DMN: Troy Aikman lashes out at clock management; Joe Buck calls Dallas Cowboys loss one of worst in franchise history

Cotton

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Joe Buck calls Dallas Cowboys loss one of worst in franchise history; Troy Aikman lashes out at clock management
By SportsDayDFW.com

I always have thought that Fox’s Troy Aikman had a soft spot in his broadcasting heart for the Cowboys. When it came to his former team, Aikman, from his national pulpit, preferred the analytical to the critical. And he always had gone out of his way to pat Tony Romo on the back because, well, Romo the quarterback has been Romo the playoff loser, not Troy Aikman the Super Bowl champion.

During the second half of Sunday’s Cowboys debacle at AT&T Stadium, however, Aikman came out tongue blazing. Who could blame him? His credibility was on the line.

Aikman and play-by-play voice Joe Buck proved an excoriating tag team in their critique of the Cowboys’ play-calling and clock management in Dallas’ 37-36 come-from-ahead loss to the Green Bay Packers in front of a national television audience.

In the end, Buck concluded the loss “is going to go down as one of the worst defeats in the history of the Dallas Cowboys.”

Added Aikman: “It’s hard to explain, but the clock management by the Dallas Cowboys was about as bad as I’ve seen.”

That would include the play calls that ran through head coach Jason Garrett, once Aikman’s backup quarterback and still his friend.

Just as the Packers began their 50-yard march to the go-ahead touchdown, Aikman called out star defensive end DeMarcus Ware, who had been invisible all game.

“This is where DeMarcus Ware needs to show up,” Aikman told America. “He was challenged this week. He’s been a nonfactor all afternoon.”

Ware didn’t show.

Maybe Aikman was disappointed because at the start of the game he said he expected Ware “to have an impact on the game after what he went through this week.”

Orlando Scandrick, who allowed a touchdown catch to Jordy Nelson on a ball he should have intercepted, also earned criticism from Aikman, who specifically pointed out the transgression. That made the score 26-10 early in the third quarter.

Recall that the Cowboys led 26-3 at the half and 29-17 as the third quarter wound down. Inexplicably, the Cowboys insisted on throwing the ball despite DeMarco Murray’s earlier success running it. He was averaging 7 yards per carry. Running eats clock. Just what the Cowboys needed most.

After three consecutive incompletions, all Aikman could say about the choice of plays was “big mistake.”

In the wake of one seemingly ill-timed Romo pass, the four words America heard were: “Are you kidding me?”

Considering the source, it was a harsher four-word indictment than anything tweeted or written in its wake.

And there was Buck coming off the top rope when Packers defensive back Sam Shields intercepted a Romo pass on second-and-6 at the Cowboys’ 35 yard-line with a little less than three minutes remaining. Murray had just rushed for 4 yards.

“Why the Dallas Cowboys refused to run the ball in this situation is inexplicable,” Buck said.

Aikman, of course, agreed.

Oddly, the Cowboys in their darkest despair proved a shining moment for him.
 

Cotton

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This is an old article, but outside of the Ware comments, you would almost think it was written about yesterday's game. Very telling.
 

Texas Ace

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And it's never going to change with Jason Garrett at the helm.

You have all the evidence in the world to unequivocally come to that conclusion.

Even Jerry Jones has to know by this point that his wonderboy sucks in these situations, but we can't go on having a HC who actually wants some sort of control now, can we?

So more of Garrett it is.
 

Simpleton

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Remember when we were down by 14+ at the end of the 1st quarter in our last two home playoff games despite the fact that there were maybe only 10-15 players who were on both teams?

That, combined with this baffling shit and the lack of overall consistency year to year is why I'd rather just roll the dice on someone else at HC.

Won't happen though, there is no chance Garrett is fired unless we tank like 2010 which isn't happening. The best chance we have of getting rid of him is missing the playoffs two years in a row, although I think there is too much talent offensively for that to happen if they make a concerted effort to address the defense in free agency next year.
 
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