so why did the ravens pay lewis more than he's worth?
there are two young guns on the bench faster and stronger
there only down side is they don't chicken dance as well

How come you were not there Mike?

I am sure Ray would have loved to see you and drink some purple kool aid.

Also, when are you going to be on ESPN First Take? I would love to see you put Skip Balis in his place. LOL

Yet another encourage and positive article from you Mike. Please do us a favor and go write for the Post. Nothing ever good comes from your columns. Do you even like Teams from the state of MD? I wonder...

Good catch. Yeah i was chuckling at that too. Steve isnt dumb but I'm not convinced they were intentional. Why risk it? Ray may not have caught it but somebody might explain it to him later. Why make an obviously insulting comment (it meant what it sounded like) and risk alienating Ray? No need for that in public. Not classy and not smart. Plus the other owners cant be appreciative of him saying they werent as dumb as he thought they were. I think Steves the one looking dumb. In my opinion. Oh and to Mike Bohle: they signed him because of how much better he makes everyone around him. Especially his fellow linebackers. It aint just the Castle. Most of the intensity you see on defense is demonstrated and taught by Ray. And of course he teaches them the secrets of being a great football player. Anyways his instincts and ability to audible the defense is priceless. Ray really is like an onfield coach. Plus he still smashes people. Plus, he made this franchise. Him and Ozzie are almost solely responsible for what we are today. Once in a while, you overpay a little for one of the alltime greats to finish with you. I PROMISE you San Fran regrets letting Rice go. When a player is THAT good and has brought you much success and can still contribute at high level, albiet lower than their prime, you give em a little extra if they ask for it. Dont break the bank, but loyalty to players who transcend their generation and become legends and local icons...yeah, you give those oh so rare kind of players a little extra if you have to. That fans appreciate it. And its not like Ray isnt still a beast. He just inst THE beast anymore. I for one, despite all his insanity and hyperbole, am tremendously glad he is back. Mike you the man. STOP CAUSING TROUBLE! Lqtm.

How can the alleged Ravens columnist brag about missing probably the last press conference to announce a Ray Lewis signing the best player in Raven history and then coo about how he thinks Ray is not smart enough to understand an "insult". This is BS and PReston should apologize. Talking about trying to stay relevant. Jeez...

That certainly was a classy, objective piece Mike.

Leadership, Continuity, and KnowHow! That's why Ray was paid. Because you're bigger, stronger, or faster does not mean you can play. Ray knows how to play and he freely mentors the young guys while teaching them the game of Pro football. Ed Reed is who he is today largely because of Ray's tutoring. With the loss of so many key guys and most especially Rex, I for one am a whole lot more comfortable with Ray Lewis running that defense on the field next year.

Overpaid? Well, they all are aren't they? Business is business and this business is good.

Ray only deserves a statue next to Unitas because in this era of crappy sports heroes he is one of the best

Hey Mike, you play as the best linebacker for a generation,win 2 defensive MVPs, win aSuper Bowl MVP...ah never mind,,,you could probably lay Halle Berry and complain about it

I'm sure they're glad you missed it, too.

I'm glad when I miss your columns.

While you might be blind when you comment on football, you're at least apparently somewhat observant.

But still, you sound a tad bitter there Mikey - Ray-Ray screening your calls?

I would.

Mike well put ! The others on here cannot see the purple forest, through the owings mills trees, Ray Looked Like a FOOL!, and got beat down , I enjoy you on Fox Sports 1370am!

Right on, Mike.

I've been saying and writing this for weeks. If some stupid owner (pick a name - Jerry, Danny, etc) had laid even a bit more of cash out for Ray-Ray, he'd be gone in a flash.

Then, instead of talking about building statues, we'd be burning # 52 jerseys.

What a classy professional peice of writing...

(end sarcasm)

Mike, I really wanted to post something witty and deragatory toward you in response to another one of your classic articles filled with optimism. However, I don't think I could top what "jeff" posted. This newspaper is horrible. Read the Press-Gazette from Green Bay or the Pittsburgh newspaper and it makes me envious to actually read columnists that are positively supporting their teams and their star players. It's no wonder the Wire trashed The Sun in season 5.

usually like what you have to saybut not this time an apology is in order

From out of his offseason slumber, Mr Critical awakes!

We missed you Mike! Keep the voice of reason coming.

Your next post needs to be on "My main man" Kyle's free agency outlook.

Mike,
I'm not for certain, but isn't "stupid" a street term for incredible, huge, large, fantastic, or any other adjective descriptive for 'a lot"?
Why would you think that Ray Ray as you affectionately call him, is so unintelligent as to no recognize an insult? Would you have preferred he lower himself to a confrontation at the press conference? Are you insinuating Biscottti is just another NFL plantation owner by speaking to Ray in such a demeaning tone? Perhaps, just perhaps, you know far less about interpretation than you know about commentary. But then again they pay you for this!

Mike, I did not hear any insults. You must have special hearing. Also, Ray deserves a news conference because of what he brings to the team. Even in the twilight of his career he is one of the best linebackers in the league. I for one, am glad he is going to end his career as a Raven and look forward to a statue in his honor in the courtyard.

Mike, how about a discussion of LJ Smith's signing? It seems that everyone in Philly thinks he's one of the worst tight ends in the league...

That was a real piece of work. I was upset as anybody that Ray looked around for more money...could you blame him. really? But we won the Super Bowl because of him. PERIOD!!! If he wasn't on the team...we weren't winning. He was the team leader...and one of the top 3 player in the NFL for that year and for at least 5-6 other seasons. Cut him some slack... he deserves the money... Articles like this are how hard feelings start between a player and a town... AND FOR REAL....MOST OF US DON'T FEEL THE SAME WAY...

Nice Job, your the beat writer for the ravens and you don't show up for the press conference to announce the final deal for the best player in Raven's history. I don't think stupid money is an insult, because everyone realized ray staying in bmore was where he would get the biggest contract. Sure he wanted more and as biscotti said if "stupid/crazy" money was there ray should take it. Ray went for stupid crazy money in NY and it wasn't there so he's back with the best deal on the table. Sounds pretty close to the comments biscotti made last year when asked about Ray entering his last year of his contract.

Sometimes I think you provide some decent insight, but in this case you really do show that jealousy of an ex-jock wannabe still looking for his payday. Second, do you think biscotti was not involved in the Ray negotiations? Like a good leader/executive that he is I'm sure Ozzie and Case were the point guys but to think biscotti didn't have daily/weekly input is absurd.

I got a new rap song for everybody. You wanna hear it? Here it go.....

Preston be drinkin' dat Haterade!
Preston be drinkin' dat Haterade!
Preston be drinkin' dat Haterade!
Preston be drinkin' dat Haterade!

All I could come up with is the chorus, but it hits the nail on the head, dontcha think??!!!

From Jeff "you could probably lay Halle Berry and complain about it"

LMAO!!!!!

What was the point of this posting Mike?

Lot of uneducated people in here cursing the day Mike Preston was born and kissing the feet of Ray Lewis. Enough already, please.

Thanks for trying to stay objective amongst people who think that the Ravens MUST BE AMERICA'S TEAM. Try to relax a bit, won't ya?

And people wonder why I root for the Steelers instead. Must have something to do with me wanting to root for a classy organization...

Mike,

I thought you were insider and get invitations to all the important Ravens' event. I guess we were wrong you just get the same information as anyone here reads it and get it from videos LOL. So I guess we should not be trusting your articles anymore.

The little bit of fact and truth you did include in this article was most certainly washed out by your bitter, jaded angle. This is a business Mike, and this is an unfortunate part of football that happens with every team. Like others said, you'd expect such poorly thought out comments from Skip Balis, but there's clearly a reason he's on ESPN and you're not. Classless Mike, classless.

Dave, who exactly is over paid, here? Were you talking about the owners, or the players? Or are you talking about Hollywood actors who get $20 million a film just for remembering lines?

If the NFL is a multi-billion dollar business, and the owners are making hundreds of millions of dollars, and you want the players making $40,000 a year, who gets the rest of the money? And who deserves it?

When someone says a player, or an actor, is overpaid, they demonstrate their colossal ignorance of economics.

The leadership that Lewis brings to the Ravens cannot be replaced. You can find middle linebackers a step quicker, years younger, at a better cost.

But Ray Lewis is the heart and soul of the defense, one that has been at the top since he got here. I am not ready for a post-Lewis Raven's defense, not just yet.

Too bad Mike can't get the same "stupid" money Ray got. Ray Lewis has made more money for the Ravens, defensive coordinators-turned-coaches, free-agent wanna-be superstar linebackers who played next to him, and other defensive "stars" that get fat contracts because they had the privilege to play with and be mentored by the only linebacker to win the MVP playing in a 4-3 and a 3-4 defense. But let's not let facts get in the way of a good "story". Nice try Mike.

Mike, why is Ray being criticized for "flirting" with other teams. If another team offered him Haynesworth money, he would be stupid to not take it. Does that make him a bad person. I'm sure that you turn down large offers all of the time because of your loyalty to Baltimore, but you can't expect Ray Lewis to be the man that you are. Did Ray ever say "If someone offered me a boat-load of money, I would have turned it down?" Even Bisciotti and Ozzie said that if someone had, they would have advised him to take it. Some players find out too late that the NFL is a business. You don't know your value until you find out what people are offering. He just simply wanted to find that out. Luckily we still have him.

The reason that the Ravens were willing to pay more than other teams is because Ray knows the Ravens and the Ravens know Ray. They are both better with each other. The "on-field coach" comments are true. Ray could not walk into another locker room and hold court the way he can here. Sure he would be a great player and make any team better, but not to the extent he can with the Ravens.

I'm hard-pressed to figure out which was funnier -- the claim that Ozzie kept Steve out of the negotiations or the full report on the news conference that was missed.

Perhaps both were trumped by the claim the news conference was unnecessary from the start. Yup, if only we were like Denver ...

Why are you such a hater? I think Ray was referring to you when he said people say things and not know what a person is going through.

Does Mike Preston ever write a positive column?

I usually enjoy your articles but this one did come across as pompous. I like your insight and you have a good knowledge of football and then men who play it. I also enjoy your unbiased opinions but I think you were unnecessarily hard on this article. I agree with you when it comes to Ray bolting for more money and also that maybe we as fans should be more critical inthe face of slights from players. With that said I also feel that maybe Ray is truthful in that he was just seeing if someone was willing to break the bank. If the Carroll County times would offer you 50% more in pay wouldn't you atleast consider? Also you are in a unique position of power as a member of the media where what you say can actually affect a team. I think it is negligent to intimate that Biscotti was insulting Ray when you couldn't possibly be sure, when there is a chance he could read it and reevaluate his relationship with the team brass and affect his intensity and play. All because you got the impression that maybe Biscotti was being coy.

Mike Preston sounds like an undercover Steelers fan to me...

I can love Ray as much as I want to.

& the highest bidder is?? oh wait, I mean the only bidder. That salary for the final 3 yrs of a player well past his good years is the death of the Ravens. They just spent their future to keep the clueless Baltimore fans happy. Now's the time to get off the Raven bandwagon & jump on the team of your choosing. The Ravens just sold us out!!

I did notice the reference about the 34 year old LB.
Steve was just being brutally honest. Like he said, who else was going to pay that type of money for Ray's services.
He belongs here, and that's where he should be. Let's see what the 2009 Defense can do.

mike, it sounds like you were at the press conference and heard things i did not hear in watching the video. in the video, i did not hear the word "stupid" spoken, nor Bisciotti constantly insulting Lewis. the situation and the way the negotiations with Lewis went down made perfect sense, as Bisciotti explained it. it's hard to imagine how you or anyone else would have handled the matter any better, had you been in a position to do so.

Awesome article. Points well made.

yawn....mike this is lame go get off yer backside and find something newsworthy to write about.....

A Big Star as Ray is and knowbody made a call for him. What a shame, but hey! Balt. did over pay Ray a bit too much, and for what? Just being a mentor and motivator? There may be others on the team like that. I for one have always been a Ray fan, even though the year Ray was injured and upset and flew the coupe to FL. and would stand at a college game but not back home when the Ravens announced he was Baltimore's voted #1 player in out 10 yr season. Oh, and he didn't even apologize to the fans but said he spoke to his team mates. Uhh, The fans voted for Ray and not the players! Even though he had a murder case, Ray was the one who built this team and deserves a statue in FRONT of the stadium where it should be reserved! M&T is Rays stadium and owns the fans. Unitas was of the Colts and should of had his statue in front BUT across the street!! They built the stadium for one, to get out of the Colts shadow. So put Ray and Ogden out there!!

Mike! Mike! Mike! You are so pessimistic.

Why did the Ravens pay Ray Lewis what they did at his age and years in the league? Obviously, Ozzie knows that Ray is still the "heart" of the Raven's defense and that he adds value to the team that goes beyond numbers and statistics.

For example, in the transition to Greg Mattison, the new "D" coordinator, Ray will provide leadership and stability. In his Sun Q&A, Bisciotti said, "Greg and Ray have a mandate. That's to prove that we can survive without Bart and Rex [Ryan, former defensive coordinator]." Ray will continue to exhibit leadership through his unrelentless work ethic and provide stability through his knowledge of the defensive system. Ray is the "D" quarterback on the field; he sets the "D" and can "check-off" into alternate plays (which Rex gave him free rein to do). Why wouldn't Mattison trust Ray to do the same? I'm sure the Ravens also expect Ray to be a "coach" on the field. How much is a savvy veteran M/ILB worth? There are so many intangibles that go beyond statistics.

As a fan and season ticket older since '96, I'm happy that Ray Lewis is still a Raven because he makes our team better. I look forward to screaming my head off when he comes dancing out of the tunnel. And, I don't give a darn what was said prior to re-signing; that was posturing and it's now irrelevant. So, get over it!

Now, Ozzie, let's get "T-Sizzle" [Terrell Suggs] -the "soul" of the Ravens D" - under long-term contract!

Having not been at the press conference I can't say for fact but like all sports put some 1st aid on the injury and let it heal. We would all miss Ray and are glad he is still here.
If Steve B wants to tease Ray a little thats his call. But give Ray and Steve credit. They know where the bottom line is - 22 million for a legend . Its all business both ways.

Hey Mike, I notice you don't like Ray-Ray to much, I read a lot of your blogs and when your talking about ray 95% of the time it is negative

Mike, why don't you move out of Baltimore? That way you won't look like a fool talking about the Baltimore teams!!! Are the Sqeelers paying your salary???

can't blame ray for wanting
to check out the free agent market.

that is what it is there for.....

my best line though was unitas
when someone asked him how
much he would be worth today...

unitas replied" about 5 million a year,
and the reporter said "is that all"?

unitas said " well i am 65 years
old.......johnny u was one of a kind,
and there will only be one johnny
u..........

Mike,
I think it is time you move on. I don't read these articles to hear all the negativity that you love to spew. Some fans support there teams, if you are a fan of the ravens you have a funny way of showing it. I think the sun would be better off without you.

It's called spin -- HELLO!!

I think you need a new sandbox or something to make you smile, anything!!

"Itsme" you redeemed yourself with your second post. Still don't see how if you were actually a Ravens fan that you would EVER consider the Steelers as an alternate. You are however absolutely correct in saying that people who complain about athletes and entertainers salaries are WAY off base. It never ceases to amaze me. Banksters are making billion by using fraudulent money making finanical tools like derrivitives and fractional reserve banking and some are still focused on some guys obliterating their bodies over a decade plus for 100 million fed notes. Hope are govts pursuit of a Zimbabwean economic model doesnt make it all for naught. Heres hoping not. Alright people hope times over. Flacco we got maybe a couple years left before the collapse. You and Ray need to get a ring now.

after checking out the 2009 opponents for us,and the steelers i can say we got the shaft again! of course we mostly have the same teams to play against except we play new england and indy.where as they got miami and tennessee.I hope we smash the steelers,god we got screwed by some bad calls last year.maybe they will throw a flag on heinz ward for drilling people in the back with his helmet ,with all the rule changes we will probably be made an example of ,so the rest of the league can see what they are gonna call!