May 23, 2015

Highlighted Year: Jermaine Lewis, 1997

Wide Receiver, Baltimore Ravens





Age: 23 (Oct. 16)
2nd season in pro football & with Ravens
College: Maryland
Height: 5’7”   Weight: 172

Prelude:
Lewis starred in track as well as football in college, where he caught 193 passes, returned 24 punts for a 12.0-yard average and two touchdowns and averaged 24.0 yards on 22 kickoff returns. He was chosen by the Ravens in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL draft and was used almost exclusively as a kick returner during his rookie year. Small but very fast, he averaged 21.5 yards on 41 kickoff returns and 9.4 yards on 36 punt returns.

1997 Season Summary
Appeared in 14 of 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 42      
Most receptions, game – 8 (for 124 yds.) at Tennessee 9/21
Yards – 648
Most yards, game – 124 (on 8 catches) at Tennessee 9/21
Average gain – 15.4 [17]
TDs – 6 [20, tied with twelve others]
100-yard receiving games – 2

Rushing
Attempts – 3
Yards – 35
Average gain – 11.7
TDs – 0

Kickoff Returns
Returns – 41 [16]
Yards – 905 [17]
Most yards, game – 140 (on 6 ret.) vs. Pittsburgh 10/5
Average per return – 22.1
TDs – 0
Longest return – 51 yards

Punt Returns
Returns – 28 [20]
Yards – 437 [12]
Most yards, game – 184 (on 5 ret., 2 TDs) vs. Seattle 12/7
Average per return – 15.6 [1]
TDs – 2 [3]
Longest return – 89 yards

All-Purpose yards – 2025 [5]

Scoring
TDs – 8
Points – 48

Ravens went 6-9-1 to finish fifth in the AFC Central.  

Aftermath:
Lewis followed up in 1998 by receiving consensus first-team All-NFL and Pro Bowl honors. Used less on kickoffs, he returned 32 punts for a 12.7-yard average and two TDs and also caught 41 passes for 784 yards (19.1 avg.) and six touchdowns. His numbers dropped in ’99, with 25 pass receptions and a 7.9-yard punt return average, but he bounced back in 2000 to average 16.1 yards and score two TDs on 36 punt returns and added an 84-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the Super Bowl win over the Giants. Lewis topped the NFL in punt returns (42) and punt return yards (519) while averaging 12.4 yards in 2001 and was chosen for the Pro Bowl. Left unprotected in the expansion draft, he was taken by the Houston Texans in ’02 and had a lesser performance, dropping to 7.8 yards on punt returns and 20.9 yards on kickoffs. Lewis moved on to the Jacksonville Jaguars and went down with a major knee injury two games into the 2003 season. He came back in ’04 to average 9.9 yards on 23 punt returns and 18.4 yards on 21 kickoffs in what was his final season. Overall, Lewis ran back 295 punts for an 11.1-yard average and six touchdowns, 212 kickoffs for a 21.8-yard average, and caught 143 passes for 2129 yards (14.9 avg.) and 17 TDs. He received first-team All-NFL honors following two seasons and was selected to as many Pro Bowls.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose: Total Yards
Defense: Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff Returns: Average
Punt Returns: Average
Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970