A young Bill Belichick received death threats over it. Super Bowl-winning general manager Jerry Reese was fired in part because of it. Future Hall-of-Fame coach Jimmy Johnson didn’t want to be vilified for having a role in it.
What’s the “it” that created so much trouble for three of the NFL’s most successful decision-makers of the past 30 years? The handling of a franchise quarterback in decline.
Few issues in pro football cause more tension, generate more headlines and prove more divisive than organizations dealing with an aging and beloved passer whose effectiveness is suddenly called into question.