That got me to thinking about those frequent, but still odd swan songs wherein a player.

Over on Twitter Black Bud Dupree Jersey , @SteelCityStar is posting highlights from the Steelers/Broncos game from 1988. Among the interesting things about that game is that it was Tony Dorsett’s last game.Even when those changes make some kind of sense- Willie Mays leaving the Giants, but doing so to come back to New York to play for the Mets, or OJ returning to his hometown to play for the 49ers it’s still odd. To illustrate how weird it can be, even when a player returns to his roots, here’s a trivia question for you. Against what team did Babe Ruth hit his last home run? That would be the Pittsburgh Pirates. In fact, he hit home runs 712, 713, and 714 in one day against the Pirates while playing for the Boston Braves. As I said, weird. Here’s ten of the weirdest in NFL history:10. Emmitt Smith with the Arizona Cardinals. Tangled up in this weirdness is this- not only is Smith on the wrong team at the end of his career, but the team is in the wrong city and the wrong division. That is, back in the day the Saint Louis Cardinal football club was in Saint Louis and in the same division with the Cowboys. Smith had a few years there with some measure of success, but he’s a Cowboy, a triplet for goodness sake.9. Tony Dorsett with the Denver Broncos. Already noted above, this was plenty weird. The man not only served, until Smith Youth Chukwuma Okorafor Jersey , as the greatest running back in Cowboy history, but early on in his career had helped to defeat the Broncos in Super Bowl XII. His success with team two was rather less than Smith’s with his team two.8. Johnny Unitas with the San Diego Chargers. As a boy I had a #19 Chargers jersey and a football card from this time in Johnny U’s career. The pic shows the old man sitting on the bench looking almost as beaten and dejected as YA Tittle bleeding on the ground of Pitt Stadium.7. Joe Montana with the Kansas City Chiefs. As with Smith and the Cardinals, this swan song wasn’t merely pathetic. Joe had some success in Kansas City, and at the same time San Francisco enjoyed success with Steve Young, but still, Joe Montana is a 49er and should have stayed one. 6. Greg Lloyd with the Carolina Panthers. The Steelers have a long line of greats who played right outside linebacker, each of them tough, hard hitters. None was more terrifying than Lloyd. He was the embodiment of the Steeler’s defense tradition. He made other players black and blue, and it was just wrong to see him wearing black and blue.5. Joe Namath with the Los Angeles Rams. Broadway Joe became Hollywood Joe, but the curtain had already closed on his knees. The only career that had even a little rejuvenation was Joe’s acting career.4. Brett Favre, with the Jets, but especially the Vikings. As with the 49ers when they had two Hall of Fame quarterbacks on the same roster, the Packers were crowded with Aaron Rogers and Favre on the same team. I get that it needed to be done, but it’s still just weird.3. Bruce Smith with the Washington Redskins. Here’s a guy who accrued 171 career sacks playing for the Bills, and then spends 4 years gathering 29 more with the Skins. That’s some success; it’s just in the wrong uniform.2. Peyton Manning with the Broncos. Like the peasant suffering from the Black Plague in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Peyton wasn’t dead yet. He was just in the wrong uniform.1.
Franco Harris with the Seahawks. So unnecessary, so petty, just so wrong. And so weird.Did I miss any big ones? Don’t include those who merely started with one team before finding success with another. Don’t include constant travelers like Deion Sanders. Let me know what you think. With 922 yards from scrimmage through seven games—including 212 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-18 victory over the Browns at Heinz Field on Sunday— Steelers second-year running back James Conner is on pace for 2 http://www.authenticspittsburghsteelers.com/cheap-marcus-gilbert-jersey ,107 for the season. Those totals may shock you, given the underdog theme of the early portion of Conner’s NFL career. However, as a highly-decorated college football player for the University of Pittsburgh—AFCA First-Team All-American (2014); ACC Player of the Year (2014); First-Team All-ACC (2014, 2016)—they shouldn’t. Also, let’s not forget Conner was picked in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, a round that normally comes with expectations of a player starting sooner rather than later. But Conner wasn’t expected to start sooner, and it’s safe to say many didn’t figure he’d even start later. It’s true that it was hard to envision Conner ever unseating Le’Veon Bell, the two-time First-Team All-Pro and the undisputed champion of workhorserunning backs, and few did—but not just because of Bell’s impressive resume. When Conner was selected, the feel-good chapter was the only part of the story people wanted to read. In-fact, some even went so far as to say that chapter was the only reason Conner was picked as high as he was.I’m sorry, but no coach is stupid enough to select a player in the third round simply out of pity or because of his medical triumphs. There’s too much at stake, too many jobs and careers on the line—including the coach’s. No, you select a player in the third round because you envision a time—again, sooner rather than later—when he will help your football team in a major way. In Conner’s case, maybe the Steelers foresaw a time in-which Conner would fill in for Bell thanks to a lengthy absence due to injury or suspension. Did the Steelers ever envision a time when Conner would be their workhorse for an entire season or multiple campaigns? Possibly. Did the Steelers think that time would come 17 games into Conner’s career? Probably not. Yet, here we are, seven games into the 2018 season Black Xavier Grimble Jersey , and Bell is nowhere to be seen, while Conner is making history, with four 100-yard/two-touchdown performances, including the past three—all Steelers’ wins. There are many that are giddy about Conner’s success, especially in the wake of Bell’s ongoing holdout. Those same people want Bell gone simply because. But that’s not a rational desire. Sports stories being what they are, there may yet be a time when the Steelers—and the fans—must heavily rely on Bell’s considerable talents before the 2018 campaign is over. But I think it’s safe to sayConner has a bright future as the Steelers’ starting running back. Looking at things rationally, it isn’t like he’s going to “lose his fastball” anytime soon. He’s 23, in fantastic shape and still has a lot of tread left on his tires. As for those tires, they’re not attached to a little engine that could. They’re attached to a high-octane machine capable of great power and speed, as his 2018 season as shown thus far. If you’re surprised by Conner’s 2018 performance, you shouldn’t be. He’s been showing us what he can do since his days at Pitt. If Conner didn’t have such a feel-good underdog story off the field, and if he wasn’tfollowing in the footsteps of Bell on the field, you probably wouldn’t be all that shocked by what he’s been able to do this season. After all, James Conner was a highly-decorated college football player who was selected with a premium draft pick. James Conner isn’t proof that the Steelers can replace Le’Veon Bell with just any running back. James Conner is an exceptional talent, and that’s why the Steelers will be able to move forward with him as their franchise running back. Custom Carolina Panthers Jerseys