Ray Lewis defies age in middle of Ravens' defense

"He's still the same guy who tells us whether to look for a run or a pass, still the same guy who talks it up before the snap," tackle Kelly Gregg said. "You'd think in your 13th training camp you'd sort of slow down, but not Ray. He runs the show."

Harbaugh, a former assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles, got a taste of Lewis' enthusiasm during minicamp. Seeing the linebacker in shoulder pads at training camp made Harbaugh appreciate how sweet it is to have Lewis on his side.

"It's great to have an opportunity to coach a football team that Ray Lewis is on," he said. "Just watching practice today, you can see why he's one of the all-time greats and a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and why he believes he's got of football left in him. Because he does."

It seems hard to imagine that someone who has played in all those games for all those years can still be effective at a position that requires speed, agility and a rock-hard body. Then again, who says there's an age limit for an athlete to play like a champion?

"They said Michael Strahan was old, but he beat every tackle in front of him and won a Super Bowl. That's what I appreciate about me and all the other guys I see, whether it's Kevin Garnett or Ray Allen (of the NBA champion Boston Celtics)," Lewis said. "I think age is for everybody else who's done it before and still wants to do it - or someone who doesn't want to pay you a whole lot of money."

Lewis is signed through the 2008 season. If the Ravens expect to bring up his advancing years when negotiating a new contract, Lewis will simply tell them that he's a better player now than when he accepted his last deal in 2003.

"Anytime you can be healthy at this point in your career, you're like, 'I don't ever want to be 25 or 26 because I know too much right now and I'm way past where I was,"' he said. "So now, coming into camp is more fun for you because you're in the best shape of your life and know how to take care of your body way better than when you were younger. Now you can really appreciate the game."