Troy Aikman: Tony Romo is a better quarterback than I was

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Troy Aikman won three Super Bowl rings with the Cowboys and is a Hall of Famer, but if you think Aikman is the best Cowboys quarterback you’ve ever seen, Aikman says you need to take a closer look at Tony Romo.

In an interview with the Brownsville Herald, Aikman said he never played the quarterback position as well as Romo.

I think Tony already is a better quarterback than I was,” Aikman said. “I know how quarterbacks are judged but as far as his play-making ability and the things that he is capable of doing, he is a far more athletic quarterback, capable of making more plays than I ever was able to. He has a good team around him and hopefully, and I believe this will happen, I believe that he will win a Super Bowl before he is done playing.”

Aikman should be commended for his modesty, and for acknowledging that there should be more to judging a quarterback than counting how many Super Bowl rings he wears. But I think it’s safe to say the vast majority of Cowboys fans are going to disagree with his analysis.

147 responses to “Troy Aikman: Tony Romo is a better quarterback than I was

  1. Aikman is one of the former players suing the NFL for lying to them about the long term affects concussions right??

    Well if he’s not he sure has a case now..

  2. Not that I am a Cowboys fan, but how many SB rings did Troy have by the same time in his career? Wonder how much Jerra paid him to say this.

  3. Not a Cowboys fan at all, not a Romo nor Aikman fan, but I could not disagree more with that comparison modest or not.

  4. This must have been hard for him since he seems to dog on this cowboys team every chance he gets…

  5. And this is why the NFL is trying to lower the amount of head trauma their star players take. They dont want them making silly comments like this later down the road.

  6. wow…..just stop it.
    Romo = LeBron of the NFL……chokes in the 4th qtr & big games.

    best part is my Giants continue to fly under the radar…..GO BIG BLUE!!!

  7. Anybody see Bradshaws numbers he’s got four SB rings, Troy had an awesome team around him, Tonys been above avg QB on a below avg team. Also a big difference in what Tonys worked with at RB as well the only thing Tonys had better than Troy is prob his TE, def hasn’t been the coaching.

  8. When the media has to keep telling us how good somebody is, it comes across as wishful thinking.

    In the end, results are what matters.

  9. Somebody should check this man for a concussion…….this statement will make goodell manadate concussion tests in the broadcast booth

  10. Thats strange because I am not convinced hes a better QB than I am and I am 5 foot 8 and overweight. Also note I have never played quarterback.

  11. Yeah well … I think he is just being nice to a belraguered buddy.

    Aikman would have been even GREATER statistically had his team not always been ahead at halftime and turned to Emmett Smith for all those clock killing second half drives. In his prime, Aikman was the definition of clutch.

  12. With 1st pick in the 2013 NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys select Matt Barkely. HOW BOUT THEM COWBAWWYZZZZ!!

  13. If you read the interview, he was asked directly who is the better QB. Given that line of questioning, he probably felt it politic to answer as he had done. If he’s just been asked to assess Romo, I doubt he would have included a comparison to himself in the answer.

    I think Romo is a very talented QB- I watched him play an amazing last quarter against the Dolphins on Thanksgiving, where he pulled off all kinds of throws- but he’s nowhere near the level of Aikman. But I think it cements the class of the man that he would say this in an interview. A model pro and a model human being!

  14. I am a huge Cowboy fan, and LOVE Aikman. That being said, Aikman is right.

    The only real difference here is the teams the two QBs were on.
    Aikman was blessed to have been on such a complete team that it still ha me in awe, to this day, to realize how dominant that team was. He had the HOF running back, the dominant defense and HOF WRs to throw to.

    Aikman is a great QB, but part of his greatness comes from the greatness of that team and the SBs THEY won. THEY. Yes, whether some of these fools want to believe it or not… This IS a team game.

    Give Tony the run game and a defense that isn’t bipolar and Tony will, too, be in business.

    The games are lost and won in the trenches. Aikman had some DOMINANT guys playing in his… Romo’s are mediocre… And that’s being nice.

    Romo is a good QB, despite what Eagles, Giants and Redskins fans think.

  15. Wow, I guess there is something to all this concussion stuff. Sounds like Troy took way too many hits to the head.

  16. Now . . . that is F ‘ N FUNNY !

    I didn’t know ,
    Aikman was getting into stand-up comedy ?

    Here’s another :
    Larry Brown will be a SUPERSTAR for the Oakland Raiders !

    Ahh ‘ Man … funny !

  17. I don’t disagree with him necessarily…..for me it’s hard to judge Aikman because of the system he played in and the support he had.

    He never had a jaw droppingly great year as far as numbers go.

  18. Not as far off as it may seem..Aikman played behind one of the greatest offensive lines of all time, and had hall of fame weapons at skill positions.

  19. Cowboys fan here, and first off it’s hard comparing two different types of QB’s from different eras. That being said, Aikman was probably a better leader, but had better coaching too. Romo is a better player physically though. The guy doesn’t play defense or offensive line or any other position that’s blameful the last few seasons.

  20. Aikman had exactly one flaw… couldn’t handle a wet football. Everybody in the building knew he would throw the ball to Irvin or hand it to Emmitt and you still couldn’t stop them. And as those Fox promos remind us… Troy has the hardware.

    Romo has no Irvin, no Emmitt, and Witten is getting older (and a little predictable). Romo doesn’t make good decisions, and he’s not clutch (4th quarter or playoffs).

    Result: Aikman > Romo.

  21. I don’t recall Aikman having a reputation for making nearly as many dumb mistakes as Romo does.

  22. I like Romo. It’s hard not to. If he’d throw game-winning TDs like he tosses aside his tabloid superstar girlfriends we’d probably be talking about this kid ad a sure thing for Canton. If Jerrah ever got a clue and got some football people in there with that talented roster then the NFC East would be in trouble, but as long as the circus is in town thats just not happening. Thanks Troy for being a class act as a former player…. 🙂

  23. not quite, romo has flashes of brilliance, but always does something extremely stupid to counter it… the only thing romo has over aikman is mobility, aikman was an extremely accurate qb, romo not so much.

  24. Roger Staubach is the best Cowboys QB I’ve ever seen.

    Romo wouldn’t even come in third (Danny White).

  25. Readers:

    This is why it is so important to continue monitoring (and treatment) if necessary for post concussion syndrome.

    Troy was wearing a Napoleon Bonaparte-style General’s uniform and stated that an attack on Prussia was imminent immeidately after making the Romo statement.

  26. Too many hits to the head, Aikman forgets how good he was.

    I remember growing up as an Eagles fan, and having Aikman crush my team year after year.

    Nope, Tony Blo-Mo isn’t even close.

  27. Don’t know about quarterback but Romo, or anybody not in a coma, would make a better announcer.

  28. Let make it nice and short and sweet for you!
    Tony Romo will never be able to win the big game when it counts!!

  29. @ DonRSD says: Mar 23, 2012 7:36 AM

    wow…..just stop it.
    Romo = LeBron of the NFL……chokes in the 4th qtr & big games.

    best part is my Giants continue to fly under the radar…..GO BIG BLUE!!!
    _____________________________________
    Really? Romo’s 4th quarter #’s are 2nd only to Peyton Manning, yeah he had 2 chokes in the 4th this year, but that is the exception to the rule. I happen to think he’s better than Aikman was, but that isn’t saying a lot, I think Aikman was one of the most overated QB’s in NFL history.

    Romo is a very good QB, far above average, but isn’t elite until his team wins something…just the way it is.

    btw, you can’t claim the underdog status when coming of a SB. I don’t know why Giant fan try to do that all the time.

  30. Troy has a point…
    Aikman 165 td 141 int 81.6 passer rating 12 seasons

    Romo 149td 72 int 96.9 passer rating 9 seasons

    If you put Tony in charge of those 90’s Cowboys teams, he would have won just as many super bowls.

  31. I know one thing, if Aikman was Dallas’ QB this season, he would have hit Miles Austin right in the hands(week 14) at the end of the game to seal the Victory and knock the Giants out of playoff contention instead of overthrowing him like Romo did!

  32. Romo is better than Aikman only in terms of how many smoking hot women Romo has, uh, romanced.

    Other than that, Romo cannot shine Aikman’s shoes.

  33. Thank you for admitting that you were a product of one of the greatest offense lines ever and a great wide receiver. Now if only Emmit Smith can admit that too.

  34. “there should be more to judging a quarterback than counting how many Super Bowl rings he wears.”

    There is. QB’s are also judged how many times they choke when the game is on the line and how successful they are at holding the ball for game winning field goal tries.

  35. Making fun of Aikman’s concussions is about as fresh as making fun of Eli’s extra chromosome…

  36. It’s always so hilarious to hear a bunch of know nothings disagree with a guy who has expertise.
    But this is especially funny.

    From a pure athletic standpoint, Romo is superior to Aikman. Like Aikman says Romo does have more playmaking ability than Aikman ever had. Difference is the teams they play on. Aikman played on a mature, disciplined team led by a coach who was allowed to be a coach.

    But this Cowboy team is run by Jerry Jones and Jerry Jones only. There is no coaching authority and there si no discipline. That’s why the Coeboy’s won’t be as good as it was in Aikman’s day.
    Its not because of Romo.

  37. No, Troy, Romo is the better ATHELETE, but you were the better QUARTERBACK.

    Big difference.

  38. Romo has broken nearly every single season passing record the Cowboys have. With a career QB rating of 94.5. Thats not an opinion, its a fact. Troy had Emmit running the ball between 25 to 35 times a game, so he didnt have to pass as much as Romo does and he had one of the better defense’s of the 90’s. One of many reasons the Cowboys won three bowls in the 90’s. And to that guy that said Romo chokes in the fourth quarter, if you took the time to do some research instead of listening to what ESPN tells you. YOu would know that he has a very good QB rating in the fourth quarter of games.

  39. Dear Troy,
    Stop being so humble. You never cost your team 2 seasons… you helped the win 3 big ones sir! Now sit down and put some ice on that head! Are you still suffering concussion like symptoms?

  40. This is how I compare Romo to most cowboy fans I know. Since they have no real knowledge of NFL history they always look confused. Romo is to Aikmen as Danny White was to Roger Staubach.

  41. he forgot to say romo is a better regular season qb than he was. cuz in the playoffs or in BIG games( last years reg finally and the botched snap game) he didn’t look as good as troy.

  42. And pigs fly too….

    Romo is a 6 on a 10 scale with flashes of big plays. Nothing more….

    Troy Aikman is a legend and there is no comparison. Troy is probably just trying to boost Romo’s confidence in himself.

  43. Isn’t that nice. The Jets throw $ at Sanchez to make him feel good about himself….the Cowboys get Aikman to throw Romo a high five.

  44. The most important qualities in a QB are his mind, mental toughness and decision making under pressure. All the physical skills mean nothing without those attributes. Cases in point: Kordell Stewart & Jamarcus Russell. The fact that Romo doesn’t posess these important traits at this point in his career goes a great length to concluding that he never will. As a Giants fan I can attest to the painful wizardry of Aikman, even if he is now a simp as a broadcaster.

  45. Very kind of Aikman to say this, but it is not true. However, Romo is a good QB and for some reason is being scapegoated by the fans and media for Cowboys failures.

  46. I definitely don’t agree with this. As a Redskins fan, I hated having to face Aikman because he was so accurate. His ball placement was the best I have ever seen and, to me, that is one of the best attributes a QB can have; along with the ability to read defenses. Aikman was 10 times better at these two things than Romo will ever be.

  47. “… if you think Aikman is the best Cowboys quarterback you’ve ever seen, Aikman says you need to take a closer look at Tony Romo.”
    ~~~~

    Pass on both. Give me Staubach any day of the week over those two.

  48. Waitaminute… this is just like the beautiful girl saying that her ugly sister is prettier: trying to look magnanimous and get compliments at the same time.

    Romo is more athletic, but he’s a choke artist. We in the playoffs? Heimlich Maneuver on 3 BREAK!

  49. Look at all the stats, girls. He’s not wrong. The difference is he had a full team and in particular a defense who could stop people when necessary, something Dallas hasn’t had (with a few flaky exceptions) in YEARS. It’s as if Romo was supposed to hold that 14 point lead against NY for four minutes by magic. If he flubs it’s because he’s pushing, and if he’s pushing it’s because the defense can’t stop anyone. Team sport, brainiacs.

  50. I think Aikman may have just made the dumbest statement of his life. Romo may be a better QB in the regular season.. but Aikman was a playoff performer. Which coming from a die hard Eagles fan I know how much it sucks to watch your QB fail in the playoffs.

    And I agree with the previous post about JJ paying Aikman to say this.

  51. I don’t think the difference between Romo and Aikman is as different as many of you think. Aikman never finished top 3 in yards, and only once finished top 3 in touchdowns. He made 6 pro bowls in 12 seasons. Threw for 32,942 yards and 165 scores (with 141 interceptions).

    Romo has finished top 3 in yards twice, and one in touchdowns. In his six seasons as a starter (one held to 6 games because of injury) he’s thrown for 20,834 yards, 149 touchdowns and 72 interceptions. In less than half the time of Aikman’s career.

    Aikman wasn’t a legendary passer. He was a great quarterback who provided – perhaps more than anything – leadership and steady performance during critical times. And obviously Romo needs help with that.

    But I think Aikman is making a larger point that you all are missing: Aikman was surrounded by Hall of Famers (plural) at Oline, WR, RB, DL and secondary. Quite simply, Romo is not. Surrounded by better talent, Romo’s career would not look that different from Aikman. Which is Aikman’s point.

  52. shempnet says: Mar 23, 2012 8:30 AM

    Making fun of Aikman’s concussions is about as fresh as making fun of Eli’s extra chromosome…
    ———————————————————————-

    Don’t forget to make fun of Eli’s extra SB ring and SB MVP trophy, too.

  53. It amazes me how many people get on here and comment who obviously don’t watch foot ball. Aikman had one if the best offensive lines in all of football, what does Romo have? And his over all numbers (minus SB rings thanks to the defense) have consistently been better than Aikman. GET OVER IT, THE KID IS GOOD!

  54. Troy Aikman was nothing more then a glorified game manger, if he was so great then why did we go 1-15 after we drafted him, or after we won those 3 super bowls why’d we fail to win a playoff game until january 2010, I mean where is the suppose “greatness” oh, that’s right, when you have the best o-line ever,hof running back who carried the ball 25-30 times a game, meaning your throwing the ball 20 times,the most per game and of those 20 times your completing 15 out of 20 passes you should be accurate, not to mention your hof wideout, and don’t mention how “Troy was the leader”, no Irvin was the leader of those teams, so again I ask where is the “greatness” of Troy aikman?

  55. I guess Troy’s got a point. The Minnesota Vikings had a big hand in that.

  56. It sounds like most people here only read the headline.

    If you read this, you’ll understand what he’s saying.

    “I know how quarterbacks are judged but as far as his play-making ability and the things that he is capable of doing, he is a far more athletic quarterback, capable of making more plays than I ever was able to.”

  57. Look at Aikman’s stats. They’re shockingly underwhelming. He had only ONE season where he passed for more than 20 TDs. I know the league wasn’t as pass happy then, and the Cowboys had an offense that basically put the majority of the work on Emmitt Smith, but I dunno, I give Aikman mad props for winning three Super Bowls but he wasn’t nearly as good as people make him out to be.

  58. Jerry Jones did not pay him. Didn’t you know that all former Cowboys QB’s get together once every quarter and have a GB. Heck it does not matter if they are alive or dead.

  59. For all these posts that say “How much did Jerry pay you to say that?” then snicker like a little girl…

    Go read the stats and compare Troy Aikman’s 1991 through 1996 season with Tony Romo’s 2006 through 2011 season…

    Even after being injured in 2010 Tony Romo’s numbers blow Troy’s out of the water from everything from yards, completion percentage, quarterback raiting, touchdowns, interceptions, and touchdown to interception ratios…

    The only difference is that the Tony Romo doesn’t have 3 rings, and I don’t believe for 1 minute that it is Tony Romo’s fault.

  60. giving the difference in passing era, romo still better, aikman was really an average qb.

    romo numbers are outstanding in every facet of the game, their better than eli numbers by a decent margin.
    but romo gets 8 outstanding throwing conditions every year.

    i like romo, gets a bad rep, but he has fail in a ton of big spots.

    muffed fg, last year gmen game did nothing the game until they were down 21 to 0, he got blow out by the eagles in a similar cirumstance and he fail in 07 playoffs against romo.

    i got nothing against romo, but he seem to do something stupid at the wrong time, like running across the lof and then throwing it to dez bryant

  61. No, Romo isnt better than you Aikman. dont get me wrong! i think Romo is a great QB, not really great or elite, but great (yes i have differences), but he isnt Aikman. Romo’s arm is great and he has a Favre like clutch gene (Either he wins it with a TD or a pick) and he can move, but in order to be better than Aikman he will have to win some super bowls or at least one, so i cant say he’s better than you Troy, though he could be if he wins a ring.

  62. OleBuckNasty posted the numbers, Troy had 142 int’s yet ppl are screaming “He’s clutch” and again I’ll ask if Troy was so great why after the 96-97 season,why because we won the wildcard game, then proceeded to lost every playoff game until Jan 2010, meaning Troy Aikman lost his last 3 playoff games,Romo didn’t start until 06-07 I’ll wait

  63. Best Dallas QB’s in order:

    Roger Staubach
    Troy Aikman
    Don Meredith
    Danny White
    Tony Romo

    It’s all about postseason success and championships. Unless you’re an eagles fan.

  64. I know you concussion comment guys are trying to be funny, and perhaps the first comment was funny, but after the 30th or so concussion “joke” I find myself rolling my eyes. You got to come original and stop using stupid jokes to get thumbs up.

    As to the Aikman/Romo thing – Romo has some physical skills that Aikman simply never did. Aikman has a poise that Romo simply cant approach. Aikman had an AMAZING roster of teammates. Romo has had guys like brooking and newman on the other side of the ball and chumps like bennett on his side.

    Romo is still the best QB in the NFC East. Sorry eaglets (injury prone running QB), deadskins (you aint put RGIII on the field yet boys), and giants (marino doesnt have any superbowls. you actually gonna claim that eli is better than marino lololol).

  65. Why are so many of you shocked that Aikman would say this? I never thought Aikman was great. Was I the only one surprised that he got into the Hall of Fame so quickly? Sure, he was on a team that won Super Bowls. He didn’t win those himself. I never felt that he elevated those teams. He was an above average QB on teams with a LOT of talent (thanks Vikes for the Herschel Walker trade!). Aikman was along for the ride on those teams, and he knows it. But, I bet it is easier for him to admit it now that he is already in the Hall. If he was waiting to get in, he might have been inclined to keep his mouth shut.

  66. Where is Romo’s performance of greatness higher than Aikman’s performances with three Superbowl rings? Romo hasnt performed better than Aikman, and in a league of actions, not words, Romo has underperformed before we even reach the Aikman comparison. Even if you dont agree Romo isnt very good, you have to agree Romo hasnt played as well as Aikman, and that is all that matters in football. How well you play on game day.

  67. I’m a Vikings fan therefore I HATE the Cowboys (and Packers of course) but Troy has always been a class act. And in this case he is either way too humble or trying too hard to prop up the gifted but mentally challenged Romo. Romo is one of those guys who is just good enough to not win when you really need to win.

  68. Let me start this off by saying, I hate the Cowboys, but for the sake of argument..

    How many HOFers did Aikman play with and how many has Romo played with? Aikmen’s teams were way better than anything Romo’s had to work.

  69. Aikman is the most overrated QB of all-time. His regular season stats are pathetic for a QB from the 90s that is in the HOF. Outside of that 4 year stretch where they won 3 SBs, Aikman did nothing in the post-season.

    Basically when Emmitt Smith was no longer producing like the best RB in the league(at a time when Barry Sanders was in his prime) Aikman was garbage.

    I’m not a Romo fan, but he already had more 300 yard passing games than Aikman a year or two ago when his career so far is a lot shorter than Aikman’s.

    Romo’s whole team is worse than Aikman’s SB team, but the mouth-breathers on here are blaming Romo for not winning any SBs already. It takes a lot more than 1 player to win a SB simple minded people.

  70. haha i hate aikman more than any other cowboys QB (even romo) and i cant say that romo is better.

  71. Michael Irvin was the leader of those teams. Emmitt Smith was the RB. Both kinda helped Aikman be the bus driver that he usually was, you know?

  72. The effects of head damage already showing their sign… I hardly see Romo as athletic, the guy looks and moves like an average joe out there.

  73. While I’ve always found Aikman to be overrated, it’s still crazy talk to say Romo is better. Aikman just killed his credibility as an analyst if he can’t tell the difference between being more athletic and being better…

  74. This is how I compare Romo to most cowboy fans I know. Since they have no real knowledge of NFL history they always look confused. Romo is to Aikmen as Danny White was to Roger Staubach.
    ————————————————–
    Speak for the few Cowboy fans that you know, there are some Cowboys fans that have no clue about N.F.L history. I know a few also. But With that being said, It might be some truth to what you said about Romo being Danny White like. But we wont know that until the end of his career. And even still, he’s a better passer than Danny White. By time his career comes to an end. He will own every single season passing record the Cowboys have.

  75. WOW… There are TONS of football idiots exposed by this post.

    Troy Aikman won Superbowls because he played with a top rated defense AND played with the BEST ALL TIME OFFENSIVE LINE in the HISTORY of football. This is also why Emmitt became the all-time rush leader.

    Romo has played with a lackluster line AND a GARBAGE secondary and only recently had decent LBs.

    Joe freaken MONTANA would not be winning Superbowls with Romos supporting cast.

    Romo is clearly as good at least as Aikman and in many ways clearly better.

    I can’t believe how many of you idiots think a QB alone can win a SB with a piss poor defense and offensive line.

  76. He is more athletic. Unfortunately, that’s not what makes a good QB. The fact that Romo is quick, elusive, and has a god arm are all positives. But that’s all suposed to be icing on the cake, not the foundation.
    When you have all those tools and still can’t succeed it’s pretty telling as to both how important those tools are (or arent) and how many more important skills are lacking.

  77. True or not, whether Troy believes it or not, doesn’t matter. That’s probably the most selfless thing that Troy could have said about Tony Romo.

    I’m no fan of Romo or the Cowboys, but I have to say, you’re a gentleman of the game, Troy. My hat tips to you, sir.

  78. Irvin, Smith, and Aikman were all very good players but it was their all-time greatest offensive line that elevated them to god-like stardom.

    If you don’t know that you don’t know anything about football.

  79. I’m not going to make any friends with this, but here we go…

    -Aikman only eclipsed 3000 yards passing 5 times, he never got over 3500 yards. In the 3 years Romo has been a full, 16-game starter, he’s been over 4000 yards. In 2 of his other shortened seasons, he had the yards/game to have eclipsed 4000 yards had he finished the season
    -Speaking of finishing seasons, Aikman only finished 2 seasons where he started all 16 games, so it’s not like he can hoard an “ironman” title over Romo, who also has missed plenty of action.
    -Aikman threw for over 20 touchdowns just once, Romo 5 times.
    -Career QB ratings: 81.6 to 96.9. Advantage: Romo

    Given Emmitt Smith and a young Larry Allen, Tony Romo would definitely have come closer to a championship. Could he have sealed the deal? Not sure, his playoff performance is worse than his regular season performance by a wider gap than most QBs. That being said, Aikman had 17 interceptions in 16 career playoff games.

    It’s at least closer than you guys think, we’re all just concerned with how much we hate the Cowboys and how Tony Romo isn’t anybody we want to like….and with some good reason, I won’t deny

  80. I think romo would have done better then he has with the coaching that the cowboys had then. But Aikman was a pretty tough QB

  81. TOTALLY AGREE with this earlier ranking.

    Roger Staubach
    Troy Aikman
    Don Meredith
    Danny White
    Tony Romo

    Roger was the Man. Down 21 with 2 minutes to go..he had you right where he wanted you. Other team had no chance.

  82. Did Jerry Jones ask him to say that? How did he keep from laughing as he said that? Aikman was the most ‘underrated’ of all the all time greats (his name is never mentioned with the Unitas’, Montana’s, Brady’s, Manning’s)

    One of the best I have ever seen. Was a machine. Never made a dumb decision.

  83. Let me ask this ?, if Troy aikman, was as “great” as advertised, then why in the 94-95 NFC championship game, why after he throw those 3 int’s and Smith wasn’t effective did we still lose, Tony Romo has thrown 5 int’s in a fame and we’ve won,if Brady tosses 3 int’s the pat’s will find a way to win, if Aaron Rodgers tosses 3 int’s in a game,they’ll find a way to win, please I’ll be here patiently waiting for someone to crack the code for me

  84. I think it may be better to ask the members of the Cowboys teams of the early to mid 1990’s who the better QB is and try that reasoning of QB(passer) rating( a useless stat) and statistics in general and see what they say. No matter who they place around a QB, he has to find a way to win when it matters most. Irvin and Smith, alone, will school you on that subject. Records don’t mean squat if you don’t have the rings. Sorry, Danny.

    And another thing, try to tell anybody that knows anything about this game that the Cowboys O-line of any period is even close to as good or better than The Hogs of the Redskins and you’ll get your lunch money stolen. I am not a fan of the Skins, then or now, so don’t try the homer argument.

  85. He is 100% correct and that’s not saying a whole bunch. A lot of quarterbacks were/are better than Aikman. I’m a Cowboy’s fan but he is one of the luckiest people that ever played sports. Average at best but supported by the best players in football, at that time, that made him look much much better than he was. Now, as far as Romo goes……..well, he might make a good back-up some place. The Cowboys will never be anything with him but be average. GO AWAY JERRY AND TAKE ROMO WITH YOU!!!!! WE WANT TO WIN AGAIN.

  86. No surprise here. Aikman was a little above average QB who had probably the greatest offensive line ever blocking for him. This is why Emmit Smith was so successful.

    How many O lineman can you name that blocked for Barry Sanders and Walter Payton? A few, maybe ?

    It`s easy to recall almost all the names of the cowboys O line from that era because they were all pro bowlers year in and year out. As that line fell apart so did Aikman and Smith

  87. Watch for the romo apologists to come out and hold that as evidence that romo is good. Please. I cant stand the cowboys but aikman is a hof player and romo will have to buy a ticket to get there.

  88. Has anyone ever actually looked at Aikman’s stats? I think the most TDs he threw in a season was 18. He wasn’t that good. He just had a good supporting cast.

  89. Seriously Troy, how much did Jerruh pay you to say that? Romo has everything it takes to put up good numbers but when you need him in the clutch…well…not so much. Reminds me of Elvis Grbac, great numbers until the game is on the line, then he chokes.

  90. And another thing, try to tell anybody that knows anything about this game that the Cowboys O-line of any period is even close to as good or better than The Hogs of the Redskins and you’ll get your lunch money stolen. I am not a fan of the Skins, then or now, so don’t try the homer argument.
    ————————————————–
    Wow, Are you kidding me?? The Cowboys O-Line of the 90’s produced the all time leading rusher. Enough Said.

  91. He is exactly right. For any fan who watched Aikman through the years it was clear that he was a statue back there and was not able to create anything once the play broke down. Let’s not forget he played behind an all-world line for almost his entire career and if he had the same line Romo has had he would not have won a playoff game yet. Yeah, he could throw the slant better than anyone, and he was deadly accurate, but he needed PERFECT protection to do so. Romo has not had the luxury of anything close to that. Anyone who disagrees is just going off reputation.

  92. Like it or not QBs are judged by the number of rings they have.

    That is the way it is, and – fair or not – that is the way it should be.

  93. This story is told of the 1989 Super Bowl:

    Cincinnati had scored to go ahead with less than 2 minutes to go. The offense was standing on the sideline and, the story goes, someone said “we’ve just won the Super Bowl!”

    “Don’t be so sure”, said Cincinnati wide receiver Chris Collingsworth – “have you seen who’s playing quarterback for San Francisco?”

    The reference, of course, was to Joe Montana, and we all know what he did.

    Like it or not – THAT is how QBs are judged – they raise the game of the people around them when it counts the most.

  94. And another thing, try to tell anybody that knows anything about this game that the Cowboys O-line of any period is even close to as good or better than The Hogs of the Redskins and you’ll get your lunch money stolen. I am not a fan of the Skins, then or now, so don’t try the homer argument.
    ———————————————

    It’s not even close to being a debate. EVERY SINGLE O-LINEMAN if the mid 90s Cowboys made the pro-bowl… ALL of them… sometimes in THE SAME YEARS.

    Emmit Smith is not even in the top 10 of best all time rushers yet he holds the ALL TIME RUSHING RECORD. How is this? Because he had the best line in history. PERIOD END OF STORY.

  95. As a Cowboys fan I lost a little respect for Aikman. I am a big Romo supporter (he gets more credit than he deserves and more blame as well) but he is not as good as Aikman. If he was Romo wouldn’t have been an UNDRAFTED FREE AGENT.

    I do think that Romo can makes throws Aikman could never (as well as his ability to move and run around), but the main thing that Aikman had that Romo still needs to grasp is his decisions. Don’t throw away games. You don’t always have to make the big play. Just relax Romo.

    and Aikman, it sounds like you’re turning into Jerry Jones 🙁

  96. Troy is exactly right in his comments. Give me Tony Romo in the 90’s with the team that Troy had and Romo could have won 5 or 6 superbowls. Everyone hates on Romo because he has not won a Super Bowl but a QB can only do so much. Romo has had a sub par offensive line for most of his career. Give me Tony all day over Troy. I honestly think that Romo is a top 3 or 4 QB in the league and honestly might be higher than that. Peyton Manning if healthy is the best possibly ever and I think Tom Brady is a product of Bill Bellichik so the only 2 QB’s I would rather have than Romo is Manning and Rodgers. Cue all the haters!!!

  97. solomon151 says:
    Mar 23, 2012 11:41 AM
    And another thing, try to tell anybody that knows anything about this game that the Cowboys O-line of any period is even close to as good or better than The Hogs of the Redskins and you’ll get your lunch money stolen. I am not a fan of the Skins, then or now, so don’t try the homer argument.
    ————————————————–
    Wow, Are you kidding me?? The Cowboys O-Line of the 90′s produced the all time leading rusher. Enough Said.
    —————
    This is hilarious. Smith is in the HOF. Those five guys blocking for him are not (though they were good). No one can make someone else go into HOF.

    On the subject of Aikman. Please don’t use dumb stats to compare Aikman with Romo. Have you heard of something called stats inflation.
    Aikman was a through and through winner. Romo on the other hand has choked when it really mattered.

    FYI, I hate the Cowgirls so it pains me to edify Aikman.

  98. Aikman is on dope! So what on stats, Aikman knew how to win the big games unlike Romo! That is why he lead the Cowboys to 3 SB wins, enough said!

  99. So answer this RWF1984, why after those superbowls, why did he only win 1 playoff game after that,he didn’t retire till April 2001,and his last playoff win was in January 1997, yet you speak of Troy Aikman’s “greatness” or “clutch” yet he throw 17 int’s in 16 playoff games

  100. By their own admission, Aikman and Staubach both said Romo was a better Qb than they ever were. I have immense respect for all three of these guys.

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