Throngs of people donning Ravens gear lined up to get an autograph from the team’s biggest star. He obliged, day in and day out. He appeared still to be the team’s leader and Baltimore’schief sports hero.

But changes are hovering over the Ravens and the team?s inner makeup. Its once unquestioned leader is getting older and other players are being groomed to take a more prominent leadership role.

“With this football team, they’ve been together long enough where there are several leaders, but Ray obviously is the guy,” defensive coordinator Rex Ryan said.

Lewis, 31, has been the very image of the Ravens for the last decade. On the field, he is full of swagger and bravado, and no player backs it up better. Lewis, a former Super Bowl MVP, two-time NFL defensive player of the year, and seven-time Pro Bowler, created one of the most feared personas in league history.

With an intensity that made him a natural leader on the field, Lewis has recorded 1,674 total tackles and 21 interceptions in 10 seasons and is a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer.

“Whatever mood he’s in, it’s a swagger, it’s a presence,” Ravens linebacker Bart Scott said. “He’s the leader of our defense, he’s the emotional leader, he’s the vocal leader and whenever he’s out there, it gives us an opportunity to look to our leader.”

Throughout the preseason, Lewis has appeared happy. When he has talked publicly, he sounded like the man dubbed “The General” by some.

“I only step out here to win a Super Bowl,” Lewis said. “That’s it. This whole offseason, me laying up coming off of surgery, I knew one thing: I needed to get back to the Super Bowl. And when I make phone calls to my teammates, I was like, ‘Look man, that’s all that’s on our minds.’ We don’t have to set out plays and do all that. But the Super Bowl ends in Miami.”

Even while he talked like the player who has led the team during its first decade, there are changes in the works. The team, in its 11th year, is trying to get some of its burgeoning stars ? safety Ed Reed, linebacker Adalius Thomas and tight end Todd Heap ?to assume roles of leadership to lighten Lewis? load.

At the same time, the team is subtly marketing Lewis less and promoting the team more. The Ravens realize, however, that it will be difficult to find someone as charismatic as Lewis once he leaves the game.

“He’s the head guy, but there’s other leaders as well,” Ryan said. “Adalius Thomas has now been playing seven years. You’ve got Ed Reed ? just because his experience maybe isn’t what some of the others are, his knowledge of the game, knowledge of the defense and all of that, is way above most people that have played that little of football.”

Ryan and head coach Brian Billick both say that Lewis does not need to shoulder the load of leadership.

“We’re excited about the guys we have,” Ryan said. “It’s great because it?s not just one voice they hear, but believe me, Ray is still the focal point.”

The Ravens traded for quarterback Steve McNair in the offseason, giving them their first legitimate quarterback in a number of years and an offensive counter-balance to Lewis. McNair, however, is far more unassuming. He moves quietly from play to play. A mere look into the eyes of his teammates is all McNair needs.

Lewis, on the other hand, has routinely gotten into his teammates? faces over the years, imploring them to perform.

“It’s the same respect that Steve McNair has on offense,” Scott said of how he views Lewis. “It gives you a swagger and it gives you a confidence about yourself because he’s been there and done that. He’s proven it.”

Off the field, Lewis has long held sway over Baltimore, understanding the city enjoys the underdog role. He played it to the hilt.

“As far as right now, there could be no more excitement in Baltimore because we’re very unpredictable right now,” Lewis said. “Everybody else has their thing in place, but a lot of people have always played us one way.”

Lewis, who has been very active in the community, took a publicity hit during the offseason after leveling criticisms against the team following a 6-10 campaign in which he was injured for much of the season. Lewis complained at the time that he was not being provided the opportunity to dominate the way he did early in his career, and his popularity took a hit.

He later apologized.

“It’s about, simply, I’m not a loser,” Lewis said at the time. “I hate losing, and anytime you go through something that we went through last year as an organization, if we’re satisfied with that, that’s our fault. And me, first and foremost, if I’m satisfied with that to not come back and want to be better as a leader of this team ? nah, I’m not doing my job to the young guys. And I’m definitely not giving justice.”

The team said Lewis remains a viable part of their future plans.

“A player of that caliber, a player of that dynamic presence is always going to have a strong presence on this football team,” Billick said. “But Ray … recognized that we need more players across the board to step up into the leadership role.”

The team decided in the offseason that Lewis? pregame introduction dance, a game-day staple, would not return. The purpose, some said in the organization, was to not promote one man above all others.

The decision was met with mixed reaction. It took up hours on sports talk radio and elicited a petition from fans to have the team bring the dance back.

“This team and our fans have loved that, and that served its purpose at the time,” Billick said.

After all the offseason drama, Lewis seems emotionally redeemed.

“Sometimes when you get injured, it allows your mind to rest and get better,” linebacker Bart Scott said.

That appears to be the case with Lewis, who sounds like the man of old.

“I only play it one way,” he said. “I play it with reckless abandon and, hey, whatever comes up, comes up. I can always come back and have fun and just do what I do best.”