Missing Ray

[mdrsharon]

I really think the elephant in the room is missing Ray Lewis.

 

He may not have been as quick as he used to be, but it is the emotional passion that he instilled in the players - you could see it on the sidelines - who knows what went on in the locker room.

 

In many ways, we are a younger, faster team.

Last year we found the ways to pull out the wins, this year, not so much.

[Real Ravens Fan]

I really think the elephant in the room is missing Ray Lewis.

 

He may not have been as quick as he used to be, but it is the emotional passion that he instilled in the players - you could see it on the sidelines - who knows what went on in the locker room.

 

In many ways, we are a younger, faster team.

Last year we found the ways to pull out the wins, this year, not so much.

We need him back in a coaching capacity, any way possible to get his voice back in the locker room. Heck give him the water boy coaching title, just get him back now!! Pay the man Bishotti. Ray is the Rayvens!!

[Guest Im An Ozzie Newsome Guy]

Well, then: Maybe the Ravens should invest in one of those hologram things to recreate a digital Ray Lewis. Hey, after all, someone was able to do it for Tupac!

 

I mean, just think about it: With a holographic Lewis, on the sidelines, spitting-out a never-ending list of inspirational speeches, the Ravens will never lose... AGAIN! Gradkowski will be able to block better after hearing holo-Ray Lewis tell him to say his prayers.

 

At the end of the day, this is just a win-win idea for Baltimore; and, I highly think this franchise should consider investing money on this concept.

[mdrsharon]

No kidding!

can you imagine the impact he would have on these young, talented guys?

 

Maybe not physically, but the mental aspect is everything.

Nobody beats his passion and love for the game.

[K-Dog]

We miss Ray Lewis the person far more than the player no question.

[Militant X 1]

imo, no matter how much many cats in here try....you can't down play Ray Lewis' impact on this team...on and off the field!  smh!  was he slower, getting beat in coverages and missing a few tackles later on in his career?  of course!  the man was 36.  he was older!  but hey!  IF you live long enough, one day you will be "older" as well!  with that being said; for 17 years that man was the heart and soul of this franchise.  and just because he retired, that doesn't mean that we come in here and try to diminish or downplay how critical he was to this organization.  he and others are not here and this Ravens squad is really feeling the effects of it!  every franchise loses key leaders and go through this.  it's our turn now!  man up Ravens!

 

#Mili

[edthehead]

I listen to the media heads and all they talk about is we would not make it without ray lewis,,, GUESS THEY WAS RIGHT and I was wrong

[K-Dog]

I listen to the media heads and all they talk about is we would not make it without ray lewis,,, GUESS THEY WAS RIGHT and I was wrong

Lets not jump the gun too much.

[sflegend89]

Even further confirms that Ray Lewis is the most inspirational athlete in the history of sports. Made everyone around him better, players and coaches alike just with his presence and passion he had for the game

[tsizzle95]

i dont know about this man. a lot of people are saying that we need some emotional leader on this team, but when you look around the league there are a ton of teams without one. how are they able to succeed? ray lewis is one of a kind, yeah he did a good job pumping people, but there are tons of teams who great who didnt have ray lewis..

[Gordo52]

"King is gone, but he's not forgotten".

[Bltravens]

Eventually we're going to have to move on.  The franchise isn't going to fold because Lewis isn't here.  But I think it was obvious to most people his impact couldn't be replaced.  This is the first year with his absence, it's going to hit the organization the hardest.  There's no one remotely at his level because hey, he was the best, and it shows, particularly when it comes to communication on defense.

But eventually we knew this was going to happen, we would have to move on when the man was welcomed into the Valhalla football halls.  Things will get better.  We'll win games without him and make the playoffs without him.

[BloodRaven]

The Raven nation turned on him for his comments on addressing the leadership void. He deserves better and I hope he enjoys his retirement.

[Militant X 1]

i dont know about this man. a lot of people are saying that we need some emotional leader on this team, but when you look around the league there are a ton of teams without one. how are they able to succeed? ray lewis is one of a kind, yeah he did a good job pumping people, but there are tons of teams who great who didnt have ray lewis..

understood! 

 

but with all things being equal...perhaps some of those teams wasn't just being established by drafting a kid with an unbelievable passion and love to play the game of football as their MLB.  one in whom they also watched grow with the organization over 17 years and develop into an incredible leader of men on and off the field throughout the entire NFL and to become a future Hall of Famer.  imo, the bottomline is that out of all of the coaching changes, players that retired, were traded, cut, drafted, or released...the one constant figure for the Baltimore Ravens was Raymond Anthony Lewis for 17 years!  his impact on this team for nearly 20 years is not so easily dismissed.  this Ravens squad is going through growing pains without him and others.  let's see how they respond and if they are truly up for that challenge!

 

#Mili

[GrimCoconut]

We could sure use him right now to come in the locker room and give the guys a talk. I don't think there's coincidence in the fact that the only game he was here we had our best offensive showing yet and arguably our best defensive showing as well. Go look at the Houston game and compare it to our recent games. 

[Guest Im An Ozzie Newsome Guy]

We could sure use him right now to come in the locker room and give the guys a talk. I don't think there's coincidence in the fact that the only game he was here we had our best offensive showing yet and arguably our best defensive showing as well. Go look at the Houston game and compare it to our recent games. 

 

Technically, the offense only scored 16 points in that game. I can't disagree with you about the defense having its best performance against the Texans, though.

[easternshore97]

Of course they are missing Ray. BUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTT a new "Ray" must emerge. You may not see his emergence until next season. So until then..

 

...the other elephant in the room is that nobody wants to step up and be the leader. I've said it before on these forums, I heard through the grapevine of how Ray Lewis would walk around the cafeteria snatching hamburgers away from his teammates saying 'you got to take care of your body and make sure your career last!'

 

If true, that's pretty hard to replace!

[GrimCoconut]

Of course they are missing Ray. BUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTT a new "Ray" must emerge. You may not see his emergence until next season. So until then..

 

...the other elephant in the room is that nobody wants to step up and be the leader. I've said it before on these forums, I heard through the grapevine of how Ray Lewis would walk around the cafeteria snatching hamburgers away from his teammates saying 'you got to take care of your body and make sure your career last!'

 

If true, that's pretty hard to replace!

I'll never forget when I watched a video on the Ravens. Not sure what the video was now but I think it had to do with the 2001 Super Bowl: America's Game. I remember Ray saying he was the leader the very first day he came. He asserted himself as the leader. Guys have to have the swagger to walk like Ray did. It's rare. I agree with you someone needs to step up but nobody has yet. 

[easternshore97]

I'll never forget when I watched a video on the Ravens. Not sure what the video was now but I think it had to do with the 2001 Super Bowl: America's Game. I remember Ray saying he was the leader the very first day he came. He asserted himself as the leader. Guys have to have the swagger to walk like Ray did. It's rare. I agree with you someone needs to step up but nobody has yet. 

Ok. So he signed up from day one and they held him to it. So that's why Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary were singling him out at times saying "tell Ray that that's not leadership...that body language everytime we call a play that he doesn't like"

[GrimCoconut]

Ok. So he signed up from day one and they held him to it. So that's why Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary were singling him out at times saying "tell Ray that that's not leadership...that body language everytime we call a play that he doesn't like"

Yeah. I think Ray became the man he is because of those coaches. We just need the coaches to hold our guys accountable and our guys need to get mad about being mediocre. They need to get some fight. I'd like to see fight like the Texans had early in the game last night. They lost but they fought hard at least early in the game. I haven't seen the Ravens fight like that in weeks. 

[wayne]

I add Ed to this equation too. They are both well missed.

[PolishRifle]

People make a ton of assumptions, just based on the losses. Maybe it was Matt Birk all along, who can prove otherwise? I always knew, that it was Matt keeping the team together. Giving Ray Lewis and Ed Reed advice on how to play their positions, telling John Harbaugh how to coach, coaching up Ray Rice how to run the ball.

 

How about, we lost 8 starters and we are still missing some pieces? How about our Oline is a disaster up front, because of injuries and our RB can't find open room to run through and our QB has no time to make throws? Nah, lets continue with locker room conspiracies, because we have so much knowledge of what is going in there. Why assume everyone is a professional on a well run professional sports team.

 

Heard Cary Williams was the true leader of the Ravens. We sure are missing him, just look at those losses.

[Ravensfanspls]

People make a ton of assumptions, just based on the losses. Maybe it was Matt Birk all along, who can prove otherwise? I always knew, that it was Matt keeping the team together. Giving Ray Lewis and Ed Reed advice on how to play their positions, telling John Harbaugh how to coach, coaching up Ray Rice how to run the ball.

 

How about, we lost 8 starters and we are still missing some pieces? How about our Oline is a disaster up front, because of injuries and our RB can't find open room to run through and our QB has no time to make throws? Nah, lets continue with locker room conspiracies, because we have so much knowledge of what is going in there. Why assume everyone is a professional on a well run professional sports team.

 

Heard Cary Williams was the true leader of the Ravens. We sure are missing him, just look at those losses.

:landry:

[Sami84]

Of course they are missing Ray. BUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTT a new "Ray" must emerge. You may not see his emergence until next season. So until then..
 
...the other elephant in the room is that nobody wants to step up and be the leader. I've said it before on these forums, I heard through the grapevine of how Ray Lewis would walk around the cafeteria snatching hamburgers away from his teammates saying 'you got to take care of your body and make sure your career last!'
 
If true, that's pretty hard to replace!

Matt elam apparantly been eating a lot of junk..i guess thats the eat greedy thing.

[TSizzle00]

People think Ray Lewis being gone is the reason this team is 3-5?!

 

/facepalm

[funky141]

imo, no matter how much many cats in here try....you can't down play Ray Lewis' impact on this team...on and off the field!  smh!  was he slower, getting beat in coverages and missing a few tackles later on in his career?  of course!  the man was 36.  he was older!  but hey!  IF you live long enough, one day you will be "older" as well!  with that being said; for 17 years that man was the heart and soul of this franchise.  and just because he retired, that doesn't mean that we come in here and try to diminish or downplay how critical he was to this organization.  he and others are not here and this Ravens squad is really feeling the effects of it!  every franchise loses key leaders and go through this.  it's our turn now!  man up Ravens!

 

#Mili

I said just about the same thing earlier in the year and was trashed for it. Lewis was and always in my eyes be the best LB and motivator ever to play the game.

[mdrsharon]

People think Ray Lewis being gone is the reason this team is 3-5?!

 

/facepalm

not really.

but we seem to lack the pure passion that he showed. I think that  drive inspired a winning attitude and desire to be the best and play your heart out. I am not seeing any of  this so far.

[The Raven]

We could sure use his drive and intensity. This team lacks intensity.

[T3hRaven]

People make a ton of assumptions, just based on the losses. Maybe it was Matt Birk all along, who can prove otherwise? I always knew, that it was Matt keeping the team together. Giving Ray Lewis and Ed Reed advice on how to play their positions, telling John Harbaugh how to coach, coaching up Ray Rice how to run the ball.

 

How about, we lost 8 starters and we are still missing some pieces? How about our Oline is a disaster up front, because of injuries and our RB can't find open room to run through and our QB has no time to make throws? Nah, lets continue with locker room conspiracies, because we have so much knowledge of what is going in there. Why assume everyone is a professional on a well run professional sports team.

 

Heard Cary Williams was the true leader of the Ravens. We sure are missing him, just look at those losses.

 

This is probably my favorite post of the day.

[jdynamite]

Well, then: Maybe the Ravens should invest in one of those hologram things to recreate a digital Ray Lewis. Hey, after all, someone was able to do it for Tupac!

I mean, just think about it: With a holographic Lewis, on the sidelines, spitting-out a never-ending list of inspirational speeches, the Ravens will never lose... AGAIN! Gradkowski will be able to block better after hearing holo-Ray Lewis tell him to say his prayers.

At the end of the day, this is just a win-win idea for Baltimore; and, I highly think this franchise should consider investing money on this concept.

I was surprise that company ( did Tupac hologram ) went bankrupt already