Alan Faneca will be hanging up his cleats and retiring from the NFL after a fantastic 13-year career. The news of his retirement, however, isn't a surprise to the Arizona Cardinals. We've been hearing for weeks now that Faneca was considering this and so the announcement today is simply confirmation.
The retirement also isn't greeted with much sadness. Yes, Faneca should and will be celebrated for his career that included nine trips to the Pro Bowl and 201 career starts. Most incredibly, he started all 16 games in each of the past nine seasons and only missed two games in his entire career.
Think about that for a moment. Out of a possible 208 regular season games he played in 206 and started 201. Add in 14 playoff games and the durability of Faneca's career is historic.
But the time had come for Alan to move on. There were many games in the Cardinals 2010 season where it seemed he was on the field more out of respect for his tenure than for what he was able to bring. So, while we celebrate Alan Faneca the football player, his one season as a Cardinal will not be the high point of his career.
Farewell to Alan Faneca, the Hall of Fame awaits.
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Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Alan Faneca announces retirement
He released a statement through his agent, Rick Smith:"After a lot of thought I am announcing my retirement from Professional Football. Playing in the NFL has been a childhood dream come true. Thirteen years later I have decided that it is time to move on."