The Big Lead

Troy Aikman rips 'lazy' Cowboys wide receivers in radio show rant

By Joe Lago

Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) warms up prior to the game against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images
Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) warms up prior to the game against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images
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Apparently, this is the week for Dallas Cowboys illuminati to speak their minds on local radio.

On Tuesday, owner Jerry Jones rejected questions about his offseason decisions and threatened to have the talk show hosts replaced. On Thursday, legendary Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman shared his thoughts about the Dallas wide receiver corps and surprisingly called them out for their route running during his weekly appearance on 1310 The Ticket in Dallas.

RELATED: Jerry Jones rants at radio hosts for questioning his Cowboys offseason decisions

"I think the routes are terrible. I think they run terrible routes," Aikman said. "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."

Even the staunchest Cowboys critic wouldn't have the receivers' route running among the team's most pressing problems.

Jones failed to address the running game after losing Tony Pollard to free agency and bringing back retread Ezekiel Elliott. Not surprisingly, Dallas has the NFL's worst rushing offense at just 77.2 yards per game.

Also, the Cowboys defense is giving up the third-most points in the NFL at 28.0 per game, just ahead of two 1-5 teams — Jacksonville Jaguars (29.7) and Carolina Panthers (33.8). One factor has been the absence of All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons, who's missed the last two games with a high-ankle sprain.

The most exasperating issue is Dallas' lackluster play at home. The Cowboys have won all three road games but lost all three home games, two by considerable margins. Last Sunday, they were obliterated by the Detroit Lions 47-9 in a rout that had opposing offensive coordinator Ben Johnson calling trick plays for his All-Pro right tackle to score a touchdown.

And yet, Aikman is focusing on the quality of routes being run by the receivers.



"I just finished watching the Baltimore Ravens because I have them this week. You put on film of theirs and watch their receivers run routes and they come off the football, so does San Francisco's and Green Bay's and others," Aikman said. "But it's hard to play the (quarterback) position if you're not certain how guys are going to run routes or where they're going to be.

"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."

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