Stability can be fleeting in the NFL. Seniority is usually measured in years, not decades.
Walter Juliff is an exception, spending parts of four decades in the Cowboys scouting department. That's what made his recent departure for Oakland so jarring.
Jeff Ireland is one of the people who worked alongside Juliff during his 31 years with the Cowboys. Now the assistant general manager in New Orleans, his congratulations on the move captured the sentiment of peers around the league.
"Did hell freeze over?'' Ireland asked his friend.
Rumors that Juliff began his tenure with the Cowboys during the siege of the Alamo are exaggerated.