Troy Aikman: Cowboys' Tony Romo 'already a better quarterback than I was'

[bbgun]

Well, you just negated the comment about Aikman's arm strength being a factor in his favor then. I can find extreme counter-examples for any positive attribute too.

Romo has the whole package (no homo). He's keeping a below average team afloat, and he's single-handedly kept Jason Garrett employed (and even got him promoted) in the league for about 5 years and counting. It's actually kinda sad that Romo hasn't been surrounded with a decent team and a legit NFL-caliber head coach who could help him develop. Aikman had all of those things, and he still bottomed out like a champ after 1996, at an age where most QBs (including Romo) enter their primes.

People keep ignoring all those interceptions and even worse, the stalled 3-and-out drives that kept happening over and over again those last few Aikman years.

"one, two, three, punt..."

and repeat...

The problem is that you overrate the talent Troy had to work with (esp early and late in his career) while underrating Tony's supporting cast. Free agency and the salary cap really hamstrung the offense in the mid-1990s, resulting in the loss of stalwarts like Stepnoski and Gogan. Big E's knee injury didn't help, either, nor did Emmitt's gradual decline. Unlike Troy, Tony didn't take a beating his first few years in the league, which has paid dividends down the road. Tony is the ideal QB to play behind a porous offensive line, but if you compiled a checklist that denoted things like accuracy, arm strength, height, mobility, leadership, and intelligence, Romo might win one of those categories at most.

 

[Rock Slamdance]

Clint Stoerner.

 

[buckup]

James Whalen had the best hands of any Cowboys WR or TE ever. Discuss.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

For peeps saying Aikman had 3 SB rings. Well, Favre and Young both only had one each, and Aikman's not even in the conversation with them for greatest QB from that era.

He should be. I'd take him over both those guys, though Favre was better when he was old.

I think the problem is that people think the ones who favor Aikman do it because they hate Romo. No, Romo is keeping us afloat just like you said. It's more a testament to how good Aikman was.

The ones who are saying this is all nostalgia are funny. So no players from today are truly better than those that will come after them? Surely you guys don't believe that.

 

[marionbarberthe4th]

I 100% believe Adrain Peterson would start over emmitt smith if he were transplanted to that era.

Petersons line is awful and he's breaking records.

 

[UVAwahoos]

dude, just stop...you get dumber and dumber everytime you post

Hos-lite got his feelings hurt. Not surprised.

The problem is that you overrate the talent Troy had to work with (esp early and late in his career) while underrating Tony's supporting cast. Free agency and the salary cap really hamstrung the offense in the mid-1990s, resulting in the loss of stalwarts like Stepnoski and Gogan. Big E's knee injury didn't help, either, nor did Emmitt's gradual decline. Unlike Troy, Tony didn't take a beating his first few years in the league, which has paid dividends down the road. Tony is the ideal QB to play behind a porous offensive line, but if you compiled a checklist that denoted things like accuracy, arm strength, height, mobility, leadership, and intelligence, Romo might win one of those categories at most.

Not underrating Tony's supporting cast whatsoever. The facts:

-1/3 of our starters from last year are available and only 2 were picked up
-In 2008 we used $60 mil in space on 5 players who are no longer even on the team. That's just sad.
-Of our remaining players, guys like Sensy, Scandrick, Nagy and Costa are absolute garbage. Dez Bryant can only run 1 route, and that's if he lines up correctly. So 20% of our remaining starters have major issues. And 50% of the starters from last season would not have started for any true playoff contender
-Aikman's teams did not have embarrassing coaches. The WR's knew where to line up and the players generally knew what was going on. You didn't have Jimmy Johnson (or his staff) icing his own kicker, calling pass plays when up by 4 scores, and just generally not understanding playcalls, clock management or the game of football.

I guess Nick Saban and Wade Philips are not good mentors? :confused

Romo is doing more with much less when you look at it appropriately.

 

[dbair1967]

lol at Darren Woodson

"was Troy drunk?" when he made those comments

 

[dbair1967]

I 100% believe Adrain Peterson would start over emmitt smith if he were transplanted to that era.

Petersons line is awful and he's breaking records.

His OL was quite good his first few seasons

I dont think he's the all around player Emmitt was either.

 

[Midswat]

Yep. Still Aikman.

 

[Theebs]

For peeps saying Aikman had 3 SB rings. Well, Favre and Young both only had one each, and Aikman's not even in the conversation with them for greatest QB from that era...so Super Bowls don't tell the whole story.

And it's not just Oline (Davis, Flo, Gurode, Kosier, etc) that they've failed Romo with.



All of those fuckers are gone, along with the cap space they ate up. This franchise is flawed from the top. Once Aikman had to start dealing with Jerry's puppet HC's and GM moves, he was merely a shell of a great QB.

omg
:roythehammer

Aikman was much better than steve young. That is a crazy statement.

 

[Rock Slamdance]

Anthony Wright.

 

[superpunk]

Yep. Still Aikman.

even though you're wrong i still respect you amigo

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Obligatory, "Romo isn't even Danny White", observation.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

its hard to compare qbs from this era to the ones that played before peyton mannings whining changed the league.

I love them both and hope this team wins one, the group I wanted to win one so bad here is already over.......

I am hoping like elway a new and better cast can be installed around romo and he wont have to do everything like now.

I hope it comes sooner with Romo than it did for Elway, I don't know if my heart can take another 6 years of this crap.

 

[lons]

Who cares if Austin is undrafted? He isnt a scrub, he's had a ton of success and when healthy is one of the better WR's in the league. Terrell Owens is a hall of fame WR. Terry Glenn was an excellent WR. Jason Witten is one of the best 4 or 5 best TE's in the history of football. Dez Bryant is a tremendous talent.

Yet none of the people you listed was a running back. Tony had a flash of having a great running back for a few games this year and we saw the results from that. Troy had it all.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Miles Austin has had a ton of success?

 

[UVAwahoos]

It's cuz Tony is half Mexican.

 

[dbair1967]

Yet none of the people you listed was a running back. Tony had a flash of having a great running back for a few games this year and we saw the results from that. Troy had it all.

Romo hasnt exactly had scrubs at RB either. None of them are Emmitt, but MBIII was really good for awhile, Julius Jones was decent. We drafted Felix jones in 2008, he's been pretty good at times too. Looks like we might have hit it big with Murray though.