 "Photo: / The Advocate")
How old is too old to be a professional athlete these days? When are athletes at or past their prime?
LaDainian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers and Brian Westbrook of the Philadelphia Eagles were recently released by their respective teams. They were told it was not about money or health.
I think their teams believe they are too old. They do not think the two players have anything left in the tank or juice in their legs.
They are wrong.
Yes, both players struggled with injuries a year ago, but that is the game of football. Though, maybe it is different with running backs, since Brett Favre is 40, and he retires and comes back every year with the same old story. Peyton Manning is in his 30s and he just might be the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.
Randy Moss And Terrell Owens are still going strong at the wide receiver position, and I could not even tell how old Jerry Rice was before he walked away. He is probably still playing pick-up games somewhere.
So, what is it with running backs?
Sure, they take a lot of hits when they carry the ball. But these days, pretty much every team runs three- or four-back systems, so if they are healthy, they would not take a lot of hits anyway.
Look at Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton and Jerome Bettis. They were able to carry the load. Fred Taylor did not even reach his first Pro Bowl until he was already into his 30s.
Why did LaDainian Tomlinson and Brian Westbrook get cut?
Tomlinson had at least 1,000 yards in all but one season and at least 10 touchdowns every year. Westbrook is in the top five in yards from scrimmage every year.
Unfortunately, once teams think players are too old, they get thrown to the dumps.
When it comes down to it, it is a combination of age and money with all the players. They can go on for years after their prime, but only as long as the greedy, money-hungry owners are willing to allow them to do so.
It is up to all these older players to prove the owners wrong.
Rookies do not win championships.
If Tomlinson and Westbrook’s new teams get close to or even get to the Super Bowl next season, how will their old teams feel?
It will only show that there is no point in teams going young, because those teams never win a lot of games.
Tristin Cooper is a staff writer for The Advocate. Contact him at tcooper.advocate@gmail.com
Be the first to comment on this article!