Troy Aikman Explains Why He's Disappointed With How Cowboys' Jason Garrett Saga Went Down

Watching your friends fail is never fun, especially when you have vested interest in what they're doing. Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current Fox NFL analyst Troy Aikman is never shy to speak out against his old team, but this time, his words carry more weight because his friend’s job was just ripped away from him as part of a needlessly prolonged process.

Mike Doocy of Dallas' Fox 4 Sports News sat down with Aikman to hear what the Hall of Fame quarterback thought about Jason Garrett’s nine-year run, the Cowboys' search for a new coach and longtime owner Jerry Jones.

Aikman was harsh on Dallas’ backroom staff, explaining that “you can’t just simply change the head coach and expect things to be different.” He went on specifically to criticize Jerry Jones and the effect of his influence on the team in recent years. “Things are very fluid within a lot of other organizations, but within this one, it hasn’t been that way," he noted.

Aikman was later asked about the prospect of former Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy taking over. He used that question to single out Jones further. “It’s a good fit if you allow the coach to be the coach and be the voice," he said, surely a nod to Jones' role as general manager in addition to majority owner.

The Dallas Cowboys are generally regarded as the most valuable franchise in global sports, and are expected to perform at a high level as a result. Under Garrett, the Cowboys made the playoffs three times in nine years, all of which ended in defeat in the Divisional Round.