It must be just me, but I dont find anybody taking their own life "tragic". I got in trouble in high school because I wouldnt stand for a moment of silence when the captain of the wrestling team killed himself because his girlfriend broke up with him. I'm sorry, but he had 3 kids that should have been the most important thing in his life. He should have done whatever it took to get the help he needed if not for himself, then for them. It's a little premature to think that he killed himself because he played football. Football has been around for a LONG TIME and was played by dudes in leather helmets and that had to get 2nd jobs in the offseason because they played a game for a living. I will repeat what I have seen expressed a lot - My sympathy goes out to Seau's family and friends. They are the ones that are left to clean up his mess. As for Junior himself, the only sad thing I see is a guy that gave 100% on the field and in life, chose a coward's solution to whatever mental or physical problems he may have had.
I thought it was really interesting when Marcellus Wiley said last night that you would never see Seau in the trainer's room. He was always treated by private doctors in his home because he didnt want anybody to see him weak or injured. It was also rumored that he was a bigtime steroid user his entire career. There might be a lot more to these football death's/suicides than just repeated head trauma.
I decided to not say anything upon your first post, but dude, you just don't get it. Yes, Seau was an adult who made the decision to play football. But these people are, in all likelihood, extremely mentally ill. If Duerson and Johnson are any indication, the inside of Junior Seau's head does not resemble yours or mine. Based on what we've seen from similar players in the past, it's highly likely that he suffered from severe brain damage. Judging him as if he was a rational decision maker doesn't fit here. What I would like to see and never have in any of the articles is a comparison of the rates of mental illness and suicide among retired football community versus the rest of the country (or more ideally, those w/ similar mental health profiles until age 25 or something like that). It's entirely possible that NFL players suffer at a rate that is statistically different from the general population, but I'm not sure if I've ever seen it addressed.
Youre right, I dont get it. I dont know if he was seeking counseling or if he was taking medication. My reaction may be a bit underinformed but at this point, they all are. Even if he took steroids and never sought counseling, the real tragedy is for his family and his kids. And anybody that kills themselves loses the label of "rational decision maker" unless they were a threat to harm somebody else.
Seau left no note nor left any instructions to have his brain donated. Never complained of any post concussion issues. Family says its not his time in the NFL that is to blame. <a class="postlink" href="http://www.tmz.com/2012/05/03/junior-seau-nfl-brain/#.T6LEpmE2obo.twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.tmz.com/2012/05/03/junior-se ... bo.twitter</a>
http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/7894558/rex-ryan-ok-son-playing-football-concussion Merril Hoge is a moron. Apparently he missed the part where it has been said that the problem isn't concussions and the repeated "sub-concussion" collisions. I'm hoping that Kurt Warner comes out and says that so that people don't listen to what he's saying. I also blame the person who is on there with him not bringing this up.
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2012/05/18/wes_welker_doesnt_see_progress_in_contract_talks_with_patriots/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+New+England+Patriots+news" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.boston.com/sports/football/p ... riots+news</a> Apparently, the Pats arent too happy with Welker taking his displeasure with his contract negotiations public. Hasnt he been on this team for a while? Doesnt he know thats how they operate? They arent going to sign him to a long term lucrative deal when they have guys on the team that can do what he does cheaper. They dont need to pay Edelman $10million a year over 5 years to drop balls in the Superbowl. I wouldnt be shocked if Welker was traded or gone next year.
The idea that Julian Edelman is the new Wes Welker is hogwash. I don't mind him getting a few reps, but Edelman is unlikely to ever be of starter quality, let alone replacing a 100-balls-a-year guy. I'm personally not huge on Welker. He has a pretty high dropped ball percentage over him tenure, and his lead in YAC last year was misleading (more than 10% of it comes on that one Week 1 catch in Miami). Despite his reputation for toughness, he has a tendency to hit the ground rather than trying to get an extra couple of yards. And as everyone knows, a lot of his catches come on relatively low-difficulty balls. But the reality is that the Patriots don't have a lot of other options. Their other options at WR are too old, underwhelming, or unknown. In some cases, more than one of those. Sure, the Patriots always manage to cobble something together, but if they don't sign Welker, their WR crop will be even worse than usual for several years to come. While the TEs help, the effectiveness of Gronk/Hernandez will be hampered if the WRs are a joke. The Patriots are built to win now, and I don't know if they can do that without Welker.
But that's what Bill does! Takes too old/not good enough and makes them work. Actually, its not Belichick at all, it's Brady. Brady makes Welker what he is. Brady makes that whole team. When you have an Elite QB, it masks a lot of ills. Brady could make any one of those guys into Welker. It's all about timing and hanging onto the ball in the Z-slot. Welker is good at it, but throw him on another team with a less elite QB, and his weaknesses would be exposed.
Oh no you don't, don't you fucking dare. Wes Welker had the same high level performance when Brady was out with Matty boy. Check the stats. 100+ catches, if not leading the league in catches, that year, AFTER coming back from the ACL tear.
And the lowest TD total of his career. 111 catches, 3 td's. You could throw the ball to Welker on every play. He could catch 200 balls a season. Its the when and where that help him to be successful and productive.
Welker isn't a TD machine, he gets you there, then someone else can get the TD. That's not a knock on him. He was just used differently and other options were available.
Im not knocking him. Remember from where they got him. My point is, no matter how good, the Pats do not overpay for on the downside players. They also arent signing him to a 5year deal if Tom is only playing 3.
Theye not giving him shit which is why he has sand all up in his vagina. They gotta pay him $9.5 this year because they franchised him, but what if he blows his knee out again? Then they cut him and move on. He wants the security of a long term deal and apparently the Pats arent interested in even discussing that.
Just had to laugh this morning... An article with this title doesn't exactly inspire confidence: Plus Addai and Woodhead, and whoever else they decide to slot in there. I know the Patriots love running back-by-committee, but a committee of a dozen mediocre backs doesn't replace one quality back who can be leaned on.