|
|
 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Do the right thing Aikman earns points by deciding to hang up the cleats
Updated: Tuesday April 10, 2001 12:27 AM
The end came Monday, when he took that painful step of making the obvious official. But with any luck, because Troy Aikman made the right decision for himself and his family, it'll be the last painful step he has to take in this, the post-football stage of his life. The formal retirement announcement was equal parts tearful and nostalgic, as we have come to expect from our mega-star athletes. But in reality, the outcome was decided long ago. Aikman's last best chance to continue his NFL career vanished the March day San Diego opted to make Doug Flutie its short-term answer at quarterback, rather than the three-time Super Bowl-winning ex-Dallas Cowboy. That signing spoke volumes to Aikman, and the message at last came through loud and clear: If the woeful Chargers weren't interested, despite Aikman's one-time mentor and close friend Norv Turner as their offensive coordinator, nobody else would be. At least not to the level that would allow Aikman to walk through the door as the unchallenged starter -- a prerequisite he demanded and deserved. And so, after a month of lingering on the periphery, Aikman chose Monday to walk out the door and into the TV commentator arena, leaving behind a playing career that he both adored and longed to continue. True enough, Aikman didn't want to do it. Every inch of him fought the inevitable. He didn't want it all to end with such a shadow cast over the waning months of his career. But like so many athletes, he didn't really get to make the choice at the end. Circumstances, and logic, dictated the terms to him. "You watch [other players retire] and think your time will never come," Aikman said, choking on the words. "And my time has come. I know it's the right thing for me, because of my health. But the competitor in me wanted to [play]. But I just can't do it any more." In the end, Aikman's physical obstacles were just too many. Simply put, there was too much recent evidence that the risks of continuing were not worth the rewards. As one league observer said of Aikman's plight: "His role in San Diego would have been a temporary one, and was somehow seen not as physically scary as other possibilities. He'd be in an offense he knew and with one person who he had total comfort with. And even that option fell before the physical concerns. "I really believe the Steve Young scenario of having multiple concussions at an advanced age is not something teams want to be involved with any more. And despite what Troy said about his [degenerative] back problem being more of a concern, teams never got past the concussions." Aikman, with his 10 or 11 concussions depending on who's keeping score, had too many other recent good examples to not learn the lesson, even at the relatively youthful age of 34. There was John Elway two years ago. Dan Marino and Young last year. He earned as many Super Bowl victories as a starter as all three combined. And now, it was his turn to do the right thing. To say the long goodbye while he still could walk away with his head held high.
One of the good things about Monday is how we'll remember it in the span of time. Aikman was actually an ex-Cowboy two days more than a month. But he'll never be that in memory. No images of him in a Chargers uniform or a Chiefs helmet will be seen. He'll just be a Cowboy, from start to finish, and forever. Twelve years that went by in a blink of an eye. And yes, his next uniform will be that snazzy yellow blazer donned by all newly inducted Hall of Famers. Count on it. There will be some who still believe Aikman was merely a very good quarterback on a great team. And they are wrong. The Cowboys of the mid-1990s were great because of Aikman, first and foremost. He was the intangible factor in Dallas' mini-dynasty and conformed his talents to the task at hand. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Monday called him "the cornerstone of this franchise," and for once, it wasn't hyperbole. Aikman didn't have to throw for 4,000 yards, a la Marino or Elway, for the Cowboys to win. So he didn't. He had Emmitt Smith to hand off to and he rode that horse. But he had the physical skills of his fellow quarterbacking greats, and that same commanding leadership presence both on and off the field. One of the most fearsome looks in the NFL emanated from the eyes of an agitated Aikman. Many believe Aikman never got enough credit for Dallas' three Super Bowl wins, but he was not among them. He was a team player and paid more than lip service to that rather dated concept. And in some ways, he was the last of a dying breed: A classic drop-back passer with limited mobility, but pinpoint accuracy. His 61.5 completion percentage is the fourth best of all time. His 165 touchdown passes and 32,942 yards are Cowboys team records. But those numbers don't tell the whole story of Aikman's career. These do: He was 94-71 as a starter, 11-4 in the playoffs, and his 90 victories in the 1990s were more than any other quarterback in any other decade. Even more than Joe Montana had in the 1980s. Aikman was a winner. And despite his own competitive juices, he didn't owe football fans any more thrills or his body any more punishment. "I'm OK with it," he said, looking as youthful as ever. "I'm OK with it, but I also know I can still play. But I know for me and my family, it was the right thing." The cynic will predict that in a year Aikman will be itching to make a comeback. He'll miss all the usual aspects of the game and the NFL life, and we'll read stories of how he's contemplating a return. Maybe so. But then, he'll remember the pain, the recent past and how stylistically the game had just begun to pass him by. He'll think about it, and then he'll get it right all over again. Good for Troy. Good for us. Don Banks covers pro football for CNNSI.com.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
