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 ESPN's Solomon Wilcots speaks with Super Bowl XXXV MVP Ray Lewis.
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 The only thing that could stop Ray Lewis this weekend were the words of his son.
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Ray Lewis describes the mood of the team following its Super Bowl victory.
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Ray Lewis says his tipped pass in the first quarter set the tone for the game.
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| | Monday, January 29
Lewis basks in Super Bowl glory
By Wayne Drehs
ESPN.com
TAMPA, Fla. -- With a raspy, hoarse voice after a sleepless Super
Bowl-winning night, Ray Lewis finally let his guard down ... or flipped it up,
rather.
|  | | Ray Lewis had a much brighter disposition the day after being named Super Bowl MVP. |
Lewis, who butted heads with the media this week for its constant
questions regarding last year's murder charges, laughed, smiled and
surprisingly flipped the brim up on the floppy hat that days earlier was used to
hide his face.
That's what winning a Super Bowl and being named the game's MVP can do for
you.
"If I really could describe my emotions about what I went through this
past offseason, it wouldn't be a true emotion, with what I went through,"
he said. "And for me to put that into words, I can't. It's something when I
sit on my couch and take that deep breath, I know that everything is all
right."
It was the ultimate vindication for Lewis, who leaned against the
interview room wall Monday morning and listened as NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue -- who issued Lewis a $250,000 fine for his involvement in last year's post-Super Bowl tragic affair in Atlanta -- said Lewis is among the greatest linebackers ever.
Lewis, who said the celebration among his teammates was still going on
when he and coach Brian Billick arrived for the 8:30 a.m. ET press conference Monday,
added that the highlight of the night for him was seeing the joy on the face
of his 5-year-old son Ray III.
"There is no feeling in the world better than to walk up to my son who
tells me, 'Daddy, you were Super Bowl MVP,' " Lewis said. "For my son to say
that, it's amazing that he knows everything that happened."
Does he ever. Ray III also teased dad Sunday night about his four pass
deflections, which the younger Lewis and Billick alike tabbed as
four lost interceptions.
"He said to me, 'I can't believe you dropped those balls,' Lewis said,
"because I tell him all the time to catch every ball I throw to him. But
when he told me that, wow. I think that was probably my proudest moment."
Lewis, who originally planned to go straight from Tampa to Honolulu for
next Sunday's Pro Bowl, changed his plans, electing to make a stop in
Baltimore to soak in the celebration before heading to Hawaii.
"My fans have been incredibly supportive of me all season," said Lewis,
who will take two or three weeks off after the Pro Bowl and then begin his
rigorous offseason training regimen. "Without going back to them, I would
feel like I was cheating them."
Lewis said it was difficult for him to adequately reflect on the events
that have transpired over the past year, from being charged with murder to winning the Super Bowl MVP.
But like he did on the Monday prior to the Super Bowl, when he blasted the media's coverage of the
Lewis saga, Billick came to his star linebacker's rescue.
"I pray that nobody in this room has to go through what he went through,"
Billick said. "But if you do have to deal with that kind of crisis, pray
that you handle it in the way Ray did in terms of confidence, holding true
to your convictions, and just staying true to the person that you are and
having the strength to get through it."
The biggest challenge for the Ravens now is that of repeating. As excited
as Baltimore is now about its tenacious defense, the St. Louis Rams were
just as ecstatic last year about their Super Bowl-winning prolific offense.
And the Rams didn't win a playoff game this year. Nor did last year's Super Bowl
runnerups, the Tennessee Titans.
Add to that the fact Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis, the
architect of the Baltimore scheme, is likely to take one of the two open head
coaching jobs, Cleveland or Buffalo, and that makes the prospect of a
back-to-back seem even more daunting.
"I think you have to give 90 percent of the credit to him for our
defense, because he's the master behind it," Ray Lewis said. "At the same time,
we have to understand that if he does leave, we can't cry. We've just got to
keep doing what we're doing and pushing on. He has to make a decision that's
best for his life, whatever that may be."
Billick said he would be surprised if Marvin Lewis returns to the
Ravens, pointing out that the nature of the NFL today is to tear apart
successful teams via free agency and other avenues.
"I've always told our team if you're a free agent, I don't expect you to
take a financial hit for the sake of the team. You have to go out there and
better yourself. There's a time for pay and a time for play. This team, from
the beginning of camp to yesterday, focused on one thing, the play. Now it's
the season for pay, and we'll try to hold onto the integrity of this team."
For being named Super Bowl MVP, Lewis was awarded with a 2001 Ford
Explorer, a far cry from the 1994 Honda Accord the linebacker drove as his
first car. He said that numerous potential advertisers have contacted him
already, looking to cash in on his success story.
Wayne Drehs is an ESPN.com staff writer.
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