There's nothing else to say.
What he is doing for this team should never be forgotten. I do not care if he doesn't step foot on the field tomorrow. The man has a torn ligament in his knee. He is in his 30s. He has a family. He will be a free agent at the end of this year. Conventional wisdom says, "Be smart. Get surgery. Come back and play a few weeks at the end of the year to show you are healthy, and cash in on a huge free agent deal in the offseason that will set your family up forever."
I would not blame him at all if he did that. He probably should.
Instead, this man is showing incredible strength and loyalty to a franchise that is so loyal to him that it drafted four centers in the year before he becomes a free agent. Jeff Saturday saw his team lose on Sunday night and said, "What the hell, I'll come back TWO MONTHS EARLY".
All week he has been at practice. Working hard. Playing with pain...no wait, not playing...practicing with pain. Doing what no one has the right to ask to him to do.
He's not a firefighter or a cop. He's not a war hero, or even a community activist, come to that. But as much as the word can be used to describe a football player, Jeff Saturday is heroic. Even if he never makes it to game time. No matter what happens tomorrow, the rest of the year, or with his contract, no Colts fan should ever forget:
Jeff Saturday practiced this week.
Go out and win this damn game, boys.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
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5 comments:
There are some players that should never wear another uniform. Jerry Rice and Joe Montana, as an example.
If Jeff Saturday ever wears anything other than the blue horseshoe, it'll be a travesty of the highest order, and I guarantee that Polian, Irsay, and Dungy will catch hell for it.
Much as I love Jeff and hope for three more pro bowl seasons and Manning's lobbying to get him into the HOF, this team is pretty savvy about age and finances.
Marvin MAY have been a slight mistake, or maybe not. Edge was the right call. And if one of the new centers shows the physical and MENTAL aptitude, Jeff might be franchised for a year like Edge was, but eventually he will walk and hopefully make a boatload of cash.
Then, for their finale, he and Edge will sign for one day and retire as Colts. On their way to Canton.
Oh, and 18-1! 18-1!
Top flight centers don't make nearly as much as top flight skill players.
Jeff Faine got a deal from the Bucs for $37.5 million over 6 years. He's the highest paid center of all time.
LDT got somewhere in the neighborhood of $60 million over 8 years.
I think, realistically, you could sign Jeff Saturday to a $25 million, 5 year contract.
And yes, I expect the Colts to sign Edge to a 1 day contract so he can retire a Colt.
Major props to Saturday but clearly this ligament tear was nowhere near as bad as originally thought. Think Dallas Clark circa 2006.
Jeff Saturday is listed as inactive. Valiant try, but he's only human. Crap.
http://blogs.nfl.com/category/fantasy/
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