R. Lewis is back on the field and in position to lead again
They shot through the fake smoke and out of the tunnel. Wide receiver Clarence Moore was at the front of the pack, but mostly, they came out together.
Somewhere in there jogged the most eager player in pads, and whether Ray Lewis knew it or not, everything he did over the next 90 minutes was about to be put under the microscope. None of it was designed to tell us definitively what the regular season might hold, but all of it provided enough of a glimpse.
In a game that meant nothing, Lewis and his actions meant everything.
If the Ravens' first preseason game was focused on introducing new quarterback Steve McNair to a rabid fan base, last night's was all about welcoming Lewis back into the fold.
"It felt great," he said when it was all over.
When we had last seen Lewis on a football field in pads - nearly 10 months ago - he was pouting as if a bully had just stolen his ball and ran away.
The Lewis who ran out of the tunnel last night, though, looked like the one who not long ago led not just a defense, but an entire city. Until the end of the first half, Lewis looked like just another jersey.
But that's not what we really needed to see last night.
Lewis is still a central part of this defensive unit because of the energy and passion he brings. We needed to see if he still had it and if it was still contagious.
As much as McNair is being praised as the team's savior this season, the return of Lewis is nearly as important. Though each star is aging and each has battled recent injuries, both are leaders of their respective units, and both have Super Bowl experience. That's key because if the two stay healthy, their mere presence could propel this team to something big.
It didn't take long for Lewis to make his presence known last night. Though the team has temporarily quashed the pre-game player introductions and the dancing, hopping and whooping that came along with it, Lewis quickly emerged from the mass of purple.
He paced the sideline and you could tell that he was eager to get in there and play. For last week's preseason opener, Lewis showed some excitement, but he did it wearing street clothes.
On the field, Lewis was hardly a force last night, usually lost in the mix and several times stifled by an extra blocker. But he was the first to congratulate Terrell Suggs when the defensive end sacked Donovan McNabb in the first quarter. It's these small things that make Lewis the leader that he is.
