It's been just under two months since we graced you with the presence of the Milk Carton All-Star of the Week.
Sorry.
I could come up with some lame excuse as to why this bit went on hiatus but, quite frankly, you're smarter than that and we're better than that. Besides, everybody loves a good comeback, right?
In many ways, Jamal Lewis embodied the image that has been portrayed by the new millennium Baltimore Ravens almost as much as the middle linebacker on the other side of the ball that shared his last name. Tough, physical, bruising, in-your-face, smashmouth......and inevitably incarcerated(OK, technically, Ray Lewis never went to jail, but you get the point). At 5'11, 240 pounds with above average speed, Jamal Lewis was the power back that we see so few of these days. Time was, the running back position was dominated by monstrous men toting the rock downfield like Jim Brown, Earl Campbell, Bo Jackson, and Jerome Bettis. Now, you stare at a guy like Steven Jackson or Brandon Jacobs like you would stare at a celibate Kardashian sister. They're an endangered species. The game has been tailored to speedy scat-backs who can get out in the flats and catch the pill and are off to the races. That's why when a guy like Marshawn Lynch mows over a few Saints, Lizzie Grubman-style, you get people freaking out like the guy in the "Hold My Dick" video.
Jamal Lewis was the 5th pick of the 2000 NFL Draft, a rookie class that featured flameouts like Courtney Brown and Peter Warrick as well as two of Gabe's idols: Plaxico Burress and Ron Dayne. It didn't take long for Lewis to make his mark on a Ravens team that was lying in the weeds waiting for a breakout. He rushed for just over 1,300 yards as a rookie, leading the Ravens to a Super Bowl win as well as ending the Baltimore tenure of a man you may have heard of: Priest Holmes. Looking to follow up his impressive debut season, Jamal suffered a setback when he blew out his knee in training camp the following season. He would bounce back in 2002 with another 1,300 yard season but it would be the next year where the former Vol would put his stamp on NFL history. In 2003, Lewis became the fifth back to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season, falling just 39 yards short of eclipsing Eric Dickerson's single season mark of 2,105. Lewis didn't finish 2003 empty-handed in the record books though, as he broke Corey Dillon's single-game rushing record of 278 yards with a 295-yard day against Cleveland(the record would later be broken by Adrian Peterson, who went for 296 against San Diego in 2007). However, in typical Jamal Lewis fashion, the air came out of the tires as things were looking up. In February of 2004, reports surfaced about Lewis conspiring to acquire five kilos of cocaine. For his part, Lewis did four months in prison in Atlanta in February of the following year.
Lewis' legal troubles made the Ravens a bit hesitant to retain him in '05, as the team declined to franchise tag their workhorse back. During that same offseason, Baltimore signed former Broncos' 1,000-yard rusher Mike Anderson but still managed to bring back Lewis on a three-year deal. Lewis looked like a beaten man for the first two years of that deal, however, failing to pass 1,000 yards in 2005 and barely passing 1,100 yards in 2006. His YPC dropped from a steady average of above four yards per carry to a meager 3.5. In the spring of 2007, the Ravens cut Lewis and made a deal for another young power back: Willis McGahee.
Determined to prove he had something left in the tank, Lewis signed with Cleveland. Yes, the same Cleveland team he torched for nearly 300 yards a few years prior. With one last "Fuck You" season left in him, Lewis churned out 1,304 yards and 9 TDs in his first season with the Browns. That would be his last big year though. In 2008, the steam seemed to be coming out of him, as he had to struggle every one of his 1,002 yards. Midway into the 2009 season, Lewis announced he would retire at season's end, as he became frustrated with the lack of effort on a mediocre Browns team. He would finish the season with just 500 yards in an injury-plagued final season. Lewis finished his career with just under 11,000 yards and 58 TDs. His standing as one of a select few to rush for 2K keeps his name alive in the Hall of Fame debate but his lack of consistent production gives him as much a shot at Canton as Justin Bieber in an Octagon with Georges St. Pierre.
Regardless, let's give a round of applause for an athlete who was half-Barry Foster, half-Frank Lucas.......Jamal Lewis, everybody!!!!
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