No one wants Junoir Seau anymore. Indications are that he still wants to play, but… the phone just isn’t ringing. The Dolphins released him back on March 6th, and no one’s called with an offer since. It’s gotta be hard for a guy when he still wants to play, when he was, in the not-too-distant past, one of the league’s best players. But he’s making the announcement today at a press conference at Chargers Park.
Forgive the self-indulgent post (like I ever do anything else), but it was phenomenal to be a Junior Seau fan. I love Junior Seau so much that I feel really bad for posting the cover when he posed for Sports Illustrated for Really Gay Kids. I remember when he was drafted, and I remember his last game as a Charger. He wasn’t just a great player, even though he certainly was a great player. To me, he was the best linebacker of the past twenty years who wasn’t named Lawrence Taylor. There were times when he was the only thing to like about the Chargers.
The thing that made him special to me was that he brought an energy every week, an enthusiasm for playing the game that was obvious to anyone who even glanced at a TV when he was playing. And it wasn’t just when the Chargers were having a good year, it was every time he was out there (which was almost always, as he missed just 8 games in his 13 seasons as a Charger). He was the guy jumping around before the snap, he was the guy who couldn’t keep himself still, he was the guy racking up countless offsides penalties because he couldn’t wait to get at the ball carrier. The man just loved to play football.
I hope they can find a spot somewhere for him in the Chargers organization.
Mark
One of the first football games I ever watched was the San Diego Chargers vs. the Kansas City Chiefs on NBC Sunday football. I remember seeing this guy keep running right through the Kansas City O-line to smash into running backs, quarterbacks, or anything else he could get his hands on. The guy was a total animal on the field. The guy was Junior Seau, and the season was 1994, the year of San Diego’s first and only trip to the Super Bowl.
Hard to believe that game was so long ago…I feel old. I also feel bad that Seau was such a great player and never got his championship; the man deserved one. Nevertheless, he will likely have a spot in the Chargers Hall of Fame, and hopefully, the Hall in Canton. He was truly one of the game’s most dominant players.
August 14, 2006 at 8:25 am
johnny
Being a WVU fan and a SD Charger fan would have to be one of the oddest combinations, but I am. I’m going to miss him. Hall of Fame in 5 years! Start getting your speach ready Junior!
August 14, 2006 at 9:48 am
twoeightnine
Say-Owww!
August 14, 2006 at 10:15 am
Mr Furious
Hard not to like a guy like Seau. He was one of my favorite players, and I could give a shit about the Bolts and the AFC West…
August 14, 2006 at 11:22 am
PTPers
Additionally, his restaurant serves a delicious Teriyaki Chicken. Just thought it should be noted.
August 14, 2006 at 11:57 am
Unsilent Majority
I’m pretty sure he retired three years ago.
August 14, 2006 at 2:59 pm
Suss
Odds of Dancing with the Stars appearance in the next three years?
August 14, 2006 at 6:28 pm
Fredwilo
In his prime, Seau was amazing. As a Seattle Seahawks season ticket holder, I got to watch him beat the crap out of people at least once a year every year. He was awesome.
And I agree, he retired 3 years ago…
August 14, 2006 at 8:32 pm