Sidelined

Ray Lewis is out for the rest of the 2012 NFL season. He tore his right triceps muscle in the (embarrassing) game against the Cowboys on 10/14, and now he'll have to stand on the sideline, his arm in a sling, unable to scramble around the field, waiting for that one, beautiful moment when his body collides with someone else's, causing an deafening CRACK! to echo through the stadium.

Analysts and fans are debating whether or not the Ravens' struggling (to be polite) defense will actually miss Ray Lewis, as he isn't as on top of the game as he used to be. (Although his stats could suggest otherwise.) Honestly, I believe that we're missing the impact of Terrell Suggs (ACL) and Jarrett Johnson (stupidly traded to another team) more, but we'll see if Ray's absence from the field is noticeable. Ray Rice has done a commendable job doing the "Ray Lewis Dance" when coming out of the tunnel, and the elder Ray can still give his inspirational speeches to the other players and offer assistance from the sidelines.

But what everyone REALLY wants to know is...will Ray Lewis retire after this season? Has he finally accepted his mortality and that a player of his passion and caliber can't play for so long without being left behind? If the Ravens somehow win a ring this year, he'll get one, and perhaps retirement won't sting so much. But if they don't....he'll have to make do with one and wonder if he wasted all these years in Baltimore chasing something that just wasn't meant to be.