On Thursday, when I talked to Ravens running back Ray Rice on his line up for the upcoming, “Ray Rice Day” events, Rice slightly got off topic and talked briefly about his path in the NFL.

Ray Rice: “I’m excited about it.. At this point in my career, I should be living the life, like most guys would. But football isn’t about living the life for me. For me, football is about providing for my family…..”

Coming from a 25-year-old  running back  at the peak of his career in the National Football League, that tells you how mature and ahead of his time Rice is. He extended that sentiment by having his 1st Ray Rice Day in Baltimore this past weekend.

About 700 children attended Saturday’s events at Calvert Hall that included a football clinic. A plethora of Rice’s teammates came to support the cause, including FB Vonta Leach, WR Torrey Smith, CB LarDarius Webb and OT Michael Oher, to name a few. On such a beautiful day, The event was a success. Rice didn’t disappoint in getting involved with the kids.

Perhaps Rice is taking over the helms of “Big Ray” Lewis, who has been a stature in the Baltimore community since being drafted by the Ravens in 1996. But Lewis is in the sunset stages in his career, and it’s a pretty fair assumption that Rice is now the BRIC (Big Ray In Charge) in Charm City. He’s younger, personable and a rising superstar in this league. To choose to hold his event in Baltimore now is perfect timing in transition.

This event isn’t just a photo op for Rice. It’s clear based on his interaction that he loves the kids. ”Look at these kids, they’re nothing but smiles,” Rice said. “I love the kids, I love being active in the community. I kind of feel bad for the kids that didn’t get in. To see the smiles on these kids’ faces is priceless.”

Rice is as genuine as they come. One parent lost their child in the midst of the excitement and was frantically trying to find her daughter. Rice ended up being the one finding the little girl, and brought her back to her mother, holding the little girl’s hand. The mother was so elated that she embraced Rice affectionately- and he returned the gesture. Some things you simply can’t fake.

For many players of Rice’s age and popularity, partying and bottle popping is usually a top priority. But after our conversation it became clear to me that Rice has a bigger, better plan. It would be wise to see the Ravens re-sign Rice (the Ravens have used their franchise tag on him), not only for what he can do on the field, but for all the things that he does off as well.

Note: This is the 1st year Rice has held his event in Baltimore. He has previously held his event in New York, and revealed that he will hold events in both cities.

Last week during Nike’s NFL Launch, I had a chance to chat with a few players. Among them were one of my favorite guys on and off the field, Mr. Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens.

Ray and I talked about getting over it (By, “it”, I mean the heartbreaking AFC Championship game in January), how the Ravens continue to stay competitive after losing big impact guys and defending his QB, Joe Flacco.

One thing I didn’t get a chance to talk to him about was his current contract situation. Rice was tagged by the Ravens as their franchise player this offseason, while trying to sign him to a deal long-term. Hopefully, this will all be over with soon and Rice will have his deal. If not, I’ll be sure to ask him about it during his foundation event in Baltimore May 12th.

Thanks to Ray for being a great guy and a better interviewee (or as I call him, my football BFF). Is it July yet??

It’s amazing how time flies. We’re already beginning the 2nd half of our beloved NFL season,  So of course, it’s time to see how your favorite team fared midway through the 2011 season. Only, instead of giving actual grades, I’m breaking them up in categories. Same analysis as ESPN, but better because it’s not so formal. So without further ado…. the midseason report cards.

F*ck It, I’m On One!: Green Bay Packers

The Packers deserve a column of their own. As far as NFL class goes, there’s the Packers and then there’s everyone else. No one is touching them right now and to be honest, I don’t know who will. Aaron Rodgers is playing like he’s possessed right about now. I like Green Bay but the little hater in me says they need to sit their bragging asses down somewhere. No reason why I feel that way, I’m just a little green and tired of seeing them win.

They Are Who We Thought They Were:  Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots

The Steelers started out old and slow, but they’ve finally got the ball rolling. They’ve been on fire the past few weeks, and have picked up from last season, thanks to the emergence of guys like Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders. The Patriots make this list because they’re still a team of concern if they’re on your schedule, but they can’t stop a nose bleed (Bart Scott voice) so unless they figure out to stop good teams, they may be in trouble….

Well I’ll Be John Brown (c/o @DragonflyJonez): Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills

I dedicate this category to my Twitter buddy, who always uses this term at the right time and better than anybody I know. Most of us looked at contenders for 2011 and didn’t think about any of these teams, for a lot of reasons. New players, lockout hangover, inconsistent or not good in years past…. for whatever reason, unless you were a fan of these teams, they simply weren’t on your radar. Well I’ll be John Brown if they aren’t now. The Bengals are 5-2 with a Top 5 defense and have shown success with Andy Dalton and AJ Green. The 49ers changed their coaching staff and brought in Jim Harbaugh and have only lost one game so far, even giving Alex Smith some life. And the Bills, who had every bounce against them in 2010 despite playing hard, are finally getting the ball in their court. The Lions are probably the least bit shocking, since they finished 2010 strong. But it’s the Lions…. you still haven’t forgotten about 0-16 and Matt Stafford gets hurt if you blow on him hard enough. Alas, no bad karma and all teams are doing big things

They’re Good, BUT……..: Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants, San Diego Chargers, Houston Texans, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons 

These teams have a winning record so they’re good based on record but we really have no idea what to expect for the 2nd half of the season. The Ravens have beaten quality opponents in Pittsburgh, Houston and the Jets, but have crapped the pot against teams they should have beaten in Tennessee and Jacksonville…… The Giants are decent, but their schedule the next 6 weeks is beyond brutal and one has to wonder will the injuries they have finally start to catch up….. The Chargers are actually starting out with a winning record for once, but QB Philip Rivers (my boo!) hasn’t looked like the Rivers of old, and fumbled control of the AFC West away last Monday night……. The Texans are good, but losing Mario Williams for the year and Andre Johnson for some time may hurt them in the long run…..The Jets have seemed to regress a little on defense, and Mark Sanchez not getting much help from his run game is an issue…..The Saints WERE in my “They are who we thought they were” column, but they lost to the Rams, The WINLESS ST. LOUIS RAMS, WITHOUT SAM BRADFORD! Yeah, they go down a notch after that one….. The Bucs have youth on their side, but their lopsided loss to San Francisco puts them in this category….. Atlanta always leaves me scratching my head at the end of their games. With all of the offensive weapons they have, I don’t see how they don’t put up 30 points easily, each week. They have some inexperience on defense that holds them to this category.

Ehhhhh……………..: Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans

It’s not that I don’t think these teams are good or can’t be good… it’s just that I couldn’t add them in the “They’re good but” category because they’ve done something not worthy of that category. The Bears’ offensive line blocks like Cutler stole their girl……The Eagles started out slow, and with the “Dream Team” talk prior to the season, expectations were above normal so their 3-4 record is underachieving at best… The Cowboys need a TV time out with the way they’ve played football lately. I thought they’d be better than this at this point. I haven;t totally written them off, tho. They have talent….. The Chiefs started off rough (remember Matt Cassel’s blow up with HC Todd Haley on the sidelines??), but they’ve rebounded well. It’s the AFC West so it’s hard to be impressed just yet…..The Raiders looked like they were gonna have a good season before Jason Campbell went down. Oakland traded their 2012 #1 pick and a conditional pick to Cincy for Carson Palmer, but all Palmer did was stink it up in his debut. He’s not the same QB he was before 2005 and quite frankly, I wonder if Al Davis came back from the dead to make one last WTF personnel decision… Despite Carolina’s record, I’m gonna put them in this column because I seriously believe they try hard each and every week, yet fall short. This team reminds me a lot of Buffalo’s team last season. They hang in there, but can’t get the “W” in the end. I can’t be mad at that. They should be added in my next group but I love their resilience. The Titans are here by default, because they have a good record. But Chris Johnson got paid and told the Titans, “Fcuk your couch”. He’s still holding out but we didn’t know until now. With Kenny Britt going down, that hurt big time for Tennessee. Good thing is, the AFC South could be a 2-man race, and they’re still in it.

“Insert Comment Here”: Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins

Face it- these teams’ style of play are boring and uninspiring more times than not (minus the Vikings the past 2 weeks. But that’s because Ponder now has the keys). Put yourself in my shoes…. What could you possibly say about any of these teams individually that doesn’t sound like the others in this group? Can’t figure it out? Me neither. So feel free to insert your own comment here.

Bad…. Real Bad Michael Jackson: Indianapolis Colts, St. Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos

I guess this group could be called the “Suck For Luck” lottery, but that’s unoriginal and overused at this point. These 4 teams stink and I’d bet my money on LSU or Alabama if they played any of these teams at this point. Probably the worst team of them all is Indy. Never have I seen a franchise fall so fast from one key player going down. That’s a direct reflection of the GM and ownership and it’s inexcusable. The Rams have some good pieces and aren’t AS bad as Indy (not saying much), but their defense isn’t that good, particularly their secondary (although they did hold NO to one offensive TD in Sunday’s win) and there isn’t a true #1 WR on the team. The Dolphins need a new makeover, period. Not only did you celebrate the FLORIDA GATORS championship in MIAMI HURRICANES-land, you let Tim Tebow beat you in the Final 5 minutes of the same game. Yeah, you suck, Miami…….. Speaking of Tebow, he is getting KILT in the media (yeah, I said it… not killed, but KILT!) on what most of us already knew: Great college player, lots of heart and passion, not going to translate into the NFL. It’s been a while since I’ve seen so much attention lay on one guy like this. Denver officially came into the Top 5 pick race as of Sunday.

Last week, I was able to attend the 5th annual Purple Evening event, held at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens event has been a success since starting the event, and the Ravens boast as having the most female fans.

Each year, players past and present come to sign autographs and take pictures. The ladies can also learn about football, as the event has Football 101 classes. From face painting, to interactive activities to “purple martinis”, this is a great event for every woman to attend.

Memo to the other NFL teams: Maybe it’s time to show us female fans some love. We love football, too. At least one team got it right

Yesterday’s game was overwhelming for me for so many reasons. We recognized the 10th anniversary of September 11th which was extremely patriotic, as the fans chanted, “USA” often. It was opening day from a LOOOOOOOOONG offseason full of lockout talk and off-the-field drama. And it was against the Ravens most bitter rival in the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Going into this game, I admit I had my doubts. The offensive line hadn’t played fully this preseason and the defense was pretty slow in that same span. But the Ravens were tired of all of the trash talk and mental edge the Steelers had over them, and it showed. Not only did the Ravens come out to play, they came out with a plan to show them how serious they were on the disrespect. All of the offseason changes they made paid off, at least for Week 1. They beat the Steelers like they stole something. Final score Ravens 35, Steelers 7.

The best part about yesterday’s game was how happy my son was. He was celebrating a milestone birthday (don’t ask!) And going to the game was a birthday gift. When he said that he had the best birthday ever, I knew yesterday was special. That’s what football does, especially after a win like that. His happiness means the world to me, and we have the Ravens to thank.

OT: I’ve said this over and over like a broken record, but I’ll say it one last time. Joe Flacco is a GOOD quarterback. Is he a great one? Nope. He still has some things he can change to better his game. But he’s efficient.. efficient enough to win football games for the Baltimore Ravens.

I don’t think there’s a question on who’s better between Flacco and Roethlisberger. Big Ben is a 2-time Super Bowl winning QB who knows how to make plays when he needs to. But yesterday, Joe Cool was the better guy. And while he’ll have struggles this season, he’s growing and maturing. I like it and I believe this is the start of finally getting the respect he’s long overdue for.

Double OT: “God can have his soul, but his ass belongs to me”- Terrell Suggs on Ben Roethlisberger after his 3-sack performance. Best quote I’ve ever heard!

The Colts are bad… real bad, Michael Jackson (hell, add the rest of the Jacksons too!). We knew the Colts would struggle without Peyton Manning, but if yesterday is what’s to come for the Colts without Pey-Pey, this is gonna get ugly QUICK! It kind of amazes me how the franchise had put so much stock into one guy with no insurance policy. The Irsays should learn from this.

On Saturday, I was on a local TV show talking football and one of the topics we discussed were injuries. I predicted that this season we would see an abundance of injuries, mainly due to the lockout. And so far that looks to be true. The Rams were plagued with injuries by key players yesterday, Bengals QB Andy Dalton went down, Charger RB Mike Tolbert got banged up..and the list goes on and on from yesterday’s games. Its alarming, especially when you have skill players taking the hit. As a fan, its a huge concern, but I’m sure as a player/coach that concern is 10x worse.

Isn’t it funny how we witnessed a near-perfect QB play in the Green Bay-New Orleans game last Thursday, only to see a Romo/Sanchez slop fest last night? The Cowboys-Jets game was the exact opposite of Thursday’s show down, but the excitement was all the same. Mistakes clouded last night’s game big time, but those very same mistakes kept the game interesting. Down 24-10 in the 4th quarter, the Jets found a way to not screw it up when it counted to beat the Cowboys, 27-24. That’s the beauty of football. You can see a squeaky clean game and then see a sloppy, mistake laden game but the awesome levels are still the same. One of the reasons why football is so great.

OT: Tony Romo can’t catch a break.. mainly from the fans and the media. I’m not saying its not warranted, he’s given folks plenty of reason to criticize him. But the QB is always a position that gets held at a higher regard than any other position. The fact that he plays for the Cowboys makes it worse because his stage is much bigger than other teams. It’s recipe for disaster. As long as he continues to make critical mistakes, how good he is will be debated. Its the nature of the beast, whether you like it or not.

Donovan McNabb, SMH………… My, how the mighty have fallen.

Someone posted this on Twitter yesterday. In less than 140 characters it was quite simple yet the truest tweet of the day. In a sentence, it said, “The Harbaugh’s>>>>>> The Manning’s”. And as of right now, that’s exactly right.

I’m not a Bills fan, but I empathize with what they’ve been through the past few years, mainly because of my football sister Pigskin Loving Lady. I was happy for them in yesterday’s 41-7 shellacking over the Chiefs. Maybe my empathy is more so pity, because the Bills should have won at LEAST 2 more games last year (Ravens, Steelers). I’m not picking them to go to the playoffs or anything, but I do believe they’ll be better than we expect.

OT: this is only Week 1 but I’m gonna say it. Kansas City is overrated. Not that they can’t be good, they have a core group of youth on their team. But they continue to show me that they aren’t ready to take over the drivers seat in the AFC West. You have to dethrone the Chargers, who are a penciled in pick every year as long as my boo (Philip Rivers) is running the team. The Chiefs are young, so the experience will come. I just don’t see them repeating as AFC West champs.

Until the Falcons win a playoff game, they’ll always be regular season champs to me. Outside of Michael Turner, they didn’t show me much yesterday. I realize they’re a very good team on paper. People LOOOOOOOVE Matty Ice, so I get it. But until they can show me they are consistent and able to win playoff games (which they have yet to do since Ryan was drafted), they gets no love from me…. sorry.

Cam Newton looks like the real deal. Even in a losing effort, he did the damn thing, passing for 422 yards in his NFL debut. His confidence and poise is impecable, and that is the key to how far Carolina can go this season. I used to think Newton was a bit cocky, especially after seeing his smirks and facial responses at the draft this past April. Now I see it’s a bit deeper than that. He believes in himself and what he can do for his football team. And I can’t be mad at that!

And last but not least, the Redskins beat the New York Giants yesterday… the DC/MD/VA area is about to explode with Super Bowl talk….. pray for me!

Welcome back, football. We’ve complained, argued and have been completely frustrated with you. But that doesn’t mean we gave up our love for you. The love is in fact still there.

While everyone is high 5ing the NFL’s return, the downside of football is the business side of it. Not long after the lockout was lifted, teams already started making plans. While cuts aren’t official until Thursday and free agency to start thereafter, teams are already starting to inform their players they will be cut.

The Ravens made surprising announcements yesterday, citing that they have informed RB Willis McGahee, NT Kelly Gregg, TE Todd Heap and WR Derrick Mason that they would be cut. All 4 players are in the 30 and over club.  Heap, McGahee and Mason all had over $4 million owed to them in 2011 before being cut.

There is speculation that the Ravens will attempt to bring back Mason, Heap and Gregg, but some believe they are clearing cap space for something bigger and better via free agency. We shall see what happens.

According to Josina Anderson’s Twitter, The Broncos have informed RB Correll Buckhalter that they would be releasing him, though they expect to bring him back for a lesser deal. One player not expected to come back? Kyle Orton, who Denver would like to unload ASAP. Tebow Time is officially on the clock once Orton finds a new home.

The Eagles have lifted the transition tag on K David Akers, making him a free agent. Akers has been with the Eagles since 1999 and one of the most reliable kickers in Eagles history. The Eagles are preparing to unload QB Kevin Kolb, due to the resurgence of Michael Vick.

Day One of the lockout lifted, and we have yet to begin to see the half. Teams dealing with cap issues include the Cowboys and Steelers. With free agency ready to get rolling and undrafted free agents finding out who their new homes are with, this looks to be an interesting week. Buckle up, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.

This past weekend, Hall Of Fame inductee Deion Sanders hosted his 2nd annual youth football tournament, along with former Ravens/Browns RB Jamal Lewis, in Atlanta, GA. Teams from Dallas, TX, Baltimore, MD, Atlanta and Athens, GA took part in the weekend of football games that were separated in 3 age groups (10 and under, 12 and under & 14 and under). Sanders’ TRUTH team from Dallas, TX was there to represent.

During the tournament, I was able to sit down and have a conversation with Primetime. While the interview was great, it’s extremely hard to hear him due to his soft spoken demeanor (who knew?!).

Here are a few tidbits from his interview that are hard to hear:

On his reason behind the youth tournament:

I gotta reach [out to the youth], I gotta touch them, I gotta inspire them… hopefully to motivate them to get educated and to just dream….I think it’s a direct result of us [as adults], we stopped dreaming… we gotta get back to the roots, the basics, the core…and start spending time and loving [the children].. to let them know, they can make a difference

On the teams to watch for the 2011 season:

You have to fall back on the teams that faired well from last year… you gotta love New England  because of Tom Brady, the Pittsburgh Steelers are always gonna be there as well as Baltimore in the AFC and I can’t sleep on the New York Jets…. when you move over to the [NFC], I like New Orleans…. Tampa Bay came out strong…the Atlanta Falcons, I always save the best for somewhat last and I cannot discount, the Dallas Cowboys

On a take your pick segment that I quizzed him on:

Nnamdi/Revis: I like Revis… he dominates and plays both sides of the field

Andre Johnson/Calvin Johnson: Andre Johnson, and it’s not even close. Calvin is a young, grown man who’s coming on strong, But Andre is a grown man already… one of the better receivers of the game

Chad Johnson/Chad Ochocinco: I like Johnson. Johnson put up better numbers than Ochocinco. Ochocinco is my boy, I love him….but when Chad Johnson was Chad Johnson (pauses) Whoo… he was on.

T.O./Randy Moss/Plaxico Burress: Plaxico ain’t even in that conversation. I love him… but, T.O.could go down in history as one of the greatest to ever play the game. Randy Moss, WILL go into the Hall Of Fame one day and statistically is one of the greatest receivers to ever play the game.

Sanders also hosted a Red and Black Gala, to celebrate his Hall Of Fame induction. Those that came to celebrate his honor were NFL Network’s Jamie Dukes, Chilli from TLC, MLB player Brian Jordan and Keith Sweat, just to name a few. Sanders walked the red carpet with his gorgeous wife, Pilar. The event was a success, ending the night with Sweat serenading the audience with his old school hits (don’t judge me, I was amused!).

The AFC North of course! I blogged last year that Victoria’s Secret were releasing gear for all 32 NFL teams for the 2011 season. The “First Round Picks” of their new line were all teams of the AFC North, which means my Ravens, Steelers, Browns and Bengals. The rest of the teams/divisions were released hour-by-hour via their Facebook page. You will be able to buy these items starting next month.

I’m sooooo excited about this. It’s very hard to find football gear that’s truly sexy, so having more options like the VS Pink line as well as Touch by Alyssa Milano gives us the resources to not only root for our favorite team but look damn good at it! Now all we need is for the lockout to end and football to resume so we can express our fandom fashionably!

Over the years, Ravens fans have had to sit through a lot of tough losses, especially to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Santonio Holmes “catch”, the 2008 AFC Championship game, and most recently the 2010 game where Troy Polamalu makes a hell of a play. But the one play that may stick with us for a long time and still hurts to this day happened just 6 months ago on this day.

On January 15th, 2011 I, along with 3 other friends, headed up I-70 W to see our beloved Ravens take on our arch rival, the Steelers. We had a good feeling going into Heinz Field. It was our time, we thought. After finally opening up the offense against Kansas City the week before, the Ravens were gonna go to Pittsburgh, win the game and advance to the AFC Championship. We could feel it.

It started off according to plan. The Steelers had a 1st round bye, and looked sluggish the 1st half. Mistakes and turnovers were costing the Steelers and the Ravens took advantage. Halftime came, 21-7, Ravens ahead. We were all smiles, taking pictures and having good natured smack talk with Steeler fans (we knew we had to get out of there alive, so no heckling from us!).

But as my friend Kiss and I waited patiently for the 2nd half, we had this feeling in our guts…. kinda hard to explain, but we knew it was far from over. We knew that the Steelers had our number, and if we didn’t keep our foot on the gas, they would find new life and start a comeback. We knew our Ravens all too well. This is the same team that put us through many a heart palpitations and anxiety attacks the entire season, despite their 12-4 record. We knew what was to come.

As the 2nd half proceeded it went from good to bad, in what seems like an instant. Ray Rice fumbles… Joe Flacco interception… and other careless mistakes. The Steelers have now scored 17 unanswered points going into the 4th quarter. And it looked like they were sucking the life out of my team, minute by minute.

We weren’t prepared with that happened next. With 2:07 left in the game, the Ravens and Steelers were tied at 24. Ben Roethlisberger was sacked for a 9 yard loss 2 plays prior, and had an incomplete pass on the last play. The down was 3rd and 19. The Ravens put pressure on Big Ben pretty regularly throughout the whole game, so we were confident Terrell Suggs was coming to get his 4th sack of the day.

When the defensive line came to the line of scrimmage, we instantly realized there were only 3 linemen there. It was pretty odd to us, but we figured, maybe they’ll blitz with LBs or even a DB, no sweating it, right?! WRONG!!! No one snuck up on line… not one extra defender. Just as I looked to Kiss and asked, “Why are they only rushing 3 guys??”, they snapped the ball. Then, it happened………

Antonio Brown runs right past LarDarius Webb for a 58-yard completion.

Shock

Disbelief

Anger

Torture

Those are just a few words that described what we felt after that pass. If there was ANY hope that the Ravens would come back before that play, it just flew out of the window with that completion. The Steelers eventually scored the go-ahead TD and the rest is history… 31-24, Steelers advance to the AFC Championship.

(to see my initial reaction on the game, click here)

Six months later, that play and that game STILL haunts Ravens fans. Every now and then, I’ll see a random Facebook update or a tweet that says those three words: “3rd and 19″, and nothing else. In Baltimore we all know what that means. It’s a symbol of the day our football hopes and dreams went right down the drain. It’s a symbol of what happened on that awful day of January 15, 2011.

The good news is the Ravens are still a good football team. Once a new CBA agreement is put together and football is back in our lives, the Ravens should be a contending team yet again. In 2011, they should have the chance to fight for the Lombardi Trophy. But if they have to play the Steelers again to get there, 3rd and 19 will ALWAYS come back to mind……..

Ravens LB Ray Lewis sat down with SI.com about his thoughts on the current lockout situation. Lewis thinks that the NFL and NFLPA meeting face to face is better than any other form of communication, otherwise you “lose steam” in getting a new deal done.

Lewis gets real preachy (what’s new) when talking about how the two sides should come together and settle their differences. But in speaking about his NFL peers, Lewis says that the players as well as other athletes, “are here for one thing. To make the world a better place. If we here to be the role models for these kids then give us the opportunity to be the role model for them, that’s all every athlete is saying…….”

Ummmmmmmm………….

Ray, I know you mean well, but I don’t think athletes should be where kids look to as role models. It’s not that I don’t think there are tons of positive athletes out there. It’s the media perception that concerns me. The media likes to point out the negatives, especially with athletes. With the recent arrests of Hines Ward and Adam “Pacman” Jones, I’m not sure this is a bright idea.

I love Ray Lewis, but I think he truly believes he’s the NFL Players Ambassador (a lot of that has to do with the close relationships he has with so many players). It’s kinda hard to speak for everyone, especially when you know there are players who don’t give a damn about being a role model. I’m sure Aqib Talib doesn’t think he’s the best role model for children, and he’d be right. I understand you want to get back on the field and would use any reason to get there, though. But that’s a reach

Check out the video in it’s entirety