Ray Lewis Doubles Down on Odell Beckham Jr. Comments in Fiery Sermon
Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis turned a lot of heads when asked what advice he'd give New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who has been in the headlines for off-the-field antics and is on the trade market with no team pulling the trigger on the uber-talented receiver.
"Where there's no God, there's chaos," Lewis told "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" on FS1. "Odell has removed God from his life."
Lewis' comments didn't go over well in the blogosphere and land of social media, and Lewis was given a chance to "clarify" them on "Speak for Yourself" in the video below.
"No, there's no clarification. I'm never clarifying when it comes to when I'm talking about God," Lewis said. "We confuse so much. People try to take comments and they try to twist them. I am more invested in this young man than anybody who's talking about him. Ask OBJ himself how many phone calls we've had since his rookie year.
"It bothers me so much because so many people saying they know so much about him have never had one phone call with him. I talk to this kid as my child."
Lewis said veterans and former players have a duty to support young men as they find their way in the league. He's trying to help Beckham, or any other young player who wants help, rediscover his foundation and leave a legacy.
Lewis said Beckham reached out for guidance saying, "Big Bro, I need you" and Lewis responded, just as he does for countless other players that reach out to him. One example is Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all-time, who credits Lewis for helping him find his purpose in life.
"Let me just make sure I'm clear with this. I don't live to be liked," Lewis said. "My 'why' in life will never change. My 'why' I do what I do because I'm trying to bring more souls back to Christ that's lost. We are lost. We got schools being shot up. We got churches being shot up. This is a different call, gentlemen. And everybody wants to fight these nitpicking things. There's a bigger fight. We have to reintroduce God back to our communities."
Critics say Lewis has no place to advise Beckham about God after charges were dropped against him in an Atlanta murder case. They say Beckham's antics aren't as serious. The implication is Lewis' history disqualifies him. In the video below, Jason Whitlock says people's pasts qualify them to help others avoid similar pitfalls.
"Everybody's going to find themselves going through something, but don't ever let nobody put you back there. Your resume speaks for itself. Check my resume since then," Lewis said.
"Remember this. When OBJ's career is done, all the people who are supposed to be for him, we'll be the ones to say I told you so. And I'm sick of these young kids throwing away not only millions of dollars, but their legacy. My life changed when I was 24 years old. Alright? I learned about people. That's why the good book says put your trust in no man. So when I see these kids, I'm answering I promise you more than 150 phone calls or texts a day trying to help people figure it out. The one thing I keep going back to is your foundation."
.@RayLewis believes OBJ has walked away from his religious values pic.twitter.com/AJecS2CsbC — Speak For Yourself (@SFY) April 9, 2018
Jeremy Maclin Gets 'Preliminary Inquiries' From Eagles and Cowboys; Austin Howard Goes on Second Visit
Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and right tackle Austin Howard, two Ravens free agents, are trying to find new homes.
Maclin is still feeling out the market after he received "preliminary inquiries" from the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles, according to ESPN's Josina Anderson. Since then, however, the Eagles have signed another former Ravens receiver in Mike Wallace, and the Cowboys added Allen Hurns.
Maclin is currently training in Philadelphia and Baltimore while "waiting for the right fit," reports Anderson. The Ravens cut Maclin last month, just one year into his two-year deal. He caught 40 passes for 440 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games last season.
Meanwhile, Howard has drummed up more interest. He made his second visit during free agency to the Indianapolis Colts, according to ESPN's Field Yates. This comes after he already met with the New Orleans Saints last week. The New England Patriots has also shown "considerable interest" since the Ravens declined the 2018 option on his contract last month.
"There were reports suggesting that the Ravens were interested in bringing back Howard and it is unknown if that is still a possibility, at this point," wrote Baltimore Beatdown's Logan Levy. "It is worth noting, the Colts have $59,883,254 in cap space."
Ozzie Newsome Owns One of Best First-Round Records Over Last 10 Years
You may have seen NFL Network analyst and former Ravens scout Daniel Jeremiah's recent video reviewing the Ravens' last 10 first-round draft picks. He analyzed the team's track record, putting each pick in one of three categories: hit, miss or meh.
It got me wondering how Newsome's record stacked up to all NFL teams' last 10 first-round draft picks. Turns out, he easily has one of the best.
In Jeremiah's estimation, Newsome only had two misses (Breshad Perriman, Matt Elam), two "meh" picks and six hits.
Only two teams (New England Patriots, Houston Texans) had seven hits. Just four teams had six hits like Newsome, and half of those teams incurred more misses.
That means Newsome has been either as good or better than about 90 percent of the league. My guess is Assistant General Manager Eric DeCosta would be grinning from ear to ear if he were able to have as good of a first-round track record when he looks back 10 years after he takes over the GM job.
Below are the results for all 32 teams:
NFC North
Vikings: 3 hits, 4 mehs and 3 misses
Packers: 6 hits, 1 meh and 3 misses
Lions: 5 hits, 2 mehs and 4 misses
Bears: 4 hits, 1 meh and 5 misses
NFC South
Bucs: 5 hits, 4 mehs and 1 miss
Falcons: 5 hits, 3 mehs and 2 misses
Panthers: 6 hits, 2 mehs and 2 misses
Saints: 6 hits, 3 mehs and 1 miss
NFC East
Cowboys: 5 hits, 4 mehs and 1 miss
Eagles: 6 hits, 1 meh and 3 misses
Giants: 4 hits, 2 mehs and 4 misses
Redskins: 5 hits, 2 mehs and 3 misses
NFC West
Cardinals: 3 hits, 2 mehs and 5 misses
Rams: 6 hits, 0 mehs and 4 misses
Seahawks: 3 hits, 2 mehs and 5 misses
49ers: 2 hits, 5 mehs and 4 misses
AFC North
Ravens: 6 hits, 2 mehs and 2 misses
Steelers: 5 hits, 2 mehs and 3 misses
Bengals: 4 hits, 4 mehs and 2 misses
Browns: 1 hit, 3 mehs and 7 misses
AFC SouthColts: 3 hits, 3 mehs and 4 misses
Jaguars: 3 hits, 2 mehs and 5 misses
Texans: 7 hits, 2 mehs and 1 miss
Titans: 4 hits, 4 mehs and 2 missesAFC EastPatriots: 7 hits, 1 meh and 2 misses*Bills: 4 hits, 3 mehs and 3 misses
Jets: 5 hits, 1 meh and 4 misses
Dolphins: 3 hits, 6 mehs and 1 miss AFC West*
Broncos: 3 hits, 4 mehs and 3 misses
Chargers: 3 hits, 5 mehs and 2 misses
Chiefs: 4 hits, 3 mehs and 3 misses
Raiders: 2 hits, 2 mehs and 6 misses
* WBAL Producer Fighting Cancer*
As any regular reader of LFW knows, this space is dedicated to what is being said in and by the media, so I also try sometimes to give updates on what's happening in the lives of media members.
One media member, WBAL's Chris Dachille, is courageously fighting cancer and the "Voice of the Ravens," Gerry Sandusky, is trying to help his colleague and friend however he can. Sandusky created a "Go Fund Me" page for "Dash" as he continues to fight. If you feel so inclined to help, the link is below.
"WBAL-TV Sports Producer Chris Dachille has helped Baltimore sports fans follow every major sporting event that has happened in this town in the last two decades," the page reads. "From 2131 to the Super Bowl. Preakness. Marathons. Olympics. All of the events that drew us to the TV to watch, Chris produced the coverage. And he loved it. He lives for it.
"Insurance can only cover so much. Chris is on the hook for a financial burden that he is not in a position to handle himself. He needs us--his friends, his colleagues, his likes – and his dislikes – on social media, all of the people who share his love of TV, of sports, of Baltimore, of life."
Our thoughts and prayers go out to "Dash" and his family as he continues his brave fight.
Quick Hits
