Calling it quits was a hot topic in the NFL this past offseason. The well-documented Brett Favre drama dominated headlines for most of the summer, as fans were divided in their opinions.

Some believed Favre needed to hang it up, while others were passionate about seeing more Brett-ball in the NFL. We have all witnessed the end result, as Favre prepares to orchestrate an air raid over Dolphin Stadium on Sunday afternoon with the New York Jets.

When the New York Giants lost Osi Umenyiora for the season, the team reached out to Michael Strahan in an effort to convince him to prolong his retirement plan. Unfortunately for the defending champions, Strahan declined the offer and will be enjoying this season from the comfort of his home.

As seasons come and go, fans are forced to bid farewell to their favorite players, who’ve accomplished all they could, or have decided that they couldn’t take it anymore.

This is the one player whose style was so dynamic, so forceful, and so impressive, that fans wish they could re-live the prime of their careers for the rest of eternity.

And while dealing with these emotions, fans have to justify a roster spot for that one veteran that should move on, despite that well-advertised spirit. It’s not really about their drop-off in talent or an inability to play. It’s really about allowing the game to progress and giving a younger guy an opportunity to establish his own career.

Come Back to Me!

There are so many players to choose from. Decades upon decades of the NFL, as we know it today, have given us an absurd amount of players we wish we could see at their most prominent once again.

Ultimately, the choice was with the position that can totally dominate and take over the pace of a game: the running back.

Fans enjoy discussions about who the best running back to ever play the game was. Little do they know that there’s only one right answer.

And that answer presents itself in the form of a Rookie of the Year, a 10-time Pro Bowl selection, a two-time Offensive Player of the Year, and a former NFL Most Valuable Player.

His name is Barry Sanders, and the NFL misses him.

With his agility, acceleration, speed, and a display of class and character no longer recognizable in the NFL, Barry Sanders is the caliber of player that doesn’t come around very often. His ability to dominate and takeover games single-handedly was unprecedented.

It's unbelievable for one man to control the tempo of a game with 11 men focused on trying to stop him.

It can be argued that Curtis Martin was just as classy throughout his Hall-of-Fame-worthy career, but Martin never dominated to the extent Barry Sanders did.

With over 15,000 rushing yards and 109 touchdowns in his career, Sanders ended it unexpectedly prior to the 1999 season. Having lost his competitive spirit, Sanders decided that it was time to part ways with the Detroit Lions and their losing ways.

And understandably so, as the team finally appears to be on the verge of hitting a stride—two decades after drafting Sanders.

One can argue that Sanders did wrong by Detroit with such an abrupt retirement. But the fact that he chose to end his career despite closing in on Walter Payton’s all-time rushing record signifies a man more interested in victory than individual accolades.

He didn’t extend his career with another team to pad his statistics like Emmitt Smith did.

Sanders would effortlessly march for over 1,400 yards per season with no real team around him. To achieve such yardage, consistently, against defenses that are playing to stop the run is a feat in itself.

If fans could have Barry Sanders back for one season, all would be good in the world.

Ready for Life Without You...

Picking a player for this category was difficult. Should it be someone that’s currently signed to an active roster, like Zach Thomas or Rodney Harrison?

Or should it be one of the older guys that are playing the waiting game, hoping a team has a need for them, like Ty Law or John Lynch?

Ultimately, Brett Favre was the only player that truly embodied what this article intends to accomplish.

As a fan of the New York Jets, this decision presented a monstrous conflict of interest for me. I plan to watch every game and cheer his accomplishments with the same tenacity, passion, and fervor as always. But this is because I support the uniform, and not the player.

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