The sudden retirement of WR David Patten on Saturday caught many by surprise. With only two days of training camp, Patten announced that he was physically fine, but was having trouble with the mental aspect of training camp.
The Pats are loaded with receivers. There is expected to be a great deal of competition for roster spots. Patten sat out last season after being released by the Cleveland Browns in the final cut of camp.
Perhaps, Patten wanted to avoid this. He sat out last season after getting no additional opportunities to play. He contacted Coach Belichick in the off-season and a deal was done to bring him back. He was very active in the OTA's.
At the age of 36, time was catching up to him. Last season ,Tedy Bruschi was in the same predicament. He said it so eloquently:" you have a beginning of a career, a middle and the end". Patten must have felt he reached this final stage.
Not many players leave on their own terms. They either retire on their own, get released or ended by injuries. Patten chose to leave on his terms. I am very happy for such an outstanding player.
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