As Ray Lewis prepares to take his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, teammates, coaches, opponents, family and members of the media reflect on the legacy of the legendary Ravens linebacker with their favorite memories and never-before-heard stories.
Marvin Lewis
As told to Glenn Clark
Marvin Lewis was a defensive coordinator with the Ravens from 1996-2001. He is now the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.
I had a relationship with Ray from the onset, probably longer than anyone. I think that from the day we drafted him and he walked into the building in Owings Mills, Md., he was a leader. He was a guy who wasn’t afraid to be out front.
From a very young player, he was always a guy who was all about business, all about winning and trying to be better — for the team and himself. From the very first day he was natural and amazing. All he ever did was want to get better.
Ray was very smart, intelligent and understood the game. Once I got to Cincinnati and had to prepare to play against Ray, well, you have to change the way you do some things. You’re not going to present formations and build plays the way you have done them week after week.
You know that he’s going to know how you’ve done it in the past, and you have to alter how you do things and set them up a bit differently than you have in past weeks for past games.
To read all 52 memories of No. 52, visit PressBoxOnline.com/Ray.