Now I am really starting to see signs of age. When Emmitt Smith’s game fell off and he needed to retire, it was okay because he began his career while I was still in high school. I was a kid watching him play college football at Florida. I never related to players who entered the league around that time or earlier. I definitely idolized them, but I always felt like a kid to them.

I was in college when Marshall Faulk came into the NFL. I feel more on par age wise with him. I have watched him play several years in the league while truly appreciating what he can do as I complain about a little stiffness in my back from a long day of golf. I wasn’t looking forward to the end of Faulk’s career.

Now I am watching his career fade away. Careers rise and fall with no seeming regard to time in the NFL. Players are often out of the league well before their 30^th birthday. However, watching a player dominate for years through his prime and then seemingly begin to fade out overnight makes you realize that we are all human. I have loved watching Marshall Faulk play in the NFL. While I would hope I have seen him for the last time, I don’t look forward to seeing him end his career as a hampered mentor to Stephen Jackson.

In the end, I just have to realize that we all get old and lose our abilities. We just progress to the next level. I was kid idolizing Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Emmitt Smith, and others. I was an adult watching players like Marshall Faulk while trying to relate given that we are the same age. I guess now I get to become an old man watching Reggie Bush, Vince Young, and others while wishing I were still young.