I think Ray Lewis and Derrick Brooks were without question the two absolute gold standard LBs of this generation. They both had a different playstyle, but they were both literally without peer. Here's the difference between the two of them, though: Brooks entered the league in 1995. Lewis entered in 1996. Derrick Brooks played his last season in 2008. Since then, Ray Lewis has added 3 more pro bowls and a first team AP All Pro award. And he's still going.
Right now, Lewis has 13 career pro bowl appearances. I think he has at least one more in him, which would tie the NFL record at 14. I think he could possibly eke out two more, which would give him sole possession with 15. Say what you want about the pro bowl as a metric for measuring performance, but that's amazing. I question whether there's anyone in the league who could possibly catch him. Certainly not Peyton, who is two pro bowls behind. Probably not Jason Witten, who would need to make the pro bowl every year through his age 35 season just to catch up to where Lewis is right now. Probably not DeMarcus Ware, who would need to make the pro bowl every year through his age 36 season (7 more). Ditto that for Joe Thomas, who has made the pro bowl every season of his career, but who stands 8 back. Ditto for Jake Long, who stands 9 back. Someone like Von Miller or Rob Gronkowski might have a shot, but they're a dozen pro bowls back, and a decade-plus is a long, long time. I think the only current player who has even a somewhat realistic shot at catching Lewis is Champ Bailey, who stands 2 pro bowls back and has the possibility of a positional move to safety and a Woodson-like twilight. Otherwise, that's pretty much it- Champ Bailey and injury are the only things that reasonably stand between Ray Lewis and the career pro bowl record. That's an amazing testament to his longevity.
