After a brutal defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs, 31-24, Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens were left searching for answers after letting up a 21-7 halftime lead on the road. It could very well be considered one of the worst losses in Baltimore Ravens franchise history especially at the hands of their bitter rival the Pittsburgh Steelers. There was no player who took the loss worse than Ray Lewis. The fourteen-year, veteran linebacker, for the Baltimore Ravens is the face of the franchise and plays inspired football on every snap of the ball. He truly is bucking the trend at the age of 35 because he plays with such a ferocity a casual fan wouldn’t realize how old he is. Lewis must look back on another season without a Super Bowl title as his career begins to tick away. He was able to lead Baltimore to a Super Bowl championship (XXXV) against the New York Giants, but would like another one to add to his resume before it is all said and done. Recently Lewis has been in the news for apparent rumor that his contract may be bought out by the Ravens, which proved to be nonsense. He has also put on his acting face yet again for a commercial with Pepsi for their new drink “Pepsi Max.” Ray Lewis has been “taken aback by maximum taste.” Ray Lewis joined the Dan Patrick Show to discuss what players he wanted to see “do well” in Super Bowl XLV, did the Baltimore Ravens offer to buy out his contract, did he change his style of play at all after the NFL started hammering down on helmet-to-helmet hits, when his football career is over will he pursue acting and if he was in a romantic comedy who would be his co-star.
Who did you want to see “do well” in Super Bowl XLV?
“Charles Woodson. It really crushed me when he did [was injured at the end of the first half of Super Bowl XLV]. Like me and Wood [Charles] came in together, and we had a lot of stuff going on together years ago, 1995/1996 man. We’ve always been friends for a long, long, time. Then I remember what happened with him and Oakland. All that stuff the “Tuck Rule” or whatever and yeah man when I saw him it was overwhelming to me you know that those circumstances had to happen to him and he still got that ring man, congratulations.”
Clear up something: Did the Ravens offer you to buy you out of your contract? Release you?
“To buy me out of my contract? [Dan Patrick: I read a story about it somewhere recently] To buy me out of my contract? I never heard that in my life. [Dan Patrick: Release you?] Huh? [Dan Patrick: I just saw it on some website, this is why I ask the question] Listen Dan to this seriously, we cannot listen to what everybody writes. We know this. [Dan Patrick: That’s why I ask you] No way. Yeah no way. [Dan Patrick: Raven for life right?] Yeah. No if, ands or, buts about it. [Dan Patrick: You’re back next year?] Absolutely. Unfinished business.”
After that hit against Dustin Keller, did you change your playing style at all with the way the NFL was outlawing helmet-to-helmet giving players hefty fines?
“No way. No way. You can’t, if you change the way you play, definitely for me, you change the way you’re going to play the game you’re not going to be in it much longer. I will go…I will leave this game playing it like that because you know from the historians that I have studied in this game the forefathers and the other people that came before me Dan [Patrick] they played the game by one rule and that was by any means necessary. No matter how they were going to get you down. They were going to get you down, whether that was close-lining you, whether it was grabbing you, whatever it is. That’s the way I play the game so that hit on Dustin Keller just so happened you know I had already ducked. I had already launched myself you know into him. You know that is kind of like the perfect hit to be under somebody, but I don’t hit that much with my helmet per say unless I’m in the hole like with a running back because I like to see him. You know I like to look into their eyes before I hit them. I don’t hit. I don’t lead with my head a lot. I kind lead a lot with my shoulders.”
When this is all done are you going to get into acting? Are you going to be like “The Rock”? What kind of actor will you be?
“I’m not going to be like “The Rock.” I’m going to be like me, but yes I’m going into it [acting]. I think I’m very versatile. I’m very versatile. I mean I could definitely go into action, but action is probably the easiest one, but you know drama, suspense, things like that. I don’t like nothing about horror. I don’t like nothing about that mess, but when you talk about acting that’s kind of what I do, you know. I sit at home the way people read books that’s the way I watch movies. I get the same lessons that people get because I’m a visual person. That’s why I watch so many movies because I like being in the producers head before they give you the plot of a movie whether it’s suspense, whether it’s whatever. That’s kind of from a kid you know I always use to act out whoever it was and imitate all these different people. Then when I got older I started to realize then that I was very comfortable with the camera. You know all you have to do was really bring out what the paper says or who the character is and that’s what I try to do every time I go on camera. With the Pepsi Maxx thing with Drew [Brees], that was hilarious to create that sense of humor. This sense of horror from a Pepsi bottle that’s created all this drama you know going on. You know me and Drees Brees, we had a good time. We had a real good, good, time doing it.”
Are you going to be in a romantic comedy? Who’s going to be your co-star?
“I would like those. I like those. Who would be my co-star? Oh, see I don’t know. Just let that person pop up. Ugh…I don’t know. I like a lot of actresses, like a lot of them. I like you know Salma Hayek. She’s a great actress. Yeah that would be awesome. Can you imagine?”
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