Ray Lewis Says He'd Choose to Play for Rex Ryan over Bill Belichick

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has owned Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan in head-to-head matchups over the years, but former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis prefers the latter. 

While discussing Ryan's virtues prior to the Bills' 20-13 loss to the Pats on Monday night, the future Hall of Famer and current ESPN analyst revealed that he would rather play for Ryan than Belichick due to the 52-year-old's status as a player's coach, according to CSNNE.com: "I'm not choosing nobody else but Rex Ryan. If you're asking me Bill Belichick or Rex Ryan, I'm taking Rex Ryan all day because Rex relates to players as well as myself more like a father."

Though he isn't known for his sunny disposition, Belichick is a four-time Super Bowl champion as a head coach, and he is widely regarded as one of the best to ever put on a headset.

Ryan has enjoyed some success as a head coach, as he led the New York Jets to the AFC Championship Game twice, but he has yet to win a title in a head coaching role. Ryan also has a record of just 4-11 against Belichick.

Many of those games have been close, though, due to Ryan's ability to frustrate quarterback Tom Brady. That was the case Monday night, as the Bills got to Brady often, but Buffalo's offense couldn't generate enough to pull off the upset.

Lewis is likely biased because he played under Ryan from 1999 to 2008, when Ryan was a defensive assistant with the Ravens.

There is no question Belichick is the superior and more successful head coach, but winning isn't necessarily the only thing players take into account. Belichick's prickly personality may not be something every player is willing to deal with despite the wins that often come with it.

Lewis' opinion isn't gospel, as he never played under Belichick in a meaningful game, but it speaks volumes about the respect he has for Ryan despite the coach's inability to get over the Patriots hump.

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