Retiring Patriots WR David Patten reflects: “Not bad for an undersized kid out of Columbia, South Carolina. … Amazing.”

Patriots receiver David Patten walked to the podium, took a deep breath, and announced that he was walking away from the game of football. In his 13th season, the 35-year old wasn’t doing so for health reasons. He was just ready to move on. “I’m healthy, and I still feel like I want to walk away,” Patten said in an emotional news conference that saw him get choked up. “I feel like it’s time. When you lose it mentally, you can’t play at this level.” Patten did a lot of reflecting, going over great plays from his long career, describing them in great detail. At one point, he stopped. “Not bad for an undersized kid out of Columbia, South Carolina. … Amazing,” said Patten, who attended Western Carolina. “Who’d have thought.” With a young receiving corps on the roster, Patten said he believes he left a solid impression for guys like Julian Edelman, Brandon Tate, and Taylor Price. He feels he showed them h...