Ray Lewis: Chiefs had toughest, smartest offensive line

Ray Lewis discusses what it’s like to play against the best offensive line he ever faced: the Kansas City Chiefs.

Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd recently had former NFL linebacker Ray Lewis on his show to discuss what it’s like to play against great offensive lines. Cowherd was discussing the current Dallas Cowboys o-line and how overpowering it is for opponents. That’s when the subject turned to the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive line from early in Lewis’ career.

Specific names were mentioned like Hall of Fame offensive tackle Willie Roaf and Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters, but that line also included Pro Bowl center Casey Wiegmann and Hall of Fame guard Will Shields. The conversation included the following exchange.

Colin Cowherd: One of the best offensive lines you ever played against was the Kansas City Chiefs…

Ray Lewis: My goodness…

Colin: Willie Roaf, Hall of Fame. All across the board.

Ray: Brian Waters, oh my goodness.

Colin: All tough guys. This is what it’s like for teams today to play the Cowboys, because with the Cowboys and Chiefs, you’ve got multiple Pro Bowlers. So just have storytime … What was it like for you to face the Chiefs and those great old lines?

Ray: Toughness was easy for them because it was their mentality. They’re tough. They love to maul you. But the key for them was how smart they were. People don’t realize how much they were able to chip and climb so quickly, and that takes chemistry of years being together to understand what that means to double team a defensive tackle and then climb up immediately to the linebacker and make sure that your back still stays in the hole. Then as soon as he pushes you out of the way, he climbs to the next level.

Later on in the interview, Cowherd asks Lewis about the importance of playing time together. Lewis’s response was interesting by saying the most successful teams are “the ones that have enough chemistry year after year after year after year.” He says, “Coaches can only draw up a defense. When you get on the field, everything changes immediately. So the best teams that make that adjustment are the best teams that spend time with each other off the field.”

For a team like the Chiefs who have their offensive line signed for the foreseeable future, this bodes well for the future as fans and coaches can expect the unit to only get better with each passing season. While this line pales in comparison to the accolades of former Chiefs’ lines like the one Lewis is describing, John Dorsey has put together a line he believes in and is handing the keys to Eric Fisher, Mitchell Schwartz, Mitch Morse, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Parker Ehinger. Maybe there are at least some accolades to come in the next year and beyond for these five.

Check out the full interview clip below: