Michael Strahan essentially announced his retirement today through foxsports.com's Jay Glazer. But do you really believe this will be the last we see of Strahan on the field?
JIM: Don't believe it. Strahan will return
In sports we always talk about how great it must be to leave on top. But we also tend to forget these guys wouldn't have accomplished everything they have if they weren't ultra-competitive. That's why Michael Jordan couldn't walk away after that game-winning basket against Utah. He needed to try it again, one more try to see if he could recapture that magic.
Sure, Strahan must feel great to walk away having finally won the Super Bowl. And no doubt with minicamp starting later this week, he will be thinking to himself, 'Man, it's be great to walk now a champ and not have to go through minicamp.'
And no doubt he'll be confident he made the right decision when training camp comes along and his ex-teammates are going through two-a-days. But what happens when the first game is played? When Week 2 and 3 and 4 pass and he's watching on television, getting that itch.
Every retired player gets that itch. I don't believe Strahan will be able to ignore it.
He'll be back by October.
ANTHONY: He mentally checked out after they won
At least that's what someone who knows Strahan pretty well told me a few minutes ago.
Strahan is likely to remain retired because he just doesn't want to go through the rigors of another NFL season. Mucho money would have brought him back, but the Giants would only go so far. In the salary-cap world, that's smart.
I think we're going to see more of this, Jim, meaning players walking away earlier than they might have in the past. Once you've won and once you've made all the money anyone could ever spend, why push yourself if you don't want to anymore?
Life is too short.
Strahan will make a good living as a TV personality. Heck, he'll probably do better than Tiki Barber in that arena.
Could he come back? Sure. But I don't think he will. Say goodbye, Jim.
Your thoughts?
Comments (4)
My impression from what I've seen is that Anthony's right. I think Strahan's had enough.
Should the Giants stay with what they have or look south to Miami? :)
I also think he is done. The wear-and-tear seemed to be becoming to much for him to want to continue on. With that said, the only way I see him coming back is if the Giants suffer some injuries up front in the beginning of the season and he finds he wasn't as ready to give it up as everyone thought.
As far as heading south to Miami, why? If the Giants weren't going to give Strahan the money, why take on $8 mil for Taylor? They don't need him that bad.
I'm with Anthony. I think it's different than Jordan simply because of what the job requires. The physical toll of playing shooting guard is different than that of defensive end in the NFL. Jordan came back and averaged about 22 points on jump shots and smarts. Strahan would be coming back to another season of wrestling wooly mammoths in the trenches, knowing that one bad play could result in a season-ending (possibly life-altering) injury. The risk isn't worth it when he's got nothing left to accomplish. He'll probably get the itch, but that fear would be his calamine lotion. By October he'll be getting comfy on "Best Damn Sports Show" and that FOX football show with Jay Glazer and Sehorn. When he isn't in Saint Tropez.
I think he's done. This is not a guy who leaves the game after only 10 years at the age of 32. He's 35, he's played 15 long seasons and he's won a Super Bowl now. I don't think he has anything left to prove by coming back. Sure he'll miss it but unless the Giants (God forbid) lose two of their DEs to injury, he'll stay retired. The Giants would really have to have a need to have him come back for him to strap the pads back on again. And with 4 guys (Osi, Tuck, Kiwanuka, Wynn) capable of stepping in right now as starters for two slots I doubt we'll see that happen.