Something's missing for two old warriors

PHOENIX - Junior Seau went through the ceremony of retiring as a member of the San Diego Chargers on Aug. 14, 2006. Four days later, it was announced that the veteran linebacker was on his way to New England to sign with the Patriots.

"It was not retirement," Seau said. "It was graduation. I had learned my lessons. And now I was going to finish the journey."

A couple of hours later, Seau's graduation was mentioned to Michael Strahan, the New York Giants' defensive end. Strahan laughed and said:

"I saw that speech on TV. It was like a pep fest or something, and Junior's talking about graduation."

Strahan laughed again and said, "I guess for me it was trying to decide whether to go to graduate school. I enrolled, and I'm happy about that."

Seau is 39 and has played 18 seasons in the NFL. Strahan is 36 and has played 15 seasons in the NFL. Seau said he was retiring in August 2006. Strahan contemplated the same thing last summer.

Sunday, both will be playing defense in the Super Bowl, and one will win his first NFL championship.

Then, New England coach Bill Belichick called.

"There was no song-and-dance," Seau said. "He said, 'Junior, you're still a good football player, and I have a job for you.'"

Seau graduated to the Patriots. He started 10 of 11 games, then broke an arm and missed the remainder of the season.

Belichick fulfilled his promise about having a job for him. He still wanted Seau for this season, so Junior came back for one more run at a championship.

"Come on, Junior, admit it ... you're retiring after this game," a San Diego sportswriter said.

"Haven't even thought about what's going to happen with me after Sunday," he said. "This game isn't about one individual wanting a ring. It's too big for that.

"There will be Super Bowls played for a long time, but I don't think there ever will be one with this much at stake."

The stake to which Seau referred, of course, is the Patriots' quest for 19-0 perfection in winning this 42nd Super Bowl. As impressed as fans and media members might be by this, it takes someone inside the game to put into perspective the idea of an NFL team winning a full schedule of games and then reaching the Super Bowl.

On Thursday, Strahan was talking about the Giants' 38-35 loss to the Patriots in the last game of the regular season.

"We were in the playoffs with not much to play for, but I think competing against the best team ever to play gave us some confidence ... that we could beat them and everyone else out there," he said.

"Yes, they could be the best team ever," Strahan said. "Who knows? An 18-0 record is amazing any way you slice it or dice it -- amazing. What they have done, we have never seen."

Strahan had a rocky 2007. His ex-wife, Jean, won a divorce settlement for the lump sum of $15.3 million, plus $18,000 per month in child support. His only legal victory was getting extra time to pay the second half of the 15 big ones.

Then, there was his failure to show for the start of training camp, and the Giants' threats to fine him for his absence. He finally returned in early September, only to wind up a second shot at a Super Bowl victory.

"When I was trying to decide what to do, this was what I was afraid might happen," he said. "I would retire, and then the Giants would go to the Super Bowl, and win, and I would be on the outside after putting in 14 hard years."