At a time when quarterback play in the NFL has never been better, few, if any, announcers are willing to criticize the game’s most scrutinized position. Troy Aikman stands alone as the exception.
Dan Orlovsky was accused of being an Aaron Rodgers shill by his colleague and another former player in Cris Carter. But the ex-NFL journeyman countered that he’s the guy who puts context around bad performances, arguing that it’s not his job to go on national television and and talk about a Hall-of-Fame quarterback when he was was a back-up QB and say that he stinks.
Aikman is an entirely different story.
He’s not afraid to call it exactly like it is, and that’s what makes him one of the best in the business.
ESPN’s Mina Kimes captured it perfectly on BlueSky, praising Aikman as the best “watching a bad offense” announcer around.
“I don’t know what’s going on over there,” while watching a disastrous fourth-down play is the kind of brutal honesty that’s rare in broadcasts filled with safe, overanalyzed takes.
Troy is the best “watching a bad offense” announcer by a mile. The dismissiveness with which he said “I don’t know what’s going on over there” on the 4th down attempt…perfection.
— Minakimes (@minakimes.bsky.social) November 18, 2024 at 10:48 PM
No one is doing it quite like Troy.
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the ESPN call for a crazy Texans TD/Cowboys disaster. 🏈🎙️ #NFL #MNF pic.twitter.com/WSlqUB3bLg
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 19, 2024
And the difference is that Aikman doesn’t make excuses. When Cooper Rush stumbles, Aikman is the first to point it out. When an offense looks lost, he’s not shy about letting viewers know. He’s willing to get blunt in a media environment that often plays it safe when comes to the most heavily scrutinized position in the game.
But maybe that’s because Aikman is a former quarterback himself. Of course, this is the same Troy Aikman who, after Week 1, bemoaned about the quality of quarterback play in the NFL. But as Kimes alluded to, it’s not just quarterback play; he’s willing to go there.
Just look at last year’s Wild Card round. Aikman went after the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense, comparing them to the 2-15 Carolina Panthers. It wasn’t a subtle jab, but Aikman doesn’t do subtle. If a team looks bad, he’s going to say it. The New York Jets’ offense and Zach Wilson have been regular targets in the past, too.
He’s not one to sugarcoat things when a quarterback isn’t delivering, and that kind of honesty stands out when so many others avoid it. There’s no doubt Aikman’s bluntness isn’t for everyone, but when an NFL offense can’t score more than 10 points, fans don’t want to be lied to.
Sometimes, you need to call a bad offense what it is — bad.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.