Jamal Lewis

S ince the 2000 season, the Ravens have tried to copy the blueprint that led them to the Super Bowl title. But they've never been able to duplicate the running back of that season. Running backs like Jamal Lewis come along only once in a while, and the Ravens have yet to find another runner like Lewis. Few teams do. "It's rare to get that kind of power, speed and size in that kind of a back," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "Guys like him, Chuck Muncie, Corey Dillon, John Riggins, they only come along every so often.

Former Ravens running back Jamal Lewis is one of four ex-NFL players who are suing the league over brain injuries that they say have impaired their post-football lives, according to an Associated Press report. Lewis and Dorsey  Levens, Fulton Kuykendall and Ryan Stewart, filed the lawsuit against the National Football League and NFL Properties LLC this week in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, saying the NFL knew as early as the 1920s of the potential for concussions to harm its players but only went public last year.

FOR THOSE of you rushing to presume Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis guilty of drug conspiracy charges (and you know who you are), remember two things. The FBI and a confidential informant are involved. You remember the FBI, don't you? That gaggle of incompetents who hounded Atlanta security guard Richard Jewel and investigated him for allegedly planting a bomb and killing two people had egg on their faces when facts revealed Jewel was innocent. Yes, the same FBI whose agents can't tell a Honda Civic from a Pontiac Grand Am (remember the shooting of Joseph Schultz in Anne Arundel County two years ago?

Among the rushing marks Ray Rice set Sunday in the Ravens' 24-10 win against the Indianapolis Colts, Rice joined Jamal Lewis as the only tailbacks in franchise history to record three consecutive seasons of 1,000 rushing yards, For Rice, who now has 1,029 yards this season, reaching that achievement is something that he will treasure. “It means a lot to me,” Rice said. “Anytime I do something, I give my credit to the offensive line. But to do three straight [1,000-yard rushing seasons]

When Ravens running back Jamal Lewis was asked whether reserves Mike Anderson or Musa Smith are better than he is, he laughed. Then he grew silent for a few seconds, and then chuckled some more. No disrespect, mind you, but Lewis has heard the talk around town about his having lost a step, or not running with power. So, for the first time this season, Lewis talked extensively about the problems with the team's running game. As feisty as ever, he cited having to adjust to playing without a fullback and to playing with a proven quarterback for the first time.

For all the flurry surrounding Jamal Lewis' indictment on federal drug charges, the Ravens star is probably only the third-most-famous person to fall under William S. Duffey Jr.'s prosecutorial gaze. Numbers one and two would have to be then-President Bill Clinton and wife Hillary Rodham Clinton, whom Duffey investigated as deputy to independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr on the Whitewater case. For all his high-profile work - Duffey inherited a huge investigation into City Hall corruption when named U.S. attorney in Atlanta in 2001 - he tends to avoid the spotlight, friends and associates say. That's probably smart, now that President Bush has nominated him as a U.S. district judge for northern Georgia.

If the name Edward T.M. Garland sounds vaguely familiar, think back four years to the murder trial of Ravens star Ray Lewis in Atlanta. Garland, the smooth and gentlemanly criminal defense lawyer known in that city for his high-profile cases and way of wooing juries, won Lewis his freedom with a misdemeanor plea. Now, Garland, 62, is defending another Ravens star: running back Jamal Lewis, who was indicted Wednesday in Atlanta on federal drug charges. With his tailored suits and pocket handkerchiefs, his youthful smile and polite demeanor, the sixth-generation lawyer has a reputation for charming jurors.

ATLANTA - The change in Jamal Lewis last season was subtle but unmistakable. An extra measure of resolve. A willingness to lead. Most of all, a hunger for recognition, not as one of the workmanlike but faceless NFL running backs who dependably gain chunks of yardage, but as one of the league's elite performers whose name was on everyone's lips. The result was a season for the ages - nearly a single-season rushing record and one glorious afternoon against Cleveland when Lewis ran for more yards than any other man in NFL history, accomplishing what he most desired to unleash on a football field.

In 15 or 20 years, Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis will sit down and have dinner with Cleveland Browns running back Jamal Lewis. They'll cherish the old days, particularly the Super Bowl run after the 2000 season. They'll talk about how they used to train together and spur each other on at key moments during games. But that's years down the road. On Sunday, it will be Lewis vs. Lewis III when the Ravens (1-0) host the Browns (0-2) at 4:15 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium. "It's going to be another classic," Ray Lewis said, laughing.

When the Browns snagged ex-Ravens star Jamal Lewis as a free agent, Cleveland general manager Phil Savage bet that Lewis still had something left in the tank. Savage, Baltimore's former director of player personnel, was right. Lewis gained more than 1,300 yards last season and is on track for 1,100 this year. And while fans here might wonder whether the Ravens gave up too soon on Lewis - and got a dubious trade-off when they dealt for Willis McGahee - they should put those concerns aside.

Jamal Lewis made no secret of which team he will root for Sunday, and it won't be the guys wearing those ugly orange and brown Halloween uniforms. " Ravens, that's my team," said Lewis of the Ravens/Browns game. "I've picked them to go all the way. They are playing hard, and they still got that swagger. Now if we can get Joe Flacco and that passing game going, we're going to be okay. " After 10 seasons, Lewis is in semi-retirement. He spent three seasons with Cleveland, and the first seven with Baltimore where he was one of the most accomplished running backs in the NFL. Lewis didn't watch the Ravens' loss to Cincinnati last week, but he listened to it on his car radio.

T he Ravens are 3 1/2 -point underdogs heading into Sunday's playoff game at New England. But that suits the Ravens just fine. In their 14-year existence, the Ravens play best in their first game of the playoffs when they aren't expected to win. When they've entered the playoffs as AFC North champions (2003 and 2006), the Ravens were upset in their first games. When they've been wild cards (2000, 2001 and 2008), the Ravens have never lost in the opening round. But Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason refuses to play up the underdog role.

Since the 2000 season, the Ravens have tried to copy the blueprint that led them to the Super Bowl title. But they've never been able to duplicate the running back of that season. Running backs like Jamal Lewis come along only once in a while, and the Ravens have yet to find another runner like Lewis. Few teams do. "It's rare to get that kind of power, speed and size in that kind of a back," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "Guys like him, Chuck Muncie, Corey Dillon, John Riggins, they only come along every so often.

S ince the 2000 season, the Ravens have tried to copy the blueprint that led them to the Super Bowl title. But they've never been able to duplicate the running back of that season. Running backs like Jamal Lewis come along only once in a while, and the Ravens have yet to find another runner like Lewis. Few teams do. "It's rare to get that kind of power, speed and size in that kind of a back," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "Guys like him, Chuck Muncie, Corey Dillon, John Riggins, they only come along every so often.

Brady Quinn knows what's in store for him when he and the Cleveland Browns pay a visit to M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday. A hostile reception. Enough crowd noise to possibly force the offense into a silent snap count. Oh, and a Ravens defense trying to tee off on the young quarterback. "Yeah, I would imagine so," Quinn said when asked whether he expects an all-out pass rush from the Ravens. "Anytime you're a young quarterback in this league, I think you expect that going into every game." How Quinn fares could determine whether the Browns can pick themselves out of the AFC North cellar or whether the Ravens continue to reign atop the division.

Jamal Lewis (right) became the 24th player in NFL history to rush for 10,000 career yards. Lewis entered the Cleveland Browns' game with the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday needing 63 yards and went over the milestone on an 8-yard burst in the third quarter. He finished with 76 yards on 16 carries as the Browns lost, 14-0. Lewis, 29, played seven seasons with the Ravens, where he gained 7,801 yards before signing as a free agent with the Browns in 2007. He gained 1,304 yards last season, his best since 2003, when he rushed for 2,066 for the Ravens.

The question was first posed last month, when the Ravens hosted the Cleveland Browns. Back then, I said I would rather have Jamal Lewis on a team built around its defense and a young quarterback. I still would. While neither Lewis nor Willis McGahee is having a great season for his respective team, Lewis is certainly more reliable and more consistent than the man who replaced him in Baltimore. Off-field problems earlier in his career notwithstanding, Lewis is also a better role model for young Ravens backs Ray Rice and Le'Ron McClain to follow.

Since the 2000 season, the Ravens have tried to copy the blueprint that led them to the Super Bowl title. But they've never been able to duplicate the running back of that season. Running backs like Jamal Lewis come along only once in a while, and the Ravens have yet to find another runner like Lewis. Few teams do. "It's rare to get that kind of power, speed and size in that kind of a back," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "Guys like him, Chuck Muncie, Corey Dillon, John Riggins, they only come along every so often.

Whenever the Ravens face Jamal Lewis, it's another showdown with their all-time leading rusher. It's also another time to debate the Ravens' decision at running back. In the 2007 offseason, the Ravens failed to re-sign Lewis and traded for Willis McGahee. Nearly 21 months later, the statistics and the money indicate this was a misstep. In 22 games with the Cleveland Browns, Lewis has averaged 81.2 yards and has scored 12 touchdowns. In 21 games with the Ravens, McGahee has rushed for 74.1 yards and reached the end zone 10 times.

When the Browns snagged ex-Ravens star Jamal Lewis as a free agent, Cleveland general manager Phil Savage bet that Lewis still had something left in the tank. Savage, Baltimore's former director of player personnel, was right. Lewis gained more than 1,300 yards last season and is on track for 1,100 this year. And while fans here might wonder whether the Ravens gave up too soon on Lewis - and got a dubious trade-off when they dealt for Willis McGahee - they should put those concerns aside.