Though one could easily say that, over the years, Ray Lewis has always acted as EA Sports' primary spokesathlete--making appearances in numerous commercials and at press events for EA's NFL franchises--only now is his title truly being made official. Today, EA announced that the Baltimore Ravens linebacker will be gracing the cover of Madden NFL 2005.

　　EA's press statement cited the reasoning for Lewis' selection as him being a perfect fit for the type of "defensive innovations" this year's game will be bringing to the table. His stats certainly seem to agree, as Lewis finished the 2003 season with a franchise-record 125 tackles and earned AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second time (the first in 2000), becoming just the sixth player in NFL history to win multiple times. Last season, he also managed to make his sixth Pro Bowl appearance in his eight season career.

　　“I have always enjoyed working with EA Sports, but to be on the cover of Madden NFL 2005 is the ultimate honor,” said Lewis. “With the focus on defense in the game this year, I knew it was my chance to represent the most popular sports game ever made. Madden NFL Football is the game I have always played, and I am excited to be part of the family now.”

　　Madden NFL 2005's new defensive features will include on-the-fly hot routes for defensive players, as well as a new "hit stick" for analog controlled smacks to oncoming offensive players. Currently, the game is set to ship this August for every single platform that still has new games being released on it on any sort of regular basis.