In life all of us must adapt to the current times or face being made obsolete because of our own stubbornness to adapt.
Older folks in the business world who don’t use email to communicate with their customers will find themselves out of work. It doesn’t matter that they don’t like using email, it only matters that this is the way the world works.
Politicians who say “I refuse to use social media, that stuff is stupid!” find themselves left behind. It doesn’t matter if social media is stupid or not, it only matters that millions of people use it and if you don’t your message will be unheard.
And linebackers who stubbornly get HEAVIER and SLOWER as they age instead of LIGHTER and QUICKER will also find themselves obsolete.
That is what happened to Rey Maualuga.
Every person who watches football knows the game is becoming more and more about SPACE. More three and four WR sets, more sideline to sideline, less smashmouth, less use of the fullback. Everybody sees this.
So why did Rey Maualuga come into the last TWO training camps overweight, some say approaching 270 lbs? Why did his weight INCREASE as his career went on instead of becoming lighter and more agile? Why didn’t Rey see the sign of the times when everyone else could?
As good of a layer as Rey was, he didn’t see the forrest through the trees. If he doesn’t adapt his game...in the same way every business must adapt to current times...he will have played his last down in the NFL.