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Darnell Dockett Retires: "My Only Regret Is No Ring"

The long-time Cardinal announces his retirement with the team, says he believes Arizona will win the Super Bowl this season.

By Blake Murphy
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

A ripple of laughter went out from the Arizona Cardinals media room as Darnell Dockett cracked a joke about his controversial Twitter account, of which many are well-familiar can be controversial in material.

It was a poignant moment for the long-time Cardinal, who's been in this media room many a time over the past decade in Arizona.  Today he sat in the room surrounded by the likes of Antonio Smith, Antrel Rolle and Adrian Wilson, who had all come out to see him sign a one-day-contract and retire with as an Arizona Cardinal.

However, the emotional Darnell Dockett was quick to point out that this kind of press conference, one which a player signs a one-day contract to return to the team, doesn't happen often.

And he's right.

While the number of great Cardinals can go on, there are few who showed the loyalty that Dockett has had to Arizona.  Through the years, Darnell Dockett had been as familiar a face on the Arizona Cardinals as the likes of Larry Fitzgerald and today he announced that he was retiring from the NFL.

Some of the highlights of Dockett's press conference were his ribbing of Bruce Arians' beating them in the Super Bowl as the reason he didn't have a ring, but also his respect for BA despite being with him for only a short two seasons.

Dockett was adamant on having zero regrets outside of one: he never got the chance to get a Super Bowl ring of his own.  He, of course, was effusive in saying that the Cardinals were "well overdue for one" and mentioned that he believed that it would finally come to Arizona this season.

Dockett also shared stories highlighting his interactions with long-time Cardinal Adrian Wilson as well as plans for after retirement, including spending time with his children and traveling.  When asked about his one season away with the San Francisco 49ers, Dockett said:

"I walk out on my own, I don't sit back and regret anything that I've done.  I'm back and I'm never gonna talk about the other team I was with, because my heart wasn't there.  This is where I belong."

Loyalty.

Michael Bidwill mentioned it.  It's something that fans love, and indeed, Dockett was a fan favorite who had an incredible career with Arizona.

He finishes his 12-year NFL career with 495 tackles, 40.5 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, 4 INT and outside of 2014, only missed 3 games with the Cardinals.  He was a fan favorite who is considered to have originated the "Birdgang" moniker that many Arizona Cardinal fans adopted and identify themselves.  The Ring of Honor is definitely a possibility for Dockett, but as his retirement is still fresh, only time will tell if he receives that honor.

To close, Kent Somers poked a bit of fun at Dockett before the press conference, who's been a favorite of media in his time with the Cardinals.

Congratulations to Darnell and best of luck to him wherever he goes!

What's your favorite moment of Dockett?  What will you miss about Nine-Oh's presence?  Let us know in the comments!

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