Saying goodbye to Tom Landry in 1989 was a breeze for Jerry Jones. He already had Jimmy Johnson aboard his private jet to replace him. Saying goodbye to Johnson in 1994 also was a breeze for Jones. But saying goodbye to Troy Aikman on Wednesday was no breeze for Jones.
Franchise quarterbacks are harder to find than great coaches and running backs.
They are harder to find than great owners. The Green Bay Packers went 20 years between Bart Starr and Brett Favre and 29 years between Super Bowls. But at least the Packers found another franchise quarterback. The Kansas City Chiefs went to two Super Bowls with Len Dawson in the 1960s. But he retired after the 1975 season, and the Chiefs have gone through nine quarterbacks since then without getting back to a Super Bowl.