Steve Gleason, a scrappy special teams favorite who cemented his place in Saints lore with a blocked punt during the Louisiana Superdome's reopening following Hurricane Katrina, has decided to retire. Gleason, a free-agent, spent 2007 on injured reserve after having microfracture surgery on his right knee. He said the operation - which involves drilling tiny holes in the bone to stimulate growth of tissue similar to cartilage - was a success and he believes his knee will be close to fully recovered soon. "The time's right. I'm getting married. I can walk away with my health," said Gleason, who turns 31 this month. "I want to be active and adventurous when I'm 80 years old. If football was all I had in my life, I probably could play three or four more years. Who knows?" (Updated 03/12/2008).
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/17/08).
Fantasy Analysis
At 5-foot-11 and 212 pounds, the relatively undersized Gleason stood out on the field for two reasons: his long, light-brown hair that stuck out of the back of his helmet and the way he hurdled himself downfield on kick coverage with seemingly no regard for his own well-being. He always seemed to end up in the right spot. He was third on the team in special teams tackles in 2006 with 14. (Updated 03/12/2008).
No information available at this time.
No information available at this time.
Steve Gleason, a scrappy special teams favorite who cemented his place in Saints lore with a blocked punt during the Louisiana Superdome's reopening following Hurricane Katrina, has decided to retire. Gleason, a free-agent, spent 2007 on injured reserve after having microfracture surgery on his right knee. He said the operation - which involves drilling tiny holes in the bone to stimulate growth of tissue similar to cartilage - was a success and he believes his knee will be close to fully recovered soon. "The time's right. I'm getting married. I can walk away with my health," said Gleason, who turns 31 this month. "I want to be active and adventurous when I'm 80 years old. If football was all I had in my life, I probably could play three or four more years. Who knows?" (Updated 03/12/2008).
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/17/08).
Fantasy Analysis
At 5-foot-11 and 212 pounds, the relatively undersized Gleason stood out on the field for two reasons: his long, light-brown hair that stuck out of the back of his helmet and the way he hurdled himself downfield on kick coverage with seemingly no regard for his own well-being. He always seemed to end up in the right spot. He was third on the team in special teams tackles in 2006 with 14. (Updated 03/12/2008).
