Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis and New England Patriots running back Fred Taylor need no introductions.
From 1998 through 2001, they regularly bumped heads when the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Ravens both played in the old AFC Central.
In the early days, the Jaguars would torture the Ravens' defense with quarterback Mark Brunell and receivers Keenan McCardell, Jimmy Smith and Taylor. It wasn't until 2000 that the Ravens started to turn the series around.
But Lewis hasn't forgotten Taylor. In six career games against the Ravens while with Jacksonville, Taylor rushed for 510 yards, gaining 4.4 yards a carry. Taylor had two big games against the Ravens in 1998 and one in 2002.
Taylor seems to have restarted his career with 105 rushing yards last week in the Patriots' 26-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Taylor, in his 12th season, looked like his old self. Now the two veterans get to go at it again Sunday.
"Good rivalry. It's been a great rivalry for years," Lewis said. "It's been a privilege to play against Fred but not always a pleasure. Fred has always been one of those backs that you've really got to keep a hold on. If you don't, he can really hurt you in the running game. He has the ability. He's big enough to run between the tackles, and he's fast enough to run away from most defenses."
New England has a multifaceted offense. But if you can control Taylor, you have a good chance of slowing Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. The key, according to Lewis, is staying under control.
"They do a lot of zone blocking," Lewis said. "They don't use a fullback, so they like to get Taylor out in space where he can make his reads and cuts and get you one-on-one. We really have to really do a good job on Fred this week."
Harbaugh on stopping Brady
The Ravens are fortunate to be facing Brady in Week 4. In three games, Brady has improved slowly, but some of the rust is still there from the 15 games he missed last season with a knee injury.
Brady has completed 87 of 142 passes for 871 yards and has a quarterback rating of 79.9. He is still struggling with touch and mechanical issues, which are causing him to miss open receivers.
According to Ravens coach John Harbaugh, there is no secret to stopping Brady. The Ravens will try to blitz him a lot, which New York did in a 16-9 Jets win two weeks ago. Brady wasn't sacked, but he was hit seven times and hurried 15 other times.
