Ray Lewis

In the aftermath of the Ravens' latest loss to another seemingly unworthy opponent, coach John Harbaugh was asked whether there might be a psychological component to the team's apparent inability to make the most of their most winnable games. "I'm not a psychologist," he replied. "I think what you do is look at football. You look at what you can do better as a football team. So, we're moving forward. " That was the right answer … after the Ravens followed up their blowout win over the Steelers with a deflating loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 2. It might still have flown after the Monday Night loss to the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7. But the third time definitely is cause to wonder just what's going on inside all those helmets.

Being in Baltimore apparently has its privileges for Loyola. Not only did the Greyhounds have to make just a 34-mile trip from their campus to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis for Saturday's NCAA tournament quarterfinal against Denver, but they also got a visit from Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. In a video posted by the school, the 13-time Pro Bowler and two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year spoke to the players before Wednesday's practice and encouraged them to play with passion and cooperation.

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning hosted “Saturday Night Live” on Saturday night, and since I have little social life to speak of, I happened to catch his performance. Despite mostly awful and unfunny writing, Manning was solid, though he didn't come close to matching the laughs of his brother, Peyton, from a few years ago. And since Manning is a famous, Super Bowl-winning quarterback, of course there were a couple of skits loosely related to the NFL. One skit was about Manning awkwardly posing for touchdown celebrations for the new “Madden” game, and actors played New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow, Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz and Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.

Tommy Streeter will never forget the pain he felt the weekend of the NFL draft. Projected by some analysts to be a second-day pick, Streeter remained on the board until late in the sixth round. But shortly after the Ravens ended his disappointment, his phone rang. Linebacker Ray Lewis was reaching out to the Miami Hurricanes wide receiver and welcoming him to the family. “I basically told him that I was ready to make that next step, ready to train,” Streeter said Sunday, the final day of the team's three-day rookie minicamp in Owings Mills.

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who has missed the past four games with a toe injury, returned to practice on Wednesday. Lewis hadn't practiced since the week leading up to the 16-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers. As Lewis walked out onto the practice field and pulled his purple No. 9 practice jersey -- worn in honor of the late Steve McNair -- over his gray hooded sweatshirt, his teammates clapped and cat-called the 36-year-old. Before Wednesday's practice, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said that if Lewis wasn't able to practice this week, he wouldn't automatically be ruled out for Sunday night's game against the San Diego Chargers.

On a trip to Dallas from BWI last week, to my surprise, I was sitting next to Ray Lewis of the Ravens. He was on his way to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, and I'm sure it was a bittersweet trip for him. Mr. Lewis accommodated anyone and everyone who asked for an autograph with respect and dignity. He was most kind and considerate, even while being interrupted during a telephone call for an autograph while we were sitting at the gate. I did take the liberty of congratulating him on a great season, and he shook my hand with appreciation.

I was very touched by the reaction Ray Lewis had at the naming of a street after him ("For Lewis, a street of his own," May 12). It prompts me to after years of talking about it to post this comment. Ray needs to step up and get involved. He should team up with the mayor and find a building in the North Avenue corridor. It should be turned into condos, and from there block by block, a neighborhood can be reborn. There is no reason this can't be done and a person with his clout should be able to get all the support he needs.

The Sun credits Ray Lewis' influence in bringing a nonprofit group into Baltimore to solve a neighborhood blight problem ("A prescription for the east side," April 28). The irony is that Mr. Lewis is vice chairman of a nonprofit group with a goal of improving communities, yet he has an abysmal record of personal business successes. Dennis R. McCartney, Dundalk

The new "Madden" game came out on Tuesday, which partially explains why I wasn't blogging very often Tuesday and Wednesday. Are any of you "Madden" junkies out there having trouble beating your buddies at the game? If so, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis is here to motivate you with this video and the one I have posted below.

Last week, ESPN revealed its NFL “All Era” team, which recognized those current players whose attitudes and styles of play would make them successful in, well, any era, whether it is today's pass-happy NFL or the days when Dick Butkus and Jack Lambert roamed the field and the word “concussion” was crazy medical jargon. Three Ravens were in the top 14 -- linebacker Ray Lewis, safety Ed Reed and running back Ray Rice. Lewis was No. 1 on the list , which was based on voting by 20 Hall of Famers -- legends such as Mike Ditka, Warren Moon and Jerry Rice -- and ESPN.com senior writer John Clayton.

Ray Lewis is the oldest Raven - he turns 37 on Tuesday - but as one of The Baltimore Sun's top 10 all-time Maryland athletes, he's just a kid. Eight of his peers are Hall of Famers in their respective sports. Seven were stars before Lewis was born. The breadth of their accomplishments is not lost on the Ravens linebacker. "Look at the guys on that list, [Johnny] Unitas  and  Brooks [Robinson], and the impact they had. They were staples in this city, known as much for what they did off the field as on it," Lewis said.

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning hosted “Saturday Night Live” on Saturday night, and since I have little social life to speak of, I happened to catch his performance. Despite mostly awful and unfunny writing, Manning was solid, though he didn't come close to matching the laughs of his brother, Peyton, from a few years ago. And since Manning is a famous, Super Bowl-winning quarterback, of course there were a couple of skits loosely related to the NFL. One skit was about Manning awkwardly posing for touchdown celebrations for the new “Madden” game, and actors played New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow, Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz and Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.

Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs spoke about the injury to his Achilles tendon and his expectations as to when he'll be able to return. On the nature of the injury: "I've already been to see two different doctors. One says it is a partial tear, one says it is a full tear. I don't know what the hell is going on. I've been in contact with the Ravens, and there will be a procedure done Tuesday to correct the problem. " On how he suffered the injury: "The injury did not occur while I was playing basketball.

The Sun credits Ray Lewis' influence in bringing a nonprofit group into Baltimore to solve a neighborhood blight problem ("A prescription for the east side," April 28). The irony is that Mr. Lewis is vice chairman of a nonprofit group with a goal of improving communities, yet he has an abysmal record of personal business successes. Dennis R. McCartney, Dundalk

A nonprofit affordable-housing builder says it will rehab at least 500 vacant Baltimore homes -- in a partnership that includes the Ravens' Ray Lewis -- and intends to start soon. The North Carolina-based Builders of Hope is announcing the "Bring It Home" initiative today. It says it has secured about $100 million from an investor who wants to remain anonymous and plans to use up to $30 million of that rehabilitating vacant homes in Baltimore and Atlanta. Lewis and the United Athletes Foundation are involved in the effort , along with debt-counseling group Consumer Education Services Inc. In Baltimore, Builders of Hope is working with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's Vacants to Value program.

Each day this week leading up to Thursday's NFL draft, we will highlight one prospect whom the Ravens could draft with the 29th overall pick. Today's player is Alabama inside linebacker Dont'a Hightower, one of four Crimson Tide defenders who are expected to be selected in the first round. Background: Born and raised in Tennessee, the now-22-year-old started as a true freshman for Alabama coach Nick Saban. He blew out his knee in 2009, but returned a year later to captain a Tide defense that allowed an NCAA-best 8.8 points per game.

It might be the most difficult question that an NFL general manager has to answer, and though the day might not be here yet, the day is fast approaching when Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens will have to answer it, consequences be damned. When do decide to draft Ray Lewis' successor? Making the transition away from away from an aging Hall of Famer who has also been the face of your franchise for more than a decade is a prickly endeavor, and history has shown it can divide the fanbase as well as the locker room.

Ray Lewis is the oldest Raven - he turns 37 on Tuesday - but as one of The Baltimore Sun's top 10 all-time Maryland athletes, he's just a kid. Eight of his peers are Hall of Famers in their respective sports. Seven were stars before Lewis was born. The breadth of their accomplishments is not lost on the Ravens linebacker. "Look at the guys on that list, [Johnny] Unitas  and  Brooks [Robinson], and the impact they had. They were staples in this city, known as much for what they did off the field as on it," Lewis said.

Ozzie Newsome, you could make a lot of Ravens fans happy Thursday. As the team's general manager, you have a chance to do something in this NFL draft that people around here have talked about forever. That's right, you have the chance to draft the eventual successor to Ray Lewis. How long have we been talking about finding his heir apparent? At least six or seven years, right? But now you've got a shot at this kid Dont'a Hightower, the big, high-impact linebacker from Alabama.

Ray Lewis will not be called to testify in defense of Nate Webster, the former NFL linebacker charged with sex and intimidation crimes in Ohio. The Cincinnati Enquirer posted an update today saying the Ravens' Pro Bowl linebacker would not be asked to take the stand. It was never clear why Lewis had be subpoenaed. He and Webster both played at Miami, but not at the same time. A Ravens spokesman said he knew nothing about Lewis' involvement. Webster, who is charged with having sex with a 15-year-old (age of consent is 16 in Ohio)