The Ravens should be eating, sleeping and breathing the Colts right now, not answering questions and dealing with the added pressure of a Ray Lewis retirement.
I still don't get this. What added pressure? he's playing this Sunday! it's not like he's inactive and went "win this one for me fellas!"
he said what everyone kinda assumed, that he only has enough for one more run and he's gonna make it with them. not sure how that "distracts" them from wanting to win this week/ preparing extensively. if anything it adds to their motivation to prepare and play extremely well behind their 17 year captain.
If any of them are somehow peeing in a puddle because now they only have this year with Ray Lewis, then they aren't mentally tough enough to win anything anyway.
If you don't think this shifts the focus, even slightly, away from the game at hand, you're living in a dream land. And I’m not super upset about this. It’s not keeping me up at night. I just view it as somewhat of a “me over team” move.
Announce this when the season is over.
how am i living in a dreamland? lets look at this logically.
a) I am a professional football player, i am about to play in a playoff game. lets assume im a dedicated professional, and am preparing as such.
b) my team captain, who is 37 years old, announces to me this is his last year in the league.
c) my focus is now "I really want to win the Superbowl for Ray!" one assumes.
so, how exactly am I living in dreamland by saying it might even help their preparation again?
Why would it DISTRACT from their focus to win playoff games? Am I suddenly concerned for Ray's life outside football? what exactly is distracting me from wanting to go out and rip the colts heads off to send him out on top?
The media? what do I care if they ask me how I feel about ray retiring "well, I really want to win now."
Football is an emotional game. you really think, for example, that indy THIS YEAR was going to be 11-5 if they didn't have something to rally the team behind?
I mean, im not trying to be factitious, but explain to me how your team's emotional leader saying "this is my last year" makes me LESS likely to want to murder anyone in a colts uniform on Sunday. Just labeling something "a distraction" doesn't make it one.