Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman didn’t hold back on the team’s offensive struggles to start the NFL season.
Days after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones threw a tantrum at Dallas radio hosts over probing questions about the team’s offseason moves, Aikman had some harsh words for the current state of the Cowboys’ offense.
Aikman, who played quarterback for the Cowboys for 12 seasons from 1989 to 2000, took his bluntest shots at the team’s wide receivers for running “terrible” routes.
“I think they run terrible routes,” Aikman said on Dallas sports radio show 96.7 The Ticket on Thursday. “And I've thought that beyond this year. I think CeeDee (Lamb) has got to improve in his route running. 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.”
Aikman added that he watched film of other teams like the Baltimore Ravens, and the Cowboys’ wideouts paled in comparison to what the likes of Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman were accomplishing under Lamar Jackson.
“It's hard to play the (QB) position if you're not certain how guys are going to run routes or where they're going to be,” continued Aikman. “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.”
Through six games to start the season, the Cowboys have racked up 1,654 total passing yards, good for third-highest in the league. However, the team doesn’t have much to show for it, with kicker Brandon Aubrey scoring nearly half of all of the Cowboys' points this season (roughly 49.2%). Star wideout CeeDee Lamb has just 467 yards and two receiving touchdowns and will need to pick up the pace if he wants to reach his last year's total of 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The Cowboys recently suffered an embarrassing 47-9 blowout at home to the Detroit Lions before entering their Week 7 bye. They will play the San Francisco 49ers next on the road on Oct. 27.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Troy Aikman Blasted Cowboys' 'Lazy' Wide Receivers Amid Team's Disappointing Start.
