Aprendendo com o sucesso: Dallas Cowboys

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 always he had gone out of his way to pat Tony Romo on the back because, well, Romo, the quarterback, has been Romo, the playoff loser, and 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 Coach Jason Garrett, once Aikman’s backup with the Cowboys and still his friend.

Just minutes before as the Packers were en route to their game-winning 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 non-factor 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 they still led 29-17 as the third quarter wound down. Inexplicably, the Cowboys insisted on throwing the ball despite a successful running attack by DeMarco Murray, who was running with ease. He was averaging seven 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 had been a “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 four-word indictment harsher 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 a second-down-and-six at the Cowboys 35 yard-line with a little less than three minutes remaining. Murray had just rushed for four yards.

“Why the Dallas Cowboys refused to run the ball in this situation is inexplicable,” Buck said. “The play calling of the Dallas Cowboys will come under serious question.”

Aikman, of course, agreed.

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

Dallas Cowboys

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