I'm not sure whose idea it was to put Ray Lewis on a live mic for a sideline interview as the Baltimore Ravens were driving for the game-winning touchdown on Thursday night, but that person needs a raise. After a lengthy punt return that set the Ravens up at the Washington Redskins' 35-yard-line, Lewis was called over for a mundane, end-of-the-game interview. But nothing with Ray Lewis is mundane, especially with the game on the line.
Here's Lewis, taking over as the play-by-play announcer as the Ravens find the end zone with under a minute to go to down the Washington Redskins (via AwfulAnnouncingBGreen on Youtube).
Note that Lewis calls for the spike as Tyrod Taylor finds Brandon Jones for the game-winning score. A coach he is not, but a broadcaster he should be.
Even if all he could get out was "Oh he faked it! Oh! Oh! Oh!," it was still must-see TV. You could tell ESPN had its finger on the dump button and the announcers were nervous Lewis might drop a string of expletives, but it all added to the entertainment of having the Ravens' linebacker on the mic during a heated moment.
And in this day and age, where NFL preseason games are pretty much meaningless, isn't it fun to see a grizzled veteran jumping around like a rookie who just witnessed his first NFL win?