Do The Jets Have Ray Lewis In Mini-Camp?
At first glance, the headline for this article doesn't seem terribly far-fetched, considering Jets head coach Rex Ryan was the defensive coordinator for Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens several years before coming to New York. This is the point where I'd like to ask the Literal Crowd to calm down, because the actual Ray Lewis is not in Jets rookie mini-camp.
However, there is one player that has caught the eye of the Jets head ball coach - this year's third-round draft pick Demario Davis. In a piece written by Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News, the brash loudmouth that is Rex Ryan gave high praise for Davis by comparing his leadership skills to future Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis.
You can have a list of 500 numbers up there on a wall, but how many real leaders are up there? It's easy to say, 'Well, this guy was a leader for his football team.' But does he have that thing that he can lead men? That's rare. Some guys have it. Ray Lewis motivated me as a coach. I'm not saying Demario is that guy, but... his face. His mannerisms. His passion, I see some things. When you watch (Davis) on tape, he pops off the tape.
During his time at Arkansas State, Davis played on both sides of the field as an outside linebacker, but he will need to make adjustments as he shifts from his college 4-3 scheme to the Jets' 3-4 scheme. Will he turn out to be "the steal" of the 2012 NFL Draft? I guess only time will tell.