Question: When can a 16 year veteran of the NFL who has been a starter for most of his career retire and no one knows about it.
Answer: When he is the long snapper for the Chicago Bears.
Patrick Manelly holds the Chicago Bears record for 245 game played in a Bear uniform. I looked on NFL.com, ESPN.com and CBSSports and didn't see anything about it. If the restaurant I stopped in for lunch today hadn't had the TV on I most likely wouldn't know it either. If I hadn't posted it here there is a good chance many of you wouldn't know it either and those who usually ignore the crap I post probably still don't know.
It's not earth shattering news but even for a Bear you have to respect guys that can play at a high level for 16 years. He missed 11 games in 16 years and in 12 of those 16 he played in all 16 games. I know, he's only a long snapper but it is a critical position and obviously it takes a special skill set given the number of teams that employ one. He snapped the ball a record 920 consecutive times without a blocked punt and in 180 straight games without one (well, I'm not certain he made every one of those snaps but he made most of them) .
An interesting Packer connection (sort of) in 1996 long time Packers long snapper (since retired) Rob Davis played for the Chicago Bears and started all 16 games. The Packers signed him in 1997 and he played for us for 11 years. The next year the Bears found his replacement in Mannelly.
Hopefully the Bears will botch a few punts and FGs this year.