For the Dallas Cowboys, Wednesday was a day filled with mixed emotions. Zack Martin, a former first-round selection who played for the team for 11 seasons, held his retirement press conference.
To honour the former first-round pick, countless players who had played alongside Martin were present, including Tony Romo, Travis Frederick, Tyron Smith, Dak Prescott, Ron Leary, and many more. Stephen Jones gave Martin a lot of respect, saying that despite the hype surrounding Johnny Manziel, he was the ideal man for the Cowboys in 2014. Along with Hall of Famer Larry Allen, Romo referred to him as one of the two greatest guards of all time. Jerry Jones, the owner of the team, claims that selecting him in the draft was the best choice he has ever made.
Additionally, the elder Jones revealed a secret that was completely anticipated to occur in the future. The Martin will be admitted into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honour, he added. After Jones confirmed it, Martin discussed what that meant to him.
It would have enormous significance. None of that ever crossed my mind when I first joined the league. I simply wanted to make sure I didn’t make a mistake and get in here. I was immediately draughted to play, and I concentrated on saying, “Hey, I’m going to do whatever I can for the team.”
Naturally, I began to experience some success, and when such issues are brought up, you begin to give it some thought. Being in there one day would be an honour, no doubt.
This decision was as simple as it gets. As a rookie, Martin made the first team All-Pro. After 11 seasons, Martin achieved All-Pro status nine times, including seven first-team selections, which equals the amount that Hall of Famers Bob Lilly and Randy White had for the Cowboys. That figure also equates to the staggering number of holding calls for which Martin was flagged. With starts in all 171 of his games (162 during the regular season and 9 during the playoffs), Martin was also incredibly dependable.
Martin carried the torch from the aforementioned Allen and continued to set a standard for offensive line play in Dallas that will be chased by those that come after him for decades. Cowboys supporters and the NFL community at large will miss him because he was that unique and uncommon.
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