Strahan Goes out on
Top
Michael
Strahan took advantage of the perfect timing of a Superbowl upset of the
Patriots to declare his retirement from the NY Giants earlier this week. The
dominating defensive end played as well as he had when he was younger causing
all kinds of trouble for quarterbacks on a defensive that controlled lines of
scrimmage all season long.
Did All He Could Do
Who could
ask for a better career in the NFL? Strahan was named to sever pro bowls, has
the record for the fifth most sacks in NFL history, and should go to the Hall
of Fame as soon as he is eligible.
Winning the
Superbowl sealed the deal for him as he had contemplated retiring over the
summer prior to the 2007 season began. He came back to play as well as he ever
had in his 15 years in the league. A career the included 216 games all with the
Giants. A rare feat these days for a player of his caliber when most move
around in free agency for bigger and bigger paychecks.
Something Left in the
Tank
Strahan’s
retirement after such a great performance over the course of his final year
leads everyone to ask, how much left in the tank does he have? And will he
return this year or maybe next year after missing the game? At 36 years old, he
is near the end of his career but he did have one year left on his current
contract. That last year in New York
would have paid him at the least $4 million. And he showed no signs of slowing
down this past year starting all but one regular season game and putting up 46
tackles with 9 sacks.
He will try
his hand at broadcasting and hopes to make a new career analyzing games. Often
ex-players get a couple of years in the both and never make it long term. But
there are the exceptions that last a long time doing color commentary for games
on ESPN and possibly Strahan is one that will make it.