RAY’S STANCE ISN’T SURPRISING

Florio Jr. had basketball practice this afternoon and then the family went out to dinner (the tomato and mozzarella panini at Panera is vastly underrated), so I’m just seeing for the first time the news that Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis won’t be giving his team the so-called “hometown discount.” (But at least Ray won’t be giving the Ravens the “Atlanta surprise.”) His stance makes sense. Lewis had been clamoring for a new deal for years, and the team’s position was that Lewis had signed a “retirement deal” in 2002. So now that the contract is expiring, Lewis is justified in “retiring” from the Ravens, and moving on. What’s that, you say? The Ravens could still use the franchise tag on Lewis? Don’t count on it -- they surely realize that having a pissed off Lewis on the roster is far worse than watching him walk away. The Cowboys would benefit from his leadership skills in the locker room, especially since the coaching staff has provided little of it. But would Lewis thrive in a 3-4? Typically, he prefers having two defensive tackles in front of him, tying up blockers so that he can run to the ball. The Jets make sense as well, given that his former defensive coordinator is the head coach and his former position coach is the defensive coordinator. Apart from the fact that the Jets have been using a 3-4 as well, the team would need to clear some serious cap space in order to lure a guy like Lewis. So let’s look at this a little more creatively. How about Cincinnati? They need linebackers, they run a 4-3, and coach Marvin Lewis once worked as Ray’s defensive coordinator in Baltimore. And Lewis would get a crack at the Ravens, twice per year. The Saints are desperate to improve their defense, and they have the offense to be competitive. The Cardinals have the cap room, and a guy like Lewis would be a great complement to their high-octane offense. There are plenty of opportunities. The one destination that’s becoming decreasingly likely for Lewis is Baltimore.