Ray Lewis retiring at the end of this season

[vidae]

That sucks. Arguably the best to ever lace them up.

[boknows34]

Beat me to it by seconds, ;)

End of an era. HOF Class of 2018. IMO the best inside LB of all-time.

[MetSox17]

I'm not buying it until i see him sit and watch his teammates play knowing he can still be out there too.

No doubt in anyone's mind he should be a first ballot HOFer.

[NIN1984]

Wow. I'm glad I got to watch him play. The best I've ever seen. Brian Urlacher was pretty damn amazing too.

[MetSox17]

Yeah, Ray Lewis shits on Brian Urlacher every day of the week and six times on Sundays.


He should probably get his stomach checked.

[descendency]

It's time. No point in letting younger people see him in a less than Ray Lewis like form.

He's obviously a first ballot Hall of Famer. His resume is basically complete.

[Raiderz4Life]

RAY RAY!!! My favorite player like...ever. He's the reason I tried playing MLB and failed miserably lol

Sad to see him go but like Metsox said, won't totally believe it til he's actually watching next season at home.

[Ness]

At least he won a Super Bowl. It will be weird seeing the Ravens without him. He's been there since the inception of the franchise.

[ShutDwn]

It's impossible that anyone brought as much passion and knowledge to the linebacker position. There are other greats but Ray was one of a kind in a modern era of copycats.

[AntoinCD]

Im glad. One of the greatest ever but he was a shadow of his former self on the field for the last year or two. People should remember him on the field from the early 2000s, not the last couple of years

[A Perfect Score]

Originally Posted by AntoinCD

Im glad. One of the greatest ever but he was a shadow of his former self on the field for the last year or two. People should remember him on the field from the early 2000s, not the last couple of years

Well this just isn't true.

[TACKLE]

:(

Damn. I've been in denial that this day would ever come. I still don't know if this man can live without this game so like MetSox said, I'll believe it when next season. Makes this playoff run potentially that much more meaningful. Greatest MLB to ever play the game and one of the greatest leaders in sports history.



Everyone needs to watch this. Promise you won't regret it.

[AntoinCD]

Originally Posted by A Perfect Score

Well this just isn't true.

Care to expand?

He still brought leadership and intensity but he wasn't close to what he used to be. Became easier to block in the run game and became a holding machine in coverage

[Cigaro]

Definitely the best player I have ever personally seen. Not only that, but he defined defense and football in general for me. Not going to say its a sad day to see him go simply because he's had a great and long career and this will be a good way to go, but I'll definitely miss him.

[A Perfect Score]

Originally Posted by AntoinCD

Care to expand?

He still brought leadership and intensity but he wasn't close to what he used to be. Became easier to block in the run game and became a holding machine in coverage

Last year wasn't his strongest season, but the 2010 and 2011 seasons preceding it were excellent. He hasn't been the dynamic sideline to sideline force he was in his youth, but he was far from a ghost of his former self. I've been very impressed with the level of play he's been able to maintain to this point in his career, it speaks to his passion and commitment to the game.

What is there to say about Ray that hasn't already been said? He's the reason I, like many others, even starting playing football (and linebacker specifically). He's the reason I'm a Ravens fan, really. It'll be strange to see a Baltimore defense without him, but I hope he continues to be involved in the franchise moving forward in some capacity.

[PackerLegend]

Don't do it Ray don't do it!

[AntoinCD]

Originally Posted by A Perfect Score

Last year wasn't his strongest season, but the 2010 and 2011 seasons preceding it were excellent. He hasn't been the dynamic sideline to sideline force he was in his youth, but he was far from a ghost of his former self. I've been very impressed with the level of play he's been able to maintain to this point in his career, it speaks to his passion and commitment to the game.

What is there to say about Ray that hasn't already been said? He's the reason I, like many others, even starting playing football (and linebacker specifically). He's the reason I'm a Ravens fan, really. It'll be strange to see a Baltimore defense without him, but I hope he continues to be involved in the franchise moving forward in some capacity.

I agree with this, however there has been a significant dip in play. Lewis, IMO, from about 2010 on was a very good LB. Before that he was an all time great. I wasn't meaning it to say the guy was horrible, although he was pretty bad this year before the injury. But if you started watching the game 3 years ago you would know Lewis was great because people said he was great, not based on what you were watching. But the guy was well in his 30s by then, I don't think that's an insult to say he wasn't playing at an all time great level

[vidae]

His press conference is on NFLN, and it's pretty emotional. How can you not respect this guy?

[OSUGiants17]

Dude made me a Ravens fan, always loved watching that D play as a kid. Wish him nothing but the best. Hopefully they can make a SB run now. Would love to see Ravens vs Seahawks, 2 great defenses, power running, what a game that would be.

[Bengalsrocket]

Originally Posted by AntoinCD

I agree with this, however there has been a significant dip in play. Lewis, IMO, from about 2010 on was a very good LB. Before that he was an all time great. I wasn't meaning it to say the guy was horrible, although he was pretty bad this year before the injury. But if you started watching the game 3 years ago you would know Lewis was great because people said he was great, not based on what you were watching. But the guy was well in his 30s by then, I don't think that's an insult to say he wasn't playing at an all time great level

He wasn't in his prime anymore, but he was still playing at an all-time great level from what I saw. I don't watch and study film like everyone claims, but I've seen a great deal of Ravens games in the last few years and his presence is definitely felt. And I don't mean in a "leadership" or "inspiration" way, I mean he was still an individual that was changing the way offenses played.

From the Bengals games alone, I could visibly see Cedric Benson running differently after Lewis would hit him 2-3 times in a game. Our play calling on the goal line was often a lot more passive, straying away from running it up the middle (which basically stands against everything Marvin Lewis has done or said for his entire tenure as the Bengals head coach).

Again, he was clearly out of his prime, but still playing at a level that most linebackers in the league could only dream about.

[GatorsBullsFan]

So I guess Ed Reed will be gone also

[WinslowBodden]

Thank god. (AFC North fan)

[AntoinCD]

Originally Posted by Bengalsrocket

He wasn't in his prime anymore, but he was still playing at an all-time great level from what I saw. I don't watch and study film like everyone claims, but I've seen a great deal of Ravens games in the last few years and his presence is definitely felt. And I don't mean in a "leadership" or "inspiration" way, I mean he was still an individual that was changing the way offenses played.

From the Bengals games alone, I could visibly see Cedric Benson running differently after Lewis would hit him 2-3 times in a game. Our play calling on the goal line was often a lot more passive, straying away from running it up the middle (which basically stands against everything Marvin Lewis has done or said for his entire tenure as the Bengals head coach).

Again, he was clearly out of his prime, but still playing at a level that most linebackers in the league could only dream about.

Eh, the Pats have had a pretty decent rivalry the last few years with the Ravens and I have seen a defense go from having Lewis be the heart and soul and the best player to him becoming the emotional leader but maybe the 4th or 5th guy who is schemed against. Suggs, Ngata and Reed all give opposing offenses more trouble than Lewis and recently Ladarius Webb had turned into a really good CB.

I don't see why we can't say that Lewis had become an above average player towards the end of his career.

[bigbuc]

One of the GOAT'S.

[CJSchneider]

Some people inspire you to greatness with their words. Some people lead the charge, and inspire you with their actions. Then their is Ray Lewis. Ray Lewis grabbed greatness by the throat, put it in a headlock, and told you to come over and get your lick back.