Troy Aikman Destroys One Aspect Of The Dallas Cowboys Offense

10/17/2024 10:58 AM

Troy Aikman had a harsh assessment of the Dallas Cowboys' wide receivers.

Dallas fell to 3-3 with a 47-9 home loss to the Detroit Lions. Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush combined for 198 passing yards, no touchdowns, and three interceptions on 44 pass attempts. While the Cowboys have several other glaring issues, including a league-worst rushing offense and the 24th-ranked defense, Aikman took aim at another group.

During a Thursday radio interview on 96.7 The Ticket, the former Cowboys quarterback bashed the team's "terrible" route-running. Aikman didn't spare star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb from his criticism.

"I think they run terrible routes, and I've thought that beyond this year," Aikman said, as transcribed by The Athletic's Jon Machota. "I think CeeDee 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."

Aikman said he saw "lazy" routes from pass-catchers only engaged in certain situations.

"Sometimes they run. Usually if they do, it's because they're anticipating they're going to get the football on that play," he continued. "But if they're not, they don't. And it all ties together. I'm not impressed with that part of it."

Aikman claimed he saw crisper routes while studying the Baltimore Ravens in preparation for Monday night's ESPN game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also identified the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers as teams better at breaking off the line of scrimmage.

The three-time Super Bowl champion needs to see improvement from his former team. Dallas has a Week 7 bye to prepare for an ensuing Sunday Night Football matchup at San Francisco.

"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," Aikman said. "And I'm not speaking for Dak. Dak may say, 'Hey, I think everything's amazing.' But as a former quarterback watching it, it's gotta get a lot better."

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