Giants Country

Troy Aikman: New York Giants Aren't in Cowboys' Class

Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, now a broadcaster for FOX who has the call for this weekend's Giants-Cowboys game, gave the Giants some bulletin board material.

Patricia Traina

Troy Aikman: New York Giants Aren't in Cowboys' Class
Troy Aikman: New York Giants Aren't in Cowboys' Class /

Last year, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback turned broadcaster Troy Aikman dropped a stunning opinion regarding New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor and how he compared to Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

That opinion, shall we say, didn’t exactly resonate favorably with many people who questioned Aikman's recollection of just how impactful Taylor was back in the day.

Well, this week, the Hall of Fame quarterback, who will be part of Sunday’s broadcast crew for FOX calling the Giants-Cowboys game, offered another opinion that’s certain to get Big Blue's attention.

During an interview with "The Musers" on 96.7 FM The Ticket in Dallas, Aikman had this to say about the upcoming game between the NFC East rivals:

The amount of pressure that this (Cowboys) offense puts on an opponent -- because they are so explosive that there’s a lot of pressure for an opposing offense to feel that they’ve got to go do something every time they have the ball. And if they don’t, they’re going to be down two scores.

That’s going to be the challenge for the Giants. They’re coming off a big win, but they’re in my opinion—and I understand in the NFL anybody can beat anybody and all that—they're [the Giants] not in Dallas’ class, in my opinion.

Aikman is entitled to his opinion, but this talk about class is probably premature at this point in the season. 

The Cowboys are 3-1 and are coming off a big win Sunday over the previously undefeated Carolina Panther, which helped them tighten their hold on first place in the division. 

The Giants, meanwhile, managed to overcome an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter against the Saints to notch a big win in overtime, their first of the season.

The Giants currently rank 22nd in total defense (382.0 yards/game, four spots better than the Cowboys’ defense’s ranking, by the way); 20th against the run (122.8 yards/game), and 20th against the pass (259.2 yards/ game).

The offense hasn't been much better, failing to score twenty points in two of their first four games (Week 1 vs. Denver and Week 3 vs. Atlanta).

But football truly is a game of inches, and if Darius Slayton doesn’t drop a touchdown pass against Washington, and Adoree’ Jackson comes up with the interception in the end zone against Atlanta, the Giants could just as easily be 3-1, same as Dallas.

That said, the Giants didn’t do what they needed to win, and their record is what it is. But the whole reason a team even bothers to go through the week of practice and then lines up to play the game is that it believes it has a legitimate chance of winning.

And if the Giants, currently a 6.5-point underdog, do manage to defeat the Cowboys, let's hope it puts an end to this nonsensical talk about who’s in who’s class and who isn’t. 

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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