5 Ex-Players Who Should Follow Hines Ward's Example, Embrace Analyst Role

Hines Ward will join NBC to contribute to Football Night In America for the 2012 NFL season, according to ProFootballTalk.com, and there are a handful of ex-players that must follow his lead. 

Many retired players make a post-career living as an TV analysts, and some are better than others. Cris Carter has been a fixture on ESPN for a long time, although he tends to spout off some of his questionable opinions far too often. Warren Sapp lost his job at the NFL Network for inappropriately and incorrectly calling Jeremy Shockey a "snitch" in the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal. 

Meanwhile, guys like Ron Jaworski, Marcellus Wiley and Mark Schlereth have enjoyed successful careers as popular football analysts on television. 

There's a recent batch of NFL greats that have called it quits, guys that would add welcomed insight to football shows on major TV networks. 

Isaac Bruce

Bruce is a future Hall of Famer, after a glorious career in which he amassed 15,208 receiving yards, which is the third highest total in NFL history. His 1,024 receptions are seventh-most all-time. 

He was always a strong figure on the field and in the locker room amongst his teammates and although his career isn't marred by the "diva" label, he certainly wasn't afraid to exhibit a fiery personality on occasion. 

With the added emphasis on the passing game in today's NFL, Bruce, who's certainly an authority on catching footballs in the NFL, could provide intriguing insight on what the quarterbacks and wide receivers are trying to accomplish and how they get it done on every play.  

Kerry Collins

Collins isn't officially retired, but he told the Indianapolis Star the following after being placed on the injured-reserved list last season: 

"I'm about 99 percent sure this is going to be it. When you start dealing with concussions at my age and this point in my career, I'm inclined to think this is going to be it for me."

His 17-year career featured 40,922 passing yards and 209 passing touchdowns. 

He's another guy that could provide viewers a relevant look inside the minds of today's pass-happy quarterbacks. 

After all, he did throw 6,261 passes in his career.

Ty Law

Law is one of the most reliable and productive cornerbacks in the modern era. He had 53 interceptions and was named to the All-Pro team twice in his illustrious 15-year career. 

Having picked off many of the game's greats, most namely Peyton Manning numerous times, it'd be interesting to hear what Law would have to say from a cornerback's perspective after witnessing secondaries getting absolutely torched of late. 

Brian Dawkins

Brian Dawkins was the heart and soul of the Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos defenses during his famed tenure in the NFL. 

A spirited playmaker who was known for his ball-hawking skills and the devastating hits he delivered, Dawkins was revered by fans due to his true throwback playing style. 

Due to the fact that he retired this offseason, he could supply sufficient information on just about every current NFL quarterback and a litany of wide receivers. 

Having played as the defensive quarterback for many years, Dawkins knows how defenses scheme to stop aerial assaults. 

Ricky Williams

Williams, one of the most eccentric minds in NFL history, has to become an analyst. 

Please. 

Sure, we may not agree with all of his idiosyncratic ideologies, but chances are, he'd give drastically different and thought-provoking opinions on many of the NFL's most controversial topics. 

Hearing him opine on who's to blame after a loss or what the league can do to curb concussions would, at the very least, be rather stimulating.