Jimmy Johnson passed on Ray Lewis because "He needed to get out of Miami"

Ray Lewis is 1 or 2 and Thomas would be lucky to crack the top 20. Its not close at all. Lewis is the only player ever to have 40 sacks and 30 INT's. Lewis (including playoffs) also has 20 forced and 20 recovered fumbles one of but a handful of players to accomplish that. Hes got more career career sacks than Thomas has combined picks and sacks. He created a lot more game changing plays either turnovers or stops behind the LOS.

 

Zach Thomas is one of the greatest LBs ever.

Ray Lewis is one of the greatest football players ever.

 

True. And one of them is still playing. It really does seem like Lewis inspires the players around him. His talk actually does something. Not to hate on Thomas at all, but the guy really seemed like Debby Downer. (I had the same problem with JT, btw. I never felt the two of them sent the right message to the lesser talented players around them. JMO)

 

Sonic commercial where his mind get blown and has to write it down..insert here..

 

Yup..times infinity..

Ray Lewis is exactly what this culture needed, and needs..he built a whole citys culture by himself, that's why I know he can do it..

 

Sounds like a lame attempt to rationalize his passing on an all time great player. Yeah, Jimmy, he knew how great Ray was gonna be, but for Ray's own good, he passed on him. Yeah, sure Jimmy.

 

For every Ray Lewis there's a platoon of Rolondo McClains.

 

Yes he was. He made a deal in the end to testify against his friends. They got off with an acquittal. But why does he agree to testify against his friends in a murder trial.

People forget. He was at the table with his two friends when the murder trial started. He flipped on them. He was there, and agreed to testify against them. Ray was there, and he thinks murder was committed, hence he agrees to be the star witness for the prosecution against his former friends.

He wasn't involved in the fight or the murder, but he LIED To police the next day, and made his friends PROMISE silence, to protect his NFL career?

He did not try to protect his friends. He protected himself.

"Keep your mouths shut." Testimony of the limo driver in the trial.

How do you guys square "not wanting to snitch his friends out" to Ray turning states evidence against them in a case they were ultimately acquitted. Doesn't make sense. Goes from protecting his friends to trying to get them convicted.

His friend say he was the one who started the fight.

I don't believe for a second he stabbed anyone. But he's 1,000 scummier than some are saying. In a time of tragedy, he wasn't looking out for his friends. He threw them under the bus. He was looking out for himself.

That said, he's way way better than Zach, and I loved Zach. Pound for pound one of the best LB's ever. But he doesn't compare.

 

Peyton Manning disagrees with you

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/peter_king/08/28/manning0903/2.html

 

I think what JJ was saying and my concern would have been, how many more times would Lewis have not given up his friends? Maybe next time, he has to protect his friends by doing the killing? It's a lot easier to move on and grow when you don't have those pressures from bad influences all around you. Lots of people never do so they end up being the same as their friends. I think it's very possible, maybe even likely that a Ray Lewis who got drafted by Miami ends up in jail instead of the HOF.

 

As for the comparison, IMO ZT was a better individual player than Lewis, but Lewis was a great leader that made those around him better. I could easily see Lewis' defenses always being better than ZT's even though I think ZT was actually better and faster at reading and diagnosing plays.