Seau back from retirement

When you say the words “coming back from retirement,” four people instantly pop into my head: Brett Favre, Sugar Ray Leonard, Jay-Z, and Junior Seau. The latter announced yesterday that he is returning to the New England Patriots for another go at a championship.

Seau hasn’t made the Pro Bowl since 2002, when he was a Hall of Fame caliber linebacker for the San Diego Chargers. Since then, he continually seems to come back on a one-year basis. In 2005 he said this to the USA Today: “Golfing in San Diego is pretty tough to leave. Every day I think about retirement. This game is not meant for human beings to play beyond a certain amount of years.”

In 2006, he retired. But he came back, again and again, and now after sitting out a little bit, he’s back again at age 40. With three comebacks under his belt, he’s actually one comeback ahead of both Michael Jordan and Brett Favre. Honestly, who didn’t see this coming? Whenever you make appearances on the Versus network where you try to stare down an angry bull, that’s proof enough that you still have your competitive spirit.

This says a lot about the New England Patriots, who have never been shy about exiling defensive players who they think can’t help them anymore (i.e, Richard Seymour). For them to turn to a 40 year-old Seau, whose best years are long behind him, it shows how little confidence Belichick must have with his defense.