Ray Lewis will retire after NFL playoffs end

Lewis already has a section in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio roped off for him next to players like Jack Lambert, Ray Nitschke and Lawrence Taylor. His bust is probably already being shaped in his likeness. In reality, they could have started shaping his bust years ago; it wasn’t like he locked his spot in Canton yesterday.

Lewis’ rookie season was an impressive one. He led the Ravens in tackles with 110 and had 15 tackles for loss as an immediate starter. Since that time, Lewis has played at the same level or higher unless he was injured. After the 2012 regular season came to a close, Lewis had racked up a total of 1,573 tackles, a safety, 19 forced fumbles, 20 fumble recoveries, 31 interceptions, three touchdowns and 41.5 sacks. More importantly, though, Lewis has been the emotional and spiritual leader of the Ravens’ defense, which has, year in and year out, set the standard for defensive play in the NFL over the last 17 years.

Lewis has played 17 NFL seasons, all with the Baltimore Ravens. He’s a 13-time Pro Bowler and a seven-time First-Team All-Pro.

Ray Lewis announced Wednesday afternoon that this was it. After the Ravens’ current playoff run, he’s going to call it a career after 17 seasons in the NFL. If he does indeed follow through, he leaves a pretty incredible, complicated legacy. A few scattered thoughts:

1. Try to recall the last time you immersed yourself in your job, or anything else. The outside world stops moving. Your head, hands, fingers, toes, whatever body parts you need, work in perfect unison. Time evaporates. Malcolm Gladwell’s theses make sense. Soldiers are trained this way for a reason. I’m not sure any player in the NFL plays with the intensity of focus that Lewis does. Players don’t accumulate more than 2,000 career tackles, 101 for a loss, by over-thinking the game in front of them.

1996: John Mobley

1996: Tedi Bruschi

The 37-year-old has spent the entirety of his career with the Ravens, which begin in 1996 when the team selected him with the No. 26 overall selection in the NFL Draft. In the eyes of many, Lewis is one of the key figures in establishing the Ravens in Baltimore after the team relocated from Cleveland.

Lewis has been the anchor of a dominant Ravens defense throughout his 17-year career in Baltimore. There was already plenty of drama with the Colts, former inhabitants of Baltimore, coming to town on Sunday. The announcement by Lewis that he’ll likely be ready to suit up one last time in front of the home crowd should make it an unforgettable Sunday afternoon in Baltimore.

News of Lewis’ retirement came down right as Chuck Pagano took the podium in Indianapolis to discuss this week’s game in Baltimore. Pagano coached Lewis with Ravens and heaped praise upon the first ballot Hall of Famer:

The announcement obviously adds yet another storyline to what was already an intriguing Wild Card matchup. The connections between the Colts, Ravens, and the city of Baltimore are abundant, and to have, arguably, the city’s greatest football player suiting up for the last time in front of the home crowd will make for an dramatic Sunday afternoon.

Lewis, 37, tore his right triceps earlier in the season. Baltimore placed him on injured reserve with the designation to return. He was activated a week ago, but did not play in the team’s season finale. He played in six games this season.

The veteran linebacker is eligible to return for Sunday’s playoff game, but it was unclear as of Wednesday if he would be able to play this week.