Baltimore Ravens - LB Ray Lewis - Ingles

September 14, 2011

On whether anything has changed with regards to the defense’ pass rushing between this year and last year:
“Has anything changed? No. I don’t think anything has changed. ‘Sizzle’ [Terrell Suggs] is still ‘Sizzle’, and our D-line… I think [defensive coordinator] Chuck [Pagano] is a little different in his approach in getting to the quarterback. That’s kind of an emphasis for our defense. Outside of that, nothing has changed.”

On what he chalks up Sunday’s defensive performance to:
“I think it’s everything. You know, it’s executing and kind of playing with the lead and different things like that. Anytime you’re playing from behind, things change as far as getting to the quarterback, because they’re throwing way more than they’re running.”

On whether there are many players in the NFL more explosive than Titans’ RB Chris Johnson:
“No, no. He is what they call their home run hitter. He is their offense, he’s their heartbeat. And if you look at what they did last weekend, I think he just had nine carries, so you’ve got to know that he’s definitely going to touch the football a lot this week. And we’re prepared for it, we’re prepared for it. It should be a great test for us. But when you talk about just skill and talent, he is a special, special talent.”

On whether the “24-hour rule” gets extended a little bit after the win against Pittsburgh last Sunday:
“No, it’s already over. The guys, most of them, were in here yesterday. A lot of guys come in on Tuesday and really get it out of the way and really get on the other film before the next game. And I think Monday evening a lot of us were already on to Tennessee. And we have enough of a mix of guys who can get you past that if a guy was still hanging onto it, but it’s too long of a season to hang on one win.”

On whether he’s seen any differences in the Titans with long-time head coach Jeff Fisher no longer with the team:
“I don’t really know how to compare them from that side of things. I just think you kind of see what their base is… You can’t really get a read on them. Plus, Chris [Johnson] wasn’t in camp, and a lot of things like that, so you kind of have to go back and forth. [QB Matt] Hasselbeck is kind of new, but Kenny Britt is a great player over there, a young receiver that’s really big and really physical and can really make some plays for them. And they have a long tight end that can run, too. And their offensive line is really trying to get up on people to the second level. So, they do propose some challenges.”

On how to tell younger players not to feed into the media hype, like being put on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s upcoming issue:
“It’s simple. It’s just how much press clippings you want to read, because the same press clip is going to be written about you once we lose a game. So, you’ve just got to be careful with it. And for us, man, it’s about a 24-hour rule – coming back to work the next day. Win, lose or draw, when it’s over, it’s over, and move on. And I think for our team, we’ve already made a decision to move on.”

On how NT Terrence Cody has filled in for departed NT Kelly Gregg:
“I think Cody, his spirit is the reason why he’s in that role right now, because he wants to be the best. He wants to be somebody that comes in and contributes to our defense and be a part of everything that goes on. I just think his knowledge and humility of listening, and really trying to learn, is kind of what excites me about playing behind a Terrence Cody.”

On having CBs from relatively small schools in a starting role, and what it says about them to go out and make big plays in the NFL:
“I think what it truly says is you just never know where you’re going to find that diamond in the rough at. A lot of times, you always look for them at the big schools and things like that, but when you find that one or two diamonds in the rough at these smaller schools, they’re built a certain way. They’re those people who just love the game for what the game is all about. And the guys that we have, when you talk about [Lardarius] Webb, and you talk about 29 [Cary Williams], I love both of those guys, because I love their spirit and just the way they actually play the game.”

On whether LP Field is still a special place for him to play because of his history playing in Tennessee:
“Adelphia [Coliseum?] It’s called something else now? (laughter) I kind of like playing there. It’s a grass stadium, and they have a great fan base that gets very rowdy there. And me going back there so many years back, I don’t think anything is going to change. It’s their home opener, and I just think it’s going to be real, real loud. But I do remember that stadium, yeah.”

On whether he would agree with DE Cory Redding’s statement that no matter how much the defense prepares, its will will just get things done:
“Yeah, and you know what? I think we take it upon ourselves in the defensive meeting room. Coaches sometimes, I’ll tell you, in our defensive meeting room, they’ll blow your mind with how much they actually move out of the way and let us coach each other. Because if Cory isn’t seeing something the way I see it, and I jump behind him and tell him, ‘Stay right there,’ you know, coach isn’t going to say, ‘No, don’t do that.’ He’s just going to let us play it, and that’s what our defense is all about. Everybody is pissed off. Everybody is pissed off, and it’s a good mentality to have on defense, because there’s only one football. Wherever the football is at, all 11 people are trying to get there.”

On what some of the old, classic battles were like between the Ravens and Titans:
“For so many years I played against the Titans. There was nothing like that rivalry. We used to have kind of like the same rivalry that we have with Pittsburgh now. And to have Eddie George and, rest in peace, Steve McNair, and all those guys back then, it was just two heck of a teams going at it. And we always knew that one of us was going to be there at the end of the day. You know, 1999, they went to the Super Bowl. [In] 2000, we came back and went to the Super Bowl, but it was always a dog fight between us two. And honestly, we said the same thing and then look for the same thing coming up this week.”