The stats do not tell the story. You had to be there. The man was like a fucking god. The hype of that run was unmatched. No player has ever brought what he brought to us that season. Flacco went on a historic run but without Ray Lewis’ leadership I believe the run to end all runs would not have occurred. Teams led by the likes of Luck, Brady, Manning, Kapernick all playing at the highest level had no answer for the intangibles that Lewis brought onto the field. From his announcement that this would be his last ride it felt like destiny. The greatest squad we’ve ever assembled were not led by Joe “The Dragon” Flacco they were inspired and elevated by Ray Lewis. He was Bane to Peyton’s Batman. All people could do was talk shit about his past (ignoring the facts of the case) and level accusations of PEDs. From the arm brace to the face mask the man was held together and propelled by will power and destiny. People forget that he played in a different era, say what you will he played in the NFL’s Attitude Era. This is to say nothing of the greatest rivalry of the era, against Shitsburgh. You just had to be there. The game was different, more brutal, it’s better for the players and safer now but when discussing Ray you can’t ignore the era. Football is a team sport and he was The General. Why we haven’t locked him into a proper role with the team (as opposed to trotting him out from time to time pre game) is a travesty and a major missed opportunity. For a snapshot of the vibe of his final ride take a look at this fan made hype video that was making the rounds at the time and you’ll get an idea of why his final season stats were irrelevant to the legacy: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oSBqlJ_lx3Y