It's time for Ray Lewis to pass the torch to Patrick Willis |
There were three casualties from Sunday's Ravens/Cowboys bloodbath. For one, DeMarco Murray was lost to a sprained left foot, the least severe injury of them all. Two, budding superstar Lardarius Webb was found in heap of pain and left the game with a season ending ACL tear. That means two of the top-5 CBs in the league are done for the year (Revis is the other if you forgot). But the third and certainly the most unfortunate of the three is Ray Lewis, who will most likely hang up the cleats for the rest of the year with a torn tricep.
An instant thought? He's done. Hanging them up for good. 37 years old, a Super Bowl ring and one of, if not the, greatest linebacking career in NFL history. No reason for Ray Lewis to return after as painful of an injury as this is. But this is Ray Lewis we're talking about. One of the most polarizing athletes of our generation even if we always forget about him until we turn on the XBOX or turn on the TV on Sundays. Forget about the type of skills and strength he has possessed over his career. Forget about the numbers, accolades and sweet Youtube videos. Ray Lewis invented intimidation, swagger was his first child and motivation is a byproduct of his everyday photosynthesis. We're talking about the greatest player to ever play probably the most exciting defensive position there is. It's all about making the plays and bringing the pain, and we all know Lewis brought the pain over his 17-year NFL career. But let's not get it twisted, Ray Lewis won't retire after this injury, won't retire after next season and probably won't hang 'em up until he can't walk. But he should.
It's time for Ray Lewis to call it a career, time for him to hand over the car keys to Terrell Suggs. There's nothing better than when a player walks away when his time is actually up and I think this injury serves as an appropriate time. Don't taint one of the greatest careers of all-time like Favre and Emmitt Smith did searching for more rings and more records when they were no longer the premier asset on their respective teams. Plus, it's time to move over and let the next great linebacker take the reign as the league's chief defensive quarterback. And that man is? Patrick Willis.
Willis is already in the process of becoming the best linebacker in the league, usurping Lewis before he can even finish his career. The 27-year-old is in his sixth year, the beginning of his prime, and he's assumed the team leader role on arguably the league's best defense. Like Lewis, Willis is a pure tackler in the most fundamental sense. He reads plays immediately and makes tackles, simple. That is easily indicative in his 100+ solo tackles in every full season he's played. But most importantly Willis plays with an intimidation factor, his eyes concealed behind a visor and a sort of "Either you're with me or you're out of here" attitude that invigorates his teammates to do the same. He might not have the electric halftime speeches or awe-inspiring pregame rituals that Lewis had, but he brings the whoopin' stick with him at all times. He's the same kind of once-in-a-generation talent that we saw with Lewis and I'm not sure he's done getting better and that's one important thing that the Ravens legend would always do: adapt. No matter how old he got, he would always change his regiment to stay fresh and stay up-to-date on the ever-evolving NFL game. I see the same sort of motivation in Willis and truly seeing him carrying the torch that Lewis, Lawrence Taylor, Mike Singletary and Dick Butkus before him.
So as much as the competitive drive will haunt him in the football afterlife, it's time for Ray Lewis to announce his retirement and hand off the torch he's been carrying since he racked up an absurd 183 tackles in only his second season. It's your time Patrick Willis.
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