If you should be asked which teams had no jersey numbers retired, you would think that most of the teams on the list were new teams. Individuals in many of them say that they’re from Baltimore or Jacksonville or Houston or somewhere else.
But other teams on the list surprised me, like the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, both of which didn’t have any retired numbers on the list.
Some of those teams have a lot of obvious picks, like the Baltimore Ravens, which have a lot. After winning his second Lombardi Trophy two years ago, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis retired. He hasn’t had his number retired, even though he’s a big fan in the state of Maryland and the Ravens.
Outside of M&T Bank Stadium, there is a statue of him that looks like him. It’s a little surprising that the number 52 hasn’t been officially retired yet.
It is obvious that I don’t want anyone else to wear the number 52. Nobody can do it right now. Even though C.J. Mosley has a lot of good things going for him, he cannot really wear Ray’s number.
If you want to get rid of a lot of numbers, you should do that with #20. Maybe #27 should be banned for other reasons. You should never wear #52 in a game. It doesn’t just matter that Ray plays for the Ravens.
He has a big impact on the game and on Baltimore Ravens too. A great player, a team leader for almost two decades, and an iconic figure who was respected by every player he played against.
#52 should go on the list above.
