I remember during his San Diego days, fans held up signs that played on Junior Seau's last name as an expression of how offensive players felt when Junior hit them. The signs read, "Say-OW!"
It was accurate back then because he'd regularly blow up plays and ball carriers. Seau isn't as explosive, but he remains effective, evidenced by his performance last season with he Patriots.
When he decided to come out of retirement, Seau did it with the intention of winning the Super Bowl ring that has eluded him for 19 years. As we all know, his pursuit for jewelry came up short by 35 seconds. He said he was having fun last year. But it wasn't fun to come within a hair of the ultimate goal.
Because Seau is a free agent, the lack of depth at linebacker and the age of the remaining LBs, the Patriots aggressively addressed the problem by adding Victor Hobson from the hated New York Jets and three more in the draft. On top of that, New England played free agent signee strong safety Tank Williams at linebacker sometimes during the recent passing camp.
So where does this leave Seau? He hasn't made a decision, but head coach Bill Belichick said Junior's decision won't come until just before training camp. Thus far, Seau's number 55 isn't being worn by anybody and it will be reserved until either Seau comes back or never worn again as it should be retired for former Pat Willie McGinest after he hangs it up after this season.
If anybody could come in just before camp and hit the ground running, it would be Seau. He quickly picked up the defense when he signed with N.E. and will not lose a step when new wrinkles are add. But more than anything it's a great way to get the young guys more repetitions during all these minicamps. Jerod Mayo, Shawn Crable, and Bo Ruud could bury their nose into their playbooks, but it's not the same as putting what they are trying to learn into practice as they try to pick up adjustments on the fly.
Granted that all depends on whether Seau decides to come back. But does anybody doubt his return? To be so close to his first championship can only fuel his desire to make another go at winning it all. The Patriots remain one of the top three teams in the AFC despite the free agent losses in the secondary. Historians point out that Super Bowl losers tend to miss the playoffs the following year. But none of those teams went 18-1.
Besides this could be the easiest season of Juinor's career. The injury to Rosevelt Colvin eliminated the rotation inside that kept Seau, Adalius Thomas, and Tedy Bruschi fresh. With Hobson and Mayo in the mix, there's a lot more time to keep the veterans fresh through December and beyond. How can Seau resist this situation?
Enjoy your time off Junior. Your 55 will be waiting. We know you're not the type to quit, especially under the circumstances from last season. If you were the quitting type, you never would had unretired in the first place.
