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| No. 57 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1969-10-21)October 21, 1969 (age 55) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 258 lb (117 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Murphy (Atlanta) | ||||||||
| College: | Georgia | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1991: 3rd round, 63rd pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Morris Clyde Lewis III (born October 21, 1969) is an American former professionalfootball player who was alinebacker for 13 seasons with theNew York Jets of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theGeorgia Bulldogs and was drafted by the Jets in the third round of the1991 NFL draft.[1] Lewis was named to threePro Bowls and was a first-teamAll-Pro during his career, in addition to being a member of the Jets All-Time Four Decade Team. However, Lewis' accomplishments would be overshadowed by him injuringNew England Patriots quarterbackDrew Bledsoe in 2001, which inadvertently began adynasty for the Patriots when they relieved Bledsoe withTom Brady.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Bench press | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 240 lb (109 kg) | 32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) | 9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m) | 20 reps | ||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine[2] | ||||||||||||
Lewis was a star at theUniversity of Georgia, wearing the number 57 as he would in his pro career. Lewis played 200 games as a Jet, the third-longest tenure in franchise history, and was one of the most loved team players and captains of his time. He was a three-timePro Bowler (1998, 1999, 2000),[3] was the Jets' defensive captain from 1997 to 2003 and was named to the NFL All-Pro team after the 1998 season. Lewis retired after the 2003 season with 1,231 tackles (883 solo), 52.5 sacks, 14 interceptions for 241 yards, 79 pass deflections, 29 forced fumbles, 13 fumble recoveries for 74 yards and five defensive touchdowns in 200 career games.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 1991 | NYJ | 16 | 15 | 76 | 76 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | NYJ | 16 | 16 | 145 | 145 | 0 | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 22 | 0 |
| 1993 | NYJ | 16 | 16 | 158 | 158 | 0 | 4.0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | NYJ | 16 | 16 | 130 | 103 | 27 | 6.0 | 4 | 106 | 2 | 67 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 0 |
| 1995 | NYJ | 16 | 16 | 111 | 82 | 29 | 5.0 | 2 | 22 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | NYJ | 9 | 9 | 43 | 32 | 11 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | NYJ | 16 | 16 | 72 | 45 | 27 | 8.0 | 1 | 43 | 1 | 43 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 0 |
| 1998 | NYJ | 16 | 16 | 81 | 67 | 14 | 7.0 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | NYJ | 16 | 16 | 89 | 59 | 30 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | NYJ | 16 | 16 | 89 | 65 | 24 | 10.0 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | NYJ | 16 | 16 | 108 | 77 | 31 | 3.0 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 1 |
| 2002 | NYJ | 16 | 16 | 82 | 68 | 14 | 0.5 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | NYJ | 15 | 15 | 48 | 34 | 14 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 200 | 199 | 1,232 | 1,011 | 221 | 52.5 | 14 | 241 | 4 | 67 | 26 | 12 | 74 | 1 | ||
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 1991 | NYJ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | NYJ | 2 | 2 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | NYJ | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | NYJ | 2 | 2 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 6 | 30 | 22 | 8 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
While Lewis had a productive career, he is best known for being the catalyst for starting theNew England Patriots dynasty that would span two decades. During an early-season game against the Patriots in 2001, Lewis leveled Patriots' quarterbackDrew Bledsoe with a hard, but clean hit. Bledsoe was about to dive for the first-down marker, but defensive endShaun Ellis clipped Bledsoe's ankles, resulting in Bledsoe taking the full force of the hit while standing straight up.[4]Tom Brady, a sixth-round draft pick in the2000 NFL draft, was the back-up quarterback and finished the game.
It turned out that Lewis' hit sheared a blood vessel in Bledsoe's chest, causing Bledsoe to lose a pint of blood an hour. Bledsoe would never regain his starting job (he was traded toBuffalo after the season).[5] The Patriots went 11–3 for the remainder of the season with Brady under center, culminating in the team's firstSuper Bowl title on February 3, 2002.
Over the next two decades, the Patriots won six Super Bowl titles and Brady would win a seventh inTampa Bay. As a result, Lewis' hit on Bledsoe is often noted for its impact on NFL history.[6][7] The hit appeared on the NFL's list of 100 greatest game changers, ranking at 82.[8]
Lewis and his wife, Christalyn, live in Atlanta, Georgia and have two sons.[9]