The Man in the Middle

Ask Ray Lewis about his preference of Pro Bowl destinations and the answer comes with his customary conviction.

"You know me, I’m the first one to say Hawaii is a vacation for the players. I think it always should be that way," the Baltimore Ravens linebacker said while signing autographs after Friday’s AFC practice at the Ihilani Resort. "That’s their reward."

That said, this trip wasn’t exactly what Lewis and his Ravens teammates had hoped would occupy their week before the Super Bowl.

The four Ravens representatives who flew over for the game arrived here bearing the disappointment of last Sunday’s last-second loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game.

A potential game-winning touchdown pass was knocked away and a tying field goal hooked wide left, sending the Patriots to Indianapolis and the Ravens into the offseason.

Even so, the loss hasn’t soured Lewis’ outlook on ending a season in the Pro Bowl for the 12th time in his 16-year career with the Ravens.

"If you respect the way you played the game, then you accept whatever happens at the end of the year and you move on," Lewis said. "This is a way to celebrate because you can come here and be around the greatest athletes in the world and you can appreciate it. I love being around these guys."

Although it’s uncertain how many more opportunities Lewis might have to reach the Super Bowl, his concern after the AFC title-game loss centered more on those sharing the locker room with him that day.

"I’ve touched glory before," said Lewis, who experienced a championship run in 2001. "I’ve been on the opposite side of that. I’ve been on the opposite side of watching a team lose to us in a Super Bowl.

"I think it’s more bittersweet because I saw my teammates who haven’t won a Super Bowl … and that was my main goal, to try to lead them to winning one. Because when you’ve touched it, you know what it feels like. When you can have that opportunity to do that, that’s a blessing. But if you don’t, you just keep rolling."

Moving forward was at the heart of a post-game speech by Lewis that guard Ben Grubbs said "really put it in perspective."

"He told us about a kid who passed away," Grubbs said. "So he said, ‘How great is your pain?’ The pain we were experiencing at that moment, how great is it? It’s not that great when you think about the lives that are being lost around the world. It put things in a perspective that made us look at it another way."

Grubbs and fellow guard Marshal Yanda are here for their first Pro Bowl berths, while fullback Vonta Leach is in the game for a second time. Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, safety Ed Reed, running back Ray Rice and linebacker Terrell Suggs were also selected but pulled out of the game.

The trip has been somewhat therapeutic for Grubbs, a fifth-year player out of Auburn, following a playoff run that came up just short.

"(The Super Bowl) was the ultimate goal, but it just wasn’t in God’s plan, man," Grubbs said. "Even though we didn’t make it, I’m glad to be here taking my mind off of that, enjoying the beautiful weather and enjoying being around some great players.

"If I was at home I’d probably be thinking about it, just being mad and being disappointed. But being here with my boys, just enjoying the festivities … I’m glad I’m here.

"It’ll happen one day, going to the Super Bowl. I believe that it will."