Have you ever heard Tom Brady talk about the strongest defense he faced, spearheaded by a remarkable player? Even Peyton Manning, for that matter. It would be Ray Lewis they were talking about, each time.
Advertisement
Brady has stated time and time again that he couldn’t pass in the middle of the field because Lewis had the ability to hit his receiver and put them to sleep. Those players wouldn’t even be able to play the following week.
Manning, on the other hand, has said that Lewis used to study film “like a quarterback” and never spared him and his teammates on the field. It’s like Lewis knew Manning’s moves before he made them. The former Ravens linebacker was the most dominant non-QB player for a reason. And yes, Manning was right — Lewis used to study film like a quarterback, a key factor in his exceptional performance.
In a re-surfaced interview clip between Lewis and Graham Bensinger, the former Ravens star asserts that he is doing everything before a play that he “studied” in the week leading up to the game. “There’s so much that goes through my head before every play,” he adds.
Everything matters before the ball is snapped. “From the formation” to “the look of a quarterback.”
Lewis asserts that even if it’s a “dummy point,” which is basically deceiving the opponent, he has to understand if he saw a similar thing in the tapes. If the receivers are lined up at “off the hash” marks, or even “on the hash,” that too was a sign for Lewis to interpret and execute.
Even the running backs weren’t off his radar. Lewis would check if the ball carriers were keeping their “heads straight,” if they were “at home,” or “off-set.” And it all was the result of his film study.
Interviewer: And how did you know (all) that?
Lewis: Easy! Film study. Hour after hour after hour after hour.
The two-time Super Bowl champ “wouldn’t move” until he understood how the opposing offense executed their plays. This routine would continue until game day.
View this post on Instagram
At the end of the day, it’s all about putting in the work, as Lewis explains here. Legends like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have always asserted that they would watch tapes before games, which helped them understand the upcoming defensive unit they were about to face.
It’s not an easy job either, just by the sound of it, or Kyler Murray wouldn’t have an ‘independent study’ clause in his contract, which ensured he studied film. Which is expected from a franchise QB like him.
