Best NFL Players of All Time: Junior Seau. Ranking the Top Players in History. Place a bet on an NFL football game now.

Best NFL Players of All Time: Junior Seau

Like Dick Butkus, Junior Seau spent most of his playing career as a fantastic player on a terrible squad. Seau’s San Diego Chargers had their moments, but none more memorable than the 1994 campaign in which they were the AFC champions before the 49ers completely outmatched them in the Super Bowl. However, they lacked much competition for the majority of the period. Throughout ten of Seau’s thirteen seasons with his home side, they were unable to surpass the.500 mark.

Consequently, there existed a subtle suggestion in the background that Seau was exaggerated. Despite becoming a first-team All-Pro six times and a Pro Bowl member all save his debut season, Seau’s reputation began to overshadow his on-field accomplishments.

Let’s talk about a misperception. After that, Seau played for the Dolphins for three seasons and the Patriots for another three. Throughout those six years, injuries occasionally held him back, but when he was in the game, he was still a strong player with the ability to run, read plays, and make tackles.

Although Seau had retired following the 2007 campaign, Bill Belichick contacted him to encourage him to come back and assist the Patriots finish the 2008 season when the team suffered injuries in the second part of the season. Seau claimed, “I had always desired to play and I had kept myself in shape.” “I needed to hear that when I got Bill’s call and he said he needed me. To be able to play football, one must be required. All I needed to hear was that.

For the whole of his 13-year tenure in San Diego, Seau was indispensable to his squad.

The Chargers were unable to produce much on the offensive end of the ball for the majority of that duration. But even during the Chargers’ darkest seasons, Seau steadfastly opposed allowing the opposition to run the football. The Chargers had the worst offense in the NFL in 2000 and were a horrendous 1-15 overall. Even with all of their difficulties, San Diego’s defense only allowed 3.0 yards per rush, second only to the tough Ravens defense, who gave up 2.7 yards per attempt. Opponents had minimal issue throwing the ball on them.

Skeptics may argue that the run defense statistics were inflated because the offense committed so many turnovers and the defense was so weak against the pass. Well, that isn’t accurate. The Chargers trailed most of the time, and in most cases, by a significant margin in the second half of games. Teams seek to sprint at that point in order to stop the clock and finish the game. Seau was largely responsible for the Chargers’ excellent run defense.

Whether it was in New England, Miami, or San Diego, he always took particular satisfaction in stopping the run. According to Seau, “their goal was to run the ball on us, leave their mark on the game, and leave their footprints on us.” We could not permit that to occur. They were attempting to prove they had greater skill, ability, and ambition, and I saw it as my responsibility to stop the run. I was not going to concede the fight to anyone else.

In the later stages of his career, Seau became highly sought-after in Miami and New England due to his exact approach. Before the 2006 season, Belichick acquired 37-year-old Seau, raising doubts among many, but the move paid off as the Pats improved from the 17th to the 2nd-ranked defensive unit in the league. With 69 tackles (30 solo), Seau demonstrated his ability to get from one sideline to the other and make plays. He was also a major contributor to the defense’s leadership.

In the Chargers’ 1994 Super Bowl campaign, Seau recorded 155 tackles (124 solo), 5.5 sacks, and three fumble recoveries—possibly his best season to date. A 49er offense that knew it was the better team took the field with him as its focal point. Brent Jones, the tight end for the 49ers, remarked, “We were pretty confident going into that game.” “We felt we couldn’t be stopped, especially with Steve Young, Jerry Rice, and Ricky Watters,” Jones remarked. But Junior Seau was there at the same time. We had to show him respect since we knew he was an excellent player. The majority of our plays were executed in situations where he wouldn’t matter. By placing the ball in his zone more than necessary, we didn’t want to take any chances.

Jones was discussing Seau’s unwavering nature. The 49ers were aware that Seau could ruin a running game and cause mayhem by himself. Throughout his tenure in San Diego, he played at that caliber, and when his career was coming to an end, he bounced back to show that he could still do it with the Patriots. Even though Seau was coming to the end of his first season of retirement, Belichick still picked up the phone.

2009 would mark the end of Seau’s career, and he seemed to easily transition into retirement with a number of media positions. However, Seau’s life tragically ended in 2012 when he took his own life. In 2013, Seau’s family filed a lawsuit against the NFL due to brain damage he sustained during his playing career.

Best NFL Players of All Time: Junior Seau Stats

Regular Season

Year	Age	Tm	Pos	No.	G	GS	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	Fmb	FR	Yds	TD	Sk	Comb	Solo	Ast	TFL	QBHits	AV
1990	21	SDG	RILB	55	16	15			0				0	0	0	0	1	85					7
1991	22	SDG	RILB	55	16	16			0				0	0	0	0	7	129					9
1992	23	SDG	RLB	55	15	15	2	51	0	29		1	0	1	10	0	4.5	102					17
1993	24	SDG	RLB	55	16	16	2	58	0	42		1	0	1	21	0	0	129					16
1994	25	SDG	RLB	55	16	16			0			1	0	3	0	0	5.5	155	124	31			17
1995	26	SDG	RLB	55	16	16	2	5	0	3		1	0	3	30	1	2	130	111	19			15
1996	27	SDG	RLB	55	15	15	2	18	0	10		1	0	3	0	0	7	138	110	28			15
1997	28	SDG	RLB	55	15	15	2	33	0	26		1	1	2	5	0	7	97	84	13			12
1998	29	SDG	RLB	55	16	16			0			1	0	2	0	0	3.5	115	92	23			17
1999	30	SDG	RLB	55	14	14	1	16	0	16	9	1	0	1	0	0	3.5	98	74	24	13		12
2000	31	SDG	RLB	55	16	16	2	2	0	2	11	1	0	0	0	0	3.5	123	103	20	15		13
2001	32	SDG	RLB	55	16	16	1	2	0	2	6	1	0	0	0	0	1	95	84	11	9		10
2002	33	SDG	RLB	55	13	13	1	25	0	25	7	1	0	0	0	0	1.5	84	60	24	11		8
2003	34	MIA	LLB	55	15	15	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	96	66	30	12		8
2004	35	MIA	LLB	55	8	8	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	57	31	26	5		5
2005	36	MIA	LLB	55	7	5	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	36	18	18	1		2
2006	37	NWE	LILB	55	11	10	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	69	39	30	5	4	6
2007	38	NWE	LB	55	16	4	3	28	0	23	4	0	0	0	0	0	3.5	73	57	16	9	6	4
2008	39	NWE	LB	55	4	2			0			0					0	22	15	7	0	0	1
2009	40	NWE	LB	55	7	0			0			0	0	1	0	0	0	14	9	5	0	1	1
Career					268	243	18	238	0	42	43	11	1	18	66	1	56.5	1847	1077	325	80	11	195
13 yrs		SDG			200	199	15	210	0	42	33	11	1	16	66	1	47	1480	842	193	48		168
4 yrs		NWE			38	16	3	28	0	23	5	0	0	1	0	0	4.5	178	120	58	14	11	12
3 yrs		MIA			30	28	0	0	0	0	5	0	0	1	0	0	5	189	115	74	18		15

Playoffs

Year	Age	Tm	Pos	G	GS	Int	Sk	Comb	Solo	Ast	TFL	QBHits
1992	23	SDG	RLB	2	2		0
1994	25	SDG	RLB	3	3		1	30	24	6
1995	26	SDG	RLB	1	1	1	0	9	9	0
2007	38	NWE	ILB,LB	3	2		1	18	10	8	3	2
2009	40	NWE	LB	1	0		0	2	2	0	0	0
Career				10	8	1	2	59	45	14	3	2
3 yrs		SDG		6	6	1	1	39	33	6
2 yrs		NWE		4	2		1	20	12	8	3	2

 

At YouWager.lv you can place a bet on the NFL with the best odds and promotions. Wager on the moneyline, spread, and total; on your favorite team or an undervalued underdog. Sign up with YouWager.lv now and get in the game with the best welcome bonus, click below: