Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis announced on January 2 that this year’s postseason run would be his “last ride” in the NFL. Lewis isn’t the incredibly high-impact football player he once was, but there are stats that suggest his on-field presence is as valuable as ever.
Over Lewis’ last 16 games, the Ravens are 12-4 with four playoff victories. Without Lewis in the lineup for ten games this season, Baltimore went 5-5.
In an interview with WFAN in New York, via SportsRadioInterviews.com, Ravens safety James Ihedigbo attempted to explain the impact Lewis has from an intangible standpoint. Leadership is not quantifiable, but Lewis still impacts the outcome of games in spite of declining ability.
“He’s our leader, he’s our general, and when he spoke to the team guys truly got goosebumps,” Ihedigbo described. “There was a change in that locker room, there was a change when we had that conversation.
“And I’m not going to get into the depth of what was said, but from that point on it lit a different type of fire under us.”
