Troy Aikman says "Romo is a better QB than I was" (1 Viewer)

[Ministry of Pain]

So we finally have proof from the man himself that he really was not much more than a game manager, an Alex Smith type who was fortunate to lead a dynamic overall team.

Here is the article but basically he says that Romo is a better athlete and can make more plays than he ever could...maybe he is just trying to be nice but I doubt it. And if Romo is a better QB than Aikman and we all know Romo has some serious shortcomings, what does that say about other QBs in NFL History?

Aikman says Romo is better

I guess we can stop this nonsense that Aikman was a superior QB to guys that don't have rings like say...oh...I don't know...Dan Marino perhaps.

 

[Chimp Magnet]

Looks like we are seeing the long term ramifications of multiple concussions on an NFL player.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I guess we can stop this nonsense that Aikman was a superior QB to guys that don't have rings like say...oh...I don't know...Dan Marino perhaps.

I've never heard anyone make that argument.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Pretty sure you'll never hear Emmitt say anything like that about other RBs.

 

[Concept Coop]

So we finally have proof from the man himself that he really was not much more than a game manager, an Alex Smith type who was fortunate to lead a dynamic overall team.

Here is the article but basically he says that Romo is a better athlete and can make more plays than he ever could...maybe he is just trying to be nice but I doubt it. And if Romo is a better QB than Aikman and we all know Romo has some serious shortcomings, what does that say about other QBs in NFL History?

Aikman says Romo is better

I guess we can stop this nonsense that Aikman was a superior QB to guys that don't have rings like say...oh...I don't know...Dan Marino perhaps.

You seem to have personal issues with Aikman and Romo. Alex Smith?

And I don't recall anyone - in my life - ever claiming Aikman was better than Marino. We didn't need this article to see that. It's a little fluff piece, nothing more.

 

[Statcruncher]

The thing I take out of all this is that Aikman = class. And I hate the Cowboys.

 

[adrenaline]

I respect his humility. That said I never thought he was one of the greatest, that offense revolved around the O-line & Emmitt. I'd still take him over Alex Smith.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

So we finally have proof from the man himself that he really was not much more than a game manager, an Alex Smith type who was fortunate to lead a dynamic overall team.

Here is the article but basically he says that Romo is a better athlete and can make more plays than he ever could...maybe he is just trying to be nice but I doubt it. And if Romo is a better QB than Aikman and we all know Romo has some serious shortcomings, what does that say about other QBs in NFL History?

Aikman says Romo is better

I guess we can stop this nonsense that Aikman was a superior QB to guys that don't have rings like say...oh...I don't know...Dan Marino perhaps.

You seem to have personal issues with Aikman and Romo. Alex Smith?

And I don't recall anyone - in my life - ever claiming Aikman was better than Marino. We didn't need this article to see that. It's a little fluff piece, nothing more.

Hey CC, I just saw this today and thought it was pretty interesting. Don't take the OP too seriously, it's been a rough go for us Phinsfans.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

The thing I take out of all this is that Aikman = class. And I hate the Cowboys.

I hate most tv guys but Aikman never seemed to be stuck on himself and he actually makes some good comments here and there.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I guess we can stop this nonsense that Aikman was a superior QB to guys that don't have rings like say...oh...I don't know...Dan Marino perhaps.

Has anybody ever seriously argued that Aikman was even half the QB that Marino was?

 

[sn0mm1s]

The thing I take out of all this is that Aikman = class. And I hate the Cowboys.

Pretty much. Different offense, different philosophy all contribute to his lack of stats. I have no doubt that Aikman, in a pass first offense, could've put up great numbers. Vick is more athletic and can make more plays than any QB ever - but I would take Aikman over him hands down.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I guess we can stop this nonsense that Aikman was a superior QB to guys that don't have rings like say...oh...I don't know...Dan Marino perhaps.

Has anybody ever seriously argued that Aikman was even half the QB that Marino was?

Every Dallas fan I know in real life It doesn't matter, Dallas has the trophies, just thought this was interesting.

 

[Herb]

What I take away from this is the ridiculous weight that HOF voters place on rings. We'll never know if Aikman would have lit up the scoreboard on a pass-first team, but I suspect it's likely that a number of Aikman's QB peers during his career could have won just as much as Aikman did on those stacked Dallas teams he played on. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

Looks like we are seeing the long term ramifications of multiple concussions on an NFL player.

 

[Bigboy10182000]

What I take away from this is the ridiculous weight that HOF voters place on rings. We'll never know if Aikman would have lit up the scoreboard on a pass-first team, but I suspect it's likely that a number of Aikman's QB peers during his career could have won just as much as Aikman did on those stacked Dallas teams he played on. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

Yeppers!IMO he's one of the most overrated HOFers there is.

 

[E_Smith]

What I take away from this is the ridiculous weight that HOF voters place on rings. We'll never know if Aikman would have lit up the scoreboard on a pass-first team, but I suspect it's likely that a number of Aikman's QB peers during his career could have won just as much as Aikman did on those stacked Dallas teams he played on. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

Yeppers!IMO he's one of the most overrated HOFers there is.

He was routinely described as one of the most accurate passers in the league, as I recall Madden saying over and over. Aikman is being humble and trying to pump up Romo. He described Romo as more athletic which is true, Romo is more athletic than most QBs. Where he comes up short so far is decisionmaking and clutchness...I don't know how Aikman would have played in the modern pass friendly era but my guess is that he would have been very good.

 

[Vision6]

Aikman was a HOF caliber QB, the stats don't show it but that's why you have to watch the games. 3 rings is very impressive.

Was he better than Dan Marino? In my opinion No but comparing Aikman to Smith is silly and reeks of bias.

Romo is a very talented QB but tends to fall apart under pressure or when he's asked to do too much. IMO Aikman was just being classy and semi-true with his comment.

Hopefully this thread makes the OP feel better about the failures of the Marino-lead Dolphins.

 

[cobalt_27]

I guess we can stop this nonsense that Aikman was a superior QB to guys that don't have rings like say...oh...I don't know...Dan Marino perhaps.

I've never heard anyone make that argument.

Bad days to be a dolphins fans. Most insecure group this side of Steelers fans. Look at MOP still needing to justify Marino's career when there is simply no defense necessary for one of the greatest ever.That said, I'd take Aikman's over Marino.

 

[sn0mm1s]

What I take away from this is the ridiculous weight that HOF voters place on rings. We'll never know if Aikman would have lit up the scoreboard on a pass-first team, but I suspect it's likely that a number of Aikman's QB peers during his career could have won just as much as Aikman did on those stacked Dallas teams he played on. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

I don't know about that. Young was on teams just as stacked and couldn't make it to the big dance more than once. People seem to forget just how good Aikman was - especially in the playoffs when in his 3 SB runs he only had 1 game under 100 QB rating. After his 3rd ring I believe he had 17 TDs to 4 INTs in the playoffs. I am not saying he is in the upper tier of the HOF - but he is hardly overrated.

 

[jurb26]

Troy is a nice guy. That's what I gather from this article. That doesn't make this statement true.

Put Romo on those great Cowboy teams and I'm sure he would find away to trip over himself, fumble and turn the ball away in order to prevent even 1 championship let alone 3. But hey, he would probably throw for 300 yds a game while doing it!

 

[Pots]

I guess we can stop this nonsense that Aikman was a superior QB to guys that don't have rings like say...oh...I don't know...Dan Marino perhaps.

Has anybody ever seriously argued that Aikman was even half the QB that Marino was?

Every Dallas fan I know in real life It doesn't matter, Dallas has the trophies, just thought this was interesting.

It's sad that you compared Troy Aikman to Alex Smith.

 

[Popinski]

Pretty sure you'll never hear Emmitt say anything like that about other RBs.

 

[Bankerguy]

The thing I take out of all this is that Aikman = class. And I hate the Cowboys.

This

 

[E_Smith]

The thing I take out of all this is that Aikman = class. And I hate the Cowboys.

This

You hate the cowboys?

 

[Bankerguy]

What I take away from this is the ridiculous weight that HOF voters place on rings. We'll never know if Aikman would have lit up the scoreboard on a pass-first team, but I suspect it's likely that a number of Aikman's QB peers during his career could have won just as much as Aikman did on those stacked Dallas teams he played on. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

I don't know about that. Young was on teams just as stacked and couldn't make it to the big dance more than once. People seem to forget just how good Aikman was - especially in the playoffs when in his 3 SB runs he only had 1 game under 100 QB rating. After his 3rd ring I believe he had 17 TDs to 4 INTs in the playoffs. I am not saying he is in the upper tier of the HOF - but he is hardly overrated.

I think he is one of the most under rated QB's of all time.Calling him a game manager makes me ill.He did what he was told.If Norv had asked him to chuck it 45 times a game, things would have been a lot different.He IS the most accurate thrower of the ball I have ever seen.

 

[Bankerguy]

The thing I take out of all this is that Aikman = class. And I hate the Cowboys.

This

You hate the cowboys?

Ha...the first part was his point.

 

[cobalt_27]

What I take away from this is the ridiculous weight that HOF voters place on rings. We'll never know if Aikman would have lit up the scoreboard on a pass-first team, but I suspect it's likely that a number of Aikman's QB peers during his career could have won just as much as Aikman did on those stacked Dallas teams he played on. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

I don't know about that. Young was on teams just as stacked and couldn't make it to the big dance more than once. People seem to forget just how good Aikman was - especially in the playoffs when in his 3 SB runs he only had 1 game under 100 QB rating. After his 3rd ring I believe he had 17 TDs to 4 INTs in the playoffs. I am not saying he is in the upper tier of the HOF - but he is hardly overrated.

I think he is one of the most under rated QB's of all time.Calling him a game manager makes me ill.He did what he was told.If Norv had asked him to chuck it 45 times a game, things would have been a lot different.He IS the most accurate thrower of the ball I have ever seen.

I'm astonished he didn't have 100% completion percentage between 1992 and 1995. I double checked stats and confirmed he didn't. But, all I remember is whenever he dropped back to pass during that 4 year span, you just knew he was going to find the open receiver and complete the pass. He had uncanny aim/accuracy, especially on those deep outs.

 

[Christo]

Aikman was a HOF caliber QB, the stats don't show it but that's why you have to watch the games. 3 rings is very impressive.

Was he better than Dan Marino? In my opinion No but comparing Aikman to Smith is silly and reeks of bias.

Romo is a very talented QB but tends to fall apart under pressure or when he's asked to do too much. IMO Aikman was just being classy and semi-true with his comment.

Hopefully this thread makes the OP feel better about the failures of the Marino-lead Dolphins.

That's the thing. Only 32 people in the world are NFL QBs at once. For most of them the talent differential is razor thin. The difference between winning and losing most often occurs between the ears.

 

[Weiner Dog]

Pretty sure you'll never hear Emmitt say anything like that about other RBs.

I'm not (...or at least wasn't) a big Emmitt fan, but I heard him speak last month. One of my co-workers asked him, "Were you happy when Barry Sanders retired?" Surprisingly, Emmitt said he was no happy that Sanders retired b/c he was in awe of Barry and thought Barry (along with Walter Payton) were the two best RB's in NFL history. He went on the say that he's convinced Barry would have rushed for 20k yards and been the NFL's all-time leading rusher had he not retired."

 

[Tau837]

I guess we can stop this nonsense that Aikman was a superior QB to guys that don't have rings like say...oh...I don't know...Dan Marino perhaps.

Who said that? I have literally never seen anyone say Aikman was a superior QB to Marino.

 

[Carolina Hustler]

What I take away from this is the ridiculous weight that HOF voters place on rings. We'll never know if Aikman would have lit up the scoreboard on a pass-first team, but I suspect it's likely that a number of Aikman's QB peers during his career could have won just as much as Aikman did on those stacked Dallas teams he played on. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

Yeppers!IMO he's one of the most overrated HOFers there is.

He was routinely described as one of the most accurate passers in the league, as I recall Madden saying over and over. Aikman is being humble and trying to pump up Romo. He described Romo as more athletic which is true, Romo is more athletic than most QBs. Where he comes up short so far is decisionmaking and clutchness...I don't know how Aikman would have played in the modern pass friendly era but my guess is that he would have been very good.

And now we're taking Maddens word as law when it comes to the Cowboys.. lol

 

[Disc Shark]

Aikman's right, for once.

 

[TimTebow]

What I take away from this is the ridiculous weight that HOF voters place on rings. We'll never know if Aikman would have lit up the scoreboard on a pass-first team, but I suspect it's likely that a number of Aikman's QB peers during his career could have won just as much as Aikman did on those stacked Dallas teams he played on. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

Yeppers!IMO he's one of the most overrated HOFers there is.

He was routinely described as one of the most accurate passers in the league, as I recall Madden saying over and over. Aikman is being humble and trying to pump up Romo. He described Romo as more athletic which is true, Romo is more athletic than most QBs. Where he comes up short so far is decisionmaking and clutchness...I don't know how Aikman would have played in the modern pass friendly era but my guess is that he would have been very good.

I heard Aikman say, it might have been at some point on the top 100 players of all time thing, that he could have had better numbers if he played in a different system, but he played to win and played his role. I don't disagree.

 

[sn0mm1s]

Pretty sure you'll never hear Emmitt say anything like that about other RBs.

I'm not (...or at least wasn't) a big Emmitt fan, but I heard him speak last month. One of my co-workers asked him, "Were you happy when Barry Sanders retired?" Surprisingly, Emmitt said he was no happy that Sanders retired b/c he was in awe of Barry and thought Barry (along with Walter Payton) were the two best RB's in NFL history. He went on the say that he's convinced Barry would have rushed for 20k yards and been the NFL's all-time leading rusher had he not retired."

Yeah, I don't remember Emmitt claiming he was the best or implying he was the best. I think we can reserve that distinction for the 1972 Dolphins and Jim Brown. Both are wrong - but they like to make the claim.

 

[Urinal Mint]

Anybody saying Romo "falls apart under pressure" didn't watch a single effing snap of his last year.

He hauled that crappy team up to 8-8 all by himself. Otherwise they win maybe 3 games. He's the engine that makes the team go, and he's definitely not the reason they lose. He makes good decisions and that's reflected in his INT%, and I would also imagine by KC Joyner's metrics.

And Aikman is right... Romo is a better QB. Aikman could air it out when they needed him to, though. Dallas threw it in the first half to get ahead, then mauled teams in the second half with their run game. Like clockwork. It was beautiful to behold.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Pretty sure you'll never hear Emmitt say anything like that about other RBs.

I'm not (...or at least wasn't) a big Emmitt fan, but I heard him speak last month. One of my co-workers asked him, "Were you happy when Barry Sanders retired?" Surprisingly, Emmitt said he was no happy that Sanders retired b/c he was in awe of Barry and thought Barry (along with Walter Payton) were the two best RB's in NFL history. He went on the say that he's convinced Barry would have rushed for 20k yards and been the NFL's all-time leading rusher had he not retired."

Thanks, I did not know that. I must have been thinking more of what his fans have said over the years.

 

[E_Smith]

Anybody saying Romo "falls apart under pressure" didn't watch a single effing snap of his last year.He hauled that crappy team up to 8-8 all by himself. Otherwise they win maybe 3 games. He's the engine that makes the team go, and he's definitely not the reason they lose. He makes good decisions and that's reflected in his INT%, and I would also imagine by KC Joyner's metrics.And Aikman is right... Romo is a better QB. Aikman could air it out when they needed him to, though. Dallas threw it in the first half to get ahead, then mauled teams in the second half with their run game. Like clockwork. It was beautiful to behold.

Well, lets not whitewash the Jets and Lions collapses. Two games that Romo threw away that, had he won, Cowboys are in the playoffs and the Giants are sitting at home. And lets also include Romo missing a wide open Austin to win the home Giants game. If Romo takes something off that pass, playing it safe, game over.

 

[Herb]

Pretty sure you'll never hear Emmitt say anything like that about other RBs.

I'm not (...or at least wasn't) a big Emmitt fan, but I heard him speak last month. One of my co-workers asked him, "Were you happy when Barry Sanders retired?" Surprisingly, Emmitt said he was no happy that Sanders retired b/c he was in awe of Barry and thought Barry (along with Walter Payton) were the two best RB's in NFL history. He went on the say that he's convinced Barry would have rushed for 20k yards and been the NFL's all-time leading rusher had he not retired."

I've wondered many times what Sanders would have done behind a better line, specifically if he'd been running behind those Dallas lines, which were some of the best in the history of the league, IMO. You might be looking at 2,500 yard seasons and career yardage totals that would never be broken. As a Viking fan, I watched Sanders make my team look silly many times, but I was devastated when he retired. Best RB I've ever seen, without a doubt.I feel nearly the same about Emmitt as I do about Aikman. There were a number of guys who could have accomplished the same things he did (although fewer replacements for Emmitt than Troy IMO)with that supporting cast. Man for man, the only teams that stand with those Cowboy teams were maybe the late 80s 49ers and the late 70s Steelers.

 

[delusional]

Looks like we are seeing the long term ramifications of multiple concussions on an NFL player.

 

[Ack88]

If you feel that Aikman was nothing more than a "game manager" than you probably did not watch many Cowboy games during the 1990s. Aikman was tough, accurate, and disciplined. He could air it out when neccessary and nobody threw better, more accurate passes between 10 and 25 yards. He could put the ball in tight spaces and let his playmakers maximize their skills. Had he played in a system that was pass oriented, his statistics would be exponentially greater.

I don't know of many people who think of Aikman as being superior to Dan Marino, but the disparity is not nearly as great as some think it is.

I have no doubt that Romo's physical skill and athletic talent is probably at least equal to Aikman. What seperates Aikman from Romo is that he played some of his best football during the most crucial, pressure packed games. Conversely, Romo has vastly underperformed during late season, particularly consequential games. Therefore, it makes no sense to say that Romo is a better QB than Aikman, no sense whatsoever. This is not to diss Romo, as he played amazing football down the stretch this year. Dallas' demise lies in the complete and total lack of leadership that systemically exists from the upper reaches of the organization. There is no culture of consistency or accountability, as the haphazzard approach of Jerry Jones will doom the Cowboys to an extended stay in football purgatory.

 

[Christo]

Anybody saying Romo "falls apart under pressure" didn't watch a single effing snap of his last year.He hauled that crappy team up to 8-8 all by himself. Otherwise they win maybe 3 games. He's the engine that makes the team go, and he's definitely not the reason they lose. He makes good decisions and that's reflected in his INT%, and I would also imagine by KC Joyner's metrics.And Aikman is right... Romo is a better QB. Aikman could air it out when they needed him to, though. Dallas threw it in the first half to get ahead, then mauled teams in the second half with their run game. Like clockwork. It was beautiful to behold.

When people say he falls apart under pressure they're talking about crucial mistakes like 2 turnovers in the final nine minutes against the Jets opening night, the blown lead against the Lions. It goes all the way back to the botched hold against the Seahawks in the '06 season.They're also talking about Dallas' late season collapses under him, year after year after year . . .Dallas lost the last 3 games in '06, 3 of the last 4 games on '07, 3 of the last 4 games in '08 and and 4 of the last 5 games in '11.He only started the first 6 games in '10 but he was 1-5.He's 1-3 in the playoffsThe only year Dallas has finished strong under Romo was '09 and they were blown out 34-3 by the Vikings in the playoffs.He may be a great athlete. He may have great numbers. But the guy just isn't a finisher.I'll take Aikman over him every day and twice on Sunday.

 

[madhatter]

game manager>assistant produce manager.

 

[FF Ninja]

Pretty sure you'll never hear Emmitt say anything like that about other RBs.

I'm not (...or at least wasn't) a big Emmitt fan, but I heard him speak last month. One of my co-workers asked him, "Were you happy when Barry Sanders retired?" Surprisingly, Emmitt said he was no happy that Sanders retired b/c he was in awe of Barry and thought Barry (along with Walter Payton) were the two best RB's in NFL history. He went on the say that he's convinced Barry would have rushed for 20k yards and been the NFL's all-time leading rusher had he not retired."

I've wondered many times what Sanders would have done behind a better line, specifically if he'd been running behind those Dallas lines, which were some of the best in the history of the league, IMO. You might be looking at 2,500 yard seasons and career yardage totals that would never be broken. As a Viking fan, I watched Sanders make my team look silly many times, but I was devastated when he retired. Best RB I've ever seen, without a doubt.I feel nearly the same about Emmitt as I do about Aikman. There were a number of guys who could have accomplished the same things he did (although fewer replacements for Emmitt than Troy IMO)with that supporting cast. Man for man, the only teams that stand with those Cowboy teams were maybe the late 80s 49ers and the late 70s Steelers.

People always say this, but I've heard people who know their stuff cite that Barry's line was pretty damn good, too.

 

[sn0mm1s]

People always say this, but I've heard people who know their stuff cite that Barry's line was pretty damn good, too.

They generally claim that Brown and Glover were both great players on his line. However, they were both drafted in 1985 and here are the rankings of the Lions rush offense with those two players prior to Sanders.Out of 28 teamsYear, Attempts, Yards, rushing TDs, YPC 1985 18 26 20 281986 16 15 16 191987 25 25 23 241988 26 27 28 28So, in the 4 years with Brown and Glover and no Sanders they never had a single year where they were above league average in yards, tds or YPC. They were dead last 3 times and in the bottom 5 teams 8 out of 12 possible times. The year before Sanders got there they were dead last in TDs and YPC and 2nd to last in rushing yards.Add Sanders:1989 20 8 1 1Worst to first in YPC and TDs and a top 10 finish in yards - all while still being in the bottom 10 in carries. No RB in the history of the league has made an impact like that (although one could argue that Adrian Peterson is close). To me, that doesn't look like it was his good oline - it was all Sanders.