Spear-tackled by 250 pounds of human being, crashed to the ground, sandwiched between muscle and turf with your head rattling inside your helmet. This is the life of an NFL player, yet they are defying rules of age in professional sport to play into their late 30s in one of the world’s most brutal sports.
Every time a quarterback goes down with a season ending injury, Brett Favre’s name is bandied around with suggestions of luring the future hall-of-famer out of retirement for the third time.
At 42 years of age, industry professionals still believe he will outperform his younger counterparts despite the 20 year age difference.
This week was different, however. Brett Favre said he would listen to the Chicago Bears if they called. This is how he previously came out of retirement.
In retirement, everyone is his biggest fan. Applauding him for his contribution to the game, his legend of longevity resonates across the worldwide sporting community. Respected by all, a request to return to the NFL would be granted by most teams, but he would walk into the starting job at only a select few.
His true fans will plead he stay retired.
In the age of physicality, deep down we all know he will not succeed, but it suggests blasphemy to say it directly. The last thing he needs is another reason to return.
Favre aside, there are still three active quarterbacks in the league 38 years or older. Mark Brunell (41) and Jon Kitna (39) are backups for the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys respectively. Kerry Collins (38) was the starter in place of the injured Peyton Manning for the Indianapolis Colts before getting injured himself.
Quarterbacks are renowned for concussions as they are frequently tackled from behind unaware of the closing tackler. The 2009 film The Blind Side showed the world how important it is for an offensive lineman to protect his quarterback’s blind side, as an unseen tackle can lead to career-ending injuries.
Despite this brutality, the quarterback position allows the greatest average longevity in the game after the placekicker, a non-contact position.
Outside of the quarterback position, several players remain at the top of the league in their positions despite their age. Playing in what is considered by many to be the game’s most physically demanding position, linebacker Ray Lewis (36) is still one of the top five defensive players in the game. Cornerback Charles Woodson (35) is considered the best ball hawk and is second in the NFL this season with six interceptions.
The key to a long career in the NFL rests within the game’s weakness. The stop-start nature.
Players rarely run any more than 30 yards before given a break in play, and the changeover between offence and defence provides extended rest unseen in other sports.
This doesn’t mean that these guys unfit. They remain some of the fittest athletes in the world, especially over short distances. Quarterbacks though, need not be.
The fitness requirements of a quarterback are completely different to other positions. More a position requiring mental fitness than physical, a quarterback’s ability to recover from a tackle is his most pressing physical requirement.
Brett Favre has been resting for 12 months. He may feel ready to return, but once he’s tackled, it will be another 12 months before he’s ready again.
It’s time to stop delaying his Hall of Fame induction.
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