You almost knew it was too good to be true.
When a press conference was called early last week in San Diego to say that Junior Seau would be announcing his retirement after a stellar NFL career, only slowed in recent years by injury, a little part of you had to wonder in the back of your mind if he could really walk away?
The answer came no less than a week after we thought the former Charger, Miami Dolphin and resident of La Jolla would not patrol NFL defenses any longer.
Seau signed a one-year deal late last week with the New England Patriots, putting into hibernation a four-day retirement. At his press conference in San Diego last week, Seau offered to those in attendance that “I’m not retiring. I am graduating.”
A 12-time Pro Bowler, Seau said then that no teams wanted or needed him, but he wouldn’t rule out coming back if the right situation presented itself. Apparently, Seau feels that winning ticket to a Super Bowl ring rests in Foxboro, Mass.
According to Seau, the Patriots, beset by injuries in the linebacking stable, called the former USC Trojan and asked if he’d be interested in playing with them.
Make no mistake about it, the Patriots are still a Super Bowl contender and could very well find themselves playing in the championship game come next February. That being said, they and Seau could also find it a long season if other teams are able to exploit Seau, Rodney Harrison and other veterans on the defensive side of the ball.
I wish Seau well. He did a lot not only for the fans who sat in the seats at Jack Murphy (Qualcomm) Stadium, but gave back to the greater community during his time here.
I also wish Seau would have signed a one-day contract last week with the Chargers and retired in that uniform. I’m not a Chargers fan, but some guys just belong in certain uniforms when they call it quits.
Some guys also need to know when it is time to call it quits and go out on top.
Seau’s time in Miami was less than stellar. Traded to the Dolphins in April 2003 for a fifth-round draft pick, his first season proved a usual Seau strong season, but injuries cut short his next two seasons with the Fish. What will the outcome be for his third team?
I will always cherish the careers of guys like John Elway, Cal Ripken, Mike Schmidt, Tony Gwynn, Larry Bird, John Stockton, etc., who knew when it was time to call it quits and also wore one uniform their entire career.
Will Seau be one of these guys who bounce around from team to team after a solid career in one city? Or will he find what he has always coveted, a Super Bowl ring, in the cold and snow of Foxboro?
Harrison was also let go by the Chargers when many people thought he could still contribute and promptly won a pair of Super Bowl rings with the Pats.
Many people in San Diego still thought Seau had something left in the tank when the Chargers sent him packing.
Now, well, only time will tell if this move to New England was a good one or just leaves us scratching our heads about yet another athlete’s decision to not call it quits. Hopefully Seau can play with Father Time just a little bit longer.
Dave Thomas is a free-lance sports writer for the La Jolla Village News. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the paper.