Hall of Fame players don't come around often, especially along the offensive line. Fielding multiple at a given time is a gift. Dallas Cowboys legends Zack Martin and Tyron Smith have hung their cleats up, and in five years' time, we will be reminded of their success and the team's failures.
Since entering the NFL, the first-round talents lived up to their draft status as immediate impact players. That was especially so for Martin, who was a First-Team All-Pro selection as a rookie.
The duo held down the Cowboys' offensive line for 10 seasons together, and in that time Dallas fielded a top-five offense five times, made the playoffs six times, and paved the way for three league-leading rushing seasons. That played a role in the duo being named to the 2010s All-Decade Team.
Retirements of Zack Martin and Tyron Smith are a brutal reminder for Cowboys fans
In five years, Martin and Smith have a chance to be enshrined into Canton together as first-ballot Hall of Famers. It would be a perfect ending to the pair's journey. Play together for exactly a decade, nominated for All-Pros, Pro Bowls, and the All-Decade team, retire in the same offseason, and then to be rewarded with a gold jacket to top it off.
Their success has been a bright spot during a relatively disappointing time in Cowboys history. Despite the playoff appearances, among other accolades, the team failed to have much success outside the regular season.
The theme of a successful regular season was consistently overshadowed by disappointment in the offseason. Mediocrity overtook any spotlight regarding the most popular franchise in the NFL. Meanwhile, six different teams, three in the NFC, raised the Lombardi trophy as Super Bowl champions.
It was 10 years that fans of the Cowboys watched with false hope, buying into the media headlines that owner Jerry Jones was pushing to make the team push for their first championship since the '95 season, yet failed to play in a conference championship.
Coaching blunders, underinvestment in the defense, and an unwillingness to add talent to the team beyond drafting players all contributed to the failures. What could have been a golden age is instead a dark period with a few bright spots.
It's a shame to watch two of the better players in the history of their position walk away without a Super Bowl. Let's hope that in five years, when Zack Martin and Tyron Smith are eligible to get their bust in Canton, they do it together on their first try, and the Cowboys finally make a push to compete for a championship for the first time in three decades.
