JONESBORO, Ga. — Former NFL running back Jamal Lewis has been released from a Georgia jail after he was arrested for allegedly not paying child support.

Clayton County sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Brian Crisp says the 32-year-old Lewis was charged with child abandonment, a misdemeanor. Crisp says Lewis was released on bond shortly after midnight Wednesday.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Lewis was booked in the Clayton County jail around 11 p.m. Tuesday. An arrest warrant alleges that Lewis had no contact with his son for more than a year.

Lewis filed for bankruptcy in April, listing $14.5 million in assets and $10.6 million in debts.

Lewis retired in 2009 after nine seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns. In 2003, Lewis ran for 2,066 yards – the second-highest total in NFL history.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

Lost in the shuffle of Monday’s signing of current running back Ray Rice, the Ravens are honoring one of their former ones.

With Monday’s release of season tickets for the 2012 season, the Week 4 ticket revealed a nice little surprise for Ravens fans.

Hosting the Cleveland Browns in a Thursday night game on Sept. 27, the Ravens will induct former running back Jamal Lewis into their Ring of Honor at halftime.

Lewis spent seven years in Baltimore and was named to one Pro Bowl in 2003. Of the six seasons he played for the Ravens — Lewis missed the entire 2001 campaign with an ACL injury — he rushed for at least 1,000 yards in all but one season (2005).

The fifth overall pick of the 2000 draft, Lewis was a key piece of the Ravens’ Super Bowl XXV championship team and is the franchise’s all-time leading rusher with 7,801 career rushing yards.

In 2003, Lewis recorded one of the most memorable seasons in NFL history as he became the fifth member of the 2,000-rushing-yard club, galloping for a franchise-record 2,066 yards to join O.J. Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, and Terrell Davis in an exclusive group. In 2009, Tennessee running back Chris Johnson became the sixth member of the club.

In that same season, the massive back ran for 295 yards against the Cleveland Browns in a Week 2 win, setting an NFL record that would stand until Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson rushed for 296 in a 2007 game.

Those accomplishments would lead to Lewis being named the Associated Press 2003 Offensive Player of the Year.

Lewis left the Ravens after the 2006 season and played the final three years of his career with the Cleveland Browns but never found the same level of success as he had in his prime with Baltimore.

The ceremonial retirement of Derrick Mason as a member of the Ravens on Monday was a chance to remember all of the positives that he brought to the team, and now with some time having passed a chance to put to bed any lingering animosity that fans may have developed toward him as his career was winding down, both here in Baltimore and elsewhere, we celebrate him. It also seems to assure us that some day soon we’ll be seeing his name raised to the “Ring of Honor” in a sappy and nostalgic ceremony. Given the inconsistent criteria of the current “Ring of Honor” inductees, it’s probably a good time to consider a few cases.

Although the criteria are, as mentioned, inconsistent I should mention that there’s one rule in weighing a player’s “ROH” merits as far as this discussion is concerned. That rule is simply that you can’t invoke Earnest Byner as a benchmark. Byner’s place in the ROH is charitable at best and based on things beyond his achievements on field as a Raven. I don’t begrudge his admission, but he can’t be used as a measuring stick for the merits of others.

It honestly wouldn’t have surprised me a bit if Mason had retired as a member of the Tennessee Titans, and we could certainly discuss the possibility that the absence of Jeff Fisher from that organization is as much a part of Mason’s decision to retire as a Raven as anything. For 6 seasons Mason was a Raven, through and through, but in the minds of fans, always a former Titan too. Old rivalries die hard, and the additions of Mason and Samari Rolle and Steve McNair and Lorenzo Neal may have helped to bridge that healing gap over time too. But some will always likely remember Mason as a Titan.

For all of his statistical achievements in Baltimore, what I’ll remember most about Mason coming here was his coming here. Apparently given the choice between the Ravens and Patriots, Mason went with the underdog organization and his leap of faith was rewarded (albeit not with a Super Bowl title). His was a misguided faith in Kyle Boller as well, and for that we can all be thankful.

Mason topped 1000 yards 4 times as a Raven, played on 4 playoff teams and was seemingly always the guy most on the same page with his quarterbacks. He scored 29 TDs as a Raven, or 6 more than Randy Moss in 2007 with the aforementioned Patriots.

His tendency to talk may have gotten him in some hot water with fans during his tenure here, but that’s all water under the bridge and truly of little consequence now. Statistically it’s a bit of a reach, but given the offensive limitations of the team during his tenure here, those stats should be taken with at least a grain of salt. Let there be little doubt, Mason will be in the ROH.

That said, the accomplishments of both Jamal Lewis and Chris McAlister would seem to trump Mason and just about any other former Ravens who might be lying in wait, in addition to overshadowing most of the current member of the ROH. It would have been nice to see either or both of them afforded the chance to let bygones be bygones and retire as well. In McAlister’s case, because of the nature of his departure it always seemed unlikely, but in Lewis’ case not so. Not so, that is until Lewis signed on as a plaintiff in the concussion lawsuit against the NFL.

Current member of the ROH, who played for the Ravens, are Byner, Michael McCrary, Peter Boulware, Jon Ogden and Matt Stover with Mason likely to follow. Todd Heap will likely be a member when he finally hangs up his cleats (hopefully as a Raven too) and Kelly Gregg should make for an interesting debate. Jarret Johnson could have a case I suppose too.

And what about Jermaine Lewis? Is he also a guy whose bad publicity was too much for the Ravens to ignore, or just an overlooked omission or a guy on the wrong side of the fringe? Given some of the stories of Lewis’ life lately, he could probably use a little positivity and recognition and Ravens fans would likely be happy to pay it to him.

There’s little doubt that Mason will be honored in the ROH as he should. The question though is should he be the next?

It’s in the books!

Paul Mittermeier and I have compiled our own rankings of the Top 25 All-Time Baltimore Ravens. Our initial master listing included nearly 70 players and contributors, which we paired down to individual Top 25′s. I’m sure as the years roll on we’ll have to make tough decisions on where players from our current rankings ultimately belong. Will Joe Flacco ascend as high as #1 before his career comes to a close? Will Ray Lewis always be #1, with no other player ever coming close? In years to come, where will Courtney Upshaw end up? Will players like Ray Rice and Haloti Ngata achieve the ultimate goal – a Super Bowl ring – and sky rocket up the ranks of All-Time greats as a result?

We will revisit our rankings on an annual basis, and see where our initial choices stand. For now, our inaugural picks are in the books.

Do your own version and let us know what you think of our Top 25 All-Time Baltimore Ravens…

Paul Mittermeier’s Top 25

#25- FS Eric Turner

#24- LB Jarret  Johnson

#23- WR/KR Jermaine Lewis

#22- OL Wally Williams

#21- QB Steve McNair

#20- WR Michael Jackson

#19- DE Rob Burnett

#18- FS Rod Woodson

#17- RB Ray Rice

#16- DT Tony Siragusa

#15- WR Derrick Mason

#14- QB Vinny Testaverde

#13-  CB Chris McAlister

#12- TE Shannon Sharpe

#11- TE Todd Heap

#10- K Matt Stover

#9- DT Haloti Ngata

#8- QB Joe Flacco

#7- RB Jamal Lewis

#6- DE Michael McCrary

#5- LB Peter Boulware

#4- LB Terrell Suggs

#3- S Ed Reed

#2- OT Jonathon Ogden

#1- LB Ray Lewis

Damon Yaffe’s Top 25

25. Sam Koch (P)

24. Duane Starks (CB)

23. Rob Burnett (DL)

22. Jamie Sharper (LB)

21. Ray Rice (RB)

20. Bart Scott (LB)

19. Edwin Mulitalo (OL)

18. Jermaine Lewis (WR/KR)

17. Jarret Johnson (LB)

16. Kelly Gregg (DL)

15. Adalius Thomas (LB)

14. Shannon Sharpe (TE)

13. Rod Woodson (DB)

12. Joe Flacco (QB)

11. Todd Heap (TE)

10. Derrick Mason (WR)

9. Haloti Ngata (DL)

8. Terrell Suggs (LB)

7. Chris McAlister (DB)

T6. Michael McCrary (DE) & Jamal Lewis (RB)

5. Peter Boulware (LB)

4. Matt Stover (K)

3. Ed Reed (S)

2. Jon Ogden (OL)

1. Ray Lewis (LB)

(Yeah, ok…I have 26 listed. Sue me. Sam Koch belongs on my list.)

Here is my list from our discussions on “Catch The Buzz”. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts and comments.

#25- FS Eric Turner

#24- LB Jarret Johnson

#23- WR/KR Jermaine Lewis

#22- OL Wally Williams

#21- QB Steve McNair

#20- WR Michael Jackson

#19- DE Rob Burnett

#18- FS Rod Woodson

#17- RB Ray Rice

#16- DT Tony Siragusa

#15- WR Derrick Mason

#14- QB Vinny Testaverde

#13-  CB Chris McAlister

#12- TE Shannon Sharpe

#11- TE Todd Heap

Lingering legends aside, Ray Rice might be the most popular and productive Raven today. One thing’s for sure…at $550K or so in the final season of his contract, Ray Rice is easily the Ravens best pound-for-pound bargain, and arguably the league’s best. One other thing that seems assured is that Rice is going to get paid. When, how much and where that happens however may not be as much of a foregone conclusion as it would seem.

This has been “the year of…” lots of things in the NFL, the year of the 5K quarterbacks, the year of the rookies, the year of the power forwards at tight end and the year of the disgruntled running back.

As running backs league wide from Chris Johnson to Frank Gore, from Matt Forte to Peyton Hillis have barked and in some cases dogged it (allegedly…and no pun intended) over their “contract to performance ratios”, Rice with arguably the strongest case of all has remained silent. Silent about the contract that is, on the field he has been anything but silent or dogged.

It’s been a running topic of conversation all season on the MobTown Sports Beat and everyone seems assured that Rice will be taken care of by the Ravens and some have speculated that there’s no reason Rice shouldn’t feel confident that the team will take care of him.

It’s all but 100% (in my mind at least) that Rice will be back next season, but under what circumstances and for how long are still debatable.

If you subscribe to the school of WWBBD (What would Bill Bellichick do?) the answer is to franchise Rice. Given Adrian Peterson’s new contract, the franchise tag will be a big number, but only for one season. Whether Rice would maintain his decorum for another season under similar (albeit more lucrative) circumstances to this one would remain to be seen as well.

In addition to Peterson’s contract, his injury will also likely factor heavily into the Ravens impending decision of whether to franchise Rice or to pay him long term money. Peterson’s injury is a not so subtle reminder of just how quickly a running back in particular can see his season (or even his career) ended. Having all of your eggs in that proverbial basket is a high-risk high reward proposition (as we learned in 2001 with Jamal Lewis’ injury).

The value of NFL running backs is on the decline, but the pay scale on the top end of the position is still rising. There are lots of Pro Bowl caliber and highly compensated running backs in the NFL watching the playoffs from home this season, and most of the league’s most productive offenses have plug and play backfields and use the running game as an afterthought for little more than window dressing it would seem at times.

Only one running back went in the first round of the last NFL draft and while still promising, Mark Ingram has done little to make teams sorry for passing on him. DeMarco Murray, taken on the second day of the draft was the league’s best rookie at the position.

One year prior, Ryan Matthews, CJ Spiller and Jahvid Best all went in the first round and all were summarily outperformed by undrafted rookies LaGarrette Blount and Chris Ivory. An undrafted practice squad player from one season earlier led the league in rushing last season and the Packers marched through the Super Bowl after losing their bell-cow in Ryan Grant and replacing him with little known and lightly regarded James Starks.

As you pick through the remains of the turkey and scrape the bottom of the mashed potatoes bowl — or try to finally enjoy a turkey-induced nap as I was unable to do on Thursday — we take a final look back at the Ravens’ first ever Thanksgiving game.

- Of course, the story of the night was one of the finest defensive performances by the Ravens in recent memory — without Ray Lewis, ironically — as they tied a franchise record with nine sacks. It ranks as the second most in an NFL game this season, topped only by Buffalo’s 10 sacks against the Washington Redskins in Toronto on Oct. 30. It topped the previous season high of six against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8.

The relentless effort matched the Ravens’ nine sacks against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 26, 2006 in a 27-0 blowout at M&T Bank Stadium famously known for the violent hit Bart Scott delivered to Ben Roethlisberger. Baltimore also record nine sacks against the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 16, 1997, a game that ended in a 10-10 tie at old Memorial Stadium.

Baltimore also continued the impressive streak of 19 consecutive games without allowing an opponent to score on its opening drive of the game.

- Three defensive players tied or set a career high in sacks on Thursday night as Terrell Suggs matched his personal best with three sacks, Haloti Ngata tied his best total with two, and Cory Redding set a career best with 2 1/2 sacks.

It was the second time this season Suggs had reached the three-sack mark after doing it in the season opener against Pittsburgh on Sept. 11. The Ravens are an impressive 47-17 all time when Suggs records a sack and 12-1 when the Pro Bowl linebacker tallies at least two sacks.

Redding’s previous career high was two when he played for the Detroit Lions on Nov. 12, 2006 against the 49ers.

- While 16 points and 253 yards won’t raise many eyebrows, the Ravens offense was efficient in completing only its second turnover-free game of the season, the other coming against the Steelers in Week 1. Baltimore did not allow a sack for the first time this season as the offensive line did an exceptional job in protecting quarterback Joe Flacco.

The effort allowed Flacco to continue his impressive play at M&T Bank Stadium where he has now won 16 of his last 17 home starts. The fourth-year quarterback has completed 61.1 percent of his passes for 4,038 yards, 25 touchdowns and only six interceptions over that stretch, good for a 98.4 quarterback rating.

- With his 83 total yards against a formidable San Francisco defense, Ray Rice moved into second place on the Ravens’ all-time yards from scrimmage list. The running back passed wide receiver Derrick Mason and now has 1,259 yards from scrimmage this season.

Rice only trails former running back Jamal Lewis, who accumulated 9,166 scrimmage yards from 2000 to 2006.

- Much has been made about Billy Cundiff’s struggles from 50 yards and out, but the kicker has been flawless on field goal tries in the fourth quarter since 2010. Cundifff is a perfect 14-for-14 after connecting on a 39-yard field goal with 3:10 left in the fourth quarter on Thursday night.

- The Ravens are now 9-2 all time when wearing their black jerseys, including a 6-0 mark under coach John Harbaugh. It was the fourth time Baltimore has donned the alternate jersey with white pants, a look in which the Ravens are undefeated

The win over San Francisco improved the Ravens’ mark in prime-time games to 9-5 under Harbaugh and earned them their first Thursday win in four tries. The Ravens had previously lost Thursday night games against Kansas City in 1999, Cincinnati in 2006, and Atlanta in 2010.

The Ravens are now 29-5 when scoring first in a game during the Harbaugh era. Cundiff’s 39-yard field goal in the first quarter gave them a 3-0 lead, and Baltimore improved to 6-0 when striking first this season.

Baltimore is now 8-3 for just the second time in team history, matching its mark through 11 games last season. However, the impressive record trails the 9-2 start the Ravens posted when it finished a franchise-best 13-3 in 2006.

I’m simply calling this my “Top 10 Most Memorable.” Not my “Top Ten Most Memorable Games” or my “Top Ten Most Memorable Moments”, just my “Top 10 Most Memorable” in the history of the Baltimore Ravens/Pittsburgh Steelers Rivalry…

10. Jamal2K (December 28, 2003-Ravens 13, Steelers 10 OT)

The game didn’t really end up meaning anything for either team, as the Ravens clinched the division earlier in the day with a Cincinnati Bengals loss. That said, the atmosphere remained electric for the Sunday Night Football matchup as Brian Billick stuck with his starters. RB Jamal Lewis fell short of breaking Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing record (live shots of Dickerson from ESPN during the broadcast actually added to the excitement), but he DID surpass the 2,000 yard mark and the Ravens claimed victory of their AFC North foe.

9. Ravens won’t defend (January 20, 2002 Steelers 27, Ravens 10)

Despite an up and down 2001 season, there was still a feeling that once the Baltimore Ravens reached the playoffs, they’d somehow figure out a way to defend their Super Bowl XXXV crown. Kordell Stewart and Amos Zereoue did little against the Ravens defense, but three Elvis Grbac picks ensured the Ravens’ title hopes would be dashed at Heinz Field.

8. Flacco’s coming out party (September 29, 2008 Steelers 23, Ravens 20 OT)

After a surprising quick start to the 2008 season with first year head coach John Harbaugh and rookie quarterback Joe Flacco, the Ravens entered their Monday Night Football showdown in the Steel City undefeated. They took a quick lead in the game, but some mistakes allowed the Steelers back into the game. The game would ultimately be won by the Steelers in overtime, but Ravens fans who made the trip felt good about the hopes for the coach and QB moving forward in the series.

We just can’t help ourselves, can we?

After more than a decade of defensive excellence in Baltimore, we always compare the latest eye-popping Ravens defense to the platinum standard of that 2000 unit. It was that group, of course, that lifted a caretaker offense — rookie running back Jamal Lewis being the lone exception — to the franchise’s lone Super Bowl championship.

It was a once-in-a-generation defense, yet we refuse to acknowledge that type of group won’t come along again — even if we say otherwise.

We did it in 2003 when Ray Lewis led a young group of budding defensive stars to the No. 3 overall defensive ranking and an AFC North title.

It happened again in 2006 as the Ravens finished 13-3 and first overall in both points and yardage allowed, something the 2000 group wasn’t able to do.

And the similarities were examined between that championship group and the 2008 defense – ranked second overall behind only the Steelers — coached by Rex Ryan in his final year in Baltimore before taking his antics to the Big Apple.

It sure feels a lot like 2000, doesn’t it?

It’s not surprising the whispers have already started about the 2011 edition of Ray Lewis and company after a 3-1 start in which the Ravens rank third overall in total defense, third against the run, tied for seventh against the pass, and first in the NFL with 14 takeaways. The pass rush is improved with 11 sacks already after posting a franchise-low 27 in 2010. The Baltimore defense has already set single-game franchise records when it forced seven turnovers against Pittsburgh in Week 1 and scored three defensive touchdowns against the Jets last Sunday night.

But, are we really going to start talking about comparisons to 2000 after only four games?

For the sake of the argument, comparing the two units through the first four games of the season — one small sample deserves another if we’re going to be fair — shows the championship group with the upper hand. The 2000 Ravens allowed fewer yards (996 to 1,138), gave up fewer points (55 to 57), and recorded two shutouts while this year’s defense has yet to post a goose egg for 60 minutes. However, this year’s 14 takeaways trumps the 10 forced by the 2000 group.

Those first four games in 2000 included two of the four largest point totals surrendered by that defense in the regular season, including the 36 scored by Jacksonville in a thrilling 39-36 shootout win in Week 2. This year’s Ravens have faced only one offense currently ranking in the top half of the league (Pittsburgh is ranked 13th), but the 2000 group faced only one top-10 offense (Jacksonville was seventh overall in 2000) through four games.

As fun as it is to draw comparisons between the known and the unknown, the reality is it’s too early to determine where the 2011 defense will even rank among the many good defenses in the 16-year history of the franchise, let alone talk about any potential similarity with one of the greatest units in NFL history. The only link between the two defenses is Ray Lewis, who depends far more on his intellect as a 36-year-old than he had to as a 25-year-old wrecking machine.

Moving beyond the statistics, Chuck Pagano’s 3-4 hybrid defense is far more similar to a Ryan-coached unit than Marvin Lewis’ record-setting defense from 11 years ago. The current unit relies on deception and blitzing to create pressure, disguising its intentions until the last possible minute. Lewis, on the other hand, largely played his 4-3 defense straight up, using a dominating front four that created pressure on the quarterback and a brick wall impenetrable for running backs.

And here is where we get to the largest discrepancy that should end any real discussion between the championship group and this year’s edition.

The secondaries.

Continue >>>

In honor of the “Purple Massacre” moves the Baltimore Ravens made Monday (and the chance the Charm City careers of Derrick Mason and Todd Heap may be over), today’s Morning Reaction “Tuesday Top 7″ topic was “The Next 7 Greatest Players in Ravens History.”

We say the “Next 7″ instead of the “Top 7″ because we’re in agreement that the Top 3 players in franchise history are Ray Lewis, Jonathan Ogden and Ed Reed.

This is a battle for spots 4-10.

Understood?

Glenn Clark’s list…

10. Haloti Ngata

9. Derrick Mason

8. Terrell Suggs

7. Todd Heap

6. Peter Boulware

5. Chris McAlister

4. Jamal Lewis