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Thursday, January 17, 2002

This week, of all weeks, the question seemed appropriate for Jeff Hartings, Alan Faneca, Rich Tylski, Jon Witman and Dan Kreider.

What is it like to block Ray Lewis?

"It sucks," Witman said, simply.

Don't look for any trash-talking here.

No one -- no one with any intelligence, anyway -- talks disrespectfully about Lewis, the best middle linebacker in football -- now and maybe ever -- a freak of nature who is big, strong, fast, smart, mean and has the reputation of being a killer.

Figuratively on that last part, of course.

Hey Ray, where's the Super Bowl party this year?

"I'd never bring up his past on the field," Witman said, grinning. "I don't want to do anything to tick him off."

Smart man, Witman.

Lewis is plenty nasty without provocation. He was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year last season and should be again, Michael Strahan's record 221/2 sacks be damned. And as much as it must have hurt Paul Tagliabue to hand him the Pete Rozelle Trophy as Super Bowl MVP after the Baltimore Ravens beat the New York Giants last January, he deserved it. There wasn't a better player on the Tampa Stadium turf.

It's just a shame they couldn't invite Lewis to Disney World.

He is too easy to dislike. How do you not dislike someone who was charged with murder in the death of two men at a Super Bowl party in Atlanta in January 1999, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice after the murder charges were dropped and showed absolutely no remorse about his role in the whole sordid affair when given the Super Bowl stage last season?

Mickey Mouse, not to mention all of those kids, would have been scared to death.

Lewis also is easy to dislike professionally. His arrogance, like many of the Ravens', is offensive. You first will notice him Sunday before the playoff game against the Steelers when, as is his custom, he will yank out a few blades of Heinz Field grass and blow them in the wind. "Picking up the grass symbolizes, 'This is our turf,' " Lewis has said. Later, he will do that funky dance that he does. "My teammates rise off of that."

If it doesn't make you want to throw up, nothing will.

But it's impossible not to admire the way Lewis plays.

"No. 1, he's tough to get to and block," Hartings said.

Lewis does a nice job hiding behind his big hosses, Tony Siragusa and Sam Adams, until the last second. They are superb defensive tackles who, more often than not, occupy the opposing center and both guards, allowing him to run free.

"Even if you can get to him, he's hard to block," Kreider said. "Very rarely does he give himself up in a one-on-one situation. He's so strong, and he does a great job of playing off of you to make a play."

That's why Lewis led the NFL this season with 196 tackles, including 13 in the Ravens' win in Pittsburgh in November and 16 in the Steelers' win in the rematch in Baltimore in December.

"I've never seen a linebacker read the play so quickly, then get to the ball so quickly," Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala said.

That first part is man-made. "You can tell he watches a lot of film," Kreider said. "His instincts are so good." The second part is a gift from God. It's what separates Lewis from all other middle linebackers. "His closing speed," Fuamatu-Ma'afala said. It's true whether he's playing the run or the pass. He batted away four Kerry Collins passes in coverage in the Super Bowl last season. Try naming another inside linebacker who could do that.

It's no wonder the Steelers take such pleasure in their little individual victories against Lewis.

Fuamatu-Ma'afala grins when asked about his stiff arm of Lewis on a big third-down run in the second game against the Ravens this season. So does Kreider when asked about his pancake block of Lewis on a Jerome Bettis run last season in his first NFL start. That didn't just give his confidence a boost. It won him immense respect in the Steelers' locker room.

"You're just not going to see many highlight plays like that against Ray," Witman said.

Nor will you hear many admissions like the one Lewis made after the Steelers beat the Ravens in Baltimore in December by putting up 476 yards and possessing the ball for more than 41 minutes.

"The better man won tonight."

That's a heck of a man.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.