Tag: Ray Lewis (Page 7 of 7)

      Top 10 Worst Super Bowl MVPs

      January 27, 2009 /

      RealClearSports.com ranked the top 10 worst Super Bowl MVPs of all-time:

      Tom Brady10. Tom Brady – Super Bowl XXXVI
      The game itself – one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history – featured many heroes: Ty Law and his 47-yard interception returned for touchdown, Adam Vinatieri’s two field goals, including the game-winner as time expired, and Troy Brown’s game-high six receptions, but the real MVP was head coach Bill Belichick, who designed a game plan that slowed the “Greatest Show on Turf” to just 17 points.

      While it can be considered near blasphemous to include Tom Brady on any list with “worst” in the title, his performance in Super Bowl XXXVI was hardly MVP-worthy. The NFL’s Golden Boy was a paltry 16-for-27 for 145 yards and one score; even on the now famous last-minute drive, he completed three of the five passes to running back J. R. Redmond.

      9. Ray Lewis – Super Bowl XXXV
      The Ravens defense dominated the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, allowing just 152 total yards as they rolled to a 34-7 victory. Ray Lewis, the emotional and vocal leader, played a large role in the game, but his stats, three solo tackles and four blocked passes, are far from stellar. Of the Giants’ five turnovers, Lewis was only partially responsible for one of them, a tipped-pass that was then picked-off by Jamie Sharper. While leadership is important in naming the MVP, stats count too, and Lewis just didn’t have them.

      1. Dexter Jackson – Super Bowl XXXVII
      The Raiders had the most potent passing attack in the league in 2002. Quarterback Rich Gannon led the league in passing yards, had the best touchdown-to-interception ratio and was the league’s regular season MVP. But it was the Bucs defense that shined, forcing Gannon into throwing a Super Bowl record five interceptions (after recording just 10 during the regular season).

      Two of those interceptions were returned for touchdowns of 44 and 50 yards – both by the same cornerback, Dwight Smith – but he was surprisingly not named MVP. Instead, Dexter Jackson, who also had two picks, was named MVP. Two interceptions in a Super Bowl are impressive, but it’s far from an anomaly: 10 other players have intercepted at least two passes in the big game. And what did the Bucs get out of those two interceptions? Just one field goal.

      To be fair to Jackson, both of his interceptions came in the first half when the game was still close. In fact, one could say that both of his picks set the tone for Tampa’s blowout. Where as Smith’s two interceptions came when the game was largely in hand for the Bucs, his second one coming with under 30 seconds left to play and Tampa up 41-21. This is an example where stats don’t paint the entire picture.

      NFL, Super Bowl

      Tony Romo will never be a leader

      January 23, 2009 /

      Or so says Cedric Golden of Statesman.com:

      Tony RomoRomo’s not a leader. Never has been. Never will be.

      Leaders don’t develop. They are born. It’s something in the DNA. You either have it, or you don’t. After showing little interest in leadership his first couple of seasons, Romo is talking about becoming a better leader now. In this case, talk isn’t cheap — Romo signed a $67.5 million contract extension during the season — but it’s still just talk.

      He’s singing a different tune from the one he sang after the 44-6 drubbing at Philadelphia, which dropped his career record as a starter in December to 5-8. Minutes after his team collapsed on the field, he collapsed in the shower from a rib injury, then offered this explanation of how he dealt with the loss:

      “If this is the worst thing that ever happens to me,” Romo said, “then I’ll have lived a pretty good life.”
      He might as well have been one of those talentless clowns who audition for “American Idol.” It was comical and hurt the ears.

      That’s what separates Romo from guys such as Aikman, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. They live the game. Losses eat at their intestines for entire offseasons. Romo’s comments suggested he was already over the loss.

      Aikman offered up no excuses when the Cowboys went 1-15 with him as the starter. And he didn’t morph into a superhero when the Cowboys were winning Super Bowls. He was the same hard-playing, accountable dude during good times and bad times. Romo’s not Aikman. Not even close. And while it’s probably not fair to compare the two, Romo opened up the door when he played the leadership card.
      Even a defensive player like Ray Lewis, who had off-field problems early in his career, is 10 times the leader Romo is. He doesn’t have to make any pronouncements about leadership, because his actions make it clear who’s running things in the Baltimore Ravens’ locker room.

      Ray Lewis is 10 times the leader Tony Romo is? Gee, way to make a prophetic statement there, Cedric.

      He may never be the guy that runs up and down the sidelines like Tim Tebow does or have the gonads to get into the face of his offensive linemen on the bench like Tom Brady, but Romo can lead by example. If he wins, his teammates will follow because in the end, winning speaks louder than any sideline speech that he can give.

      Will he ever be Brady, Lewis or Aikman in terms of being a leader? Probably not, but then again, it takes a special man to lead like those guys do/did. What Romo can do is focus more in practice, be more dedicated to the game that has treated him very well the past couple years and start producing in December. If he does those things, people will take notice.

      NFL

      Rumor: Cowboys interested in Ravens’ Ray Lewis

      January 19, 2009 /

      The Baltimore Sun is reporting that the Dallas Cowboys might possibly be interested in linebacker Ray Lewis, who becomes a free agent this offseason.

      Ray LewisWord around the NFL is that the Dallas Cowboys are very interested in obtaining Ravens inside linebacker Ray Lewis if he becomes a free agent. The speculation is that the Cowboys are willing to give Lewis a three-year deal worth between $27 and $30 million, with $25 million guaranteed.

      Dallas owner Jerry Jones believes his team is in the serious hunt for a Super Bowl title next season, and that Lewis could help solve some of the team’s problems inside the locker room.

      The Ravens are expected to begin negotiations with Lewis, who is in the last year of his contract, as soon as the season is over. Fellow linebackers Bart Scott and Terrell Suggs are also in the final years of their contracts.

      Suggs’ decision to play against the Steelers was a courageous one. Oh, and by the way, he happened to come up with two big sacks.

      If the Cowboys are willing to dole out upwards of $30 million to acquire Lewis than the Ravens might have to let him walk. Scott is highly underrated and Suggs is one of the premier pass-rushers in the league. Both players are also younger (Scott is 28, Suggs is 26) than Lewis and Baltimore can’t afford to lose all three players.

      It’ll be interesting to see whom the Ravens attempt to keep. Lewis is older, but he proved this year that he can still play at a high level and you can’t replace his leadership. Again though, Scott and Suggs are younger and are just as valuable (if not more valuable on the field) as Lewis.

      The Ravens have some tough decisions this offseason.

      NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      NFC/AFC Championship Preview

      January 18, 2009 /

      Before I wrote my Divisional Preview last week, I gave a jab to all the losing teams from Wild Card Weekend. So I think it’s only fair to the Falcons, Colts, Dolphins and Vikings that I do the same to the losers from the divisional round.

      Tennessee Titans: Spend some time this offseason finding another offensive weapon besides Chris Johnson. I swear at one point during the game last week I actually saw Kerry Collins look to dump a pass to the Titan bench because he knew Johnson was sitting there nursing his injured ankle.

      Carolina Panthers: Jake, black shirts, silver helmets, bro. Does anyone else wonder if one of the Panthers went up to Delhomme in the locker room after the game, stopped at his locker, looked him dead in the eye and said, “Happy f’ing birthday, Jake. Way to cost us the game”?

      New York Giants: Eli, you’ve been playing in New York (New Jersey, actually) for four years now. You’re telling me you still haven’t figured out how to throw with that wind by now? Don’t blame yourself, though. Your coach should have deferred to the second half and put his defense (his strength) on the field first to start the game. Losing to the Eagles at home was a collective effort.

      San Diego Chargers: I read that the general feeling out of Chargers’ camp was that Santonio Holmes’ punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter set off a chain of mistakes and miscues leading to San Diego’s loss in Pittsburgh. Yeah that, and the fact that Willie Parker did whatever he wanted, the Chargers only held the ball for 17 seconds in the third quarter and they couldn’t stop the big play. But that was it.

      Kurt WarnerPhiladelphia Eagles (9-6-1) at Arizona Cardinals (9-7)
      Sunday, January 18, 3:00PM ET
      Current Odds: Eagles –4
      Over/Under: 47
      Game Outlook:
      What the hell do we make of the Cardinals now? They stumbled into the postseason, so everyone (myself included) thought, “Well, this team won’t make it past the first round.” Then they beat the Falcons by shutting down Michael Turner, which happened to be the one thing many pundits said that they would have trouble with. But then everyone (myself included) thought, “Well, now they have to go on the road. And there’s no way they’ll win on the road.” Then they go to Carolina and absolutely crush the Panthers 33-13. Now there seems to be two schools of thought with these Cardinals from Arizona. The first being that the Falcons and Panthers made their job a hell of a lot easier by collectively turning the ball over nine times in two games. The second being that the Cards are for real and that everyone has disrespected them the past two weeks. Personally, I think ‘Zona falls somewhere in between. Do I think they were handed some golden opportunities to win over the past two weeks? Yeah. Do I think that they’re better than what everyone (one more time: myself included) thought they were? Yeah. But the Eagles are playing some damn good football right now and probably won’t make the same glaring mistakes that the Falcons and Panthers did. Philly also measures up well with Arizona given that their secondary is outstanding and that they’re playing with a ton of confidence. This game will come down to three things for both teams: 1) don’t turn the ball over, 2) convert on third downs and 3) play good defense. Whichever team is successful in those three areas of the game will win. And if you think that’s too simple then look at all of the playoff games played so far this season. The losing team turned the ball over more, couldn’t convert on third downs and couldn’t stop their opponent from making the big play.
      X-Factor: DeSean Jackson, WR, Eagles
      Jackson has breathed life into Philly’s passing attack and he’s provided a spark in the return game. If Brian Westbrook isn’t 100%, Jackson will have to make plays to give the Eagles a shot at making their second Super Bowl appearance in four years. It’ll also help if Andy Reid can line Jackson up in the “Wildcat” formation and allow him to make plays running the ball, too. Because Donovan McNabb can’t win on his own, even though he’s playing outstanding football right now.
      Prediction: Cardinals 24, Eagles 21
      Why the Cardinals? Because I think they’re destined to win. Nobody thought that they would be here right now and nothing in the NFL has made sense all year (i.e. the Eagles are probably the better overall team, so why should they win, right?). The Cards are also at home (where they play remarkably better than they do on the road) and I can already see the Kurt Warner headlines in the paper Monday morning.

      Willie ParkerBaltimore Ravens (11-5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
      Sunday, January 18, 6:30PM ET
      Current Odds: Steelers -6
      Over/Under: 34
      Game Outlook:
      Even though the divisional round essentially provided two duds (I know the Ravens-Titans game was close, but it really wasn’t that good of a game), I’m once again looking forward to what the AFC brings to the table this week. These are the two best defenses in the league (if not the NFL) and it’s going to be great to see how Rex Ryan and Dick LeBeau attack the opposing offense. The Ravens’ game plan has been simple the past two weeks in that they’ve relied on playing great defense and not turning the ball over offensively. Rookie Joe Flacco hasn’t thrown for over 200 yards in either of Baltimore’s two postseason wins, but the key is that he hasn’t turned the ball over. He has taken a couple of big shots down the field (mainly to Derrick Mason in the win last week) and converted, so that could once again play a factor this Sunday. The Ravens aren’t going to do anything different Sunday than they did the past two weeks – they’re going to play things conservative and win this game with defense. For the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger isn’t the picture of perfect health right now, so it’ll be interesting to see what Ryan does to get pressure on Big Ben and force him to make mistakes like the Titans were able to in their Week 16 win over the Steelers. Of course, if Baltimore can’t stop Willie Parker than this game will be over before it starts. Parker had a great game in Pittsburgh’s win over San Diego last week and it forced the Chargers to be less aggressive. San Diego couldn’t get any pressure on Roethlisberger and he was able to hit them for big plays in the passing game. If the Ravens can effectively blitz him, he’s always likely to hold onto the ball too long, take sacks or turn the ball over. How effective Baltimore’s defense is will be what determines whether or not they’ll be playing for a Super Bowl title in two weeks. Pittsburgh’s defense is outstanding, but it’ll be the opportunities that the Ravens force via their defense that will be the determining factor in which team comes out victorious.
      X-Factor: Terrell Suggs, LB/DE, Ravens
      The Ravens need this guy to play. His status for Sunday is still uncertain as he continues to nurse an injured shoulder, but things don’t look promising. He’s been one of the best edge rushers in the league since he came into the NFL and he’ll be needed to drum up a pass rush against Big Ben. If he doesn’t play, that’s a huge blow to the Baltimore defense.
      Prediction: Ravens 13, Steelers 10
      It’s hard to beat a team three times in one season and with Big Ben’s injury a concern, I think Baltimore wins this with defense. Either way, this is going to be an outstanding game.

      NFL

      Best all-time franchise players for all 32 NFL teams

      August 18, 2008 /

      ESPN.com did a cool feature recently when they asked SportsNation to select an all-time player for each NFL team. Some players were obvious choices for teams, including Brett Favre for the Packers and Barry Sanders for the Lions, but there were some question picks, as well.

      The site added links to video of each player, as well as a chance to debate each choice.

      Here were some of the more obvious selections:

      49ers: Joe Montana, QB
      Packers: Brett Favre, QB
      Lions: Barry Sanders, RB
      Browns: Jim Brown, RB
      Dolphins: Dan Marino, QB
      Patriots: Tom Brady, QB
      Broncos: John Elway, QB
      Chargers: LaDainian Tomlinson, RB
      Colts: Peyton Manning, QB

      And some of the more questionable choices:

      Ravens: Matt Stover, K
      Saints: Bobby Hebert, QB

      As a colleague pointed out, it’s hard to argue with any of these picks because they were chosen by fans. But Matt Stover over Ray Lewis? Bobby Hebert over Archie Manning?

      Lewis has been the face of Baltimore’s franchise for almost a decade and Stover is a kicker (albeit a very good kicker) for Jonathan Ogden’s sake. And I know Hebert was a fan favorite that led the team to the playoffs in 1988, but if Manning had a better team around him, he might have led the Saints to their first ever Super Bowl. I thought Pat Swilling would have gotten more love, too. (Swilling only got 2.4% of votes.)

      Cool feature, though.

      General Sports, NFL

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