The landscape of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2022 season will vastly change due to the retirements of Tom Brady and Ali Marpet.
The seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback called it quits after 22 NFL seasons for two teams.
Meanwhile, the offensive lineman will be leaving the game at 28 years old.
Marpet played for the Buccaneers for seven seasons and missed only 12 games during that stretch.
The highest-drafted Division III player in NFL history will forever be in the league’s highlight reel thanks to the pull block that allowed Leonard Fournette to score a rushing touchdown in Super Bowl LV.
Some argue that Marpet could have played a few more seasons and that seven seasons is a short career.
However, former offensive guard/center Rich Ohrnberger argued otherwise through a tweet.
Ohrnberger said, “7 years is not a ‘short’ NFL career for an offensive lineman. Your body and brain can take a beating in that amount of time.”
For the record, Ohrnberger played six seasons for three different teams.
However, he’s spot on regarding the physical toll that offensive linemen absorb in a game.
If skill position players deal with contact occasionally, the men in the trenches are dealing with physical pain on every snap.
Helmets might clash and the jostling for dominance may inflict injuries.
In Marpet’s case, missing only a few games eventually took a toll on his body and he does not want to subject himself to that abuse anymore.
Joe Thomas Alluded To Ohrnberger’s Tweet
In the comments section of Ohrnberger’s tweet, former Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas answered a question on why an offensive lineman’s brain gets affected.
Thomas responded, “The difference in brain trauma between playing on the line and playing any position on the outside is the difference between a person who is a professional boxer for decades and the person who gets in 2 bar fights a year on the weekends; lineman crack helmets every single play.”
Thomas played 11 seasons, all with Cleveland.
But factor in his reply and you’d understand Marpet’s reason for retiring.
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