Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current ESPN Monday Night Football analyst, Troy Aikman, learned a tough lesson in trusting his former team in the playoffs.
Aikman, who had foregone a vacation in anticipation of the Cowboys reaching the NFC Championship game, expressed his shock and disappointment over Dallas’ unexpected early exit as they were shockingly blown out at home against the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round.
“Shocked, yeah. I really anticipated Dallas would be playing in the championship game and figured that it would be in San Francisco, so I was planning on going to the game. Didn’t book a vacation after my season,” Aikman said via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“I really liked this team all year long. I thought they were really talented. It’s just the same old story, and I don’t mean that as a criticism,” he added.
Troy Aikman was expecting a Dallas-San Fran #NFCChampionship , so he didn't book his usual vacation for when his broadcasting commitments are done.
Here's more about what Troy had to say in Dallas tonight pertaining to another Cowboys playoff disappointment. #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/nOeF5pl9lu
— Adam Rossow (@AdamJRossow) January 24, 2024
“It’s just when I’m asked about the Cowboys as to why they have struggled: They’ve put together some really great regular seasons, and they just have not, for whatever reasons, played their best football when the games matter most,” he continued.
“That’s what you have to do … And that’s the key to winning in the postseason and then getting to the Super Bowl. So what the answer to that is I’m not sure.”
Troy Aikman saying he didn’t even make vacation plans because he knew Dallas would be playing in SF on championship Sunday pic.twitter.com/Vniny7QTKR
— The Honorable Petty Marshall (@petty_marshall) January 18, 2024
Despite the Cowboys disappointing exit, Aikman, who won three Super Bowls with the team, still believes in quarterback Dak Prescott, despite the mounting playoff failures.
“I do know that we all draw on our past experiences, and when we don’t have great experiences, those then become hard to overcome. And I think that’s the challenge for Dak. The question for him and the team isn’t so much what happens in the regular season now. It’s how are they going to play and how is he going to play once you get into the postseason?”
“That makes for a long year when that’s the way it works. But I still believe in Dak. Until you do it, there’s always those criticisms,” he said.
— 𝘾𝙝𝙤𝙥 𝘾𝙝𝙤𝙥 𝙍𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙩 (@ChopChopRupert) January 24, 2024
Aikman, who just completed his second season in ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” booth, has no more NFL games to call this season.
Despite the playoff disappointment, Aikman agreed with Jerry Jones’ decision to retain coach Mike McCarthy for a fifth season.
“They had a solid year. They had a really good year. The way that they were playing at the end of the year, they positioned themselves to be the #2 seed,” he said.
“It just seems to make the most sense for those guys to come back and without a new contract. There’s obviously then some urgency on their part as well.”
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman making $33M combined to go on a 7 month vacation when the clock strikes 0 on this game pic.twitter.com/cxFEIzAcHG
— NBA Slime (@TerryFranconia) January 20, 2024
With the Cowboys eliminated and his broadcasting duties completed, Aikman now has all the time in the world to go on vacation.
Haley Clark, rumored Troy Aikman girlfriend, goes private on Instagram after photo reveal https://t.co/cMU3AwmNHK pic.twitter.com/ljXBy0uLNB
— New York Post (@nypost) June 8, 2023
He will presumably travel with his new 34-year-old girlfriend Haley Clark.
You may remember when Haley found herself in the news earlier this season…
The woman who stole Troy Aikman’s heart may be in trouble for stealing other goods.
Aikman’s new fling has bad blood with Nordstrom (yes, the department store chain). The 56-year-old NFL figure is dating 34-year-old Haley Clark, who received a two-year ban from Nordstrom stores… pic.twitter.com/a7IpgGS2lu
— OutKick (@Outkick) October 17, 2023
Who is Troy Aikman’s girlfriend Haley Clark?
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman had been hiding new girlfriend Haley Clark in plain sight for months, with the pair both posting hints about each other on social media. Most people didn’t realize Aikman had split fr… pic.twitter.com/DD9HTWeUlP— Let's Talk About Dis Shidd (@MrsBarnesII) June 8, 2023
Hopefully Troy and Haley are able to travel the world and make the most of their time off.
Getting back to the Cowboys, what are your thoughts on Jones’ decision to keep McCarthy?
What does Dallas need to do this offseason to finally get over the hump???