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Posted: May 29, 2009
Every year, there are more than a few players who probably should have decided in the offseason to call it quits.
Sometimes, they just need a nudge.
My goal is to give them one — whether they want it or not.
So here are 10 who would be wise to walk away from the game, now.
1. Deuce McAllister
McAllister, one of the most beloved players in Saints' history, was given the heave-ho by New Orleans.
With a couple of torn ACLs and a looming four-game suspension for taking the weight-loss supplement known as StarCaps, McAllister might try a new approach to keep his figure: waiting by the phone for an NFL team to call.
Let's face it, if he wouldn't have been one of the top two tailbacks with the Saints, it's likely he won't be one of the top two tailbacks in most other cities — especially since young ball carriers fresh out of college are plentiful and guys lower than No. 2 on the depth chart are expected to play special teams.
Deuce seems like a good guy. He should walk away on his own terms, before he's forced away on someone else's.
2. Brett Favre
Sure, he's retired. But as long as he's flirting with the Vikings about a possible return, he's not really gone.
His act is wearing thinner than Deuce McAllister waiting by the phone for an NFL team to call. Despite the many apologists within the jockocracy of ex-players, football fans are sick of Favre.
And so he needs to go.
Not just from the playing field. Plenty of football fans don't want to see him on a football field or on television talking about football, despite the inherent allure of a partially untucked shirt, clip-on tie, three-day salt-and-cinnamon beard, and flip-flops.
3. Marvin Harrison
He has been available for more than three months. And he's gotten barely a sniff.
It's not the way one of the greatest careers in NFL history should end.
But even in the midst of talk that he won't play again, former Colts receiver Marvin Harrison insists he'll be back.
His better move would be to move on.
Last year, he showed glimpses of his past greatness. Then again, there were dropped passes, and whispers that he'd lost his nerve to take a solid hit.
Harrison has no need for money, and every reason to be proud of his career. He should put a lid on it now, and be one of the rare modern NFL players who spends more than a decade with only one team.
4. Jon Kitna
On one hand, the fact he's a backup quarterback in Dallas means that he'll be overshadowed by the various attention magnets.
But we still know he's there. And it drives us nuts.
Two years ago, Jon Kitna said the Lions would win 10 games. (Don't give me the semantics, Lions fans. Sure, he didn't use those precise words. But that's what he meant.)
In two seasons, the Lions still have three wins to go. Maybe they'll get there by the end of the 2010 season?
If so, it will come three seasons after Kitna should have called it quits.
5. DeAngelo Hall
In human years, he's 25. In "pain in the butt" years, he's like 84.
It seems as if DeAngelo Hall has been around the NFL a lot longer than five seasons, due in large part that he's routinely popping off about something.
Most recently, he chided the team that paid him $1 million per game for eight games last year before giving him the ability to hit the open market again.
While he now has a fat new contract from the Commanders, we wonder when they'll realize that he's simply not an elite cover corner, and he's eventually more trouble than he's worth.
6. Chad Ochocinco
Speaking of a guy who's more trouble then he's worth, if Chad Ochocinco isn't happy with his situation in Cincinnati, why not just call it quits?
Really, who would miss him?
The Bengals have been dealing with the whining and the crying for so long that it might actually make them better if he's gone for good.
And since owner Mike Brown is dead set against trading Ochocinco, the only way out is to retire.
I know he won't. But, man, it's fun to think about the possibility.
7. Shaun Alexander
He was the league's MVP in 2006. Two seasons later, he was out of a job.
One year later, he's all but forgotten.
Alexander says he'd play for the league minimum. If that league is the UFL, he might find a taker.
Bottom line? It's over. It was a great ride, but it's done.
8. Plaxico Burress
Though he's still got some football left in him, Plaxico's inability to realize that taking a short jail term voluntarily is much better than standing trial and likely going away for much, much longer suggests that maybe he needs to temporarily abandon any aspiration to play football until his legal imbroglio has been resolved.
So Burress should retire. And then, once he finishes serving his time — whether it's two months or 42 — he should consider coming back.
As a practical matter, Plaxico essentially is retired until the criminal charges clear up. Especially if in two weeks he finds out that he'll be tried on felony weapons charges before the 2009 season ends.
9. LeCharles Bentley
On the first snap of 11-on-11 drills during the first training camp after he cashed in with a huge free-agent contract in Cleveland, Bentley popped a patellar tendon.
In three seasons since, he hasn't dressed for a single game.
But even after being cut by the Browns in June 2008, Bentley still hasn't called it quits.
If he waits much longer, his announcement will be met by most people with this reaction: "Who in the heck is LeCharles Bentley?"
10. Jeremy Shockey
The Saints tight end had a disappointing year in 2008, and there's a sense in some circles that his best years are behind him.
Maybe he'll turn it around and have a solid season or two in New Orleans' high-octane offense. But the recent "dehydration" incident at a pool party in Las Vegas isn't a good sign.
So maybe we'll all be better off if Shockey just calls it quits now, before he fades away.
Or has a more serious episode of "dehydration."
Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=554312
Every year, there are more than a few players who probably should have decided in the offseason to call it quits.
Sometimes, they just need a nudge.
My goal is to give them one — whether they want it or not.
So here are 10 who would be wise to walk away from the game, now.
1. Deuce McAllister
McAllister, one of the most beloved players in Saints' history, was given the heave-ho by New Orleans.
With a couple of torn ACLs and a looming four-game suspension for taking the weight-loss supplement known as StarCaps, McAllister might try a new approach to keep his figure: waiting by the phone for an NFL team to call.
Let's face it, if he wouldn't have been one of the top two tailbacks with the Saints, it's likely he won't be one of the top two tailbacks in most other cities — especially since young ball carriers fresh out of college are plentiful and guys lower than No. 2 on the depth chart are expected to play special teams.
Deuce seems like a good guy. He should walk away on his own terms, before he's forced away on someone else's.
2. Brett Favre
Sure, he's retired. But as long as he's flirting with the Vikings about a possible return, he's not really gone.
His act is wearing thinner than Deuce McAllister waiting by the phone for an NFL team to call. Despite the many apologists within the jockocracy of ex-players, football fans are sick of Favre.
And so he needs to go.
Not just from the playing field. Plenty of football fans don't want to see him on a football field or on television talking about football, despite the inherent allure of a partially untucked shirt, clip-on tie, three-day salt-and-cinnamon beard, and flip-flops.
3. Marvin Harrison
He has been available for more than three months. And he's gotten barely a sniff.
It's not the way one of the greatest careers in NFL history should end.
But even in the midst of talk that he won't play again, former Colts receiver Marvin Harrison insists he'll be back.
His better move would be to move on.
Last year, he showed glimpses of his past greatness. Then again, there were dropped passes, and whispers that he'd lost his nerve to take a solid hit.
Harrison has no need for money, and every reason to be proud of his career. He should put a lid on it now, and be one of the rare modern NFL players who spends more than a decade with only one team.
4. Jon Kitna
On one hand, the fact he's a backup quarterback in Dallas means that he'll be overshadowed by the various attention magnets.
But we still know he's there. And it drives us nuts.
Two years ago, Jon Kitna said the Lions would win 10 games. (Don't give me the semantics, Lions fans. Sure, he didn't use those precise words. But that's what he meant.)
In two seasons, the Lions still have three wins to go. Maybe they'll get there by the end of the 2010 season?
If so, it will come three seasons after Kitna should have called it quits.
5. DeAngelo Hall
In human years, he's 25. In "pain in the butt" years, he's like 84.
It seems as if DeAngelo Hall has been around the NFL a lot longer than five seasons, due in large part that he's routinely popping off about something.
Most recently, he chided the team that paid him $1 million per game for eight games last year before giving him the ability to hit the open market again.
While he now has a fat new contract from the Commanders, we wonder when they'll realize that he's simply not an elite cover corner, and he's eventually more trouble than he's worth.
6. Chad Ochocinco
Speaking of a guy who's more trouble then he's worth, if Chad Ochocinco isn't happy with his situation in Cincinnati, why not just call it quits?
Really, who would miss him?
The Bengals have been dealing with the whining and the crying for so long that it might actually make them better if he's gone for good.
And since owner Mike Brown is dead set against trading Ochocinco, the only way out is to retire.
I know he won't. But, man, it's fun to think about the possibility.
7. Shaun Alexander
He was the league's MVP in 2006. Two seasons later, he was out of a job.
One year later, he's all but forgotten.
Alexander says he'd play for the league minimum. If that league is the UFL, he might find a taker.
Bottom line? It's over. It was a great ride, but it's done.
8. Plaxico Burress
Though he's still got some football left in him, Plaxico's inability to realize that taking a short jail term voluntarily is much better than standing trial and likely going away for much, much longer suggests that maybe he needs to temporarily abandon any aspiration to play football until his legal imbroglio has been resolved.
So Burress should retire. And then, once he finishes serving his time — whether it's two months or 42 — he should consider coming back.
As a practical matter, Plaxico essentially is retired until the criminal charges clear up. Especially if in two weeks he finds out that he'll be tried on felony weapons charges before the 2009 season ends.
9. LeCharles Bentley
On the first snap of 11-on-11 drills during the first training camp after he cashed in with a huge free-agent contract in Cleveland, Bentley popped a patellar tendon.
In three seasons since, he hasn't dressed for a single game.
But even after being cut by the Browns in June 2008, Bentley still hasn't called it quits.
If he waits much longer, his announcement will be met by most people with this reaction: "Who in the heck is LeCharles Bentley?"
10. Jeremy Shockey
The Saints tight end had a disappointing year in 2008, and there's a sense in some circles that his best years are behind him.
Maybe he'll turn it around and have a solid season or two in New Orleans' high-octane offense. But the recent "dehydration" incident at a pool party in Las Vegas isn't a good sign.
So maybe we'll all be better off if Shockey just calls it quits now, before he fades away.
Or has a more serious episode of "dehydration."
Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=554312
