Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Saints Nation: Dan Morgan retires again!?!?

Are you kidding me with this guy? I'm going to stop short of calling him a coward, because I don't want him to hunt me down and break me in half. After all, he was an amazing football player for a short time. What I won't do is hide the fact that I've never been so terribly unimpressed with this player. Dan Morgan was a superstar player during his prime, and when the Saints added him I felt like we were in for a major upgrade at linebacker. Last year, very early on, Morgan decided his heart wasn't in the game anymore and he retired. At the time I was disappointed, but I also understood. The guy rivaled Steve Young in the amount of concussions he suffered and he's probably already caused long term damage to his brain with the beatings he took. I felt sorry for the guy because he cut what was a terrific football career short, but he did so for his own well being and for his family. I can understand that. Fast forward to today, and I read THIS ARTICLE. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice... I think we all know how that goes. For this guy to have the audacity to pull this stunt once, then come back claiming "I miss football, I'm ready to make it up to the Saints" only to pull the same stunt again? Unbelievable. I don't know how serious his injury was but by all accounts it was a strained calf. If a minor calf injury is enough to derail this guy's football spirit, I'm sorry but he doesn't have the mental makeup to compete in a low stakes poker tournament. Did he really think he was going to go through the entire season without any bumps and bruises after injuries have been the calling card of his career? You're not getting any younger, Dan.

While admittedly disgusted, I will say at least this is happening now. We can avoid the investment in Morgan of giving him 1st team reps and putting any more energy into mistakenly believing he might help us. The bad news is the upgrades I was hoping for at weakside linebacker with Morgan back in the fold and Arnoux drafted didn't pan out. So now we're back to Scott Shanle with Jo-Lonn Dunbar as a backup. Scott Shanle must have a voodoo doll because as mediocre as his play has been from time to time, no one can touch that guy's spot in the starting lineup. Hopefully the Saints sign someone to cushion the blow. As for you Dan Morgan, I don't know where your head is at, but I wish you the best. I think you handled this terribly, and as a Saints fan I know I speak for many when I say: good luck and please don't bother coming back. Based on the comments made by Sean Payton that he got up and left after the injury, and that he hasn't spoken to him, it looks like Dan Morgan didn't even have a heart to heart with anyone or explain his situation. He just blew the Saints off, again. If he applies that same spirit and ethic with what he's doing next (apparently he owns a restaurant in Charlotte), I have no doubt that endeavor will fail as well. What a lame development, and I'm honestly mad at myself for not seeing this coming.