When Troy Aikman is eligible for Canton in five years, he should be inducted on the first ballot. Aikman may be one of the top 10 quarterbacks to ever play the game. Only Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana have won more Super Bowls as a quarterback, and Aikman's 90 wins in the 1990s are more than any quarterback in any decade.

	Best career win pct. of QBs in postseason, all-time
	Troy Aikman's postseason record stands as one of the best in NFL history. Aikman went 11-4 in playoff starts with the Cowboys, including 3-0 in Super Bowls, ranking him fourth on the all-time list with a .733 career postseason win percentage. The five quarterbacks on this list went a combined 15-0 in Super Bowl appearances.
	QB	W-L	Pct.
	Bart Starr	9-1	.900
	Jim Plunkett	8-2	.800
	Terry Bradshaw	14-5	.737
	Troy Aikman	11-4	.733
	Joe Montana	16-7	.696
	Minimum: 10 starts

His passing numbers are not overwhelming compared to Dan Marino or John Elway, but Aikman was all about winning and losing. To a certain extent, quarterbacks are subjected to the offensive systems they run. And even though the Cowboys focused more on running the ball and playing good defense during their championship years, I doubt they would have won any Super Bowls without Aikman

When the Cowboys asked him to throw, he was as accurate as any quarterback who ever played the game, with the exception maybe being Steve Young. Aikman combined discipline, intelligence and unselfishness and, like any great player, demanded of the players around him as much as he demanded of himself.

As the No. 1 overall pick in the 1988 NFL draft from UCLA, Aikman entered the NFL with great expectations. Only one quarterback picked No. 1 overall -- Bradshaw -- is in the Hall of Fame; Aikman will be the second. But it's ironic how little quirks in history popped up and helped Aikman become a future Hall of Famer.

If he hadn't broken his leg at Oklahoma and then transferred to UCLA, Aikman would have run the wishbone his entire college career. After Dallas went 1-15 during his rookie season, Aikman was shellshocked and doubted himself, but Norv Turner helped him through the first two seasons.

Jimmy Johnson even picked Steve Walsh, his quarterback at the University of Miami, in the 1989 supplemental draft to challenge Aikman. I've talked to many of the Cowboys coaches, including Turner, who said the coaching staff was divided down the middle as to which quarterback they should keep. I guarantee they would have never won a Super Bowl if they had kept Walsh instead of Aikman.

After Johnson left the franchise, the Cowboys suffered through much turmoil, with Leon Lett, Erik Williams, Michael Irvin and the hirings and firings of Barry Switzer and Chan Gailey. Yet Aikman was the one constant. Behind the scenes he would go to Jerry Jones' office and insist that the organization, the players and the coaches could aspire to another level. Given the Cowboys' situation now, one must wonder what kind of impact Aikman's loss will have on the franchise, since they no longer have an advocate demanding excellence of everyone like he has over the years.

Last season it looked like age had affected Aikman's arm and legs. He was never a quarterback who threw the ball extremely well down the field, but he always had adequate arm strength. Most scouts and coaches will say that, when Aikman entered the league, there was no quarterback who got from the center back to the setup spot faster than Aikman.

I still think he could have played this season, but he had no talent around him. The offensive line has been makeshift and had problems. They haven't had any receivers or a good tight end since Jay Novacek left. And with all the different offensive schemes Dallas has used, a pocket passer without much mobility can't be asked to sit in the pocket and hold onto the ball. Without much of a pocket or many open receivers, Aikman took a beating. There was some interest around the league for him, but with his history of concussions, any team hoping to sign Aikman would have been taking a great risk.

Part of his decision to retire perhaps relied heavily on his desire to finish his career as a Dallas Cowboy. Instead of hanging on for another year or two with another team, like Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana did, Aikman probably wanted to bow out successfully and say he started and ended as a Cowboy.

If Aikman pursues a second career as an NFL broadcaster, he has the ability to excel. He is extremely bright and articulate and knows the game thoroughly. As a player, he was always careful and measured with his comments. But he had a brief stint as an NFL Europe analyst on FOX two years ago, and people generally thought he did a nice job.

He's Troy Aikman. If he's willing to impart the type of insight NFL fans are looking for, he will be marvelous as a broadcaster. His name will buy himself a season or two to develop that skill. If that's what he wants to do, he will be successful.

Mark Malone is the host of NFL 2Night on ESPN2.