Peyton Manning and Ray Lewis might not have had a legendary rivalry like Manning and Tom Brady’s but the QB considered Lewis to be his toughest opponent. Now, in a recent interview with Stephen A. Smith, the five-time MVP gushed about the former Ravens LB and opened up about the intensity of their matchups.
Advertisement
Manning praised Lewis as the “best defensive player” he has ever faced and elaborated on the latter’s qualities: “Big, smart, fast, instinctive” and how he approached film analysis with quarterback-like precision to predict plays accurately. He further shared,
“I think Ray was the first guy who was really studying the TV copies of the game, picking up on your verbiage and terminology and which way audibles were going.”
Switching the conversation to the on-field encounters, Manning recalled the physical obstacles of playing against Lewis. He reminisced about how timed the 2018 HOFer’s blitzes were. Manning vividly described them”
“Whenever he would blitz, he would time it up, and he’d have this running start toward me. It’s like every time he would hit me, he’d kind of drive me into the ground and use me to help him get back up.”
In spite of the rivalry or because of it, “The Sheriff” once tried to bribe Lewis with friendship and bribery to escape his deadly hits.
Manning reveals how he tried to befriend Lewis
The former QB spilled the beans on trying to maintain a rapport with 2× NFL Defensive Player of the Year outside of football.
He described how he made efforts to create a bond with Ray during events like the Pro Bowl, where the 1998 NFL draftee tried to treat Lewis to dinner and drinks and even buy him golf clubs one year “hoping” the ex-LB might not hit him “as hard come next October.”
However, Lewis was not one to bring his friendships to the gridiron and did what he could to win each time.
While Manning revealed that the games against Lewis were intense, he now sees a side of Lewis – one that is friendly and warm. This shows how their relationship has evolved over time which was not as apparent during their fierce on-field encounters.
