As part of the ongoing celebration surrounding the 100th season of the NFL, an All-Time Team is in the process of being named. This team of 100 players will contain the very best of the best to have played the game in the last century. On Monday night the identity of the first linebacker to make the team was revealed and it was one of the greatest Ravens of all, Ray Lewis.
Lewis spent his entire 17-year career with Baltimore after he became their second-ever draft pick in 1996. He won two Super Bowls, the first following the 2000 season and the second in his last game in the NFL after the 2012 campaign. He took home the Super Bowl MVP in 2000.
Lewis is arguably the best linebacker to ever play the game, even before this list came out. He won Defensive Player of the Year award twice during his career and led the league in tackles three times. Since the NFL began counting combined tackles as a stat, no player has amassed more than Lewis. His 2,055 are 24 more than the next closest player on the list.
In addition to his tackles, Lewis finished his regular-season career with 99 tackles for loss, 41.5 sacks, 96 passes defended (a stat only recorded since 1999) and 31 interceptions. Oh and don’t forget 19 forced fumbles.
Lewis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018. His being named to the All-Time Team is just another honor for one of the greatest players to wear the Ravens uniform.
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