Should Daunte Culpepper Have Retired?
Daunte Culpepper announced his retirement from the NFL today, bringing an end to his nine-year pro career. When I first heard that he was retiring, I just couldn’t believe it. Why would he just give up so soon? He still has so many years left in him, and the right opportunity could still present itself. Culpepper’s retirement got me thinking about how he arrived in his situation in the first place. I looked back at the downfall of his career and realized that much of it wasn’t his fault. In 2005, after Randy Moss was traded, Culpepper did not come back to the same team. Besides losing Moss, the Vikings had a very weak offensive line. They had a weak rookie guard in Marcus Johnson. Tackle Bryant McKinnie was bothered by a sprained left foot and had an off year. Also, they lost their perennial Pro Bowl center Matt Birk at the beginning of training camp and couldn’t fill the void he left. The Vikings ended up finishing second in the league in sacks allowed in 2005, with 54. Obviously, a q
