r the transplanted Cleveland Browns Miles Boykin Baltimore Ravens Jersey , who were attempting to start anew in a city that had gone 12 years without an NFL team.Selected 26th overall in the 1996 draft after establishing himself as a star at the University of Miami, Lewis had no idea what he was getting into."We had no team. We had no logo. We had nothing," Lewis recalled. "There was nothing to really respect."Over the next 17 years, the Baltimore Ravens reached the postseason nine times, won two Super Bowls and built a hard-hitting and relentless defense in the image of Lewis, their unquestioned leader.A 13-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Lewis helped make the Ravens far better than respectable while establishing himself as one of the best linebackers to play the game.His unparalleled play and unmatched leadership made him an obvious first-ballot entrant into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Lewis received the news last February, and still gets chills thinking about it."That knock on the door was like the first time I got my first jersey," Lewis said. "It was like when you ran home and you wanted to put on your pads. You weren't playing no game, you just wanted to put on your pads because you were part of an elite team. You made it. So, it's almost like the same feeling."He will be enshrined Saturday, joining offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden as the second Ravens star to have a bust in Canton, Ohio."It's pretty clear Ray was the heart and soul of the Ravens for 17 years. If anyone is deserving of this honor, it's Ray Lewis," Ogden said. "He is a guy we all looked to — both on offense and defense — to lead our team."There are many great linebackers in the Hall of Fame. Few of them combined skill and authority the way Lewis did.After delivering an emotional speech before the game , Lewis would continue to push his teammates in the huddle before taking ownership of the middle of the field, looking to punish anyone in a different jersey."One of a kind. I think he's the best that ever played," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "It's not just the on-field play; it's the whole package."Harbaugh acknowledged he carries the bias that comes with coaching Lewis for the final five years of his NFL career. Others, however, back the assertion."He's the best I've seen," said Mike Singletary, a Hall of Fame linebacker and former assistant coach in Baltimore. "If people thought I was good, I know that Ray was better."It's hard to determine Lewis' most notable quality. His ferocity on the field? His teaching and leadership skills? Or was it his relentless drive to win?Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson, a teammate of Lewis' on the 2000 Super Bowl team, chooses all of the above."What needs to be said about a guy who was Color Rush Miles Boykin Jersey , by far, the best leader I witnessed in my 17 years of play? His singular focus to be the best player and teammate he could be what separates him from other Hall of Famers," Woodson said."His play was off the charts. He was a virtual tackling machine — and a playmaker. He caused fumbles, recovered fumbles, interceptions, tipped passes. He did it all for longer than anyone who played his spot in the middle."The 6-foot-1, 245-pound Lewis spent countless hours in the weight room and took an equal amount of pride in mastering the mental aspect of the game. He derived great pleasure from matching wits with great quarterbacks, most notably Peyton Manning and Tom Brady."Those two guys were chess players," Lewis said. "The game was one thing, but it was the preparation before the game that was a totally different thought process. And then, every time we walked off the field, we gave each other mad respect."Lewis wasn't perfect. He was arrested and charged with two counts of murder in Atlanta in 2000. Those charges were dropped, and he pleaded to obstruction of justice, a misdemeanor.But questions about his role in the crime were an underlying theme before Baltimore faced the New York Giants one year later in the Super Bowl, a game which the Ravens won 34-7 and Lewis was voted MVP."Ray Lewis is going to be Ray Lewis. He's not going to apologize for who he is," Harbaugh said. "But whenever he made a mistake, he was the first one to acknowledge it."In his first season in Baltimore, the Ravens finished 4-12. In his final season, which he dubbed "my last ride" entering the playoffs, Baltimore beat San Francisco 34-31 in the Super Bowl.It was a whirlwind career filled with ups and downs, and Lewis promises that kind of speech at his enshrinement."This moment for me is one you dream about your entire life," he said. "Savor that moment. You don't have to run a 40, you don't have to do bench presses, you ain't got to do none of that. All you have to do is deliver something I think a lot of people want to hear."And so, whether it becomes my greatest (speech) or not Nick Boyle Jersey 2019 , I'll tell you this: it will have people and myself on a roller coaster that we will never forget." OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP)Working the phones and making shrewd picks that addressed the present and future needs of the Baltimore Ravens, Ozzie Newsome conjured one final fascinating draft for a team that has relied on his intuition since its inception.After making six trades and selecting 12 players, Newsome declared Saturday night: ”The Baltimore Ravens are a better football team after the past three days.”Newsome is stepping down as general manager after this season. He has owned the final say in the Ravens’ draft room since 1996, when he chose future Hall of Famers Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis in the first round.The 2018 draft may not turn out to be as successful, but coach John Harbaugh – who’d heading into his 11th year with Baltimore – wouldn’t bet against it.”I told Ozzie just as we finished this thing up, I feel like this is his best draft since I’ve been here,” Harbaugh said. ”Heck, maybe the best ever.”Denying last month that he was carrying any nostalgic feelings into the draft, Newsome insisted he was focused solely on filling holes on a team that’s missed the postseason for three straight years.He did just that. For trivia buffs out there, his final draft pick was at defensive end: Zach Sieler of Ferris State in the seventh round.His work done, Newsome was about to hang up the phone when he realized the significance of the moment.”Yes, it was emotional,” he acknowledged. ”The kid told me he was going to make me proud.”Newsome will be succeeded by assistant GM Eric DeCosta. This may have been Newsome’s final draft, but his work is not done.”Even though there’s a finality with that, there’s not finality for what I’m going to continue to do with the Baltimore Ravens,” he said.Newsome was at his finest this week. He moved back twice in the first round before selecting South Carolina tight end Hayden Hurst at No. 25, providing quarterback Joe Flacco with a downfield threat from the slot.Then, Newsome made a bold move that ultimately will determine the success of this draft. He swapped three picks to choose at No. 32, where he snapped up Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, the multifaceted 2016 Heisman Trophy winner.The Ravens insist Flacco will remain the starter this season, but it might be hard to resist for long the temptation of playing an athlete who accounted for 119 touchdowns in three college seasons.On Day 2, after two more trades, Newsome turned his attention back to the 2018 Ravens by taking right tackle Orlando Brown Jr. -whose father played with Baltimore – and tight end Mark Andrews of Oklahoma.For his last day as Baltimore’s draft guru, Newsome had eight choices. Each was made with intense consideration White Nick Boyle Jersey , as always.”A lot of work has gone into this, starting back last June,” Newsome said. ”I really, really feel very good about this class and how it came to be.”Some items of note from the Ravens draft:HERE’S THE CATCH: The theme of this offseason for Baltimore has been to overhaul the receiving corps, and Newsome continued the process in the draft.After signing free agent receivers Michael Crabtree, John Brown and Willie Snead in recent weeks, Newsome collared two tight ends in the draft and on Saturday used two straight picks on receivers: Jaleel Scott of New Mexico State in the fourth round and Jordan Lasley of UCLA in the fifth.Scott and Lasley both topped 1,000 yards receiving last season and each scored nine TDs.ON THE DEFENSIVE: After using the first two days of the draft to improve the Ravens’ offense, Newsome turned his attention Saturday to the other side of the ball.He selected Alabama cornerback Anthony Averett at 118th overall, UCLA inside linebacker Kenny Young at No. 122 and Texas safety DeShon Elliott at 190 and then, finally, Sieler.HOLD THAT LINE: Extending his effort to make life easier for Flacco, Newsome attempted to shore up the offensive line in the draft.After the Ravens lost right tackle Austin Howard and center Ryan Jensen during the offseason, they grabbed a few potential replacements.In addition to Brown, the Ravens took tackle Greg Senat from Wagner, a 6-foot-6, 305-pounder who also played on the basketball team. In the seventh round, Newsome again tapped his alma mater, selecting Alabama center Bradley Bozeman.STILL NEED: The Ravens are fine with running back Alex Collins but hoped to find at least one backup in the draft.DeCosta said that just as Baltimore was ready to pounce, another team stepped in and took the Ravens’ choice.”There will be more opportunities for us,” he said.—