After thirteen years and 259,000 miles, I sold my 1996 Chevy Suburban yesterday. No I didn't do the "cash for clunkers" deal. I didn't need a new car, my Suburban had become an extra vehicle around the house, but it still looked great and was functional. But as the new owner pulled out of the driveway it got me to thinking there was really a lot of comparison between me and the coaches and GM's getting ready to make player decisions in NFL training camps.

Let's say you've had a player who's been a fixture on your ball club for several years. A consistent performer who never misses a game. But as his career has gone on, he's cost you more and more and he can no longer do some of the things he once could. He doesn't have the acceleration he once had and there are younger guys who could probably do the job as well now at less money, but he's been a workhorse for you on and off the field and you find it hard to let him go.

The good teams always seem to make the right decision at the right time on when to let the veteran player go and hand the job over to someone new. That's why the Patriots and Steelers have been so good for so long. It doesn't have to be a rookie, maybe it's a player who's been in your system for a couple of years, watching and waiting for his opportunity. The key is being willing to make the decision before that veteran's performance really starts to slide. Some coaches and GM's are great at it. Others let loyalty cloud their decision making and in the end it costs their team and it usually costs them their job.

As I think of my old Suburban and my unwillingness to part with it over the last couple of years, I get the feeling I wouldn't have made a good GM. Then again, maybe I just need a bigger budget to operate with.