Some posts are meant to be thought provoking. Some are meant to be analytical. Some are intended to preview games, while others dissect what transpired on the field.

This post? Merely trash talk against one of my least favorite athletes in all of professional sports: Ray Lewis.

Here's an off the top of my head list of some of my least favorite athletes in various sports: Ray Lewis, Kobe Bryant, Peyton Manning, Alex Rodriguez. That's just to name a few, but what do they all have in common? They're very very good at what they do.

So, in other words, please realize my contempt for said athletes stems from nothing other than despising watching them enjoy such tremendous success at their respective crafts, including against my favorite teams. Nothing vitriolic or personal. In fact, my guess is the greats LOVE being hated. It's what fuels them. In the list of atheltes I mentioned, I'd have no problem telling each that I disliked them. Well, scratch that. All but Ray Lewis. He might physically harm me...if not worse.

Excuse me while I go sew my head to the carpet.

Even though Ray Lewis is 33 years old and not -quite- the same imposing force in the middle of the field that he was in the early years of this decade, he's still a formidable LB that rarely misses tackles, and who is also the vocal leader (both emotionally and tactically) of his team's defense. He's been to 9 of the past 11 Pro Bowls, is a 5-time All Pro, a 2-time Defensive Player of the Year recipient, and a Super Bowl MVP (how boring was that game that they had to give a LB the MVP?!?).

He's not just a tackling machine either. He's extremely savvy in the passing game. His 25 interceptions are the 21st best total among active players. As a LB, that's pretty impressive.

When we take the field next Monday NIght, eager to erase the ugly memory of the Eagle's game out of our minds, the Steelers best do something early and often against the Ravens defense. The last thing we want to be doing is reacting, rather than throwing the first punch and forcing the Ravens to adjust to what we're doing. If they're able to throw the first punch, you better believe we'll hear from Ray Ray, be it verbally or in the form of some tacky display of inflated ego.

Here's hoping we get back on track next Monday against a Ravens defense that's off to a fantastic start. Much of what they do as a defense begins and ends with Mr. Lewis. The guy can flat-out play.

And I hate him for it.