"Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo scanned the room and found the guy he was looking for: Future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens.

"He's just someone I've been wanting to sit down with and talk with and pick his brain," Mayo said after Tuesday night's AFC players orientation meeting. "I've watched him and just want to see how he's been able to do what he's done for so long. That's so amazing to me, and take what I can from him.

"He seemed like a good guy. It was a quick meet-and-greet, but he welcomed me with open arms, and we're going to get together and talk."

Now, the Patriots and Ravens aren't quite to the degree of the Pats and Jets on the hate meter, but they're up there, especially when Terrell Suggs starts yapping crazy things about Tom Brady. But being teammates in Hawaii on a Pro Bowl squad apparently calls for a temporary truce. All of the barriers and walls tend to come down for the week when the NFL's all-stars gather, so Mayo wanted to take advantage.

And who better to learn from than a guy who is considered among the greatest middle linebackers to ever play the game. Lewis plays with a fierceness and ferociousness that's unmistakable. He's always had a knack for making big plays at crucial times. At age 35 this season, he played well enough to make his 12th Pro Bowl after recording a team-high 139 tackles. He also had two sacks, two interceptions, forced two fumbles, and played 1,111 out of a possible 1,116 snaps. He is the standard for this generation of linebackers."