Football Life on Troy Aikman

[ThoughtExperiment]

One, Aikman did run quite a bit of wishbone at OU. The Miami game (and plenty of others) from his OU time is on youtube for anyone who wants to see it. Now they didn't run pure triple option play after play like people think of when they think of those OU teams -- they passed out of the wishbone and the broken bone with a wingback/slotback plenty. But they weren't an I-formation team either. Troy was actually pretty good at running, too. He had about a 40-yard run vs Miami before he got his leg broken that got called back.

Two, what Troy says about Barry changing in Dallas makes sense, because Barry wasn't always that soft. Has anyone watched the 30 for 30 "Best that Never Was" on Marcus Dupree? Switzer looks like a certified hard ass on that show. He rode Dupree nonstop about everything from his practice habits to his weight. Why did he change in Dallas? I have a very strong feeling the reason is a piece of shit with the initials of JJ.

 

[dbair1967]

Two, what Troy says about Barry changing in Dallas makes sense, because Barry wasn't always that soft. Has anyone watched the 30 for 30 "Best that Never Was" on Marcus Dupree? Switzer looks like a certified hard ass on that show. He rode Dupree nonstop about everything from his practice habits to his weight. Why did he change in Dallas? I have a very strong feeling the reason is a piece of shit with the initials of JJ.

Yep, agree.

Switzer was a superb college coach. Great recruiter and he had his teams ready to play and they played hard.

But I think him and Jerry were just drinking buds. Jerry probably even told him "You are getting paid to hang out here" and Switzer was happy to comply. he wasn't doing anything at the time anyway.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

Right, you don't win as many games as he did by just rolling the footballs out there at practice, no matter how well you recruit. And pretty all coaches would be considered hard asses now -- it was just a different time.

I think Jerry asked Barry because they were buds -- who else was Jerry going to ask -- and because Barry was willing to accept Jerry's condition of keeping all the assistants just the way they were. One condition of Jerry's hiring him was that he not rock the boat too much. Barry saw it as just driving a couple hours down I-35 and doing a friend a favor for a few years.

 

[junk]

Aikman would mash Romo

I don't know. I bet Romo would be pretty good with that tennis ball cannon

 

[yimyammer]

I have a very strong feeling the reason is a piece of shit with the initials of JJ.

most, if not all, of the bullshit seems to trace back to this jackass

 

[yimyammer]

Right, you don't win as many games as he did by just rolling the footballs out there at practice, no matter how well you recruit. And pretty all coaches would be considered hard asses now -- it was just a different time.

I think Jerry asked Barry because they were buds -- who else was Jerry going to ask -- and because Barry was willing to accept Jerry's condition of keeping all the assistants just the way they were. One condition of Jerry's hiring him was that he not rock the boat too much. Barry saw it as just driving a couple hours down I-35 and doing a friend a favor for a few years.

Also, Barry was a coach on the national championship team that Jimmy/jeri played on plus I think there was a little bit of ire between Jimmy and Barry, perhaps moreso on Jimmys side, so it was a nice little bonus for jeri to tweak Jimmy with the hiring of Barry.

Barry/Jimmy/Troy/jeri had an odd six degrees of separation thing going on at the time

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

Yep, mentioned that before to dbair, that it was a nice little bonus for Jerry that Barry had been his nemesis in college, at least at OSU.

And yeah, forever the only football people Jerry knew came from that Arky-Okie clan. That's why in 2007 when I heard Jerry had hired Garrett I was actually glad -- I remember thinking that good, Jerry's finally been in the game long enough that someone he knows is from outside that old circle.

How naive and wrong I was.

 

[Doomsday]

Aikman got hurt in the 4 th game, the 1st home game. Before he got hurt he was 6 of 8 for 131 yards. He was hurt with 9:18 remaining in the 1st half. Not bad for a little over a quarter and against a very good team.

They were out of character throwing more in that Miami game because they had to - Miami's offense was just shredding them. That's what led to Aikman's injury - that o-line wasn't used to pass blocking. That's all in Jimmy Johnson's book by the way.

OU did drop the wishbone once Aikman enrolled there. They went back to it after he broke his leg, and that's why Aikman transferred.

No, the promise was it was dropped, but after Dupree disappeared Switzer went back to it and Aikman never played anything except the wishbone while he was at OU.

The rest of the stuff about how buddy-buddy they were - of course for publicity reasons they sort of had to be. But if you like the coach you do NOT leave a national championship team AND sit out the next year.

 

[dbair1967]

Dooms, you're continuing your O-fer football arguing perfection in this thread

 

[dbair1967]

Yep, mentioned that before to dbair, that it was a nice little bonus for Jerry that Barry had been his nemesis in college, at least at OSU.

And yeah, forever the only football people Jerry knew came from that Arky-Okie clan. That's why in 2007 when I heard Jerry had hired Garrett I was actually glad -- I remember thinking that good, Jerry's finally been in the game long enough that someone he knows is from outside that old circle.

How naive and wrong I was.

Jimmy got Barry back while he was at Miami though. I think he was either 2-0 or maybe 3-0 against OU after he went to Miami. One of them was the national championship game Miami won.

 

[Doomsday]

Do you remember the offensive lines Tony had up until 4 or so years ago?

They weren't nearly as bad as Troy's were. In fact it's not even close. Romo never would have survived it.

With Aikman out, Barry Switzer switched his offense from an I-formation, pro-style system back to the run-heavy wishbone offense.

Dooms, you're continuing your O-fer football arguing perfection in this thread

This writer is just flat wrong, there's even video and more importantly, STATISTICS to show how wrong he is.

 

[Doomsday]

Has anyone watched the 30 for 30 "Best that Never Was" on Marcus Dupree?

Anyone who has, knows Troy NEVER played out of the pro-set I-formation while he was at OU, because Dupree washed out and Switzer decided he could not run the I without Dupree. Switzer himself says this, on the show.

 

[dbair1967]

This writer is just flat wrong, there's even video and more importantly, STATISTICS to show how wrong he is.

He's not wrong Dooms, they did switch it. Just because Aikman ran a handful of plays from a wishbone or pseudo wishbone, doesn't mean that was the staple of the team anymore.

The OU Miami game where Aikman got injured was nationally televised. They even noted the switch in offensive philosophy during the game. It was a huge shock to all, OU running the wishbone was a decade or so tradition there, maybe more. It was a big deal at the time.

Aikman has even talked about this publicly numerous times.

 

[Doomsday]

He's not wrong Dooms, they did switch it. Just because Aikman ran a handful of plays from a wishbone or pseudo wishbone, doesn't mean that was the staple of the team anymore.

It wasn't a "handful." Did you not see the stats for those games, posted earlier? The write-up from OU itself, talking about the wishbone? What TE posted- which I quote below - is exactly right and might be what confused certain people. They never ran the pro-set I formation offense while Troy was there!

Now they didn't run pure triple option play after play like people think of when they think of those OU teams -- they passed out of the wishbone and the broken bone with a wingback/slotback plenty. But they weren't an I-formation team either. Troy was actually pretty good at running, too. He had about a 40-yard run vs Miami before he got his leg broken that got called back.

Aikman had more rushing attempts than pass attempts, in those 4 games he started for OU. It's just documented fact!

 

[yimyammer]

Yep, mentioned that before to dbair, that it was a nice little bonus for Jerry that Barry had been his nemesis in college, at least at OSU.

And yeah, forever the only football people Jerry knew came from that Arky-Okie clan. That's why in 2007 when I heard Jerry had hired Garrett I was actually glad -- I remember thinking that good, Jerry's finally been in the game long enough that someone he knows is from outside that old circle.

How naive and wrong I was.

It certainly appears jeri's "comfort" is the #1 criteria for any coach hoping to get a job with the Cowboys.

They should have a sign the coaches have to walk past each day like the Notre Dame players have where they slap that sign as they go on to the field, in Dallas it would read "Check your balls at the door"

 

[dbair1967]

Shit, am I going to have to admit defeat at the hands of the Dooms?

There really might be a first time for everything.

 

[Doomsday]

They should have a sign the coaches have to walk past each day like the Notre Dame players have where they slap that sign as they go on to the field, in Dallas it would read "Check your balls at the door"

Cheaper to just make sure not to hire any HC that actually has balls. That way you don't have to spend money on that sign.

 

[Doomsday]

Shit, am I going to have to admit defeat at the hands of the Dooms?

A lot of what you were saying is right, only problem is you were quoting people who had it wrong. Yes the people you quoted did say what you posted. Doesn't make them correct.

When they are consistently running the ball 60-70 times a game and only passing it for 15-20, that is the very definition of the wishbone. It's not just someone's opinion.

 

[yimyammer]

Cheaper to just make sure not to hire any HC that actually has balls. That way you don't have to spend money on that sign.

I'm pretty sure thats what jeri does, the sign is merely a reminder not to get any bright ideas

 

[Doomsday]

I'm pretty sure thats what jeri does, the sign is merely a reminder not to get any bright ideas

Yeah I was being facetious. Parcells had balls, he just checked them at the door!