Brian Billick: Ray Lewis is the greatest leader I’ve ever seen

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Brian Billick was the head coach of the Ravens when they won Super Bowl XXXV, but Billick doesn’t take the credit for leading that team. Billick says that team’s leader was Ray Lewis.

Reflecting on Lewis’s announcement that he will retire after the playoffs, Billick said on Mike and Mike in the Morning that he has never seen a person who can lead a football team like Lewis can.

“He’s the greatest individual leader on a football team I’ve ever seen,” Billick said of Lewis.

Billick mentioned the November 26, 2000, game against the Browns as one that he’ll never forget: The Browns marched down the field on their opening possession and went 86 yards and scored a touchdown, which was a major disappointment for a great Baltimore defense that had already shut out four opponents that season. As the defense came to the sideline, Billick was about to gather them and address them, but Lewis took over the coaching.

“Ray looks at me and says, ‘Don’t say a thing — I got it,’” Billick said. “So I make a hard left turn to the Gatorade and get out of the way. And so for the rest of the day — keep in mind they had gone 86 yards to score — they had 124 yards total offense for the day. That team was possessed, and Ray Lewis, it was his passion, his focus, his execution.”

Amazingly, the story is even better than Billick remembers — the Browns only had 112 total yards that day, and after that opening touchdown the Ravens outscored the Browns 44-0 the rest of the way. The Ravens won all the rest of their games that season, up to and including the Super Bowl, when Lewis was the MVP.

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Last year, then-49ers quarterback Alex Smith caused a stir by pointing out that stats don’t supersede wins.  While that concept isn’t controversial standing alone, Smith’s decision to point to the Panthers and quarterback Cam Newton gave it a little extra edge.

This year, Smith at least can say he’s consistent.

On Wednesday, the new Chiefs quarterback was asked about receiver Dwayne Bowe’s recent boast that he’ll lead the NFL in receiving.

“I’m not worried about that,” Smith said, via quotes distributed by the team.  “I’m really trying to lead the team in wins.  It would be great, but that’s such a long way off.  I’m not thinking about that to be honest.  Not at all.  Jacksonville is the date we’re all looking at.  It’s all we care about.  We have a lot of practices to get ready, and we need a lot of practices to get ready for that game.  We have to play a lot of catch up.  We don’t have the luxury of having been together for years and been in the same system.  We’re playing catch up right now.  We have to make up a lot of ground.”

It’s the right attitude, and the proper urgency.  Every NFL season is a separate entity, and the Chiefs are trying with a new coach, new G.M. and new quarterback to turn the page on a 2-14 season.  Many assume they’ll improve; what we know for now is that, if the choice comes down to improving statistically or via victories, Smith will take the latter.

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The Browns have waived quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, a league source told PFT’s Mike Florio on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old Lewis started the 2012 season finale for Cleveland, completing 22-of-32 passes for 204 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

A Duke product, Lewis entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2010 with St. Louis. After the Rams let him go in 2011, he landed with the Browns, who were then coached by Pat Shurmur, the Rams’ former offensive coordinator. Shurmur is now the Eagles’ offensive coordinator.

Lewis’ departure leaves Brandon Weeden, Jason Campbell and Brian Hoyer as the Browns’ quarterbacks.

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One-fourth of the NFL’s head coaches have salaries of more than $6 million, and coaches in professional football earn incomes that far exceed their counterparts in other pro sports.

That’s the word from Forbes, which is out with its latest ranking of the highest-paid coaches in North American professional sports. As we noted when he signed his new contract in December, Saints coach Sean Payton now makes $8 million a year, making him the highest-paid coach anywhere.

Of the nine pro coaches who make more than $6 million, eight of them are in the NFL: Payton, Patriots coach Bill Belichick ($7.5 million), Chiefs coach Andy Reid ($7.5 million), Seahawks coach Pete Carroll ($7 million), Rams coach Jeff Fisher ($7 million), Redskins coach Mike Shanahan ($7 million), Giants coach Tom Coughlin ($6.67 million) and Eagles coach Chip Kelly ($6.5 million).

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers is the highest-paid coach outside the NFL, at $7 million a year.

Unlike players’ contracts, coaches’ contracts are usually kept private, so it’s possible that some of the reported numbers are off. But suffice to say, the coaches at the top of the NFL pay scale are doing pretty well for themselves. With Payton doing better than any of them.

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Jets coach Rex Ryan says quarterback Mark Sanchez made too many mistakes at today’s Organized Team Activities, and he simply must improve.

Sanchez threw three interceptions in his 11 passes during today’s OTAs, and Ryan told reporters afterward that he considers that “unacceptable.” Ryan said Sanchez also made some good throws, but that Ryan feels the need to be candid enough to tell Sanchez when his mistakes are glaring.

“This is OTAs and things, but yeah, that’s going to be the pressure that we’re putting on him,” Ryan said. “He did a lot of great things. It’s not that you try to cover up the fact you had some bad plays — no, no, no you flat tell him. We can’t have these and all that type of stuff. He knows.”

Ryan liked the way his defense played, but he’d prefer not to see his quarterback throwing that many passes to the guys in the different colored jerseys.

“It’s a good thing defense makes the plays, but no, I’d rather him not turn the ball over once,” Ryan said. “He did a lot of great things, and then those negative things, at the end of the day, that’s what gets you beat. And so we’ve got to to do a better job of eliminating those turnovers.”

If Sanchez doesn’t do a better job of eliminating those turnovers, Geno Smith will be starting in Week One.

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Rams guard Rokevious Watkins was limited to just one game in his rookie season because of an ankle injury and he won’t be playing all 16 games in his second season either.

The NFL announced that Watkins has been suspended for the first game of the 2013 season. The suspension is for a violation of the substance-abuse policy, although it is not immediately clear why Watkins was suspended for just one game when others like Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon and Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington received four-game suspensions.

Watkins played tackle at South Carolina but the Rams moved him inside to guard after selecting him in the fifth round of the 2012 draft. He started the opener at left guard, but got hurt in that game and wound up missing the rest of the year. He was the likely bet to win this summer’s competition for the same job this year, although the suspension could change things.

Rookie Barrett Jones, former Bear Chris Williams and Shelley Smith are possibilities to start the opener in place of Watkins or, perhaps, win the job outright.

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We’ve been reminded yet again that they don’t give out the Lombardi Trophy in May.

Even when things look great on paper, the paper yields to practicality once players start getting injured.  In the case of the 49ers, the favorite target of quarterback Colin Kaepernick could now be gone for a while.

The question becomes whether the 49ers will stay in house to replace Michael Crabtree, who is expected to miss six months, or whether they will add other options to fill the void.  Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the 49ers had not yet contacted Randy Moss about a possible return to the team to which he publicly said farewell, after it became clear that the Niners had planned to say “ta-ta” to him.

The 49ers may now need Moss, who kept quiet about his discontent with a minimal role in 2012 until Super Bowl week.  In 2013, Moss could have a more significant role, given Crabtree’s absence.

There aren’t many other options on the free-agency market.  Brandon Lloyd, a fourth-round pick of the 49ers a decade ago who had 74 catches for 911 yards in 2012 with New England, is available.

It’s also possible, in theory, that the Niners will look at the trade market or, as the offseason yields to training camp and the preseason, the waiver wire.  Either way, the Niners unexpectedly have lost a key piece of their puzzle, which will make it a little harder to put together a successful Super Bowl run in 2013.

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Maybe the Jaguars should just draft exclusively from Rutgers, and we can cut out the middleman.

The Patriots claimed journeyman tackle Kevin Haslam off waivers.

According to Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com, that makes Haslam the eighth Rutgers player on the Patriots roster.

Rutgers barely has that many players on its own roster, but it indicates the still-growing bond between Bill Belichick and Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano, who recruited or coached these Scarlet Knights.

Haslam has already played for the Jaguars, along with the Raiders and Chargers, who waived him most recently.

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The Giants have signed seventh-round pick Eric Herman, an offensive guard from Ohio. The move was disclosed in the NFL’s Wednesday transaction report.

Should he make the Giants’ roster, Herman (6-4, 320) would likely backup either left guard Kevin Boothe or right guard Chris Snee.

“He likes contact,” Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross said of Herman after the draft, according to the club. “He plays hard. Not the most gifted athlete, but he’s just a tough guy and he’s big. A big, smart, tough guy and we think he’ll bring a physical presence to the line.”

Herman (pictured at right with fellow rookie Justin Pugh) started 51 consecutive games for the Bobcats, according to school data. Ohio credited him with 128 pancake blocks in 2012, and he earned second-team All-Mid-American Conference honors for his play at right guard.

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Charles Woodson’s return to Oakland has excited plenty of Raiders fans and it sounds like coach Dennis Allen is pretty excited about the chance to coach the team’s 1998 first-round pick.

Allen told Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group that he enjoyed seeing fans lined up outside the facility waiting for confirmation that Woodson would be returning to Oakland and that he likes what Woodson brings to the table as a leader for the defense. He also sees Woodson as a player whose experience in the league can bring something of value to the offensive side of the ball as well.

It’s not a return to playing wide receiver, something did on the way to a Heisman Trophy while playing for the University of Michigan.

“You want to play this game with a swagger, with a little bit of an air of confidence,” Allen said. “Charles . . . he’s got that swagger and I think he can bring some of that to our team – not just defensively, but to the whole team in general.”

Confidence can’t take the place of a roster stuffed with talent, but it isn’t a bad thing to bring into a team trying to break a long string of years without a winning season. That streak may not end in 2013, but the Raiders obviously hope Woodson can help grow the Raiders team that finally finds itself back on happier ground come the final standings.

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The Panthers signed second-rounder Kawann Short earlier today, and finished up the defensive tackle double-dip this afternoon.

According to a Twitter message from his agents, first-rounder Star Lotulelei has agreed to his deal with the Panthers.

His ability to play the run will be key for the Panthers defense this year, and should help a group of mobile linebackers to flow more freely to the ball.

While many teams sign picks from the later rounds and work their way up, the Panthers now have deals with the first two of their five.

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One of the most talked about moves of the offseason was wide receiver Wes Welker trading in life with Tom Brady for life with Peyton Manning.

Welker’s new Broncos teammate Demaryius Thomas will stop by Pro Football Talk on NBCSN on Wednesday to talk about how the offense is looking now that Welker has joined the receiving corps. With Thomas, Welker and Eric Decker at the position, the Broncos are poised to be one of the league’s top offenses again this year and Erik Kuselias will ask Thomas his thoughts about the year to come.

John Mullin of CSN Chicago will also drop in to discuss former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher’s decision to retire. Mike Florio and Pete Najarian are on hand as well to hit the biggest topics of the day, including the Achilles injury suffered by 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree, and run down burning questions for the four teams in the AFC North.

It all gets started at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

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Lions running back Mikel Leshoure hasn’t had much luck staying healthy during his first two NFL seasons and number three isn’t getting off to all that promising a start.

Leshoure missed all of his rookie season because of a torn Achilles and then battled calf and ankle injuries last year. Now he’s being held out of the team drills at OTAs with an injury that the team hasn’t disclosed but obviously concerns them enough to limit Leshoure at this point.

“He’s battling some stuff,” coach Jim Schwartz said, via Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. “He can do some individual stuff but he’s not ready to do any team work.”

There’s no word on when Leshoure will be ready for a full workload nor is there much indication when safety Louis Delmas will be back with the team. Delmas is rehabbing the knee injuries that have vexed him in the last two seasons away from the team, an absence that doesn’t bother Schwartz because Delmas “can’t physically do the stuff we’re doing.” The Lions obviously knew there was a chance Delmas’ knees would continue to be an issue or they wouldn’t have signed him to a deal this offseason that carries almost $2 million in per-game roster bonuses.

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We’re getting close to the conclusion of the Mt. Rushmore nomination process, and one of the last teams on the docket will create some of the biggest headaches for folks who’ll try to decide who’s in and who’s out.

The Steelers, who won four Super Bowls in the 70s and two more in 2005 and 2008 have more than their fair share of potential nominees.

From Art Rooney to Dan Rooney to Chuck Noll to Bill Cowher to Mike Tomlin to Terry Bradshaw to Franco Harris to Lynn Swann to John Stallworth to Ben Roethlisberger to Jerome Bettis to Hines Ward to Santonio Holmes to Joe Greene to Kevin Greene to Mike Wagner to Donnie Shell to Troy Polamalu to Aaron Smith to Mike Webster to Dermontti Dawson to John Henry Johnson to Rocky Bleier to Donnie Shell to Joey Porter to Andy Russell to Jack Lambert to Jack Ham to Alan Faneca to L.C. Greenwood to Rod Woodson to Dick LeBeau to Jack Butler to Terrible Towel creator and broadcasting legend Myron Cope, it will be virtually impossible to trim the list to 12 finalists.

Completely impossible to cut it to four.

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In a statement issued by the team Wednesday, Bears chairman George H. McCaskey paid public tribute to retiring middle linebacker Brian Urlacher — and painted a clear picture of what Urlacher has meant to the franchise.

Here is the text of McCaskey’s statement:

“How lucky we were that Brian Urlacher was a Chicago Bear.

“Brian announced his retirement in the same, understated way in which he carried himself at Halas Hall the last 13 years — he simply wanted to be one of the guys and play the game he loves.  But his rare ability, work ethic and passion for football put him among the greats to ever play the game.

“Besides superlative play on the field, he was also the unquestioned leader in the locker room, as well as the sometimes reluctant face of the franchise. Brian is a special person who represented our team and our city with skill and humility while never seeking acclaim or recognition.

“In the pantheon of Bears, Brian has earned his place alongside Halas, Grange, Nagurski, Ditka, Payton — and yes, Bill George, Butkus and Singletary.

“We congratulate Brian on a brilliant career and he will continue to be a welcomed member of the Bears Family in retirement.”

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Just hours after news broke that 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree tore his Achilles tendon on Tuesday, Crabtree has already had surgery.

Crabtree had his surgery today, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports.

According to multiple reports, doctors believe Crabtree will be out about six months. That would put his return in late November, around Week 12 of the regular season.

For the 49ers, losing Crabtree for that long is a major blow to the offense. Last season Crabtree was by far the 49ers’ top weapon in the passing game, with 85 catches for 1,105 yards. No one else on the 49ers had even half that many catches or receiving yards.

With Crabtree out for most of the season, the 49ers will need the newly acquired Anquan Boldin and last year’s No. 2 receiver, Mario Manningham, to step up. They’ll also need some production out of last year’s first-round draft pick, A.J. Jenkins, who did nothing as a rookie, and from this year’s fourth-round draft pick, Quinton Patton.