By Peter King
Pro Football Writers of America

NEW ORLEANS—Linebacker Ray Lewis, drafted in the first round in the history of the new Baltimore Ravens in 1996 and retiring after Sunday’s Super Bowl against San Francisco, walked off the practice field for the last time Friday as the Ravens concluded full-scale workouts at the New Orleans Saints’ practice facility.

The Ravens will have a short walk-through Saturday, but players don’t even break a sweat in those sessions. This was it after 17 seasons of practices for Lewis, who seemed somber and serious for much of the practice, as he has all week. There were little reminders of the last practice for Lewis. As he always does on Friday, running back Ray Rice, mentored by Lewis since being drafted by the Ravens in 2008, wore Lewis’ number 52 and at one pointed shouted to Lewis and pointed to the number on his jersey. The Ravens play music at most practice sessions, and the first two songs played at the practice session were Lewis favorites: “Spiritual,’’ a gospel number by Donald Lawrence and Company, and “Hot in Herre’’ by Nelly, the song the Ravens blared when Lewis was introduced at home games.

Lewis wore number 1 without a name on the back, a Friday game-week tradition dating back to 2001. When the 65-minute practice ended, Lewis walked off the Saints’ grass field onto a team bus, talking with tackle Bryant McKinnie all the way. Outward signs of emotion by Lewis if he was feeling any? None. The game could also be the last one for 36-year-old center Matt Birk, whose plans for 2013 are unclear, and the last one in Baltimore for free-agent-to-be Ed Reed, but many eyes on the sidelines were fixed on Lewis.

“I didn’t even think of it,’’ said coach John Harbaugh before boarding the bus for the 15-minute trip back to Baltimore’s team hotel in downtown New Orleans. “That’s not where Ray’s head is either, I’m sure. He’s thinking about the game. We all are.’’

The Ravens, practicing under blue skies with 8-mph winds and a temperature of 63, preceded the 49ers on the field late Friday morning. The two teams have been in a rare practice-sharing arrangement because Baltimore’s practice site eight miles away at Tulane had artificial turf, and the Ravens players preferred grass. That necessitated Baltimore following San Francisco on the Saints’ field late Thursday afternoon, and the two teams switched Friday: Ravens first, Niners second. As the Ravens finished their work and boarded five buses outside the fence next to the field, the 49ers players and coached disembarked in the parking lot next to the building. There was no contact between the two teams.

Baltimore couldn’t be healthier heading into the biggest game of its season. For the third straight day, all 53 players on the active roster were full participants in practice, a rarity for any Super Bowl team after four preseason games, 16 regular-season games and three playoff games.

Asked for his review of the practice week, Harbaugh said: “It was an A-plus. A-plus-plus. We’re at the stage where we’re clicking on all cylinders and practicing very, very well. We’ve had a few assignment errors, but they’ve been corrected right away. I’m very pleased with how the week has gone.’’

After practice, Harbaugh gathered the team at midfield and thanked them, he said, “for how hard they’ve worked both this week and this season, and for who they are.’’ He urged his players earlier in the day to get some time to themselves and rest. “Family, we love ‘em, but they’re not playing in the game. Only the players are, and they need to be at their best Sunday at 6:30,’’ Harbaugh said. He told them to stay well-hydrated in the next 48 hours before the game.

LINEBACKER RAY LEWIS

(on being finally able to focus on football on the practice field) “I think we all are (focused). I think both teams are. Some of the texts, and some of the calls I get, you are just ready to get to the game. The bottom line is, both teams are ready for the game. It’s a part of our job that we have to be here and deal with the media, but it is part of it, and all good things.”

(on 49ers LB Patrick Willis) “He is a great young talent. He plays the game on a very high level. He has his swagger that he runs with, and I kind of have mine. We are two totally different people. We definitely wear the same number, but we are two totally different people. Me and Pat have been friends for a very long time now, since he came into the league. Knowing his story and why he wears No. 52, that is the ultimate that somebody wants to come behind you and do their thing. He is his own man, and that is what I love about him. He is so humble of a man. He plays the game at a very, very high level, and he plays the game the right way. I really enjoy the friendship we have with each other.”

(on how excited he is to play in the Super Bowl) “First of all, I am excited to be in this game. You know our motto, it’s never about one man, so we don’t focus on one man, and I think the excitement is that we have a very talented team that will face the San Francisco 49ers coming up.”

(on his relationship with Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis) “Coming in with Marvin, being so young, and as soon as I got there, they made a huge move the first day when I walked in, and that was Marvin came to me to have a conversation. He said, ‘Listen, this is your team now.’ He said, ‘I want to do something with you.’ The relationship we had was more father-son, because we would find a different way to meet with each other. I would come up to his office every day, sit there and pick his brain on how defensive coordinators thought, the things about being a man all of these different things. He is one of the biggest reasons why my career is definitely where it is today.”

(on his emotions going into his final game) “Personally, I am playing with two aces. There is no lose for me, because I’ve been in this game before, I’ve won a Super Bowl, I’ve won a MVP and I’ve done all those things. Now, being back here, knowing that this is my last time ever, the greatest reward to myself, honestly, is to give everything I got. The greatest reward to my teammates is to give everything I got. At the end of the day when the clock hits triple zeros, I ride off into the sunset, and I ride off into an awesome life to be a father to my kids and a staple to my community.”

(on how he will handle not being the center of attention after his retirement from football) “Easy. Very easy – seriously. I live a normal life outside of the game. My life is so normal, and it is hard at times because people want you to live off the field like you do on the field. But, I try to separate that. When I am a father, I’m a father; when I am a son, I’m a son; when I am a person just shopping, I am a person just shopping. I like to do the normal things everyone else likes to do. Getting away from all of the stardom, and all that, will it ever fade? It may, it might not, but it will never change the way I live my life. That is as basic as it gets.”

(on not being humble on the field) “That is a totally different person you are talking about. You are talking about on the field, an ultimate warrior – that is what I do. On the field isn’t about humility, I don’t get paid to be humble on the field. I get paid to hit people in the mouth. That takes on its own attitude by itself. Off the field is what people don’t see, and that’s with all athletes. They make you these gladiators because they only see you on game days. Off the field, you will find the most genuine people ever in life. I promise you, in my heart, I definitely am one of them – just simply because of the way I treat people and the way my mom raised me.”

(on former Ravens inside linebacker coach Mike Singletary) “A lot of things were away from football with Coach Singletary, about being a man and share with each other. Every Monday, he would come in and we would bring out the Bible, and he would take me over certain scriptures in the Bible. We would go through it. The funny thing about it was that when he first got there, he actually thought he would have a hard problem coaching me. And it was the opposite. I was like, ‘Teach me everything you know. I don’t know anything. I need you to teach me everything you know.’ And, I am still like that to this day. When I walk into any meeting, I am the first one of my men there, and I want to know everything the coaches are saying and teaching. Coach Singletary was one of those coaches in my life like Marvin Lewis, Jack Del Rio and Rex Ryan, all of these guys who really had a great impact on my life.”

(on if he has thought about being a coach in the future) “Let just say – who knows? I do know that being a coach is a lot of time. I have given a lot of time to the game already, and so now, me saying that this is my last ride, is freeing me from that time obligation. So, going back into coaching would be giving that time up again. Whether it comes years, years, years down the road, it may, but I will never leave the game in my heart. But, I don’t know personally about coaching.”

(on the challenge of the 49ers offense) “I think they do a great job disguising a lot of things when you see the packages they try to run. We always have a philosophy on defense that no matter what anybody does, whatever they try to show you, at the end of the day, there is one football and only one person can touch it at a time. As long as that part never changes about the game, then defenses can successful, no matter how many packages or how many schemes they come up with. Once you see wherever the ball goes, we have a defense that believes in one thing. We believe in each other. We believe in finding the football. That’s the key to stopping those multiple formations.”

(on how the team has changed this week) “I saw a total change, not just in our players, but our entire staff. We are all dialed in. It became so infectious in our locker room, and it was like, ‘What else can we do?’ The players – we kind of took it over for ourselves years ago. We took it over ourselves, where we kind of took the coaches out of the meetings, saying, ‘Coach, we got this. We are going to go through everything you’ve taught us already, but when we leave here, we are going to have a meeting with just ourselves.’ The attention to detail picked up so quickly. I think those meetings are one of the reasons why, collectively as a group – offense, defense and special teams – why we are playing at a high level.”

(on Ravens safety Ed Reed) “Ed and I were sitting out there on the practice fields yesterday, and we reminisced about so many memories that we had over the years, about the hard work we put in from day one when he came in. But the memories of those failures, of having those great defenses and being so close and not being able to close that chapter. How appropriate in Super Bowl XLVII, to bring him back home. When I won my Super Bowl in Tampa, I was 20 or 30 minutes away from my hometown. Now, it’s déjà vu all over again, I told him yesterday, for him. I told him, ‘Now bro, you right back at the crib. Now you get a real opportunity to win it at home. And then, you don’t have to leave, that’s the beautiful part. If you win, it, you celebrate it, and your family is here.’ His mom is here, everybody is here. I am so proud of him as a brother. I just love that guy, because of the things we’ve been through – the maturity I’ve seen all the way from college up to now.”

(on if he thinks Super Bowl XLVII will be physical) “I don’t think it will be nothing less than physical. Both teams play a very physical football game. They like to run the ball, we like to run the ball. They have a physical defense, we have a physical defense. They have a physical offensive line, we have a physical offensive line. These teams match up very well, and you have to give credit to both teams that they prepared themselves very well. They’ve played at a high level pretty much the entire season. I think it will be a very, very physical game.”

(on what he will be most proud of after football) “When I walk off that field Sunday, I will probably be most proud of the impact I’ve had on so many men’s lives. The game will fade one day, numbers will fall, accolades will wash away, but there is nothing better than changing someone’s life. To be in Baltimore for 17 years, and getting the opportunity to walk off the biggest stage ever, and to one day look back – and still today, I listen to men walk by men and say, “Thank you for helping me. Thank you for changing my life. Thank you for showing me the right way.’ I think that is the ultimate reward.”

NEW ORLEANS — If you go back far enough in time, you’ll find a point when the greatest in NFL history weren’t nearly as accomplished or decorated in their respective careers.

Joe Montana wasn’t always a four-time Super Bowl winner for the San Francisco 49ers. John Elway was long considered the quarterback who couldn’t win the big one before two Super Bowl rings to end his long career in Denver.

In Baltimore, Ray Lewis and the Ravens defense weren’t always associated with the league’s all-time greatest. The soon-to-be-retired linebacker may have been the team’s best defensive player immediately as a rookie in 1996, but the rest of the world didn’t understand his greatness until a victory in Super Bowl XXXV in which he was voted the game’s most valuable player.

That moment in time propelled Lewis into the conversation as one of the greatest defenders in league history and the Baltimore defense into more than a decade of dominance and respect in NFL circles. It’s the shadow quarterback Joe Flacco will try to escape once and for all as the Ravens compete against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday evening.

Even if the fifth-year quarterback doesn’t look at it in the same way, Sunday’s game will be his defining moment.

“This team has had such a great defense for many years, such big faces on that side of the ball,” Flacco said. “That’s what we’re known for. Us guys on the other side, we don’t have any problem with that. We know that in order to win football games we have to go out there and do our job. We’re kind of humble guys on our side of the ball and don’t really care what people say about how we won it.”

Of course, a single championship won’t bring Flacco into the discussion of the all-time greats, but it would forever transform how outsiders perceive both him and the Ravens. With Lewis retiring and safety Ed Reed’s return in doubt, this era of great Baltimore defense is coming to an end. The numbers this season reflected that despite a stalwart performance from Lewis and the defense in three postseason games.

The opinions about Flacco have already been altered as he’s thrown eight touchdown passes and no interceptions in playoff wins over Indianapolis, Denver, and New England. Teammates believes he has nothing left to prove, but the critics and doubters will remain if the Ravens are unable to finish the job against San Francisco.

No one said it was easy — or even fair — to take that final step, but a win against the 49ers is what’s really needed to close the book on one era and open the door to another, presumably with Flacco leading the way. A new-found respect has been penciled in by even his biggest critics this postseason, but his performance on Sunday will be what’s written in permanent ink.

He may not be able to do it alone, but this postseason has fallen heaviest on the broad shoulders of the Baltimore signal-caller.

“This postseason has done that,” tight end Dennis Pitta said. “I don’t know if it will be on one game or not, because we’re going against a really good defense. It’ll be a challenge for us. I think our defense needs to play well, [but] I certainly think the offense has come a long way. That stigma — that perception — that the Baltimore Ravens are only defense has certainly changed through the course of this season and through this postseason.”

Truthfully, there isn’t much more you can ask of Flacco. A loss to the 49ers wouldn’t erase what he’s already done in his first five seasons in the league. Many will debate where he ranks in the quarterback hierarchy, but there’s no disputing his impeccable ability to remain calm in pressure-filled situations.

But a loss would still be a disappointment, leaving him outside a premium group of quarterbacks.

He’s knocking on the door of greatness, but one final push is needed, just as it was when Lewis came through the tunnel and danced in Tampa with the entire world watching on Jan. 28, 2001. In the meantime, those closest to him will continue to sing his praises until the rest of the world finally catches up — at least in their opinions.

“Joe Flacco’s done a hell of a job,” running back Ray Rice said. “He deserves all the credit. Every quarterback out there gets respect, but you’ve got to mention Joe up there with them now because of what he’s done. He just outplayed two Hall of Famers. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will be Hall of Famers. Joe Flacco outplayed them both, and that doesn’t happen often.”

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LINEBACKER RAY LEWIS

(on his reaction to Sports Illustrated story) “I think, honestly, and I am going to say it very clearly again, I think it’s probably one of the most embarrassing things that we can do on this type of stage. I think it takes totally away from – you give somebody the ability to come into our world. Our world is a very secret society, and we try to protect our world as much as we can. But, when you let cowards come in and do things like that, to try to disturb something. I’ve said it before, I’ve said a million times, the reason why I am smiling is because it is so funny of a story, because I never, ever, took what he says I – whatever I was supposed to do. It’s just sad, once again, that someone can have this much attention on a stage this big where the dreams are really real. They are really real. I don’t need it, my teammates don’t need it, the 49ers don’t need it, nobody needs it, because it just really shows you how people really plan things and try to attack people from the outside. It’s foolish. It’s very foolish, and the guy has no credibility. He’s been sued four or five times over the same B.S. Just to entertain it, I can’t, I won’t and I just truly believe he doesn’t have the privilege for me to speak about it ever again.”

(on if he is angry) “Me? Never angry. I’m too blessed to be stressed. No, you’re not angry, you can use a different word. You can use the word agitated, because I am here to win the Super Bowl. I am not here to entertain somebody that does not affect that one way or another. The word agitated would probably be better. Angry? I can never let any – anything from the outside can never affect me to be angry.”

(on how he will manage the rest of the week leading up to the Super Bowl) “Listen, it’s hard. We were just sitting in the meetings just now and watching the film. Guys want the game to come so quickly, but I think everything has its’ timing, and that’s what I’m telling the guys. Every second that you think you’ve studied enough film, study more. Do whatever you think you need to do. That’s the thing that we just have to taper back all of your energies, all of your emotions and different things like that, and just really enjoy the ride at the same time. The destination is going to take care of itself. I think it’s more about the ride that we should really start accepting and really enjoying the moments building up to it because the game always takes care of itself.”

(on if he understands that it is difficult for the media to take athletes’ statements at face value) “I am always very careful with speaking about something I don’t know about. I don’t know about Lance (Armstrong), I don’t know about anybody. I can only tell you about Ray Lewis, so to speak about other people’s cases, other people’s situations, that is totally on them and that is totally on whatever you guys want to write from there. But, as far as me, I live a certain way, I do things my way. Everything else is everybody else’s business.”

(on his first NFL sack, and his retirement from the game) “What do I remember about my first sack? I do remember that I did get up and do a little dance after. I was just excited about getting my first sack in the NFL, so I did get up and do a dance with my shoulders. For my retirement in the game, I haven’t thought about it at all. The only thing on my mind, honestly, is getting my teammates to touch the Lombardi Trophy. The retirement will take care of itself. That is one thing about this game for me. When the clock hits triple zeros, no matter what happens, that will be my last ride. If there was any greater stage to do it on, it would be this stage. So, it is an awesome ride for me.”

(on stopping the read-option offense, and if it has long-lasting appeal in the NFL) “You know what? They are doing a good job with it. At the same time, I think when you do watch the film, a lot of people who played against them just never communicated at all. I believe that’s one of the advantages of what we have as a defense. We do a job of communicating real very well, whether you have the dive, whether you have the quarterback. How are you going to play this? How are you going to play that? And if you watch the film, you can tell that a lot of people played against the read-option just played as individuals. It’s really hard to play that type of package as individuals. You have to play it as a group. I said that if you were to try to slow it down, that is the only way to slow it down, is to play it as a group. Make sure before the ball is snapped, everybody is on the same page.”

(on what it took for him to play that many seasons in the NFL) “It is a combination of a lot of things. God has been awesome in my life to keep me coming back. I’ve had my share of injuries, and I’ve had my share of bumps and bruises. I think the formula of truly always finding a different way to be better every year. Some people just come back and train for football, period. I am always trying to evolve, to do something different. Every year, my regimen has always changed. That is one thing that I’ve always challenged a lot of athletes, don’t become one minded and say, ‘I’m just a football player.’ There are so many things, so many fine-tuned muscles and things that we have to work out. That’s why I think so many exercises, whether it’s karate, whether it’s cycling, whether it’s wrestling, whether it’s swimming, whatever it is, every year I am always going to try to strengthen myself in some other areas. That is one of the biggest keys that I always saw as my success. I never got to a point that I stayed the same. Every year, I was always getting different, climbing, climbing and climbing. That is one of the keys to longevity.”

(on if he sees similarities between the 49ers defense and the Ravens defense) “Oh yeah, absolutely. You see the youth, how we were like when we were younger. And they are running around, and they are making a lot of plays. They have a lot of young guys who love playing the game, and you can tell that they really enjoy playing, not just the game, but playing with each other. That is one of the biggest keys to playing great defense, is having that defensive chemistry that everybody understands where they are supposed to be, and how they are supposed to be. When the ball is snapped, one thing you notice the most is that everybody is going to where the football is. That is a great similarity of that kind of Ravens defense.”

(on why this is the season that the Ravens broke through to the Super Bowl) “That’s funny, because every year, you feel that same way. Whatever the bounce of the ball doesn’t go your way, it doesn’t go your way. And, if it’s not your year at the end, it’s not your year. We’ve been close. We’ve been close many, many years. But, I’ve always said that one play, one catch, or one missed field goal – whatever it is – has never defined a season. I just believe that whatever time that expires during the course of that year, it expires. Now, you saw a lot of bounces of the ball went our way. A lot of things in the last couple of games, they just went our way. Positive energy comes into play with that. By the end of day, I just think that if it is your time, it’s your time. For us to be here today, it’s bottom line, our time.”

(on why it was important for him to announce his retirement before the end of the season) “I’ve watched many people on how they retire, and when they retire. I had not just an obligation to myself, but I had an obligation to my teammates and I had an obligation to my city – that I did not want to end the season and then say, ‘I’m gone.’ I’ve invested too much time into Baltimore, into my teammates and into the organization to ever just walk out like that. I believe that you should give everybody a fair chance to say their goodbyes. Playing that last game in Baltimore, announcing it the way I did, and knowing that it would be my last ride. Knowing that it would be my last time in M&T (Bank Stadium), it was one of the most amazing feelings ever. Just being able to appreciate that moment and not get to the end of the season – whenever the road stops – and say, ‘Oh, I’m done. I’m never coming back again.’ I would have robbed a lot of people of those last goodbyes for me and them. That is why I did it that way.”

(on if he would be disappointed if former Ravens owner Art Modell was not voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year) “That is always one of those situations that you really try to stay out of, because you don’t know how they vote. You can only tell them about the man who I knew myself – a true legend in his own way, a real visionary who changed thousands and thousands of lives. For the impact he’s had on this business and what he’s done for so many in this business, for me – I am a little biased – I would say, ‘Why wouldn’t he be in the Hall of Fame?’ Like I said, however they vote, they vote, but he is already in my hall of fame. At the end of the day, that is all that matters.”

(on if Sports Illustrated story is a distraction for his teammates) “It’s not. It’s a joke, if you know me. I tell them all the time, and this is what I try to teach them, is don’t let people from the outside ever come and disturb what’s inside. That is the trick of the devil. The trick of the devil is to kill, steal and destroy. That is what he comes to do. He comes to distract you from everything you are trying to do. There is no man who ever trained as hard as our team has trained, and there is no man who went through what we went through. So, to give somebody credit that doesn’t deserve credit, that would be a slap in the face for everything we went through. So, these are lessons that I teach my teammates, that outside don’t matter. I don’t care what nobody says about us, or what they want to report. I’ve been in this game 17 years, 17-plus good years, and I have a heck of a relationship and too much respect for the business, and my body, to ever violate like that. So, to entertain foolishness like that from cowards who come from the outside and try to destroy what we’ve built, like I just said, it’s sad to even entertain it on this type of stage, because this type of stage is what dreams are made of. This is what kids dream their whole lives, to be up here on these days, stepping in the NFL and saying that I am on the biggest stage ever. You are supposed to be smiling the whole week. Listen, I promise you, we all in here have a past, but how many people dwell into it. No, it ain’t about your past, it’s about your future. For me and my teammates, I promise you, we have a strong group of men that don’t bend too much. We keep pushing forward. So, it is not a distraction at all for us.”

(on how grateful he is today) “My childhood defined a lot of who I am today. My mom did a heck of a job raising a man to put my complete faith in God from day one. From nine years old, when I was ordained as a junior deacon, she always said that some days, you may find yourself away from God, but you will find yourself back. Along the path, every day of my life, I’ve always had a conversation with Him. To always know that what my prayers are, what my visions are, and everything He has given me, is just an opportunity to share with people that life is bigger than making money and just having fancy cars. I truly believe that impact and success are two totally different things. Anybody can be successful. You can go build buildings. You can have a nice whatever you want to have. But, impact is totally different, and when you talk about the walk of Jesus, his whole walk was impact. That is what my life is based off of. My life is based off impact, grabbing somebody and letting them know that life is to be lived together to figure out the wrongs and rights and teach somebody else those morals and ethics so they don’t go back down those same roads. As far as it being my last ride, you draw up a lot of storybook endings, but for me, how else would I rather go out than be on the biggest stage ever, giving everything I’ve got for my teammates to touch that Lombardi Trophy? It’s the ultimate. So when you talk about a last ride, I have devoted myself. One of my linebacker buddies asked, ‘Have you been out any this week?’ I was like, ‘No, I’m not going anywhere, because I only want my face stuck in an iPad. I want to know everything about the San Francisco 49ers, that when I step on the field, I can make my defense a better defense. When we walk off that field, we know that we did everything in my power, and I know that I spent every second focused on winning this game. For me, that is a heck of a way to go out.”

(on if this week has been tough on him with the thought of impending retirement) “No. As a leader, I’ve been able to sit back and I’ve been able to watch my teammates. Every teammate on this team right now, it is a new process for them. Every step is a new step. For me, it’s not. So, my quietness is always been as a leader to sit back and make sure everything stays in the proper order. Like if the plane ride is too crazy and too loud, I just go say something real quick, or if the meetings are not going the way they should, I’ll go say something. So, that has kind of been my thought process. My thought process has been my job as a leader is to get my guys to the dance, get them to understand what we have to do to get to the dance – how we need to practice and how we need to prepare. When you walk into the locker room, we don’t need nothing else – we don’t need cellphones, we don’t need nothing. All you need is your teammates and communication. I’ve been quiet for a lot of those different reasons, because I’ve been sitting back knowing that I have to fix this, fix that and carry my teammates through the right way on how we should approach this thing.”

NEW ORLEANS — After toppling two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks on their way to their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, the Ravens defense now faces a different challenge entirely.

As unconventional as an offense comes in the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers reinvented themselves in the second half of the season, utilizing the pistol read-option attack behind second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick. A once-conservative offense that relied heavily on the shoulders of running back Frank Gore has now become a dynamic one, scoring a combined 73 points in playoff wins over Green Bay and Atlanta to give the 49ers their first Super Bowl berth in 18 years.

Whether the pistol formation is the latest flavor of the month or not is irrelevant as it pertains to Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday, but coach John Harbaugh sees lasting appeal in the possibilities the formation provides. The Ravens certainly aren’t treating it like a gimmick after falling to a similar attack that was run by the Washington Redskins in Week 14.

“You can run your whole offense on it. You aren’t limited to an option type attack out of it,” Harbaugh said. “Not just the entire run game but the entire pass game as well. The backs get position to protect. You can run all your drop back stuff, you can run power run game inside and outside, and you can run read option, triple option. So it’s just a very versatile-type offense and it forces you to defend a lot of different elements of the offensive attack.”

The Ravens struggled against the Redskins’ version of the pistol formation, which featured Robert Griffin III, a shiftier runner than the bigger Kaepernick who relies more on his impressive straight-line speed. In the 31-28 overtime loss on Dec. 9, the Ravens allowed 179 rushing yards on 35 carries but were playing without linebackers Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Dannell Ellerbe.

San Francisco’s preference for getting Kaepernick to the edge will provide a challenge to Lewis, who struggles when trying to play outside the tackles, but the 37-year-old’s cerebral presence should offer a boost in trying to accomplish what opposing defenses have failed to do against Kaepernick since he took over for former Alex Smith in the middle of the season.

“A lot of people who played against them just never communicated at all,” linebacker Ray Lewis said. “I believe that’s one of the advantages of what we have as a defense. We do a job of communicating real very well, whether you have the dive, whether you have the quarterback. It’s really hard to play that type of package as individuals. You have to play it as a group. The only way to slow it down is to play it as a group. Make sure before the ball is snapped, everybody is on the same page.”

A major key echoed by numerous defensive players has been patience in believing in individual assignments and carrying out jobs within the defense. Against Washington, the Ravens used unblocked defenders largely to attack the backfield, but staying under control and reacting to Kaepernick by forcing him to either hand off to the back or to keep the ball himself inside will be the wisest choice.

It’s a fine balance between being too aggressive and getting caught on your heels against a physical offensive line and talented running backs Gore and LaMichael James. The blocking angles and hand-offs from the pistol formation simply provide looks defenders aren’t familiar in dealing with on a weekly basis. Of course, an extra week of preparation will be beneficial to a Baltimore defense that was on the field extensively in its three playoff wins prior to Sunday’s Super Bowl.

“You can’t force it. You’ve got to be patient,” linebacker Albert McClellan said. “You can’t be too patient though, so you have to kind of be on the edge. You’ve just got to have good eyes. Do your job — don’t try to do somebody else’s job. Once you miss your assignment, that’s when the triple-option and the pistol pretty much take advantage of you. You do your job and everybody’s assigned a man, things will work out.”

Defensive coordinator Dean Pees will rely on rush linebacker Terrell Suggs and the combination of Courtney Upshaw, Paul Kruger, and Albert McClellan at the strongside linebacker position to maintain the edges, coaxing Kaepernick to settle for inside hand-offs to Gore and preventing the mobile quarterback from getting free into open space to utilize his great speed. The 49ers prefer to run behind left tackle Joe Staley when they aren’t rushing up the middle, which will put pressure on Suggs to make plays against the run like he did in the Denver game when he finished with 10 solo tackles.

Forcing Kaepernick to settle for the inside hand-off will put plenty of responsibility on the Baltimore defensive line, a unit that struggled much of the season due to injuries but has played well in the postseason. The Ravens contained a strong Denver running game and put pressure on Peyton Manning in the divisional round and hounded Tom Brady in the second half of the AFC Championship.

The combination of Ma’ake Kemoeatu and Terrence Cody at the nose tackle position will have a major chore in controlling the line of scrimmage and allowing Lewis and Ellerbe to clean up against Gore’s inside runs.

“Assignment football. Being where you are supposed to be without failure,” defensive line coach Clarence Brooks said. “Right gap, right responsibility on the run, right foot on the blocking schemes, disciplined pass-rushing lanes. Assignment football, being where you’re supposed to be and doing your job. If we do that, we’ll be fine.”

Even if the Ravens play their assignments to perfection, Kaepernick’s big-play ability may not be completely avoidable as he has proven to be a prolific passer, utilizing tight end Vernon Davis and wide receiver Michael Crabtree with great effectiveness. Still, the second-year signal-caller’s legs are the biggest concern after the Ravens were able to handle two top — but also one-dimensional — passers in their last two wins.

“You get through it and everybody knows what to do, and then all of a sudden, the guy pulls the ball and is gone,” defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. “You can’t really replicate that in practice as much as you would like to. That’s always a concern.”

As confident as the Baltimore defense is, the unit is preparing for an unfamiliar look. The similarities are there with Washington’s offensive attack, but the 49ers have a dangerous set of receivers in the passing game and a quarterback reaching an unparalleled level of success with only a half-season of starts under his belt.

The San Francisco offense may not strike fear into opponents’ hearts in the same way the Patriots and Broncos did this season, but the sight of Kaepernick escaping to the outside, looking to run or throw is a scary proposition standing in the way of the Ravens’ second Super Bowl title.

“If he runs, you’ve got to hit him,” safety Bernard Pollard said. “He’s basically a running back who can throw the ball very well. He’s showing people that he’s capable of playing in this league. He’s able to win.”

LINEBACKER RAY LEWIS

(on being an emotional person) “I know along my journey, a lot of people didn’t know that one of my driving forces was my grandmother, who is in the hospital and she is on life support right now. Every day, she asks me to promise her that I would bring her one more Super Bowl before she went home. Just to be able to give that to her, and I am always emotional any time when I talk to God. Just having that conversation with Him is so much different than having a conversation with anyone else. I do get emotional in times like that when it is at that point.”

(on being considered a legend) “I think when you talk about a legend, when you talk about leaving a legacy, I think it is all about what your peers speak about you, the people you actually impact on and off the field. If nothing else, I have always told people that your greatest leaders are your greatest servants. You are going to find people who lead, lead, lead, but more importantly, they serve more than anything. That is what this team is built around, and that is what my whole legacy is about. My whole legacy from day one when I came in, was I always grabbed someone to try to take them to the next level of being a better man, being a better woman, being a better child, whatever it is. At the end of the day, that is what your legacy wants to be, to leave a great name. Hopefully, I did that.”

(on how he is different than he was at his first Super Bowl) “Back then, I was a little bit more of a follower, because I hadn’t won a Super Bowl yet, and Shannon (Sharpe) was always trying to tell me what it felt like, what were the things you had to do, and the things you had to give up. So now, it’s different, because now I’m a leader going into this Super Bowl, and I have touched the confetti before. Now, there are a bunch of young guys sitting there and saying, ‘Oh my God, I don’t believe it’s real.’ And I’m like, ‘It’s real.’ So, now I am leading them into what this game is all about and what this 60 minutes is all about. I think that is the biggest difference. I was once a follower, and now I am a leader into this game.”

(on what it means for him to be in a Super Bowl) “It is the ultimate. For people who don’t know what this stage is all about – every team comes into training camp, and they all have one vision. And, it is to one day be sitting on this podium and getting ready to fight for a NFL championship. As a child, you have always had this dream on what this feeling will feel like. There is no greater feeling in this business to be sitting here right now with a chance to win my second Super Bowl ring. It is a surreal feeling, because all of your hard work, no matter what you go through, the pains you go through, the surgeries you go through, whatever you may go through, and the end result means that you end up back here, it’s the ultimate.”

(on how he is on the field) “I turn into a different person on the field. I am a totally different person off the field. But on the field, I’m driven to do whatever it takes for my teammates. There are so many of my teammates here today who I’ve honored and told them that I would do anything in my power so we can feel that confetti drop together, because that is the ultimate. For me being a leader of this team, I owe that to them.”

(on his pregame dance) “The dance was called ‘The Squirrel’ back in the day, and a guy from my hometown, he used to do all of the time, and I told him one day that I was going to do it. One day, they introduced the defense, and I came out and did the dance. From there, Baltimore just grabbed it and took over. I added music to it and everything else, and it turned into it.”

(on his message to his teammates when he announced his retirement) “That message, truthfully, was more about the definitions of a man, the things that I have grown since 1996 walking into that building, all the way up to 2013 and the present. I gave them all of the dos and don’ts in the business, in life, and to teach them. It wasn’t about the game so much, because that was very brief how I hit it. I just wanted to tell them before I told anybody else that this would be my last ride. I wanted them to appreciate the ups and downs that go with it when I started with the Ravens. I tried to explain to them that we weren’t always in the playoffs, so whoever has been here the last five years, those guys are kind of spoiled. My rookie year, we were 4-12, and 6-9-1. We went through my rocky days, but I wanted to share what being a man to them was. That was what I got out of it the most, because so many teammates after that came to me to have a conversation with me about simple things and about being a man.”

-more-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Super Bowl XLVII – Tuesday, January 29, 2013

QUOTES FROM BALTIMORE RAVENS MEDIA DAY

MORE LINEBACKER RAY LEWIS

(on 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis) “That’s a young one, a young lion I talk to a lot. I’ve been talking to Patrick since his rookie year, and I got into his story a little bit, why he wears 52 and all that. It is actually humbling to know him as a man because when we started talking at Pro Bowls, he would always tell me all of these stories, and we would just have conversations. My job is now, every time I call him, every time I tell him something, I always try to give him good advice, whether it’s to stretch more or to do more to have the longevity that you are trying to have in this game. I think he is one of the up-and-coming young stars who plays the game the right way. He plays the game with a certain passion, and plays with a certain discipline. Honestly, I really enjoy watching the young man play.”

(on what another Super Bowl title would mean to him) “Honestly, it’s the ultimate. You come into the game as a kid, and you always have these dreams, and you see the Super Bowls, and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, if I can ever be there one day.’ In my fifth year, I win it. Then, I go, go, go and I get close, I get close, and now, I am back. I’m back on my last ride. To go out with that confetti coming from the top of this building, and hearing those famous words, that the Ravens are Super Bowl champions, there is no greater legacy. There is no other way that you ask yourself to walk away from the game than to hear those words and to know that when I leave this building tomorrow, I leave it on my terms. That is the ultimate.”

(on if the Ravens are a team of destiny) “I believe we have found a way to believe in each other, and nothing else matters. That is one thing about our sideline. When we are on our sideline, there is only one thing that matters, when this game ends, we will be victorious, and everybody believes the same thing. That’s what’s been our road, no matter who’s been up, who’s been down, who’s been hurt, who’s been injured. We found a way to pick each other up. That is what a team is, and I’ve always said that. The team who wins the Super Bowl is the team who pulls it together chemistry-wise, and everybody believes in one thing. This team is focused on one goal.”

(on what his greatest moments are) “The Super Bowl has to be one of them, but if two days I could remember, was the first day I stepped on the practice field and the last day I told my boys that this will be my last ride. I was here long enough to see the beginning and actually feel the end. I’ve watched people’s careers end totally differently. I’ve watched injuries take out people, and I’ve watched the sad stories. I always said that I never wanted to go out that way. If I had two moments that I will always remember the rest of my life, they would be the first day I stepped in Baltimore and the last day to say I was done.”

(on the San Francisco 49ers) “I don’t know if anybody knew this, but my favorite team of all time was the San Francisco 49ers, growing up as a kid. That was my childhood team, probably because of the people who were playing: Ronnie Lott and Roger Craig, who were probably my favorite San Francisco 49ers. This young team that is coming in here now, when you watch them on film, they are young, aggressive, and you see that they are very hungry. Since I’ve been in this business for 17 years, and I’ve been with one team for 17 years, and we play the game one way. We play the game on our terms. (Colin) Kaepernick is doing some great things with his legs. We accept the challenge. This is the final dance, so what they do on film, it doesn’t intimidate anything we are coming here to do. We are coming here to play football, and if you are carrying the football, from my defense, we gonna hit you, because that is what the game is all about. That is what we are here to do.”

(on what he will miss about football) “I am going to miss my teammates, the locker room and what that feels like. Some of us look at us as teammates, but a lot of us will go home as brothers. We will have relationships the rest of our lives. I promise you I haven’t slowed down one time to reflect on my retirement yet. I haven’t because I can’t. If I do that, it means, once again you’ve always heard me say this, that means I take a selfish approach. This time ain’t about me right now. This time is about my team and getting my team this Super Bowl win. That is the only thing on my mind. That day is coming when the confetti drops out of the sky on one of two teams, us or the 49ers. That day is coming. I’m looking forward to it, because I have a lot of things to do outside of the game.”

SAFETY DASHON GOLDSON

(on his impression of Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense) “It’s very explosive, strong and very explosive. They do a good job of setting up certain plays and play action.”

(on if there is an emphasis on outplaying the Ravens defense) “No. We will out-physical their offense. We don’t play against their defense.”

(on if Randy Moss can still run) “Yeah, Randy can still run. Look what he did in the Arizona game. Randy can still run and get open.”

(on what he likes best about Coach Jim Harbaugh) “Who he is and what he stands for. He’s a great guy, very loose. He’s fun, a lot of fun.”

(on Coach Harbaugh’s uniform) “It never changes. That’s him every day, the black fleece.”

(on if he’s ever seen Coach Harbaugh in a different outfit) “Actually I did. A couple days ago with his daughter he had on a blue collar jacket and some jeans. I was shocked. That was the first time I have ever seen him dressed up in two years. I was shocked.”

(on if the Super Dome means anything special to the team) “It means a lot because it’s a game we’re getting ready to play. It means a lot because it’s a game that we’re in.”

(on Trenton Robinson) “Trenton is doing well. He’s a great listener. I think Trenton is going to be able to play this game. He does a good job of feeding off the vets. He works hard in practice, and he asks a lot of questions. That’s good. I told him that the other day. There’s no such thing as a dumb question. Get the most information you can. These vets and a lot of players around here have been through a lot and know what it takes to get on that football field. I was kind of like that too. I tried to utilize those guys playing before me. They showed me the ropes.”

(on where he was in 1996 when Ray Lewis played his first game) “Probably playing a football game too. I was about 12.”

LINEBACKER PATRICK WILLIS

(on the linebackers from the 49ers and the Ravens) “This is going to be a defensive battle. Our linebacker corps, I feel like we have the best linebacker corps in the NFL. I really do. Our guys come out every week, week-in and week-out, and we play for each other. Baltimore has those same kind of guys with (Terrell) Suggs and Ray (Lewis) and (Dannell) Ellerbe. It’s going to be, for sure, a defensive battle.”

(on wearing Ray Lewis’ number) “This is a 49ers jersey, and this is my number. I’ve always answered that question anytime I’m asked I have all the respect in the world for Ray. When I chose this number it was more so the best number they had at the time. When I was drafted, they asked me if I wanted 51 and 57 and 59 or 52. I didn’t want any of those other numbers, and 52 was the best number I felt. I’m an even number guy. I’ve always been an even number guy, and then I said to myself, ‘Why don’t I get the number 52? I know a guy right now who wears that number who is one of the best. It will be a great number to play up to.’ That’s kind of how it came about.”

(on playing in the Super Bowl) “As a kid, you grew up watching. Just to have the opportunity to be able to play in this game given (that) my first four years, we were at home at this time watching other teams play. Last year we were one game away. To be able to be here, is truly special.”

(on the role his faith has played in his career) “My grandmother kind of got me into church. She was a lady that every Sunday you’re going to go to church. Every Wednesday you’re going to go to church, every bible study, every day. The thing I’ll never forget is when I got ready to go away to college, I’ll never forget telling my grandmother, ‘OK, I’m getting ready to go to college.’ I was the first person in my family to go to college, to stay and graduate. I’ll never forget something I’ll always take with me. She said, ‘Baby, no matter what you do, always keep your hand in God’s hand. My grandmother is someone that was like a mother to me that raised me. I love her. She is still alive and still strong. She still talks to me all the time and says, ‘Keep your hand in God’s hand. Just keep on believing in God.’ That’s something I don’t push on anybody because we all have our own beliefs, but I believe and I have faith that he is why I am where I am today.”

(on Jim Harbaugh placing emphasis on the team over  individual players) “It made a lot of sense, when you find someone that talks a lot about himself a lot, it just kind of throws you off. Is he stuck on himself? Is he conceited? Is he this or is he that? One thing Coach Harbaugh brought to us is, he said, ‘Instead of talking about yourself, talk about the man next to you. Talk about the man beside you.’ He said when you talk about yourself, you believe in yourself, but when you talk about others, he said, ‘A tide will rise all ships.’ He also said, ‘Loose lips sink ships.’ It’s about building up one another. It’s about talking about the next guy, letting other know that it’s not just about me. It’s about these other guys around me. That’s what our team is about. We all understand that we would not be here at this point if we did not all buy in. Not just one person guides you.”

(on how placing an emphasis on talking about the team changed the chemistry of the team) “It went from being about me, about I, to really just making it about us and one another. Anytime you can have a bunch of guys that are like that, I think you’ll have a great team. I really feel like that’s what makes our team what it is. We have a bunch of unselfish guys across the whole board. I remember we didn’t always have that. Now I can honestly say across the board we do have that.”

(on growing up in Tennessee and being overlooked in high school) “Growing up in Tennessee and playing I-A ball, they tend to kind of downplay and tell you, ‘Oh he’s not that good. His level of competition is not that high.’ You can’t help the situation that you’re given. You can’t help the circumstances that you’re brought up in, but you can do something about it. I was someone that I wasn’t going to be told otherwise. I wasn’t going to be told that your level of competition is not that high or that you’re not that good of a player. I went out there every day and I worked to be the tough football player that I am today from middle school to high school to college. I’ve always been fueled by someone telling me I can’t do something or I’m too small or I’m too big. I just tuck it and use it as fuel.”

(on losing his brother) “I lost my little brother, Detris Willis. He was 17. I was going into my senior year of college. I’ll never forget getting that phone call and just hearing about it. I will never forget just dedicating my senior year to him. I said, ‘I’m going to play for us both – for me and for him.’ Honestly, I really felt that he was going to be a better senior player than I was, that he was going to be a better college player than I was. He had all the better attributes that it took to be an amazing football player, but God had different plans for him. He’s watching on me today. I feel like everything happens for a reason. Back then, I didn’t know why. Sometimes if you try to figure out things and try to make sense of things, and ask why do things happen for a reason, you can drive yourself crazy. But here we are six or seven years later and getting to play in the Super Bowl. There is no doubt that he has been a big part of that. There’s no doubt that the Lord let him be my angel.”

(on his faith) “It’s just believing and believing in the purpose. I’ll never forget when I was coming out and getting ready for the combine. I had no idea who was really interested. You had different teams that would fly you there on all different visits, but I had no idea. I never forget praying. I never forget being told, ‘You had all these linebackers ahead of you.’ I had so many other guys ahead of me, and I’ll never forget getting on my knees – true story. I’ll never forget getting on my knees and saying, ‘Lord, I don’t know where you’re going to bless me to go. I don’t know who it’s going to be. I just want to go somewhere where it’s warm. I want to go somewhere where I can walk out on my balcony and take my shirt off. I want to go somewhere where I can drive my cars every day and not worry about it raining or snowing, and most importantly, I want to go somewhere where I can make it my home. I want to play the best football I can play.’ It’s a true story. That was my prayer on draft day. The Lord blessed me to go to the 49ers, and I still say today – I grew up a Cowboys fan and I couldn’t stand the 49ers for nothing – just when I prayed that prayer, and for them to call me unexpectedly, I was coached by them in the Senior Bowl, but I didn’t go and visit. But for them to call me and for me to go out there where the weather is nice, and I can walk out on my balcony, I can drive my car, and most importantly, I was able to make it my home. I knew it was him. It was all his will. That’s how I am.”

(on honoring God when he plays) “I used to get mad. I used to get mad when things didn’t go the way I wanted them to on the field. In my mind, I was thinking, ‘I’m going to get an interception today, or I’m going to get three sacks or I’m going to get this many tackles today.’ When I wouldn’t get that I’d say, ‘Man, what’s going on?’ Sometimes you can lose yourself in your faith if things don’t go the way you want. It’s easy when things are going good, but when things go bad, you get mad and you’re like, ‘What’s going on?’ With him, I’ve learned. Every game, I pray about 10 prayers a game. What I always end it with is I say, ‘Lord, let your will be done today.’ Whatever happens out there on field and at the end of the day, I know in my heart I’ve given my all. So, therefore, I’m able to go home. Don’t get me wrong now, I’m still up. I still don’t sleep like I want to, but I don’t let it get me like it used to because like I said, I pray and his will will be done.”

(on Aldon Smith) “Aldon is a heck of an athlete. He’s a guy that just gets it, and then he comes to work every day. He gives me feedback when I’m going against a back or a rush or whatnot. He says, ‘Pat, you have to use your hands.’ He gives me advice, and I trust him no matter if he’s two years in and I’m six years in. When a guy of his caliber can rush the way he can rush, he can give me advice all day and I’ll listen. We’re very grateful to have Aldon on our team. He’s going to be a player that’s going to be recognized.”

(on defensive coordinator Vic Fangio) “Coach Vic, he’s a great guy. I’ll never forget the first time I met him. He got hired, and he texted me and said, ‘If you’re in town, I want you to come by the office.’ I’ll never forget coming by the office and for the first time I didn’t imagine him looking like an Italian guy. I just remember shaking his hand when I left after talking to him. He just told me some things that he was expecting a little bit. Coach Vic, he’s as super quiet guy but he’s very smart. He’s a guy that he won’t toot his own horn. He won’t, but he is unbelievably smart. I can honestly say that he is a guy that when he puts that game plan in front of us, there is no doubt that he didn’t go through it and thought about every single thing that he’s put down. He’s thinking. Another thing I love most about him is he doesn’t – every now and then he gets heated – but for the most part he doesn’t. He trusts us out there on the field. He trusts in his players. Sometimes you might not have a good series of tackles, but he’s always going to stand behind you. He’s constantly always showing us that believes in us. He’s the kind of guy you want.”

Thanks a lot Sports Illustrated.

The story that won’t-go-away came back to life in New Orleans on Tuesday when THIS PIECE by SI.com linked Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis to a company called S.W.A.T.S. that says Lewis contacted one of the company’s owners late in 2012 and inquired about using deer-antler spray to help treat his torn triceps muscle.

The only problem?  Deer-antler spray contains a component (IGF-1) that is on the NFL’s banned substance list.

Yes, all hell has officially broken loose here in the Big Easy.

In fairness, the article on SI.com is extensive and has, apparently, lots of potentially damaging evidence against Lewis.  None of it should be mistaken for fact, yet, and that’s important to remember as you read the story and make your own assessment on what you think happened when Lewis suffered his injury back on October 14.  But this much is certain:  While SI.com doesn’t have a photo or any sort of irrefutable evidence to directly link Lewis to using the spray containing the banned substance, lots of details in the story don’t paint a favorable picture of No. 52.

This would also be the appropriate time to admit something.  My guess is some of you reading this have probably faced the same pink elephant in the room since Ray returned from his triceps injury in record time.  I’ll admit this:  nearly every media member I know at least giggled or raised an eyebrow or said under his breath – “gee, Ray, you sure did come back quickly from that “season-ending” injury…”  That is, of course, the story no one in Baltimore really wants to discuss, but it has to at least be put on the table when this deer-antler story (re) surfaces again.  Ray made a very quick recovery from an injury that typically has a recovery time of 6-9 months.

Now – let’s get back to FACTS:  Has he failed a drug test? Ray and the Ravens will both remind you, emphatically, the answer to that question is “no”.

To some, that will simply be enough to give Lewis the proverbial free pass.  In Baltimore, especially, most folks will either ignore the story or pass it off as a witch-hunt to unnerve the future Hall of Famer as he approaches his final game in New Orleans on Sunday.

(Please see next page)

Nuff Said! GO RAVENS!!! OH-OH OH OH OH OH OH OH-OH!