OWINGS MILLS – Ray Lewis’ burly right shoulder made as much of a statement as his strong words days prior to kickoff Monday night.
The Baltimore Ravens’ All-Pro middle linebacker sent New York Jets tight end Dustin Keller flailing through the air with a devastating hit in the final minute of a 10-9 victory Monday night at the Meadowlands.
It was another signal that the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year is still a formidable, intimidating presence, even at age 35 and just beginning his 15th season in the league.
"Ray Lewis lost a step? I don’t think so," coach John Harbaugh said. "He is the best linebacker in football, no doubt about it."
Lewis made it a special point to respond to Jets coach Rex Ryan’s comments last week, getting the Ravens fired up for their season opener.
Lewis also huddled up the Ravens before kickoff with the rallying cry, "Family."
"That’s real for Ray," Harbaugh said. "Ray is the Ravens. We wanted to win this game for Ray, and we did."
Lewis registered four tackles, less than usual, but seemed as animated and aggressive as ever.
He didn’t look slower even if he’s obviously not quite as fast as he was when he entered the NFL as the Ravens’ second first-round draft pick after Jonathan Ogden in 1996, the franchise’s inaugural season.
"When you hear people say stuff like that, the bottom line is just to turn on the film," Lewis said. "When you love the game, you just play and not worry about the outside voices saying what you are not. My team looks at me like the leader and I’m going to keep leading."
TOUGH NIGHT FOR ZBIKOWSKI: It was a rough debut for Tom Zbikowski as the Ravens’ new punt returner.
He lost four yards on one third quarter return, catching a Steve Weatherford punt at the Ravens’ five-yard line. He ran sideways before getting tackled at the one-yard line.
"I drifted a little too much and I took a chance," said Zbikowski, a former third-round draft pick who ran back three punts for touchdowns at Notre Dame. "I got a little not really caught up in the game. I drifted, I didn’t realize. I got to pay more attention to where I’m at on the field. I’ll correct it. It’s nothing that can’t be corrected."
A repeat performance like that one could possibly get him replaced.
"Disappointing," Harbaugh said when asked how Zbikowski fared on that third quarter return. "Tom was disappointed. I thought he did a nice job of catching the ball and securing the ball, but I think he tried too hard to make a play.
"Sometimes, guys will do that in their first outing. You’ve got to respect the guys covering a little bit more and take the ball north and south. Zibby will learn from that. We had a good conversation about it on the train, and it was good-hearted. He’ll be fine, but we need better."
Harbaugh was noncommittal on whether the Jets will stick with Zbikowski, noting that the team has other choices, including Chris Carr.
"We’ll see, we never rule anything out," Harbaugh said. "We have Chris Carr as an option and some other guys. Zibby, I think can be good at it."
HEAP INJURY NOT BAD: Tight end Todd Heap’s strained shoulder isn’t regarded as serious and he’s expected to return to practice today after getting hurt against the New York Jets diving for a catch.
Harbaugh indicated that the team isn’t concerned about Heap’s status.
"He should practice," Harbaugh said. "We’ll see as the week goes on if it flares up and he doesn’t practice then it will be a red flag. We’ll see as the week goes on. It was a great catch. Todd played well."
NICKEL BACK: The Ravens utilized reserve safety Haruki Nakamura in their nickel package, having him cover wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery out of the slot.
Cotchery was held to two receptions for 18 yards.
The Ravens used Nakamura because they deactivated cornerbacks Webb and Bryan McCann.
"The one thing we talked about is that we want to win this game with class and cruelty, that was our two C’s that Harbaugh gave to us," Nakamura said. "I feel like we did that. We played as hard as we could. We won with class; obviously there were some physical things going on, there were a few fights here and there, but that’s what you have to expect."
Harbaugh was impressed with Nakamura’s work, indicating that he’ll compete with Josh Wilson for playing time.
"That’s going to be real interesting to see how that shakes out, because all of a sudden we have some competition," Harbaugh said. "With Haruki, I don’t think we anticipated necessarily him to this level being able to cover in the slot. Now he’s got some things that he does really well, and of course, he’s got limitations.
‘But he understands the defense really well, he’s very quick and athletic, and he’s a playmaker. Those are things that are hard, and in that position in there, those are the most important things, if you understand what you’re doing."
ROSTER MOVES: The Ravens have brokered injury settlements with reserve offensive linemen David Hale and Stefan Rodgers, removing them from injured reserve.
Hale bruised his tailbone in a collision with Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata during training camp.
He’s a former fourth-round draft pick who played in 18 games during two seasons in a special-teams role.
Rodgers dealt with ankle and knee issues during the preseason. He was on the Ravens’ practice squad last year after a previous stint with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Meanwhile, the Ravens cut former Miami Dolphins sixth-round offensive tackle Andrew Gardner from the practice squad and have re-signed former Carolina Panthers quarterback Hunter Cantwell to take his place.
Cantwell was released last week so the Ravens could sign cornerback David Pender to the practice squad.
WEBB STAYING PATIENT: Cornerback Lardarius Webb didn’t seem bothered by being scratched for the first game.
Webb tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee Dec. 20 against the Chicago Bears.
"I’m real close," Webb said. "It was a coach’s decision. It was a group decision, I should say, all of us. I would like to be here for a while so we’re going to be careful."
The Ravens don’t seem incline to accelerate Webb’s return.
"It’s just a healing process," Harbaugh said. "We’ve said before, we don’t want to rush those guys back. We didn’t want to rush Fabian back. Fabian, we really had to hold back. Lardarius, between he and the doctors and what we see, we’re just going to take it slow.
"We want it to be right when he comes back. I thought he had a chance to play last week, and he wasn’t able to do it in the end. I think he’s got a chance to play this week. Whether he can do it or not, it’s really going to be his decision."
TEMPERS FLARE: There was heated action even prior to the win over the Jets.
Ravens Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice was involved in a confrontation with Jets veteran defensive end Shaun Ellis.
Ellis shoved Rice, and Rice threw a football at the defensive lineman before former Ravens linebacker Bart Scott threw the ball at Rice.
"It was a lot of heated emotion," Rice said. "Get up in a guy’s face. He jumped at you. This is football. This is a tough guys sport. No matter how small I am, I’m not going to back down. I [have] 53 men behind me, too. I’m not sure if it was going to go to blows or not. I think there’s a certain presence that you have to have.
"It’s like a lion. When a lion sees blood, they go after it. Our team is the same way. We’re a team that fuels off that stuff. We’re a physical team and they’re a physical team."
STALLWORTH DISMISSES REPORT: Ravens wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth denied an ESPN report from former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson that he’ll be out for the rest of the season with a broken foot that required surgery.
Stallworth issued the denial on his Twitter account.
"Contrary to remarks made by my big homie Keyshawn on @espn last night, I’m not out for the season," Stallworth wrote. "Walking fine w/o crutches…Feeling good! 🙂 ..
"Not bashing Keyshawn at all, that’s my big homie…Just wanted to clear things up for all."
NO NEWS: Harbaugh said he didn’t have any update on rookie outside linebacker Sergio Kindle, who fractured his skull in late July.
YANDA, CHESTER TO STAY IN THE LINEUP: The Ravens don’t seem inclined to go away from their offensive line changes of Marshal Yanda now playing right tackle and Chris Chester installed at right guard.
Although there were some mistakes with Yanda allowing a sack and Chester flagged for holding, the Ravens seem committed to sticking with them.
"I thought they did really well just looking at the tape," Harbaugh said. "There were plays that we’d like to have back all across the front. Those guys practiced there for about a week and a half. So, I think they’re ready to do it, but there’s nothing like a game to learn from."
Do the Ravens envision Gaither as a long-term option at tackle even when he returns from his back injury?
"Yes, yes, we do," Harbaugh said.
QUICK HIT: Rookie defensive tackle Terrence Cody remains optimistic that he could play this week against the Cincinnati Bengals after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
"I probably should be ready," said Cody, who’s off crutches. "Yeah, I’m getting better."
