Ray Lewis to retire after post season

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Breaking on ESPN. I'm pretty surprised tbh.

[J.T.]

One of the all-time greats, hope the Colts can spoil the party

[DeadlyDynasty]

DPG gonna miss those pregame speeches

[shyne]

Best defensive player ever IMO.

[VBM]

If Houston can't do it, I'm rooting for B-More.

[Chinook]

You knew it was coming. That's why he's been trying so hard to get back this season. It's great to see him play one last home game.

[KoolAid Mans Brother]

Undeniably a great player .... now maybe he can fully own up to the accessory to murder charges that he skated on.

[O.J. Simpson]

He didn't do it, asshole.

[gaKNOW!blee]

Best defensive player ever IMO.

Well thats a terrible opinion lol

[DeadlyDynasty]

I don't think it's 'that' ridiculous an assertion to call Ray the best. I think he was definitely the best MLB of all-time, and that's saying something. In my lifetime though (and even before my time), no one was scarier than LT imo

[Bill_Brasky]

I'd say he's one of the best and THE most durable defensive player ever.

[DeadlyDynasty]

I'd say he's one of the best and THE most durable defensive player ever.

+1...most durable defensive player ever despite playing the most violent position on the football field for 17 years.

[Lincoln]

+1...most durable defensive player ever despite playing the most violent position on the football field for 17 years.

No homer but wouldn't London be the most durable? Same position, less games missed.

Their stats are actually pretty similar. London slightly leads in game played, tackles, and the FF are very close. Ray has a lead in INT. obviously one is a first ballot while the other prob doesn't get in the HOF. Ray does get credit for having a great defense almost every season and being the leader of it.

[Lincoln]

Actually sorry, I was looking at stats since 199 so I'm not sure what the all time totals are (the first real year London got a lot of play..his second year)

London has never missed a game in his career

[Lincoln]

1999

[Lincoln]

I agree that ray is the GOAT MLB but he has had the privilege to play with great teammates as well imo

London Fletcher

Games-238
Tackles-1662
Sacks-35
Pass Defended-71
INT-22
Safeties- 2
Forced Fumbles- 18

Ray Lewis

Games-228
Tackles-1336
Sacks-41.5
Pass Defended- 67
INT- 31
Safeties- 1
Forced Fumbles- 17

300 more tackles in 10 more games.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Vinny Testaverde has better stats than a ton of HOF QBs

[Trill Clinton]

damn the GOAT is finally calling it quits huh?

he'll be a hell of a position coach one day.

thanks for the memories, ray.

[BUMP]

Fletcher can keep the stats, Lewis can keep the rings

Lewis=class

when we play as 52 we can beat any 1

52+20=4 rings

who says defense is boring?

etc

[JoeTait75]

Best defensive player ever IMO.

LT gets my vote. Ray-Ray was a great player but LT changed the game.

[monosylab1k]

Best defensive player ever IMO.

:lol he wasnt even the best defensive player on his own team. I know he gives great pregame speeches and watches Gladiator every week to pump himself up, etc, but theres no player more overrated than the MLB who gets a shitload of tackles. Excellent player but i'll take alot of defensive greats over him.

[monosylab1k]

I'll take LT, Reggie White, Deion, and Ed Reed over Ray Lewis. Probably more than that but i'm not gonna waste time on the ridiculous notion that this guy is the defensive GOAT.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

LT is the best linebacker of all time, imo it's not much of a close call either.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Couple things...gonna ramble. MLB wasn't the obsolete (for lack of a better word) position it's become the past couple years in the new pass-happy NFL. He's been the anchor of a D that's been consistently one of the best in the league, year-in, year-out--even though coaches and players have changed around him--he's been the one constant through it all. He's helped drag the likes of Trent Dilfer, Anthony Wright/Kyle Boller, Elvis Grbac, the AARP-version of McNair, and the ever-imploding Joe Flacco to the playoffs. In 2000 his D kept the team afloat through a Tony Banks-led 5 game TD drought. LT (who I already said was the defensive GOAT) and Reggie I agree with. I'm not gonna argue too much on Ed Reed because imo he's the best safety to ever play--and outside of Jim Kelly and Darryl Talley--is my fav player. He doesn't have a ring though, and surprisingly has still never been to a SB. Deion? No. Look at all the other consistent contenders/good teams during his tenure: Colts, Patriots, Steelers, Packers, etc. They all have had elite/great QBs at the helm for most of their contending years. Even the Titans and Eagles had McNair and McNabb who statistically were great then.

[monosylab1k]

Deion is the greatest corner of all time and a guy who changed the way entire offenses would play. The "he shut down half the field" cliche about him is a big exaggeration, but he still was a guy who freed up the rest of the defense to make play by singlehandedly shutting down the offense's best target. Add his defensive playmaking ability, where the slightest mistake was going the other way for six, and i don't see how that isn't more valuable than a great MLB. Offenses didn't rewrite their entire gameplan when Ray Lewis came to town, they absolutely did for Deion. Granted, Deion's prime was significantly shorter than the primes of any of the aforementioned all time greats, but in his prime no CB in history comes even close.

[Spursfan092120]

In my lifetime though (and even before my time), no one was scarier than LT imo
This

[JamStone]

where did you get those stats? the ESPN stats pages of those players have different tackle totals, and a few other minor differences.


I agree that ray is the GOAT MLB but he has had the privilege to play with great teammates as well imo

London Fletcher

Games-238
Tackles-1662
Sacks-35
Pass Defended-71
INT-22
Safeties- 2
Forced Fumbles- 18

Ray Lewis

Games-228
Tackles-1336
Sacks-41.5
Pass Defended- 67
INT- 31
Safeties- 1
Forced Fumbles- 17

300 more tackles in 10 more games.

[johnsmith]

Anyone that thinks ray Lewis is the GOAT is either a child or a fucking retard.


Color me shocked that trill is leaning that way.....

[weebo]

Best defensive player ever IMO.

Reggie White?

[lefty]

Good riddance

[LnGrrrR]

:lol he wasnt even the best defensive player on his own team. I know he gives great pregame speeches and watches Gladiator every week to pump himself up, etc, but theres no player more overrated than the MLB who gets a shitload of tackles. Excellent player but i'll take alot of defensive greats over him.

Being one of the top 10 defensive players of all time is still pretty good.

[JamStone]

London Fletcher

Tackles-1662


Ray Lewis

Tackles-1336

300 more tackles in 10 more games.

per ESPN:

London: 1316 tackles (1921 combined)
Ray: 1558 tackles (2050 combined)

per pro football reference:

London: 1320 tackles (608 assists)
Ray: 1573 tackles (500 assists)

[JoeTait75]

I can't think of a more worthless metric for judging defensive players- particularly MLB- than tackles. This coming from a Browns fan that watched tomato-can MLB's like Wali Rainer and Andra Davis rack up tons of tackles every season (most of them 5-10 yards downfield.)

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

I think tackles are at their most worthless regarding safeties. When you see a safety with a 100+ tackle season, it's more of a reflection on how bad his front 7 is at keeping runners from breaking into the secondary than anything else. I've seen a lot of safeties on bad teams get glorified because they have lots of tackles.

There's really no good stat at measuring linebackers (or safeties for that matter), and imo the way you judge their tackling totals is pretty much a case by case basis. When the player is primarily a WILB in a 3-4, the amount of tackles they have is pretty much worthless as the defense is designed for them to be able to roam freely. This is actually the year he's started to contribute more and make more plays, but Jerod Mayo has been overrated for years because of the way he racks tackles up in a system where he never has to fight through blocks or beat players to the edge.

[Chris]

Good to see Deion getting some love in here, only football jersey I ever cared to own.

[Avante]

Ray Lewis is probably the best MLB to ever play the game. Not that Dick Butkus can't be in the argument if we look at vs an era.

Impossible to talk best defensive player, that's silly. Not unlike best QB vs best RB, really can't be done.

David "Deacon" Jones who was a sprinter in college (yep, dead serious, obviously when he was a little lighter) was a monster in his day. Emlen Tunnell who played way back in the day is still number two on the all time INT list. He is still considered one of best defenders ever. Imagine 14 INT's in a season, which is what Dick "Night Train" Lane had in one season, he is number 4 on the all time list. 27 INT's in his first three seasons, and he wasn't even drafted, came out of a JC.

Was Lewis a better MLB than Lawrence Taylor was on the outside? Rod Woodson was an incredible safety, how about Ronnie Lott? Deion Sanders? Reggie White?

Lewis had a great career, yes he has a way about him and can motivate, but to try and make him out to be some sort of defensive GOAT, nay!!!

Imagine...

D-line

Reggie White
"Mean" Joe Greene
Merlin Olsen
Bruce Smith

backers

Ray Lewis
Lawrence Taylor
Derrick Thomas

DB's

Deion Sanders
Dick "Night Train" Lane
Ronnie Lott
Rod Woodson

Wow~~~