Cowboys Country

Cowboys Icon Troy Aikman: 'Take The Dresses Off' Remark on QB Sacks: 2 Controversies in 1?

"My hope is the competition committee looks at this in the next set of meetings and we take the dresses off," Cowboys ex Troy Aikman said on the ESPN broadcast after another over-protective roughing call.

Mike Fisher

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FRISCO - A controversial call, and Troy Aikman's accurate view of it, is now causing some controversy for Aikman himself.

After a yer another over-protective (of the quarterback) roughing the passer call during the Kansas City Chiefs' win on Monday night game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Aikman - the former Dallas Cowboys star and Pro Football Hall of Famer - said on air that he hopes "we take the dresses off."

Meaning, in short, let the players play tackle football.

His comment was in reference to the suggestion that quarterbacks are now being babied by the officials.

"My hope is the competition committee looks at this in the next set of meetings and we take the dresses off," Aikman said on the ESPN broadcast after the play.

On this play, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones was flagged for roughing in the second quarter when he fell on top of Raiders quarterback Derek Carr as the ball was coming loose. The call was made even though Jones used one arm to brace himself (an indication that he wasn't trying to bring all his body weight down on Carr) and even though Jones used the other arm to steal the ball.

Meaning, literally, a ball-carrier was called for "roughing the passer'' - surely an NFL first.

On Sunday, Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett was in a similar situation when he sacked the Bucs' 45-year-old Tom Brady and was also called for roughing ... causing an irate Falcons coach Arthur Smith to call the ref "a 'f----- b----.''

And before that came the consecutive-game hits on Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa, plays that exposed the NFL as being rather sketchy when it comes to its "concussion protocol'' policy.

Aikman, 55, who happens to be the father of two daughters, is being accused of a misogynistic comment with the "dresses'' reference. The origin of the remark dates back to NFL rule changes in the 1970's, which recognized the vulnerability (and value) of a passer, causing Steelers great Jack Lambert to say, “Quarterbacks should wear skirts.”

In other words, the concept was in the vernacular in the 1970's ... which doesn't prevent the thoughtful Aikman from regretting recycling the old trope here.

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Mike Fisher
MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NFL since 1983 and the Dallas Cowboys since 1990, is the author of two best-selling books on the Cowboys.

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