The Baltimore Ravens are one of the perennial powerhouse franchises in the NFL, from Ozzy Newsome and that awesome front office to the active coaching staff. Even with that being said the players are what make this franchise tick! Players like Tony Siragusa, Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs, and Ed Reed just to name a few. But, the two most iconic are the two Lewis’ Ray and Jamal! Boom and Pow, the double edged sword that made Baltimore the franchise to beat in the late 90s, early 00s. This is their story....
Boom!
This Tale starts in Bartlow, Florida where a young Raymond Lewis began showing signs of stardom at Kathleen High School, in Lakeland. The young Lewis was an All-American wrestler, and it showed in his All-American season as a Linebacker. Eventually that lead him to a scholarship at the University of Miami.
At Miami he became a top linebacker prospect, racking up multiple All-American bids, and a runner-up for the Butkus Award. He would forgo his senior season for the draft and become Baltimore’s first draft pick as the 26th selection in 1996.
Pow!
While Ray was making head way as a top guy in Florida. Jamal was in Atlanta, Georgia at Douglass High School doing a little showing out of his own. He was a letterman in football and track, recording 4879 yards and 68 TDs on the ground. He also recorded a 10.84sec time in the 100m and 22.04sec in the 200m.
Jamal went on to the University of Tennessee, where he would post electrifying numbers on the way to an Freshman All-American bid. In ‘98 the young Lewis would suffer an LCL tear, and miss the rest of the season. The ‘99 season would be a bounce back year for Jamal, posting 816 yds on 182 attempts. He would translate that into being the 5th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.
Leaders of the Flock!
It’s the summer of ‘00, Ray Lewis is walking into the Owings Mills Practice Facility as the established veteran. Jamal, the young rookie with stars in his eyes. Little did each of them know that the 2000 NFL season would be magical for both of them.
That year, Ray Lewis would lead the defense to a record year. They only relinquished 165 points and 970 yards on the ground over 16 games, setting a NFL record. They also, posted 4 shutouts and 1st in six different categories behind Lewis’ leadership.
Jamal would come in that year and usurp the starter Priest Holmes, by rushing for 1364 yards and 6 TDs. Lewis carried the offense that year, and rumbled through the playoffs.
With the offense and defense rolling the Ravens were able to make it to XXXV! There they met the New York Giants, a nasty team from the NFC looking to roll against this Ravens team.
The Lewis’ knew what they had to do.
Jamal Lewis had a day for the offense, flying down the field to a rookie record 103 yards (2nd to do so), and a touchdown becoming the youngest to score one in the Super Bowl (21). Ray had the defense flocking! It was a spectacular feat, Lewis went on to win MVP honors for SB XXXV, and a Defensive Player of the Year award. The two lead the Ravens to their first Lombardi, and etched themselves in the history books forever.
Flying High!
We fast forward our tale to 2003, the Ravens are coming off of a down year (7-9). Jamal Lewis, had a good bounce back season off an injury in ‘02 rushing for 1327 and was looking to capitilize on his success. Ray also was looking to bounce back after missing most of the previous year!
In ‘03 they would both do just that...Jamal Lewis would join the 2K club rushing for a league high 2066 yards, and breaking Corey Dillon’s single game record with 295 against Cleveland. Ray would also comeback with an AP DPOY award performance, and lead the Ravens to a 10-6 record. The Ravens would be bumped out of the playoffs by the Tennessee Titans in the wildcard that year!
Flying on one Wing!
The following seasons for the two Lewis’ would be pretty taxing. ‘04 saw the two be relatively productive, each looking like the constant All-Pros they had been to that point. Yet, ‘05-‘06 spelled doom for two.
Ray would go on to miss time during the two seasons, while Jamal would have two up and down years. Contract issues plagues Jamal’s ‘05-‘06 campaigns...and would end his tenure in a Raven’s uniform. Ray would stay a Raven over the next decade, but these two would meet again!
One Last Flight!
The 2007 season started off weird for both Lewis’.
Jamal was in a new uniform, a brown one, and Ray had to rally the defense once again with the offense being the focal point now.
Jamal and the Browns took off that year compiling a 5-4 record, including a win over the Ravens, Jamal’s first game against Baltimore. Jamal only had 64 yards that game. Baltimore seemed to be disjointed on offense, but the defense came to play behind Ray.
The next time these two would meet up would be Wk11 on a Sunday afternoon in Baltimore! The Browns were top in the AFC North, and the Ravens were just trying to find a win. Ray Lewis was primed to be a force, and Jamal wanted to redeem himself. The game was a tough one each taking blows at each other. The first half ended with Jamal being held in check, and Ray having scored.
In the second half things changed, Ray Lewis and the Baltimore run defense seemed to lay down, as Jamal spread his wings once again. Jamal wore down Ray and lead the Browns to a 33-30 OT win over his former team!
These two went on to have drastically different endings to their stories.
Jamal went on to rush for 500 yards, in his last year with Cleveland opting to retire afterwards. He would become just one of five men to have 2K yards, and the illustrious 10K club.
Ray would go on to play five more seasons in a Ravens uniform, leading them to another Super Bowl in 2012. He retired and left a lasting mark on the league and franchise!
These two will forever be part of a great story of two men who beat the odds and became brothers of the gridiron! Thank you for reading, Until Next Time...
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