As Terrell Owens makes his rounds in the Arena Football League, he joins a list of great wide receivers who struggled to exit the limelight gracefully.
All great players have an expiry date, but it seems that wide receivers are the worst at realizing when the milk has spoiled.
When the milk is fresh, the proud proprietors of the NFL’s most glamorous position happily reap the rewards of the hard work forged at the line of scrimmage.
Being a primary point scorer seems to act as an intoxicating fuel for inflating the self-importance of some wideouts, often producing egotistical divas.
At 38, with a besmirched reputation Owens has clearly overstayed his welcome in the NFL after all 32 teams passed on picking him up as a free-agent in 2011.
Like Owens, Randy Moss didn’t play in 2011 after retiring the previous year, however he is now looking to return in 2012 at 35.
Ten years ago, Moss and Owens were two of the premier receivers in the NFL, they’re now five years removed from the tail end of their primes.
They are greats of the game, accustomed to commanding the spotlight and like greats before them they are clinging to the light as their careers fade.
The great Cris Carter was without a team in 2002, but was eventually offered a lifeline by the desperate and depleted Miami Dolphins.
Unfortunately, Carter was only able to participate in five games for a total of eight receptions and one touchdown after being grounded by an ailing kidney.
The iconic and grand Minnesota Viking left the sport as a decrepit backup porpoise.
Tim Brown played 16 seasons for the Raiders, but tarnished a complete career in silver and black with a hapless final year with Tampa Bay in 2004.
Isaac Bruce was a lifelong Ram until joining the 49ers for a pair of seasons from 2008, at 37 his final campaign was good for 21 receptions without a score.
On the bright side, the greatest of all-time Jerry Rice can be excluded from this list, he miraculously scored 21 touchdowns in four seasons after exceeding a supposed expiry date of 38.
Finally, kudos to Marvin Harrison for walking away from the game at 36, playing all 13 of his seasons for the Colts and contributing 636 yards in his final year.
29 Febrero 2012
