Follow your head Troy

By Brad Oremland Sports Central Columnist

Ever since Troy Aikman retired, there have been rumors that he would return to the field. Recently, those rumors have linked Aikman to the Miami Dolphins, where Norv Turner, Aikman's mentor, is offensive coordinator. Aikman does want to play for Turner. But he'd be crazy to do it.

There are a lot of reasons for Troy Aikman not to un-retire. First, is risk of injury. Aikman retired after the 2000 season because of injuries -- he missed five games -- including a dangerous number of concussions.

If concern for his health doesn't persuade Aikman to stay in the broadcast booth, personal pride might. Aikman, a starter throughout his career and a future Hall of Famer, would be an excellent backup for the Dolphins. But at this point, he's not any better than the underrated Jay Fiedler, and would probably sit on the bench. If Aikman wants to play, he'd have better luck going back to Dallas than following Turner to Miami.

Perhaps the best reason for Aikman to stay sidelined is to avoid tarnishing his legacy. Aikman is underqualified for the Hall of Fame. If he stays retired, he'll be eligible in 2005 and will almost certainly be voted in immediately. But if he returns for 2002, Aikman won't be eligible until 2007. That will give the Hall of Fame voters some time to examine his legacy, and they could find it lacking.

Don't get me wrong; Aikman's career was impressive in many ways. He has three Super Bowl rings and a well-deserved Super Bowl MVP award. He played very well in the postseason. He did what was asked of him.

He also played with one of the best supporting casts ever assembled. Take, say, Brad Johnson, and put him with Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Jay Novacek, and the best offensive line of the '90s. Add in head coach Jimmy Johnson and a great defense, and you'll get three Super Bowl rings. You'll also put Brad on the fast-track to the Hall of Fame.

Even with those players, Aikman's regular season numbers are merely average. For a Hall of Famer, they're dismal. There are 17 modern-era quarterbacks in the Hall of Fame (not including George Blanda, who is more renowned for retiring as the NFL's all-time leading scorer than for his passing).

If Aikman were inducted, he would have the lowest yards per attempt and lowest touchdown percentage of any of them. The median TD percentage of those 17 quarterbacks is 5.5 percent. The lowest is Dan Fouts, at just over 4.5 percent. Aikman's career TD percentage was less than 3.5 percent. That's low for anyone, but it's off-the-charts bad for a Hall of Fame quarterback. Aikman would also be the only non-Blanda QB with fewer than seven yards per attempt. The closest is Terry Bradshaw, at 7.17 yards, and the median is 7.52 yards.

His contemporaries leave Aikman in the dust, as well. Consider Steve Young, the only QB of the '90s whose supporting cast rivaled Aikman's.

QB Att Comp Comp % Yds

Aikman 4,715 2,898 61.5 32,942

Young 4,149 2,667 64.3 33,124



QB Yds/Att TD Int Diff

Aikman 6.99 165 141 +24

Young 7.98 232 107 +125

Young had a higher completion percentage, an extra yard per attempt, and a better TD-INT differential by more than a hundred, despite throwing fewer passes.

Aikman was a very average regular season player, doing only what was necessary. During his 12 pro seasons, Aikman was never an Associated Press All-Pro. That puts him behind Don Majkowski (1989), Mark Rypien (1991), and Randall Cunningham (1992, 1998), among others (Young had six All-Pro selections, including three first-team, during the same period).

I'm not saying Don Majkowski was better than Aikman. What I'm saying is that Aikman was merely an above-average quarterback in the right system. He had pedestrian regular-season numbers. He had the best supporting cast of any quarterback of his era. He was never voted one of the top two quarterbacks in the league by AP. How can a guy who was never even the second-best player at his position belong in the Hall of Fame?

Aikman's career numbers will only get worse if he does play for the Dolphins. Not even his strongest supporters would contend that Aikman is as good now as he was five or ten years ago, and the 2002 Dolphins aren't exactly the 1992 Cowboys -- young Chris Chambers is no Michael Irvin, and even talented RB Ricky Williams can't compare with Emmitt Smith from 1991-1995. In fact, the only thing that looks similar to the great Dallas teams Aikman played on is Turner.

By returning to the NFL, Aikman would risk sitting on the bench and diminish his chances of getting a bust in Canton. More importantly, he has a history of concussions. Sometimes you have to follow your head instead of your heart.

Aikman is a 35-year-old millionaire with a good job related to the sport he loves. He's remembered as a winner. He would risk all of that by coming back. Aikman was a smart player, and I think he'll do the smart thing now and stay in the booth.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.