Ray Lewis returned to new teammates, a new defense but no new contract.
Placing the negotiations on the back burner yesterday, the Ravens' All-Pro linebacker instead turned up the heat on the field in his first appearance of the off-season. Whether he was barking out signals or batting down passes over the middle, the sleekly trimmed Lewis quickly made himself at home in his revamped surroundings.
"Everything was out of my mind when I walked into the facility," Lewis said. "Football is what we do and it's simple.
"I don't want to get into the business part of it. I'm playing football, I'm in camp. If I was sitting in a business suit right now, we could talk business. But I want to play football right now. That's why I'm wearing a jersey."
Lewis had created a month-long stir by skipping voluntary passing camps along with outside linebacker Peter Boulware in the midst of contract talks. Negotiations to extend the deals of the two star linebackers have reached a stalemate.
But their much-publicized arrival surprisingly went unnoticed. With assembled TV crews and photographers aimed at the back door of the team's practice facility, Lewis and Boulware caught all off guard with their routine of entering the practice field from a side entrance.
As Lewis and Boulware rounded back to form in the sultry 90-degree temperatures, the Ravens got their first real glimpse of the new 3-4 defense (three defensive linemen and four linebackers). Though their reunion was short on ceremony, it was long on sentiment.
"You get a good feeling when everybody is in there," inside linebacker Ed Hartwell said. "They bring an aura of fire and intensity when they step on the field."
Said safety Ed Reed: "It was a totally different atmosphere out there."
The challenge for Lewis is adjusting to the new defense while leading an extremely young supporting cast.
In the old 4-3 defense, Lewis was able to roam free as the likes of veteran defensive tackles Tony Siragusa and Sam Adams occupied blockers. Now, with six first-year starters surrounding him in a new scheme, he will likely have to fight through more traffic to make the tackle.
"I know we're young, but we're fast," said Lewis, whose absence spanned three off-season camps and 12 practices. "That's a great thing. The Pittsburgh defense didn't have big-name stars. But they played together and got to the football. If we can get that going here with these young guys, we'll have the same thing."
Lewis' biggest shock occurred long before playing a down in the new defense.
Walking into the locker room, he didn't recognize many faces on a team that has 44 rookies on its 80-man roster. He didn't have his friend Rod Woodson sitting in the locker next to him or Shannon Sharpe cracking jokes from across the room.
Lewis is one of just nine remaining starters from the Ravens' Super Bowl championship team two seasons ago.
"Change is always good," Lewis said. "A bunch of hungry lions, you can lead them to a great meal."
Boulware agreed that the linebackers have to be the voice of experience this season.
"I welcome that challenge," Boulware said. "Yes, it's our responsibility to play good football. But on the other side of it, it's our responsibility to lead in the locker room, to show these guys, 'This is how we do it, this is how we work, this is how we respect each other.' That's huge in winning football games."
As Lewis and Boulware assume leadership roles, team officials have become increasingly careful not to drive a wedge between them and the linebackers during contract negotiations.
Although the Ravens cannot sign any veteran free agents without the restructuring of Lewis' and Boulware's contracts, coach Brian Billick has gone out of his way in recent days to keep from painting the linebackers as the bad guys in the talks.
"You have to understand very quickly that this will be a team," Billick said. "At the appropriate time, the business side will be behind us. We're still knee-deep in the business end of it. As long as you communicate with one another, there won't be any hard feelings or animosity."