RayLewis's Blog - Yardbarker

07
Oct
My Message to Yardbarker Fans - Make A Stand

Sometimes in life, we try to create what we think should happen. Sometimes God has a totally different plan. He wants to see if I can continue to be the leader that I am. He wants to see if I come to work with the same energy to lead my ball club, no matter what happens. No matter if someone fumbles, no matter if somebody blows coverage, am I going to turn my back on my teammates? And it's the same thing in life. What do you get out of life when things don't go your way? What if it's not your season? What if it's not your week? I want to tell my Yardbarker fans that life ain't always the way you planned it. But make sure your mind is in the right place, no matter what the situation is. And when the day ends, you'll be able to say that no matter what came at me, I was able to stand against whatever came. And that's the same thing I think life is about. Life is about making a stand. Making one stand that I know things won't always be the way I want them to be, but I got faith enough to know that whatever it is, I'm OK with it because I know God is willing our mind. If I got a message for anybody, just know that life ain't always perfect. But if you have your mind right in life, you don't have to run around all circumstances. You don't run from losses. You go through them, because when you go through them, that's what builds a man, that's what builds integrity, that's what builds character -- going through things, not around them.
23 Comments
05
Oct
It's Never About the Fall...

This week I'm looking for complete togetherness as a team, bringing everything together...offense, defense, and special teams. We should go take care of the business that we need to take care of. We're playing against some young ball clubs coming up, and the 49ers are a very good team, they're young in a lot of different places and we need to play like the veteran club we are. We need to go establish that we are a team to be reckoned with. And that's getting a win on the road for the first time this year. Message of the Week: It's never about the fall. What is your mindset thru the journey. Character is found thru adversity. Because the season is young, you have to ask yourself as a team, 'What's the big picture?' And the big picture is Arizona [Super Bowl XLII]. When you find yourself in a hole, whatever the hole may be, when you find yourself losing a game like we lost to Cleveland, giving them the game the way we did, you have to understand everybody's going to go through that. Everybody's going to go through a downside. But the bottom line is, what do you do when you come back to practice? Do you worry about what you messed up in Cleveland, or do you say, 'When I come to practice I'm going to get better.' As a team, we've got to understand one thing: OK, we lost. We're 2-2, let's deal with it. And that's why my message is what it was. You can stay stuck in misery, you can stay stuck in doubt, you can stay stuck in fear. But, when you've got your eye on the prize, there's only one thing that matters, and that's the next week...win, lose or draw. So that's why it is what it is. What is your mindset? Do I come back to work and get better, to understand that this is a 16-game season? And in the first-quarter of this season, we're at .500. Here we go. Same thing last year, [after] we started off 4-0, we lost 2 in a row and it was perceived that everything was wrong with us. We couldn't score, defense couldn't get anything done -- we finished 13-3. I have been on both sides of things... I've started off hot, I've started off cold...but, the thing is to get the kinks out now. Because late in November and December, that's when you need everything clicking. So, if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change anything. Of course you want to win, but if you do lose and you find yourself in a difficult position, how encouraged are you in your mind? What makes you come back? And for me, that's why my message is what it is.
20 Comments
29
Sep
Ray's Blog...It's OUR Time Now

What's up everyone, I am happy to join the Yardbarker world...This is my first of many blog posts, I am looking forward to sharing my thoughts with you, and responding to your questions and comments whenever I can. I think that through the blog, you can expect is just an open honest view that a lot of people won't share. A lot of people have perspectives but I truly believe that even a fool is counted wise until he opens his mouth. The beauty of what I want to tell you guys is that if you're a true fan of the Baltimore Ravens, go look at our record when we play in November and December. They're talking about all these hard teams that we've got. But the bottom line is no matter who lines up and plays football against us... if you're a Ravens fan, your bet is good. When you look at our defense, we're sitting right now I think number 8 in defense. We were kind of the same way the last 3 or 4 years and we're number 1 in rushing defense. There are so many things that we're doing as a team right now that is going to prepare us for when we get into the second-half of the season. I put a thought of the week on the board leading into our locker room every week. Things that we, as a team need to focus on. This week, the message was: The only thing close is horseshoes. Take this win and lets roll. It's OUR time right now. By that, I mean that nothing else matters. You hear all the things that people want to talk about like the game was close and that game was close. The only thing close counts is horseshoes. And that's why I put it up there. Because in this business, there's only one thing that matters and that's a win and a loss. If we're 1-3, then everybody wants to say, 'Oh, the Ravens ain't this.' We're 2-1. We're sitting second in our division, and the only thing that matters in our mind right now is Cleveland. That's it. That's a division game, not a Jamal rivalry. To all these former guys, it's a Cleveland, divisional game -- one that we need to win. So my message is very simple: it's time to get done what we need to get done as a team. That's special teams, offense, and defense. And that's why the message is what it was. Here's a very simple personal message for off the field: Always work. Always know that the greatest gift in life is love. So the greatest way to express love is to always walk in love. And walking in love sometimes means you've got to go through a lot of pains to even see yourself in the other side of love. So a lot of things now, off the field, when you're dealing with everyday issues...understand that everyday issues are supposed to be there...but at least seventy-percent of them we create ourselves. But when we're able to slow life down, we'll really appreciate chasing our purposes.
59 Comments

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My Message to Yardbarker Fans - Make A Stand

It's Never About the Fall...

Ray's Blog...It's OUR Time Now

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