Best NFL Players of All Time: Ray Lewis

Best NFL Players of All Time: Ray Lewis. Ranking the Top Players in History. Place a bet on an NFL football game now.

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Best NFL Players of All Time: Ray Lewis

It’s common to dismiss claims that football players are violent, tough, and scary.

In a sport where restrained aggression, rage, and cruelty are key components, most players—particularly those defending the ball—appears to possess these qualities by nature. Players would have given up on the game long before their time in high school ended if they lacked these qualities.

However, there are some players whose emotional makeup differs slightly from that of the majority. Some players appear to hit the ball harder than others. Doug Buffone, a former Chicago Bears linebacker, refers to it as the Neanderthal gene.

One player who seemed destined to play football is Ray Lewis. He has proven to be one of the game’s toughest hitters and best tacklers ever.

Lewis has a lot of the physical traits required to establish himself as the leader of one of the NFL’s top defenses in the previous 50 years. He had the strength to take down powerful linemen and explosive running backs, the quickness and speed appropriate for his position, and the intellect to figure out how the offense was going to attack.

Still, he was able to surpass the best players that competed because of his intangible qualities of leadership and ruthlessness on the field.

Although Lewis’s tale of triumph on the football field is captivating, it is not the whole story. In 2000, he enjoyed his finest season as the Ravens‘ defense equaled that of the Chicago Bears in 1985. But in the pre-season leading up to that year, his off-field antics almost brought an end to his career.

Before Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta, Lewis attended a party. By the end of the evening, he was facing a murder accusation after a fight outside an Atlanta nightclub claimed the lives of two men.

Lewis eventually entered a guilty plea to misdemeanor obstruction of justice because there was insufficient evidence to support the murder accusation against him. But the incident damaged Lewis’s reputation and provided fodder for his critics to cast doubt on his morality.

Although those questions haven’t entirely vanished, Lewis made it plain that he wasn’t going to do anything else that would endanger his NFL future. Throughout the 2000 season, he was a man on a mission, and the Ravens defense led the club to incredible success.

That season, the Ravens’ offense was nonexistent. From Week 5 to Week 9, they failed to score an offensive touchdown. Head coach Brian Billick had established himself as an offensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings, setting numerous records, but he lacked the tools necessary to be effective in Baltimore.

Lewis, though, mounted a valiant resistance. The Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans, and New York Giants were among the other elite defenses in the NFL that season, but none of them played with the tenacity of the Ravens.

With 137 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, and three fumble recoveries in 2000, Lewis made his fourth consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl and was named the NFL’s defensive player of the year.

However, Lewis’s drive that season had nothing to do with individual achievements. Lewis thought that his team could win a Super Bowl despite the offense issues they were having because of how good their defense was.

“I played football for that reason my entire career,” Lewis remarked. It was all about taking home the titles. I played alongside individuals that shared my desire to win and become a champion. That season, we could taste it, and we improved every week. Our goal was to win the entire tournament, not just make it to the playoffs. The manner we attacked gave us confidence that we had the team to succeed. Who among us was going to prevail?”

In their playoff wins against the Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos, the Ravens performed like crazy dogs. They were the underdogs going into the explosive Raiders game in Oakland, but they stopped quarterback Rich Gannon and the offense cold and advanced to face the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.

Lewis refused to let the constant barrage of questions regarding his purported involvement in the incident from the prior year deter him. In that game, the Baltimore defense performed at its peak. It was a question of choking off the rushing game, stopping the passing game, and denying the Giants any offensive rhythm. They just did not give the Giants any room to breathe. New York lost 34–7 with no chance.The Giants’ lone point came from a touchdown kickoff return.

It would be his final season in 2012, when the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers 34-31, that Lewis would win another Super Bowl.

By then in his career, Lewis was essentially a one-armed athlete who had lost more than a step, and Baltimore was no longer a defensive powerhouse.

In a game that they were only inches away from winning, the 49ers gained 484 yards.

Lewis and his teammates made a crucial stop with fewer than two minutes left in the game, which allowed Baltimore to win the title, despite the Ravens’ difficulties on the defensive end of the ball during that contest.

Even though Lewis’s physical dominance had diminished, his extraordinary determination and leadership skills played a significant role in Baltimore winning another Super Bowl.

Head coach of the Green Bay Packers Mike McCarthy remarked, “I don’t know if there’s been a defensive player that’s had as big an impact, at least in my time in the league.” Ray Lewis is a truly remarkable illustration of a leader. Talk about a guy who gives his football team his heart and opens his chest. It is what Ray Lewis carried out.

Best NFL Players of All Time: Ray Lewis Stats

Regular Season

Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Int Yds TD Lng PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD Sk Comb Solo Ast TFL QBHits Sfty AV
1996 21 BAL LILB 52 14 13 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.5 110 95 15 5
1997 22 BAL MLB 52 16 16 1 18 0 18 1 0 1 0 0 4 184 156 28 13
1998 23 BAL MLB 52 14 14 2 25 0 26 1 0 0 0 0 3 120 101 19 12
1999 24 BAL MLB 52 16 16 3 97 0 60 8 0 1 0 0 0 3.5 165 130 35 19 1 20
2000 25 BAL MLB 52 16 16 2 1 0 1 6 0 0 3 0 0 3 137 108 29 14 23
2001 26 BAL MLB 52 16 16 3 115 0 64 10 1 0 1 0 0 3.5 162 114 48 13 19
2002 27 BAL RILB 52 5 5 2 4 0 4 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 58 43 15 3 4
2003 28 BAL RILB 52 16 16 6 99 1 37 14 2 0 2 1 0 1.5 163 121 42 7 19
2004 29 BAL RILB 52 15 15 0 0 0 0 6 1 0 2 0 0 1 147 101 46 6 18
2005 30 BAL MLB 52 6 6 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 46 38 8 1 4
2006 31 BAL MLB/RILB 52 14 14 2 27 0 27 8 1 0 1 0 0 5 103 80 23 8 9 12
2007 32 BAL LILB 52 14 14 2 35 1 35 10 2 0 1 0 0 2 121 83 38 1 2 9
2008 33 BAL LILB 52 16 16 3 43 0 29 9 2 0 2 0 0 3.5 118 85 33 9 12 20
2009 34 BAL RILB 52 16 16 0 9 0 9 8 2 0 1 1 0 3 134 95 39 10 7 16
2010 35 BAL RILB 52 16 16 2 26 1 24 4 2 0 3 1 0 2 139 102 37 4 4 16
2011 36 BAL RILB 52 12 12 1 4 0 4 7 2 0 0 0 0 2 95 72 23 3 4 10
2012 37 BAL RILB 52 6 6 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 57 44 13 1 2 4
Career 228 227 31 503 3 64 96 19 1 20 3 0 41.5 2059 1568 491 99 40 1 224

Playoffs

Year Age Tm Pos G GS Int Yds TD Lng PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD Sk Comb Solo Ast TFL QBHits
2000 25 BAL LB,MLB 4 4 2 54 1 50 9 0 0 1 0 0 0 31 21 10 1
2001 26 BAL MLB 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 17 10 7 0
2003 28 BAL RILB 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 11 6 1
2006 31 BAL RILB 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 10 5 2 0
2008 33 BAL LILB 3 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 29 23 6 2 0
2009 34 BAL MIKE 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 25 12 13 1 2
2010 35 BAL MIKE 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 13 9 4 1 1
2011 36 BAL MIKE 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 12 8 1 0
2012 37 BAL MIKE 4 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 51 29 22 2 0
Career 21 21 2 54 1 50 14 6 0 1 0 0 2 218 137 81 11 3

 

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