Originally Posted by professorellisdtrails

This is from LAst Year - 2006

Metromix. Q&A with Mike Preston

Watching Jamal Lewis, he seems to doubt his own ability to run with the authority he has run with throughout his career. On one occasion, he started dancing in the backfield with only one defender in front of him where in past seasons he would just run to the outside and try a stiff-arm. He seems to be dancing more and more instead of just hitting the hole hard. Is it lack of confidence, or is his ankle not as healthy as he'd like us to believe?

Mike Preston, Baltimore Sun: It's about the Benjamins, baby. I wrote that earlier in the year and took a lot of criticism for it. Now it's interesting because former Ravens defensive end Michael McCrary says the same thing. When the Ravens, according to Jamal Lewis, broke their promise about giving him a contract extension before the start of the 2005 season, it took away his passion and intensity for running the ball. Basically these guys who perform at such a high level are saying: I'll put it on the line for you, tear up my body and risk injury, but you have to compensate me for it. There has to be a trust factor. It didn't happen, and Lewis has become just another running back. He's not finished. He's just not motivated to play like the old Lewis.




I heard this from Lewis throughout 2005 season and 2006. They lied to him and used him, he obviously took offense to that. It wasn't like he wasn't the same guy for two years and then used this as an excuse, he was saying it the whole time as were the writers