Two Infractions Makes Lewis Fine $25k

Ray Lewis the linebacker of the Baltimore Ravens was fined by the NFL amounting to $25,000 on Friday for two separate plays.  It also included a helmet-to-helmet hit on Chad Ochocinco the receiver of the Cincinnati Bengals. The Ravens stated that an appeal will be filed by Lewis.  Both plays happened in the fourth quarter of the Baltimore’s 17-14 loss last Sunday.  The league considered that Lewis did not need to kick the opponent and later struck a defenseless receiver without a cause. 

On the latter play, Lewis hit Ochocinco following a pass from Palmer that was incomplete and a 15-yard penalty for pointless roughness helped in setting up the winning play that created a touchdown with only 22 seconds remaining.  Ochocinco lost his helmet in the collision, but immediately rose from the lawn.  After the game, the active receiver asked NFL commissioner Roger Goodell by using his Twitter account to for leniency and said it’s just part of the game.

Lewis, Reed Avoid Fines

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and Safety Ed Reed will not be fined for their post-game remarks criticizing the officials in the team’s 27-21 loss to the Patriots. Who would’ve thought that there were no fines, I guess you could do anything you want now. Lewis for one just went off on the officials in the game. He just snapped in their face and at first thought he might’ve wanted to hurt them in some manner. But in reality, both players were criticizing the league’s recent moves to protect quarterbacks. As Lewis sees it, the new rules and interpretations make it unfeasible for a player to hit a quarterback without getting flagged.

No word yet on whether John Harbaugh will be fined for his in-game antics, which drew a personal foul, and his post-game remarks which were analogous to Lewis and Reed. I would expect Harbaugh to see a hefty fine by this week.

The Saga of Ray

Since his first day as a Baltimore Raven, he has been the face of the franchise. The head coach and the owner have been quoted as to their willingness to pay Ray Lewis a king’s ransom for him to keep his services. But the better move would be to allow Ray Lewis to walk and let the Ravens move on without him.
The size and speed of Lewis has not diminished but over time his intelligence and technique has grown immensely. Then his popularity and leadership on the field and in the locker room is without question. It is thus prudent that the Ravens makes an offer it thinks is fair, but not let emotions overwhelm the business of football. And in this aspect, Lewis is driving up his value by courting suitors from the Jets to the Cowboys and he is getting the upper hand. The Ravens should offer him fair money but not go into a bidding war for the services of the future Hall of Famer.  And if he scoffs at the offer made by a team that gave him the opportunity to reach the success that he has enjoyed, then let him find the locker room of some other team and let others willing to play for the Baltimore Ravens play for the Baltimore Ravens.

Jets Studying Options

The New York Jets are in the midst of evaluating their personnel and seeing what is available out there for them. If they plan to get players, then General Manager Mike Tannenbaum needs to act swiftly and decisively.  He said that once the review and assessment has reached its conclusion and the need can be filled by free agency, then the Jets will hit “hard”.
The Jets general manager has stated that New York likes having the three quarterback option in its roster and since Brett Favre is retiring again, they are looking at ways to fill that open spot. Another name being touted around is Ray Lewis, but he stops short of commenting on Lewis’ remarks about playing for the Jets, as there are league rules in tampering. But those comments and actions can only be held out for so long and by next week as the free agent market opens, expect the Jets to make some major moves.
What Tannenbaum did say is that Baltimore’s model on defense is something good and to emulate that you need players that are explosive and versatile. This means a defensive line with Ray Lewis on it.

A Rising Tide Raises All Ships

The saying “there is no I in TEAM” would fit American Football real easily. While you might have a really great player on your team, if he doesn’t acknowledge his team mates and plays like he’s the only player on the team, then it wouldn’t be worth anything. The whole football team must work in unison in order to win games. What a team always needs is leadership.

Leadership is one quality that Ray Lewis has. He’s won the Defensive Player of the Year award twice, and one of the few linebackers to ever win a Superbowl MVP award. He is just phenomenal on the field and strikes fear in the hearts of the offense. The great thing about him is that he has great leadership qualities, and thus able to bring out the best in his team mates. If the people around him are good football players, he would then turn them into great ones.

The question now is whether he will be staying with the Baltimore Ravens. If ever they want to redeem themselves and possibly want to be a strong contender next season, they would definitely have to keep him. If not, then the Jets and Cowboys have an eye on him.

Baltimore Ravens Clamped Titans Running and Take Home the ‘W’

Nashville, Tennessee – They say Defense wins championship and the Baltimore Ravens proves that well not to the literal meaning. The Baltimore Ravens were able to stop the torrid rushing game of the Tennessee Titans to advance in the Conference Finals with the score Ravens 13-Titans 10.

Rookie Quarterback Joe Flacco showed great flair moving the chains and leading the Ravens offense with 11/22 passing for 161 yards and a lone TD his recipient was Wide Receiver Derrick Mason (5 Reception for 78 Yards and a TD). But the story is the Baltimore Ravens Defense which forced 3 Turnovers by the Tennessee Titans which despite having advantage with total yards (TEN 391; BAL 211), time of possession (TEN 34:07; BAL 25:53) and first downs (TEN 21; BAL 9) they did have the most turnovers with 1 interception (by Ravens CB Samari Rolle) and 2 Fumbles that cost them the game.

The lost of Tennessee Titans may also be attributed when Rookie Running Back sensation Chris Johnson (11 Carries, 72 yards and 1 TD) didn’t return to the game due to an ankle injury. Which prompted the Titans to rely on their passing as veteran QB Kerry Collins was 26/42 in passing with 281 yards but threw 1 interception. WR Justin Gage did well as he recorded 135 yards with 11 reception. Power RB Lendale White pick up the slack at rushing the ball with 15 carries but only 45 yards, it proves that Baltimore Ravens defense really made a difference as Linebacker Bart Scott had 9 tackles, veteran Linebacker Ray Lewis had 8 tackles and 1 Force Fumble while SS Jim Leonhard also posted a force fumble and 5 tackles. FS Ed Reed has a quiet night with only 3 tackles but his effort on the coverage also made a big difference.

The game was sealed when Kicker Mat Stover drilled a 43-yard Field Goal that breaks the tie at 10 and after that Kerry Collins only completed 1 pass (his first) on the Titans possession and failed on the next 3 attempts to hand the Baltimore Ravens the ticket to the AFC Conference championship game. They will be waiting for whoever wins on Sunday when the Sand Diego Chargers Battle the Pittsburgh Steelers.