OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Ray Lewis will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery rather than prolong his frustrating efforts to return to All-Pro form.

	Lewis

After missing six of the Baltimore Ravens' last seven games, the five-time Pro Bowl linebacker decided to turn his attention to next year and have an operation on his ailing left shoulder.

The procedure is expected to take place within the next two weeks.

"Making the decision to have the surgery was difficult,'' Lewis said. "In my mind, I've gone back and forth. I wanted to put this team on my back and get them back to the playoffs, but that's not the best thing for me to do right now.''

Not with a sore shoulder, anyway.

"We knew that surgery was going to have to be done at some time,'' Ravens trainer Bill Tessendorf said. "Reality has really settled in on him over the last week or so. He knows that surgery will make him better, and that is the best option for him right now.''

Lewis partially separated the shoulder trying to recover a fumble in an Oct. 6 game against the Cleveland Browns. He missed the next five games, then returned to record a team-high 18 tackles against the Miami Dolphins on Nov. 17.

But he injured his calf in a collision with a teammate during that game and was back on the sideline last week during the Ravens' 13-12 home win over Tennessee.

"This is so frustrating, and it's so hard not playing, especially the home games,'' Lewis said. "I kept delaying and working with Tess, hoping to find a way, but it didn't respond the way I hoped it would, or the way the trainers and doctors thought it might.''

Team officials said it will take between four and six months for Lewis' shoulder to heal, a recovery time that should have him ready for next year's training camp.

"This is the right decision,'' Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "In July, when he's ready for the start of training camp, we'll all be pleased that he had the surgery in early December, rather than later.''

The Ravens are 3-3 without Lewis, who made 63 consecutive starts before sitting out Baltimore's game in Indianapolis on Oct. 13. Despite his absence, he continued to have an influence on the team.

"Ray's passion to succeed and the effort he makes to prepare to succeed are unmatched,'' Billick said. "Even injured, he has helped us improve. He's prepared like he was going to play, and he's even had extra film sessions for some of our young defensive players.''

The Ravens improved to 2-2 and stood atop the AFC North on the night Lewis got injured, but Baltimore (5-6) has since sunk to third place and appears to have little chance of reaching the playoffs for a third straight season without Lewis, their best player and team leader.

Lewis led the NFL with 196 tackles last year and was a key figure in Baltimore's drive to the Super Bowl in 2000. The marquee player on a team torn apart by a salary-cap purge during the offseason, Lewis this summer received a five-year contract extension that included a $19 million signing bonus.

Since coming to Baltimore after a standout career at the University of Miami, Lewis was the Ravens' leading tackler in each of his first six seasons, a streak that will end this year.

He led the league in tackles in 1997, '99 and last year, when he also tied a career high with three interceptions and 3½ sacks.

Bernardo Harris, who took over for Lewis on Oct. 13, will remain the starter.