Browns Lewis Looking To Leave A Legacy
Jul 29, 2008
Author: DawgBones.com

So, when does the light go on for a professional athlete? You know the light, the one that says "I'm not bigger than the game or the team I play on". The same light says "I've made enough money, I've won championships, now I want to leave a legacy". That light has gone off for veteran running back of the Cleveland Browns Jamal Lewis. Lewis is heading into his 9th season and is on the cusp of eclipsing the 10,000 yard mark, it has him thinking about his place in history.

Lewis has ran for more yards in a single game than an other player to ever play the game, sand one. Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson eclipsed his record mark of 295 yard rushing in a single game last season by 1 yard.

Lewis is in rare company having ran for 2,000 yards in a single season. It is an honor that is held by just 4 other running backs in the history of the league. His 2,066 yards in 2003 is second all-time to current Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson's 2,105 set in 1984.

So there is evidence of greatness all throughout Lewis' career and the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio will no doubt one day host his bust, but Lewis isn't resting on his laurels and he shouldn't. Lewis has the unique honor of being in the presence of greatness often as a Cleveland Browns running back, perhaps the greatest running back of all-time, Jim Brown, is a team advisor. Lewis gets to see first hand what greatness can do for your legacy as Brown, who hasn't played football in over 40 years, is still an icon and casts a huge shadow over the sport even today.

That's who I try to come out here and please," Lewis said of Brown, a frequent camp visitor. "I know he's out here watching."

When asked what he thought it would take to be a Hall of Famer and be considered among the greatest running backs of all-time Lewis would not say. When a reporter asked if another 2,000 yard season would do it, Lewis smiled and conceded that it would.

"I don't want to leave like he (Brown) left," he said. "At the same time, I want to leave on top of my game and leave a great legacy behind so young guys at my position will want to be like me one day. ... I'm playing for big numbers and playing for a championship. It's not all about the money anymore. It's about accomplishing my goals and my long-term goals that I set when I first came into the league."

What no one is talking about in all of this is what may tarnish Lewis in the eyes of historians. The answer plain and simply would be his arrest in 2003 for attempting to set up a drug deal with his cell phone. Lewis spent 4 months in a Florida prison in 2005 and lost more than 0,000 in game checks when the NFL suspended him for 2 games. All of that seems like a lifetime ago for Lewis who has become the consummate professional. Even so, it may be the thing that keeps him hungry. Perhaps somewhere deep down he feels he must make amends for those actions, that they may hurt his legacy.

So Lewis continues on in his quest and because of it the Browns and their fans are reaping the rewards.

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