Milton Waddams
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Many believe Ray Lewis is the best middle linebacker in NFL history.
Kevin Mawae, one of the most decorated centers in the league, doesn't think Lewis is the top middle linebacker among Saturday's Hall of Fame nominees.
Mawae surprisingly told the Talk of Fame Network that he would pick Brian Urlacher over Lewis if he was the coach of a pickup football team.
Mawae, a Hall of Fame finalist as well, predicted Lewis and Urlacher will both make it to Canton. But, in Mawae's opinion, Urlacher gets the edge over Lewis because of style of play.
"To me, Ray was all over the place -- an athletic guy, but he was not a downhill hitter,” Mawae told Talk of Fame Network. "He’s not taking on offensive linemen. He was a jump-around guy. Brian Urlacher, sideline to sideline ... could do it all ... just like Ray. But he was more of a physical player in the box against offensive linemen, and that’s just the way I view it.”
Lewis is considered a virtual lock to be a first-ballot Hall of Fame player when voting occurs Saturday. He was a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the Baltimore Ravens who made 13 Pro Bowls and was named first-team All-Pro seven times.
Some believe Urlacher's path to the Hall could be blocked by Lewis this year.
"The [voters] are sitting there and you have Brian and Ray up," Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy told The Chicago Tribune. "Are they going to put two middle linebackers in the same year? ... I think he is going to lose votes just because of the year he’s come up. Doesn’t have anything to do with talent or ability and it doesn’t have anything to do with whether he should be in the Hall of Fame or not."
Urlacher's résumé isn't as decorated as Lewis'. The centerpiece of the Chicago Bears' defense was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2005, reached eight Pro Bowls and was honored as a first-team All-Pro four times.
Measuring Urlacher against Lewis goes beyond numbers, according to Mawae.
“Urlacher did all the stuff Ray did,” said Mawae, a seven-time All-Pro who played against Lewis and Urlacher. "But he played downhill on you. He’s going to come in and put his helmet on you and shed blocks. I never felt that way about Ray. And whenever we played Ray, it was never like ... ‘Oh, man I’ve gotta’ ... I felt a bigger challenge for me was playing Zach Thomas than Ray Lewis."
Urlacher actually disagreed with Mawae on the best middle linebacker.
"If I'm lucky enough to go in with Ray, I'll say this about Ray: I think I'm pretty good; Ray's the best of all time," Urlacher said in May 2013. "His numbers, guys who played with him, you watch him, he did it the right way, he played hard. He's the best middle linebacker of all time."
Urlacher vs. Lewis
A comparison of the careers of Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis:
URLACHER LEWIS
Seasons 13 17
Tackles 1,353 2,050
Sacks 41.5 41.5
Interceptions 22 31
Forced fumbles 12 19
Fumble recoveries 16 19
Touchdowns 4 3
Many believe Ray Lewis is the best middle linebacker in NFL history.
Kevin Mawae, one of the most decorated centers in the league, doesn't think Lewis is the top middle linebacker among Saturday's Hall of Fame nominees.
Mawae surprisingly told the Talk of Fame Network that he would pick Brian Urlacher over Lewis if he was the coach of a pickup football team.
Mawae, a Hall of Fame finalist as well, predicted Lewis and Urlacher will both make it to Canton. But, in Mawae's opinion, Urlacher gets the edge over Lewis because of style of play.
"To me, Ray was all over the place -- an athletic guy, but he was not a downhill hitter,” Mawae told Talk of Fame Network. "He’s not taking on offensive linemen. He was a jump-around guy. Brian Urlacher, sideline to sideline ... could do it all ... just like Ray. But he was more of a physical player in the box against offensive linemen, and that’s just the way I view it.”
Lewis is considered a virtual lock to be a first-ballot Hall of Fame player when voting occurs Saturday. He was a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the Baltimore Ravens who made 13 Pro Bowls and was named first-team All-Pro seven times.
Some believe Urlacher's path to the Hall could be blocked by Lewis this year.
"The [voters] are sitting there and you have Brian and Ray up," Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy told The Chicago Tribune. "Are they going to put two middle linebackers in the same year? ... I think he is going to lose votes just because of the year he’s come up. Doesn’t have anything to do with talent or ability and it doesn’t have anything to do with whether he should be in the Hall of Fame or not."
Urlacher's résumé isn't as decorated as Lewis'. The centerpiece of the Chicago Bears' defense was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2005, reached eight Pro Bowls and was honored as a first-team All-Pro four times.
Measuring Urlacher against Lewis goes beyond numbers, according to Mawae.
“Urlacher did all the stuff Ray did,” said Mawae, a seven-time All-Pro who played against Lewis and Urlacher. "But he played downhill on you. He’s going to come in and put his helmet on you and shed blocks. I never felt that way about Ray. And whenever we played Ray, it was never like ... ‘Oh, man I’ve gotta’ ... I felt a bigger challenge for me was playing Zach Thomas than Ray Lewis."
Urlacher actually disagreed with Mawae on the best middle linebacker.
"If I'm lucky enough to go in with Ray, I'll say this about Ray: I think I'm pretty good; Ray's the best of all time," Urlacher said in May 2013. "His numbers, guys who played with him, you watch him, he did it the right way, he played hard. He's the best middle linebacker of all time."
Urlacher vs. Lewis
A comparison of the careers of Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis:
URLACHER LEWIS
Seasons 13 17
Tackles 1,353 2,050
Sacks 41.5 41.5
Interceptions 22 31
Forced fumbles 12 19
Fumble recoveries 16 19
Touchdowns 4 3
