As a former NFL running back — a good one, at that — Jamal Lewis has a tough time choosing when to assert himself in his son’s football career. The most he can hope for, most of the time, is that his kid, freshman wide receiver Jazz Lewis, is in the hands of the right coaches.

Luckily, he knows Chamblee High’s incoming offensive coordinator well. The new hire is Ed Reed, the Hall of Fame safety who was Jamal Lewis’ Ravens teammate for five seasons.

“Sometimes you need to upgrade the coaching staff,” Lewis said this week, in a dramatic understatement. “He’s gonna really teach the culture rather than just winning games.”

Georgia is a haven for retired NFL players, and a flock of old Ravens have their kids at the same school. Chamblee’s roster this past fall included Jazz Lewis, Edward Reed III and Kyle Oglesby (son of cornerback Evan Oglesby).

Head coach Bob Swank calls the arrangement organic. He counts himself fortunate that these football fathers have trusted him with their kids without trying to insert themselves too much into the program.

But a 2-9 season last fall left everybody itching for change. Enter Reed, who helped the program in an unofficial capacity in 2023 but told Swank after the season that his schedule was clearing and he could officially join the staff ahead of his son’s senior season. When the Bulldogs made the announcement, Swank’s phone was buzzing so much he thought it might spontaneously combust.

“It’s just been going constantly since that point in time,” Swank said. “I knew Ed was huge, but we didn’t expect this.”

It’s not a coincidence that Reed will be coaching the same side of the ball where his son plays — he called plays for Edward in youth football, too, Lewis said. Swank knows people have been wondering why one of the best defensive players ever would be coaching offense, but for everyone involved the fit just made sense.

“Ed was diagnosing offenses at the highest level of football,” Swank said. “He’s got a great background and just knowledge in that area. We could have shuffled things around and made him defensive coordinator, but we had an opening on offense and it just kind of worked out.”

One of the reasons Lewis sent his son to Chamblee was other NFL sons on the roster, he acknowledged, which paired well with the DeKalb County school’s academic profile. Jazz is young but a fast riser, leading Chamblee in receiving yards last season and earning an offer from Memphis.

Lewis said he trusts Reed, who seemed like a vet when he joined the Ravens two years after Lewis did, with his son’s career. But Reed’s son Edward has also been an important resource to help him adapt to the high school level — and Edward, too, knows what it’s like to learn from a dad with a storied pro career.

“I think collectively they’re happy with what’s going on and what we as dads bring to the table,” said Jamal Lewis, who grew up in Atlanta. “But they also want to be leaders, put in the work and really be the leads for the team.”

Lewis plays more of a background role for Chamblee on the team’s touchdown club, organizing visits to college campuses for players. Last year, those visits included Clemson, Georgia and his alma mater, Tennessee. Lewis hopes Reed’s coaching will help more kids on the team realize their college goals, especially with a young quarterback, Brayden Doss, whom the program is excited about. “Ed’s really getting in at the right time.”

Lewis visited Glen Burnie this week to promote Verizon’s Fanfest, which will take place Feb. 9 at M&T Bank Stadium. But of course Lewis, like the rest of the Ravens faithful, is hoping the team will be preparing in New Orleans for the Super Bowl that day.

Though Derrick Henry took over the franchise’s single-season touchdown record, Lewis’ 2,066-yard campaign in 2003 stands alone after Henry wound up with 1,921. But Lewis said he’s not protective about his records — he would have happily cheered Henry if he had broken it.

“I like watching him because this is the best time of the year, and he’s getting better as he goes,” Lewis said of Henry. “This is his time, and I know how he feels. I know exactly where he is right now. And, man, we’re gonna ride him. And it’s exciting to see. I’m happy he’s on my team.”

Once the NFL season is over, however, Lewis and the other Ravens dads will turn their attention to Chamblee’s upcoming season. If the reaction Swank has seen is anything to go by, the Class 5A Georgia program is expecting its 5,000-seat stadium to sell out next season. They hope Reed’s coaching brings a spark to a program that is looking to bounce back next fall.

“Ed is already looking at tape, putting [a] playbook together,” Swank said. “We get to line up with legends of the game supporting us — Super Bowl champions. I think the biggest thing is that we don’t take it for granted.”