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Just something I've been thinking about over the long, dreary NFL offseason. Last year around draft time, Lewis demanded a trade and used his leverage to get the Ravens to get him some help, as he phrased it, in the form of drafting Haloti Ngata. Clearly, we don't seem headed for the same type of season we experienced in 2005, a 6-10 injury-plagued season that was disappointing in every sense of the word. But if injuries hit again and frustrations boil over to effectively destroy our season, then who's to say Ray won't start wanting out again?

Now if he decides that he does indeed want to spend the rest of his career in Baltimore (which seems more likely at this point), how long does he have left? Despite battling injuries and losing a step over the years, Ray is still an extremely effective linebacker in stopping the run and is an important leader on the Ravens' defense. Ray is currently 32 years old, not especially old, but definitely around the time the average NFL player begins to become a shell of their former self. He's been the heart and soul of the team for over 10 years, from the expansion season, to the Super Bowl, to the present time. So when does Ray Lewis either break down due to injuries, or just hang up and retire? And what will that mean for the future of the franchise?

a couple of years. And we will move on after that. He is the face of the franchise but there is life after Ray