look stupid if they just hand him back the job because "he is ray lewis" .

Neg me all you want, without fans there is no NFL, I am entitled to whatever opinion I want, and your opinion is no better than mine.

[The Raven]

[quote name='VitaminMawc' timestamp='1353976254' post='1235271']
um Ngata was playing great early in the year with lewis in. I really don't think Lewis should be a starter right now/if at all.
He deserves nothing, you dont play someone just because he is ray lewis, if he is a detriment to the team he shouldnt play, he was getting run over early in the year, couldn't shed a block, he was racking up tackles ,but 5 yards past the los.

The organization will look stupid if they just hand him back the job because "he is ray lewis" .

Neg me all you want, without fans there is no NFL, I am entitled to whatever opinion I want, and your opinion is no better than mine.
[/quote]

You and LouieDaLug could do stand up together!

[bauer77]

[quote name='VitaminMawc' timestamp='1353976254' post='1235271']
um [b]Ngata was playing great early in the year with lewis in[/b]. I really don't think Lewis should be a starter right now/if at all.
He deserves nothing, you dont play someone just because he is ray lewis, if he is a detriment to the team he shouldnt play, he was getting run over early in the year, couldn't shed a block, he was racking up tackles ,but 5 yards past the los.

The organization will look stupid if they just hand him back the job because "he is ray lewis" .

Neg me all you want, without fans there is no NFL, I am entitled to whatever opinion I want, and your opinion is no better than mine.
[/quote]


Played great? LOL. On 1 arm and 1 leg? This is funny. Please, let me know when you and LouieDaLug do some stand up together like The Raven said. I could use a good laugh!

[i82much]

Look. Unless you do this for a living, sitting in your office with the coaches' tape looking at film, you are not in a great position to really judge whether Ray still has it or not. People have been saying he was done for years - that is what people say about older athletes. More often than not, they are just parroting one another and talking for the sake of making other people listen.

[RavensFanInCA]

I need a Hyperbaric Chamber. Those things seem to do wonders.

[berad]

If the Ravens weren't going to put him back on the field they wouldn't have used the IR return-designation on him.

Frankly, it's as simple as that. Ellerbe and McClain are playing well (both are still inconsistent) but you're kidding yourself if you think Ray Lewis is a problem.

[ravensfan2424]

If we can at least get Lewis and Smith back for the Defense I think they can be pretty solid overall! The D-line has been amazing with the return of Suggs, the emergence of Upshaw, and the play of Jones. The LB crew will get a HUGE boost with Lewis because of his experience in dealing with specific situations. The secondary will still be tough but Jimmy should help that somewhat. Cary on the 1, Jimmy on the 2, and Corey on the 3

[K-Dog]

It all boils down to this
Peyton Manning.

Ray Lewis wants Peyton so bad he can taste it.

Peyton has had our number for far too long. Ray wants to end that streak.

I am calling it. Ray Lewis on the field vs. Peyton.
Mark my words.

[LouieDaLug]

Ray is possibly the most overpaid player on this team presently.
The defense is better with Ray Lewis watching and cheering from the sideline. He is a shell of his former self and if you watch the games with an unbiased eye you will see that the best Ray does now is tackle about 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. He cannot shed blocks any longer, he cannot run any longer, he cannot cover any longer, He is 38 years old guys.....he is physically incapable of playing anywhere near the level he once did. The on the field coach stuff is a load of crap. Defense has done more than fine with "the coach" on the sidelines.

Only thing left is how the Ravens gracefully bench him and ask him to take a pay cut next year.

[melvinmelon123]

[quote name='LouieDaLug' timestamp='1353981368' post='1235348']
Ray is possibly the most overpaid player on this team presently. Those of you with your head buried in the sand are certainly welcome to keep it buried, [b]don't bother me a bit[/b].

[/quote]

I would say it does. What with the way you keep attacking others opinions if they differ from your own. The fact of the matter is, you think Ray Lewis is done and others don't. Leave it at that instead of insisting that they are fools and that you don't care, when your actions speak loudly in the other direction.

[Alexir]

Warrior.

What an absolute warrior. I get so mad when I see him on the sideline doing that arm lock with Suggs after a big 3rd down stop. "Rest your arm!!!!"

Props to the NFL's best medical staff.

[VitaminMawc]

[quote name='bauer77' timestamp='1353977373' post='1235282']
Played great? LOL. On 1 arm and 1 leg? This is funny. Please, let me know when you and LouieDaLug do some stand up together like The Raven said. I could use a good laugh!
[/quote]

Ngata was healthy to begin the season did he not have 2 sacks in the first game? Ray played like doodooo.
This what is wrong with this forum and why the mods are terrible, if you dont agree with the masses then you get criticized. <insult removed>

[VitaminMawc]

[quote name='The Raven' timestamp='1353976376' post='1235273']
You and LouieDaLug could do stand up together!
[/quote]

You should leave me alone your opinion means absolutely nothing, neither does mine, this is a public forum, I can say what I want. Don't like my opinion? You can eat [profanity deleted] lol. You're probably one of the people that thinks they are better than the rest because you spend hours a day on the forums, instead of going outside in the sunshine. I am a grown boy, are you?

[VitaminMawc]

[quote name='LouieDaLug' timestamp='1353981368' post='1235348']
Ray is possibly the most overpaid player on this team presently.

The defense is better with Ray Lewis watching and cheering from the sideline. He is a shell of his former self and if you watch the games with an unbiased eye you will see that the best Ray does now is tackle about 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. He cannot shed blocks any longer, he cannot run any longer, he cannot cover any longer, He is 38 years old guys.....he is physically incapable of playing anywhere near the level he once did. The on the field coach stuff is a load of crap. Defense has done more than fine with "the coach" on the sidelines.

Only thing left is how the Ravens gracefully bench him and ask him to take a pay cut next year.
[/quote]

You are correct everyone else in the country can see it, but what else did you expect saying ray 37 lewis should stay on the sideline. We are on the offical ravens forum, to many people with there purple shades welded to their faces.

[beasy2487]

[quote name='VitaminMawc' timestamp='1353987877' post='1235444']
Insults removed
[/quote]
There are too many factors in play to count Ray out. He will come back when he's ready and be eased back in. Ray Lewis is the ultimate team player and if the defense suffers his snaps will adjust accordingly. The "grown boys" in here seem to think it either is or it isn't. Things like these are never so black and white. Especially giving the massive adjustments the defense went through early on. Is Corey Graham a better CB than Webb because the defense is playing better as a whole? God no. Let it play out before spouting nonsense.

[LouieDaLug]

I'm simple pointing out that the Ravens have a problem.......They have a player who is no longer able to justify playing time and they owe him two more years on a contract and they have a massive PR problem as we can see from the responses on this forum.

Ray IS the greatest Raven player ever and it will be a long long time before anyone displaces him as the greatest. He is a legend, One of the top 5 greatest defensive players ever in the history of the NFL. Dedicated to being the best like no other. A class act on the field and off the field.

But every great player meets father time and father time wins every time without fail.

The Ravens know they have this problem. They watch film, they see him being manhandled during games, they see father time taking its toll. For goodness sake, don't shoot the messenger, open your eyes and watch him play when he comes back.

[beasy2487]

[quote name='LouieDaLug' timestamp='1353990068' post='1235457']
I'm simple pointing out that the Ravens have a problem.......They have a player who is no longer able to justify playing time and they owe him two more years on a contract and they have a massive PR problem as we can see from the responses on this forum.

Ray IS the greatest Raven player ever and it will be a long long time before anyone displaces him as the greatest. He is a legend, One of the top 5 greatest defensive players ever in the history of the NFL. Dedicated to being the best like no other. A class act on the field and off the field.

But every great player meets father time and father time wins every time without fail.

The Ravens know they have this problem. They watch film, they see him being manhandled during games, they see father time taking its toll. For goodness sake, don't shoot the messenger, open your eyes and watch him play when he comes back.
[/quote]

You're right, the coaches watch more tape than anyone here ever will. They also put their livelihoods on the line when they make personnel decisions. If and when Ray Lewis is on the field it will not be because of loyalty, debt, or pride. It will be because he is the best man for the job.

[LouieDaLug]

[quote name='beasy2487' timestamp='1353991528' post='1235468']
You're right, the coaches watch more tape than anyone here ever will. They also put their livelihoods on the line when they make personnel decisions. If and when Ray Lewis is on the field it will not be because of loyalty, debt, or pride. It will be because he is the best man for the job.
[/quote]

So you think Ray is still a good player and deserves, based on performance, to play every minute of every game for the rest of this season and the following two seasons?

I mean if you do, thats fine, I just respectfully disagree.

[Moderator 2]

Enough of the name calling, calling peoples fandom into question and generalized nastiness or the thread will be closed and warnings issued,

[Quackjack]

It's ok guys, Polamalu will be joining him in retirement soon enough

Hate to see legends like these two on the decline, but such is the NFL

[arnie_uk]

[quote name='LouieDaLug' timestamp='1353997737' post='1235493']


So you think Ray is still a good player and deserves, based on performance, to play every minute of every game for the rest of this season and the following two seasons?

I mean if you do, thats fine, I just respectfully disagree.
[/quote]a ilb is only as good as the Line in front of him.

Our line was awful at the start. Lewis, ellerbe, McClain were all awful. Then Suggs comes back, Tyson steps up, jones begins playing better, Cody gets more playing time than kemo, and the whole line is better.

Then ellerbe completely breaks out, McClain improved, you think that's a coincidence? It's not.

Lewis' plays just didnt drop of a cliff 6 months after the afc game. The lost weight didn't help, but the fact linemen over half his size could get on him like never before, probably in his career had a lot to do with it. If Lewis was playing now, fit, behind the line that's improved greatly, he would be playing like he has the last couple of years and there would be threads questioning how this machine does it.

But, our oline was poor, as poor as I've ever seen it in our history, and that leads linebackers to be poor. If you know anything above the nfl you know it all starts in the trenches. You name the best linebacker, then look at their dline, 95 percent of them had great dines. Look at the cards, 49ers, us normally, steelers normally, see how the play of their linebackers has dropped? You think it's coincidence their dline has deteriorated? No. Cowboys and lee, heck even chase Blackburn was signed of the street and done brilliantly for the giants behind that oline.

How often do you see willis or bowman have to shred a dlineman 5 yards upfield? Never because their dline keeps them clean, same as Daryl Washington.

Ray Lewis will look like a totally different man when he returns if our dline keeps playing this well.

Ellerbe is playing like one of the best ilbs in the league at the minute, can you honestly say he is?

[TXRaven]

We have been playing well but the Ravens defense only improves with Ray Lewis in there. This is good news. It also proves that Ray Lewis may not be human. It is unbelievable that at his age he could come back from such an injury so soon.. Suggs and him must be super human.

[Bltravens]

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1354022773' post='1235599']
a ilb is only as good as the Line in front of him.

Our line was awful at the start. Lewis, ellerbe, McClain were all awful. Then Suggs comes back, Tyson steps up, jones begins playing better, Cody gets more playing time than kemo, and the whole line is better.

Then ellerbe completely breaks out, McClain improved, you think that's a coincidence? It's not.

Lewis' plays just didnt drop of a cliff 6 months after the afc game. The lost weight didn't help, but the fact linemen over half his size could get on him like never before, probably in his career had a lot to do with it. If Lewis was playing now, fit, behind the line that's improved greatly, he would be playing like he has the last couple of years and there would be threads questioning how this machine does it.

But, our oline was poor, as poor as I've ever seen it in our history, and that leads linebackers to be poor. If you know anything above the nfl you know it all starts in the trenches. You name the best linebacker, then look at their dline, 95 percent of them had great dines. Look at the cards, 49ers, us normally, steelers normally, see how the play of their linebackers has dropped? You think it's coincidence their dline has deteriorated? No. Cowboys and lee, heck even chase Blackburn was signed of the street and done brilliantly for the giants behind that oline.

How often do you see willis or bowman have to shred a dlineman 5 yards upfield? Never because their dline keeps them clean, same as Daryl Washington.

Ray Lewis will look like a totally different man when he returns if our dline keeps playing this well.

Ellerbe is playing like one of the best ilbs in the league at the minute, can you honestly say he is?
[/quote]
This is all this thread needs to hear. Nail on the head right here. Lewis in his prime would be having a bad season if he was playing behind that atrocious Dline we marched out in front of him at the start of the season. Kruger, Jones.McPhee, Kemo, hurt Ngata, Upshaw/McClellan?

[ravensdfan]

Ray Lewis is getting older, it is not blasphemy to believe perhaps we should take a wait and see approach here. Our defense appears to be finally gelling, finding their chemistry. Players have stepped up and are playing well. The injury is a serious one. I just think, if he is ready to go, dress him if he's needed, but save him for the playoff run if the defense continues to perform.

[The Raven]

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1354022773' post='1235599']
a ilb is only as good as the Line in front of him.

Our line was awful at the start. Lewis, ellerbe, McClain were all awful. Then Suggs comes back, Tyson steps up, jones begins playing better, Cody gets more playing time than kemo, and the whole line is better.

Then ellerbe completely breaks out, McClain improved, you think that's a coincidence? It's not.

Lewis' plays just didnt drop of a cliff 6 months after the afc game. The lost weight didn't help, but the fact linemen over half his size could get on him like never before, probably in his career had a lot to do with it. If Lewis was playing now, fit, behind the line that's improved greatly, he would be playing like he has the last couple of years and there would be threads questioning how this machine does it.

But, our oline was poor, as poor as I've ever seen it in our history, and that leads linebackers to be poor. If you know anything above the nfl you know it all starts in the trenches. You name the best linebacker, then look at their dline, 95 percent of them had great dines. Look at the cards, 49ers, us normally, steelers normally, see how the play of their linebackers has dropped? You think it's coincidence their dline has deteriorated? No. Cowboys and lee, heck even chase Blackburn was signed of the street and done brilliantly for the giants behind that oline.

How often do you see willis or bowman have to shred a dlineman 5 yards upfield? Never because their dline keeps them clean, same as Daryl Washington.

Ray Lewis will look like a totally different man when he returns if our dline keeps playing this well.

Ellerbe is playing like one of the best ilbs in the league at the minute, can you honestly say he is?
[/quote]

Thank you. Really great post here! Lets see if you get a response now...

[bauer77]

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1354022773' post='1235599']
a ilb is only as good as the Line in front of him.

Our line was awful at the start. Lewis, ellerbe, McClain were all awful. Then Suggs comes back, Tyson steps up, jones begins playing better, Cody gets more playing time than kemo, and the whole line is better.

Then ellerbe completely breaks out, McClain improved, you think that's a coincidence? It's not.

Lewis' plays just didnt drop of a cliff 6 months after the afc game. The lost weight didn't help, but the fact linemen over half his size could get on him like never before, probably in his career had a lot to do with it. If Lewis was playing now, fit, behind the line that's improved greatly, he would be playing like he has the last couple of years and there would be threads questioning how this machine does it.

But, our oline was poor, as poor as I've ever seen it in our history, and that leads linebackers to be poor. If you know anything above the nfl you know it all starts in the trenches. You name the best linebacker, then look at their dline, 95 percent of them had great dines. Look at the cards, 49ers, us normally, steelers normally, see how the play of their linebackers has dropped? You think it's coincidence their dline has deteriorated? No. Cowboys and lee, heck even chase Blackburn was signed of the street and done brilliantly for the giants behind that oline.

How often do you see willis or bowman have to shred a dlineman 5 yards upfield? Never because their dline keeps them clean, same as Daryl Washington.

Ray Lewis will look like a totally different man when he returns if our dline keeps playing this well.

Ellerbe is playing like one of the best ilbs in the league at the minute, can you honestly say he is?
[/quote]


This. Nothing else really needs to be said.