All Good Things Come to an End

The National Football League has seen the world’s best football players and even some of the best athletes of all time. That is the up side thinking of this blog, however there must always be a downside to things (Remembering that I am NOT a pessimist at all in any way). That downside is when careers must come to an end. No matter how amazing of an athlete you are, everyone must eventually hang up the jersey one last time.

I am giving the microphone to Kurt Warner today for announcing his retirement. He has been one of the most influential Cinderella stories that my generation will ever see play the game. He arose from Iowa, where few NFL players come from, to become a much decorated professional athlete. His career as a whole was rather dominant and I believe he will one day be selected into the Hall of Fame. Warner completed 65% of his regular season passes for 32,344 yards and 208 touchdowns. He threw at least 100 touchdowns and 14,000 yards for two different teams in his career. The only other quarterback to do so is Frank Tarkenton. He also became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 10,000 passing yards and tied Dan Marino as fastest to reach 30,000. He appeared in two Super Bowls throughout his career. In 1999 he played in the Super Bowl with the Rams and beat the Titans while also being crowned league and game MVP that year. His next Super Bowl he lost in 2009 with the Cardinals when they played the astonishing Steelers. I must admit I have some bias towards Warner seeing as how he is an Iowa native from Cedar Rapids and played his college ball at UNI where my high school team once won a State Title in Football back in 2002. My brother-in-law was a two-way starter on that Championship team. When he stopped playing football it was a little devastating because it was his identity to some extent. But sooner or later good things come to an end. Just like my Corey, my brother-in-law, it’s sad to see Kurt Warner’s career come to an end.

I have to choose someone to get left alone and I am choosing Brett Favre, again. Not that I want to but it only makes sense. He isn’t the one prolonging this retirement thing. Every year we go through this 6 month argument of whether or not Favre will throw in the towel, put his cleats away and hang up the jersey one last time (or frame it in his case). Brett too has had a phenomenal career and still has the ability to play the game. So does Warner he is choosing not to though. If Brett wants to play, then play. If not just tell us and move on. You are a legend Brett; you’re not going to be forgotten. Besides you still have those wonderful Wrangler commercials and Sears commercials we all love so much. The longer he prolongs his decision the more likely he is to come back and play again I’d say. Maybe he isn’t as good of a football player as he once was but his game is not gone. Sure there is the fact that he ended up this season with an interception, but that what he does, throws Int.’s. He is willing to make those mistakes which are why he is also a playmaker and the leading touchdown passer of all time. So, step up like Kurt Warner and make a decision and stick with it. That’s what athletes are taught to do all their careers, make a quick decision and learn to live with it. I wish some of the greatest of all time would take this advice!