A Look Back At Three Recently Retired Players

Recently three known players retired. We'll take a look at their stats, career, and HOF potential.

Ronde Barber - Safety

Ronde Barber was the first of the following three players to retire only a few weeks ago. Many would claim he wasn't so great but that could just be him overshadowed by his loud mouth little brother Tiki. Barber played in over 240 games since 1997. Barber had 28 sacks, 47 interceptions, and 8 defensive touchdown. All great numbers. Barber lives in a time of great DBs such as Charles Woodson and Champ Bailey. The Hall of Fame has not been to kind to DBs but all three of these players should get in. Barber could potentially be a first ballot Hall of Famer but expect to see him more of a third to fifth ballot.

Steve Smith - Wide Receiver

Steve Smith (the non-Carolina one) is the definition of a player who was truly affected by an lingering injury. Only being in the league since 2007 where he was drafted 51st overall to the New York Giant, Smith got a Superbowl ring his rookie year despite only catching 8 balls. However, his productivity came quite important to the Giants. In 2008, Smith caught 57 passes, the next year he caught 50 more tham the previous year (107). Smith looked like to have a very high ceiling but in 2010, Smith received a devastating injury that never quite healed properly. The next two season he played for both the Eagles and Rams, however Smith only caught for 255 receiving yards. This off season Smith signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but just two days ago he retired. Though it seem premature, Smith knows his body and he does not think it could handle a training camp. There seems to be no HOF chances for Steve.

Brian Urlacher - Linebacker

Brian Urlacher is quite similar to Ronde Barber. Coming into the NFL as the 9th overall pick by the Chicago Bears, he, similar to Barber, stayed with one team his entire career. Since the moment he stepped on the field Urlacher has been a non replaceable leader for the Bears. Many claim that Urlacher and Ray Lewis are the two people to have redefined the linebacker position for the modern NFL. The Bears chose not to resign Urlacher this off season which helped him decide to retire. Urlacher had 41.5 sacks, 22 interceptions, and two defensive touchdowns in his career. Brian could be a first ballot HOFer but with the retirement of Ray Lewis (who just won a Superbowl) the same year, Urlacher may be looking at a second, third, or maybe even a fourth ballot selection.