Ravens' Ayanbadejo: Ray Lewis was 'nervous' before Colts game
It was an emotional scene in Baltimore on Sunday for what was likely Ray Lewis' final home game as a member of the Ravens.
Lewis looked mostly celebratory when he busted out his signature dance before -- and after! -- the game, but don't be fooled: The future Hall of Fame linebacker was nervous.
"I've never really seen Ray nervous before," Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo told Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports after the Ravens' victory. "I mean, Ray Lewis doesn't get nervous. Well, Ray was nervous. It was a pretty amazing sight."
Lewis really isn't a guy whom we think of when it comes to nerves. He's cool and calm until it's time to play. Then he becomes a terrifying ball of teammate-motivating energy.
But he knew it was his final game in Baltimore, so there's reason to think he'd be nervous.
Additionally, Lewis also knew that if he ended up losing to the Colts, his career would be, barring a Favrian flip-flop, over. So it's safe to say the decision to hang it up as an NFL player coupled with the possibility of losing his final home game probably had Lewis a tad on the nervous side.
It showed, too, when Lewis dropped an early shot at an interception of Andrew Luck that he probably would've come close to returning to the end zone. Lewis couldn't make the play (and he missed a lot of other plays as well), but his team won. And now he gets to test his nerves against Peyton Manning in Denver.
For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, subscribe to our RSS Feed watch Pro Football 360 daily at 3 p.m. ET and NFL newsletter. You can follow Will Brinson on Twitter here: @willbrinson.
