A little less than six minutes remained in the Ravens? 35-22 win over the New Orleans Saints Sunday, and running back Jamal Lewis was getting the call. He was just shy of 100 yards, and his 28th carry could put him over the edge.
Despite the fact that the game was a foregone conclusion at that point, Lewis needed to reach that mark for the first time this season. The team needed it, too.
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“I think everyone knew how important this game was,” Lewis said.
Lewis took the handoff from quarterback Steve McNair along the right side of the line and went five yards. He would go on to get seven more yards on three additional carries, giving him a season-high 109 yards on 31 attempts.
Suddenly, a team that had looked remarkably gun-shy about its running game appeared confident in the man some thought had lost a step.
“There?s no change in mindset,” left tackle Jonathan Ogden said. “We always want to come out there and establish pride in the running attack if we can. That makes things easier for Steve, and it makes things easier for everybody. So we?re going to go out there and try and pound the big fella down at people and see what happens.”
Lewis, who had been begging for more carries, said he wasn?t tired after getting his wish. The seven-year veteran stopped short of saying head coach Brian Billick?s play-calling made a difference in an offense that changed coordinators two weeks ago.
“By him coming in with confidence since the first day he took over, [it] made everyone more alert,” Lewis said. “I think we kind of feed off him more than anything else.”
Lewis? 3.5 yards-per-carry average Sunday certainly were not awe-inspiring, but the commitment to the run set the tone for an offense looking for an identity.
“He?s running hard and physical,” Billick said. “That?s the style of running game that we are going to have.”
Billick has not wavered in his support of Lewis, who ran for 906 yards last season. The 2005 mark was the first time Lewis had failed to reach 1,000 yards in a season in his career. With his effort against the Saints, he is on pace to reach that plateau again.
For his part, Lewis did not change his post-game demeanor from previousweeks, where he spoke in a quiet, southern drawl about the offense?s futility. He wanted to talk about team improvement.
“It?s a big momentum-builder,” Lewis said of the win. “We just need to get back in here and correct out mistakes.”
McNair said he knew Lewis was yearning to play a big role in the offense.
“Absolutely,” McNair said. “Jamal did a great job of protecting the football and a great job of running. He got some tough yards. I think we feed off the running game, and it opens up the passing game.”
