Aikman says Cowboys’ woes begin ‘at the top’
A year ago, Troy Aikman was painfully blunt, calling for a “complete overhaul” of the Dallas Cowboys organization.
Now, with his former team struggling to get its footing in another quagmire of a season, the Hall of Fame quarterback is a little more diplomatic, but just as certain about what ails the 6-6 team. There is plenty of talent, Aikman said Tuesday during his weekly radio appearance in Dallas, but a Cowboys team that is “definitely going the wrong way” is fortunate to have the best record in the NFC East. Saying “everything begins at the top,” Aikman pointed to problems that stem from a now-chronic disconnect between the front office (owner Jerry Jones) and coach Jason Garrett, in turn leading to conflicting messages being sent to players.
“We’ve got a head coach who we know for 10 years has been saying, ‘We’re focused on Tuesday. Today. That’s all we’re worried about is having the best practice today that we can possibly have.’ And that’s been his messaging throughout,” Aikman said on KTCK Radio, “and the owner’s talking about getting on a run and winning the Super Bowl. And they’ve lost three of their last four.”
Garrett’s situation is uncertain with Jones cryptically saying this week that the coach, whose contract expires at the end of the season, would be “coaching in the NFL next season.” Note that he didn’t say where. And Jones also seemed at odds with his son Stephen, the Cowboys’ vice-president, over struggling kicker Brett Maher. Aikman emphasized that conflict by taking a little dig at the owner’s frequent, impromptu news conferences.
“You’ve got a head coach who comes down and says we’re going to evaluate the kicker and then the front office says right after that — probably in a press conference right outside the locker-room — that they weren’t evaluating the kicker,” Aikman said. “All those things have an impact and it slowly trickles down.
“So I think there are a lot of factors that have played into this — coaching, obviously, hasn’t been great at times in certain situations, players haven’t played great, but the front office hasn’t been great in allowing the head coach to do his job, either.”
It might seem that with his son in a position of power, Jones would be stepping back a bit, but Aikman sees an organization that hasn’t changed over the last few years.
“I think maybe in some ways it’s gotten worse,” he said. “I think Will Mcclay, by all accounts, has done a great job (as the vice-president of player personnel) . ... Essentially, Will Mcclay is the general manager. He’s the one doing the general manager work. You can say, ‘Well, that’s not his title,’ and I’d say, ‘Well, that’s true.’ I just think if you look around the NFL — and I understand the Cowboys, they approach it a little bit differently, they approach it a lot differently.
“As I said last week, I think football is only important when it’s important. I think the business of business is, it seems to me, more important than the business of football until game day. And then it’s, ‘Why aren’t we winning? Why isn’t this happening?’ You look around the league, even really prominent owners that are very visible in our game, they’re not giving the medical reports after games about the team and who’s going to play the next game and who’s not going to play and how severe is the injury? Who played well? Who didn’t play well? Coaches don’t even know; they’ve got to watch the tape. They have a general idea, but those things, I think it undermines a coaching staff and it has an impact. As players, you feel that.”