Should the Baltimore Ravens Bring Ray Lewis Back or Not?

A Ray Lewis speech can give a person more energy than a five-hour energy drink. And there’s an old legend that Ray Lewis went to a funeral wake, gave a motivational speech and the person actually came back from the dead. I totally believe this story to be true.

Lewis is easily one of the top five linebackers to every play the game of football and in terms of quotables from athletes—he’s easily the Muhammad Ali of our time. Lewis tore his right tricep muscle this past Sunday and is now out for the rest of the season. Many are fearing that Lewis, 37, may have to retire because of this injury. Lewis already expressed wanting to be actively involved in his son’s football career when he enrolls at the University of Miami next year. Fans and sportswriters took Lewis’ comments to mean that he was retiring at the end of this season.

As fans, we must be honest and admit that although Lewis is a great leader, Father Time is catching up with him. The Cowboys rushed for an ungodly 227 yards on Sunday and most of that was on Lewis’ watch. When Lewis was hurt, he was unable to get off a block and already six yards down the field. The old Ray Lewis would have been in the hole immediately bringing hell, brimstone and humiliation to whoever he tackled. I don’t enjoy lying to myself and there’s no way I can admit that today’s Ray Lewis is just as effective as the younger Ray Lewis.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Ray Lewis will rehab and return to play next year. Ray Lewis isn’t going out like that. The issue is the same issue that the Indianapolis Colts dealt with last year regarding whether or not to bring Peyton Manning back.

Lewis is signed through the 2015 season and will be making $5.4M in 2013, $5.85M in 2014 and $6.3M in 2015. That’s a whole lot of money to pay an aging linebacker that may want to hang around because he loves the game so much?

At the end of the season, should the Ravens send Ray Lewis on his way or should they welcome him back?

After you answer that…get a Tuesday afternoon pick-up and check out Ray Lewis’ Top 4 motivational speeches below.

4. Madden ’13 Motivational Speech