Featured Columnist IVOctober 21, 2024
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Last week, Fox Sports announcer and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman said he thought Cowboys’ receivers run “terrible routes” and called out CeeDee Lamb in particular, saying he has “got to improve in his route running.”
On Monday, the team’s head coach, Mike McCarthy, pushed back against those comments.
“They don’t carry any weight with me, because I watch all the tape, I get to go to the meetings, I’m at practice, I’m part of the games. So I have a clear understanding of what and where,” he told reporters. “Troy’s statement in particular, I don’t agree with the word selection. There is definitely need for improvement in every position, not just one position that he commented on.”
Here were the rest of Aikman’s comments on the situation:
“As a quarterback, if you’re not certain where guys are going to be consistently, it’s hard to play the position. That’s what I see. I see guys lazy coming off the line of scrimmage. Sometimes they run, usually if they do, it’s because they’re anticipating they’re going to get the football on that play, but if they’re not, they don’t. And it all ties together. I’m not impressed with that part of it.
“I just finished watching the Baltimore Ravens because I have them this week. You put on film of theirs and watch their receivers run routes and they come off the football, so does San Francisco’s and Green Bay’s and others. But it’s hard to play the (quarterback) position if you’re not certain how guys are going to run routes or where they’re going to be. And I’m not speaking for Dak [Prescott]. Dak may say, ‘Hey, I think (their routes) are amazing.’ But as a former quarterback watching it, it’s gotta get a lot better.”
The Cowboys have started the season just 3-3, leaving them behind the surprising Washington Commanders (5-2) and the talented but at times dysfunctional Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) in the NFC East.
Any number of reasons for the mediocre start could be cast as the primary blame.
The Cowboys are inexplicably 0-3 at home. The defense has given 44 or more points in two of the losses and has dealt with a number of injuries, especially in the front seven. The turnover bug has bitten Prescott yet again, with six interceptions through six games. The running game has offered him no help, with an NFL-worst 77.2 rushing yards per game, as Jerry Jones and the front office chose to bypass players like Derrick Henry in free agency in favor of the ineffective combo of Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle. McCarthy and his uncertain future remain a talking point among fans and pundits.
Ed Werder @WerderEdNFL
Cowboys veterans, including Dak Prescott and Jourdan Lewis, have cited unacceptable practice habits and mentality as an issue for some players. https://t.co/7wO7EeffyQ
And now, outside voices are taking aim at the efforts of the wide receiver.
This is not the start Dallas envisioned, and now the team will exit the buy with a brutal slate of upcoming games that includes matchups against the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Eagles, Houston Texans and Commanders in the next five weeks.
