Ravens’ Lewis: Trash-talking Jets haven't accomplished anything

Ray Lewis is quickly tiring of the trash-talking Jets, and his former defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.

The Ravens linebacker told the Baltimore Sun the Jets are getting a little ahead of themselves with Super Bowl talk and comparisons made by Antonio Cromartie likening Gang Green to the star-studded Miami Heat.

"I’m going to be very careful with this, we’re talking about the Jets like we’re talking about the Saints," Lewis said. "That’s the Super Bowl champs. Until they play tonight, that’s the only people that can be dethroned. Drew Brees and the Saints, not Mark Sanchez and the Jets. All of this 'We’re the Miami Heat of football.' If you’re the Miami Heat, we got to be the Lakers and multiple rings."

The Jets will get their first chance to back up that talk when Lewis and the Ravens, who beat the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, come to the New Meadowlands Stadium for a Monday night showdown.

“The game ain’t played through tongues," Lewis said. "The game is played when you buckle up your chin strap. So, all this pressure [Ryan] wants to put on his team, I hope they can cash the check that he writes."

Lewis was the middle linebacker for Ryan when he was the defensive coordinator in Baltimore. He watched as Ryan left to become the Jets head coach before the 2009 season and took former teammates Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard with him.

"If you need to put it in your locker room, go for it," Ryan said.

Ryan, who was close to Lewis and even tried to recruit him to come to the Jets when he became coach, was amused by the comments.

“Ray was the most inspirational player that I’ve ever had the honor of coaching,” Ryan said. “Guy’s an amazing guy. He’s all-in. It’s team, and his team only, and that’s all he cares about. That’s the way it should be. He’s going to be going up against a team this week that, trust me, we don’t care about them, either. It’s going to be a no-holds-barred match.”

Lewis also took offense to Ryan mentioning him in Wednesday night’s finale of “Hard Knocks.” Ryan was talking to Sanchez and telling him he was going to let him call the plays in the second half of their final preseason game, a move he tried with the Ravens defense and Lewis (along with Ed Reed). Ryan insinuated that Lewis and Reed couldn’t handle making the calls.

"We’re not talking about whether I didn’t want to call one defense or not," Lewis said. "Coach Mark Sanchez. Coach your Jets. My name should not come out of Rex’s mouth unless you’re telling somebody to come block me, which is going to be a very hard damn task come Monday night."

Lewis didn't sound too concerned with Sanchez or recently returned Darrelle Revis.

"(Sanchez) struggles a lot when he has to throw the ball a lot," Lewis said. "That’s just not his forte. It’s not their team’s thing. You have to grasp the team concept."

Lewis seemed happy Revis was back on the Jets defense after ending a 36-day holdout this week.

“I’m just glad he is signed, so there are no excuses,” Lewis said in a conference call with New York media. “Don’t come and say, ’Oh, we didn’t have Revis.’ Have everybody you need to have. ... Stack your deck and let’s play football.”

With AP