10 Current Sports Stars Who Found Their Second Winds
There comes a time in every athlete's career when the wheels fall off. He or she isn't as fast, strong, agile or durable as before. It starts to show in the stats. For most stars, this decline represents a point of no return.
For a select fortunate few, it's a false alarm. A flash in the pan or minor obstacle. While most athletes don't stare into the abyss and bounce back stronger, some recover.
These players either looked done or on the verge of a significant decline. Instead, they got stronger and proved reports of their demise premature.
They're also not the type of players who typically win comeback player of the year awards. Those go to studs—often in their prime—bouncing back from one year lost due to an injury. This list focuses more on players whose play diminished. Coming back from multiple injuries, however, warrants some attention.
Seemingly fading, these athletes instead found second winds.
Bartolo Colon
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Don't try to make sense of Bartolo Colon flourishing in his 40s. Just enjoy it.
Some may forget his career's strong start. Pitching in the American League in an era defined by inflated offense, he registered 200-plus strikeouts in back-to-back seasons (2000 and 2001). According to Baseball-Reference.com, he posted an ERA+ of 120 or higher in six of eight seasons, indicating he prevented runs at a rate at least 20 percent better than the average pitcher.
In 2005, he dubiously stole the American League Cy Young Award from Johan Santana with a 3.48 ERA. Yet he notched a 5.01 ERA the previous year and a fielding independent pitching—a metric measuring success independent of defense—above 4.30 in each of the four ensuing seasons.
If that was the end, he could have called it quits knowing he had a good run. Instead, he transformed into a strike-throwing machine and beacon of joy.
After missing all of 2010, Colon underwent a controversial procedure involving stem cells. Since then, he has notched a 3.63 ERA over six durable seasons. Now the oldest players in baseball, he's a constant in a New York Mets rotation ravaged by injuries to its young studs.
The Mets brought him back in 2016 with the hopes of him keeping the No. 5 spot warm for Zack Wheeler, who didn't return from Tommy John surgery this season. Colon could instead start Game 1 of the National League Division Series if the Mets win Wednesday's National League Wild Card Game.
Chris Jericho
2 of 10When Chris Jericho once again returned to WWE on the year's first Monday Night Raw, it felt like one comeback too many. The veteran wrestler—who frequently takes time off to tour with his band, Fozzy—resembled a corny dad more than a rock star.
Always an expert at crafting his character, he adapted. Instead of spewing the same catchphrases and pandering as a nostalgia act, he embraced those criticisms. Now he's consistently involved in Raw's most entertaining moments.
As a goofy heel, he's the butt of his own jokes, bragging about expensive scarfs and calling rivals a "stupid idiot" with the fervor of a 12-year-old. He's a self-aware caricature of himself on the microphone, which works especially well as champion Kevin Owens' ally.
When Owens successfully defended his title at Clash of Champions, the show ended with Jericho yelling "We did it!" and singing "We are the champions!" up the ramp.
In the ring, the 45-year-old remains a reliable worker. Jericho's recent roll could earn him one last main-event moment before stepping away from the ring.
Jimmy Graham
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It's too early to tell if this is a blip or full-fledged comeback, but football fans haven't seen this Jimmy Graham in quite some time.
Acquired to give Russell Wilson a major pass-catching weapon, the tight end instead tallied 605 receiving yards and two touchdowns for the Seattle Seahawks last season. After an uneventful start to 2016, the same guy who scored 16 times in 2013 went 10 straight games without reaching the end zone.
That finally changed in Week 3, when he plastered the San Francisco 49ers for 100 yards and a touchdown on six catches. Last Sunday, he reeled in another six receptions for 113 yards against the New York Jets.
He hadn't recorded 100 or more yards in consecutive contests since doing it four straight times early in 2013.
Following Week 4's win, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll gushed over Graham on the team's official website:
"Gosh, I don’t know what to say about Jimmy. He’s just a monster out there. That’s two weeks back-to-back of just tremendous plays, one after the other. You can see Russell believing in him. You can see him putting the ball up to him where he’s going to have the best shot to get it. Just exquisite throws. But the catches and the completions of the plays by Jimmy was just marvelous. Just really great to see that.
"
This is the Graham Seattle anticipated when sending the New Orleans Saints a first-round draft pick. If he returns to tormenting defenses as one of the game's top tight ends, the offense won't have any more off weeks like the one against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2.
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Jaromir Jagr
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How is Jaromir Jagr still an incredible hockey player?
In his 22nd NHL season, the 44-year-old led the Carolina Panthers with 66 points over 79 games. He also recorded his highest plus-minus (23) since 2006-07 before finishing seventh on the Hart Memorial Trophy ballot, per Hockey-Reference.com.
Despite the lifetime-achievement votes, he wasn't a top-10 player last season. But who would have envisioned the legend returning for five solid years after spending three in Russia?
Last season, the NHL's oldest player moved up to No. 3 on both the all-time goal and point leaderboards. If he continues to defy Father Time with another relatively healthy campaign for Florida, he'll pass Mark Messier for second behind Wayne Gretzky—whom he still trails by nearly 1,000—in the points column.
He was playing before some of his teammates were born, but Jagr remains excited entering another season.
"Of course I am. If not, I wouldn't be here," Jagr said at the start of camp, per the Associated Press' Tim Reynolds. "It's tough to do any job if you're not excited about it. You go to work, be miserable, it's not going to help anybody and especially not going to help you."
Nearly every athlete loses the interest and/or ability to keep playing after two decades. Jagr, on the other hand, isn't discussing retirement just yet.
Brook Lopez
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Brook Lopez had all the makings of a tragic, what-could-have-been tale. He's instead the lone bright spot on a bleak Brooklyn Nets roster.
Emerging as one of the NBA's sleekest offensive centers, he played only five games in the 2011-12 season due to foot problems. After a successful return, he suffered another major foot injury in 2013. When a big man loses two of three seasons in such fashion, onlookers experience flashbacks of Bill Walton and Greg Oden and freak out.
"It's definitely a short- and long-term concern for Lopez," Will Carroll, Bleacher Report's injury expert at the time of Lopez's second setback, told B/R's Adam Fromal in an email.
Imagine what a mess Brooklyn would be if he never came back. Instead, the 7-footer has navigated two seasons without missing significant time. Last year, he averaged 20.6 points per game with 7.8 rebounds, his highest numbers over a full season since 2010-11.
If Lopez stays healthy, he either gives the Nets a building block or valuable trade piece. While the 28-year-old isn't necessarily out of the clear yet, it's promising to see the smooth-scoring center once again produce offense at an elite efficiency.
DeMarco Murray
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DeMarco Murray followed a breakout year with a dud. Now he's back on top.
In 2014, the running back compiled 2,261 total yards and 13 touchdowns on 449 touches. That doesn't include another 44 handoffs and four catches in two playoff games. A heavy workload and a hurtful change of scenery cost him in 2015, when he averaged 3.6 yards per carry for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Instead of going off to hang out with Larry Johnson, Shaun Alexander and other rushers with short-lived peaks, Murray is now flourishing on his third team in as many years. During four games with the Tennessee Titans, the 28-year-old has accumulated 496 total yards and five touchdowns. His yards-per-carry average is up to 5.2.
Perhaps he's still truly on his first wind, and Chip Kelly simply mishandled him in Philadelphia. And unlike Dallas, the Titans aren't force-feeding him the ball 28 times a game.
Back in an active, but not overbearing role on a smashmouth offense, Murray is once again one of the NFL's top backs.
Hanley Ramirez
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Hanley Ramirez was one of the worst players in baseball last year.
That's not hyperbole. Per FanGraphs, his minus-1.8 WAR trailed fellow Boston Red Sox arrival Pablo Sandoval and Victor Martinez—who also bounced back beautifully this season—for the worst mark among all MLB position players in 2015. Playing him in left field backfired horribly, and a career-worst .291 on-base percentage amplified those defensive miscues.
This year, he's one of the many reasons Boston ascended from worst to first in the American League East.
He's no Mark Teixeira or Eric Hosmer at first base, but Ramirez didn't inflict as much damage fielding baseball's least demanding position. More importantly, the 32-year-old recovered at the plate, batting .286/.361/.505 with 30 home runs. He logged the most games (147) and plate appearances (620) of his career since 2012.
The inconsistent star was not one of four hitters (David Ortiz, Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr.) representing Boston in the All-Star Game's starting lineup. Yet he went deep 22 times after the break and 11 times since September 1.
Even if he's the fifth- or sixth-best hitter on a loaded offense, Ramirez's late power tear played a pivotal part in capturing the division crown.
Rajon Rondo
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Rajon Rondo dished out over 11 assists per game in three straight seasons, but the point guard suddenly spiraled into an albatross teams only wanted as a buy-low gamble.
Tasked with leading the Boston Celtics without their star cast of veterans, he instead played 68 games combined in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 campaigns. The rebuilding franchise sent him to the Dallas Mavericks, where he averaged a tame 9.3 points and 6.5 assists.
Joining other NBA castoffs on the Sacramento Kings, Rondo revitalized his career. His 11.7 assists per contest led the league and matched his previous career high. He also notched his highest field-goal percentage (45.4) and scoring average (11.9) since 2012-13.
Early into his bounce-back campaign, the Kings distributor credited his forgettable Mavericks stint as a motivator.
"I think it made me hungrier," Rondo told ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon. "I never started doubting myself. It made me work a little bit harder. I think I worked the hardest I ever worked in the NBA this summer."
Let's see how hard he worked this offseason upon joining the Chicago Bulls. Although Dwyane Wade called Rondo "the best point guard I've ever played with," per CSN Chicago's Chuck Garfien, a lack of shooting could hurt the new-look team's chemistry.
Matt Ryan
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Matt Ryan entered the 2016 season with a worse national approval rating than the current presidential candidates. After spending years deliberating whether the quarterback was any good, most observers determined that he indeed was not.
When the Atlanta Falcons went 13-3 in 2010 and 2012, he received too much credit. He also received too much blame for them losing four of five playoff contests with him under center. Come on, everyone, remember that football is a team sport.
He did, however, deserve flak for last year's downward spiral. Following a 5-0 start to 2015, Atlanta finished 8-8. He amassed his lowest touchdown tally (21) since 2008 while surrendering 16 interceptions and eight fumbles. According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, he coughed up four of those picks inside the red zone.
A bad year prompted everyone to turn on Ryan. If he can sustain this year's torrid start, they'll owe him an apology.
Through four games for the 3-1 Falcons, Ryan has registered 1,473 passing yards on a 72.1 completion percentage and 10.52 yards per pass attempt. All three marks lead the NFL.
Last weekend, he connected with superstar wide receiver Julio Jones for 300 of his 503 yards in an upset over the Carolina Panthers. (To be fair, he could have led Jones to a touchdown or two with sharper throws.)
A quarter through the season, Ryan is the early MVP front-runner.
Justin Verlander
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Barry Zito. Roy Halladay. Cliff Lee. C.C. Sabathia. Brandon Webb. Chris Carpenter. Tim Lincecum. There's an extensive list of recent Cy Young Award pitchers who rapidly fell from grace. Justin Verlander was on the verge of joining them.
While the Detroit Tigers ace accrued 15 wins in 2014, he did so with an alarming 4.54 ERA and 6.95 strikeouts per nine innings, his lowest K/9 rate since 2006's rookie campaign. His struggles and decaying velocity carried over into 2015, when he surrendered 27 runs over his first 50 innings.
Take it from someone who had a chance to acquire him for virtually nothing in a fantasy baseball league: He looked done. MLB fans have watched this tragic tale too many times to believe a heavily worked hurler would bounce back after tossing over 200 innings in eight straight seasons.
He did. Verlander closed 2015 with a 2.48 ERA and 8.4 K/9 over the final two months. This season, the 33-year-old earned a 3.04 ERA and his highest K/9 (10.04) since 2009. A 1.96 second-half ERA catapulted him into a wide-open American League Cy Young discussion.
He nearly pitched Detroit into the postseason, collecting 56 strikeouts over 39.2 dominant September and October innings with a 1.82 ERA. The Tigers ultimately missed out on a wild-card spot, but at least their ace is back.
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