Troy Aikman seems to be growing tired of Jerry Jones’ way of managing the Cowboys’ coaching staff.
In an interview on 96.6 FM/1310 The Ticket (KTCK-AM), Aikman was asked about the future of Matt Eberflus as Dallas’ playoff hopes have faded. Jones even amplified the pressure on Eberflus with some pointed comments this week.
It’s safe to say Aikman isn’t surprised, but he still wants to hear from someone other than Jones on the matter.
“As far as Matt Eberflus, the only one I’ve heard comment on that is Jerry Jones,” he said. “And I’d like to hear what Brian Schottenheimer has to say about it. I’d rather, in fact, it be Brian Schottenheimer who’s talking about, we’re going to evaluate over the next three weeks, not only the defensive coordinator, but all of the coaching positions, and then make a decision on what he wants to do, as opposed to what the general manager wants to do.
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“So that’s concerning to me. It’s not a surprise to anybody, but I would rather be hearing from Brian Schottenheimer as the head coach as far as what his staff may or may not look like a year from now.”
The Cowboys operate very differently from other teams around the NFL. Jones’ involvement in decision-making is well-documented, especially considering his comments on Eberflus’ future.
If Dallas chooses to move on from Eberflus after a horrific season on the defensive side of the ball, will Schottenheimer get to choose his next defensive coordinator, or will Jones continue to pull the strings?
First and foremost, Aikman thinks Eberflus will be the fall guy for the Cowboys’ season ending short of the playoffs.
“Whether it’s Dallas or any other team, you just don’t hear general managers talking about the coaching staff beyond the head coach, it’s the head coach that makes decisions as far as who’s going to be on his staff,” Aikman said. “So as I mentioned, that comes as a surprise to nobody, but there will be a fall guy for sure. I mean, that’s the way it works, and that’s the way it’s always worked in Dallas.”
But is it all Eberflus’ fault? The Cowboys’ defense has been banged up throughout the season, but the personnel Eberflus has been given to work with is also well below average at several spots.
Aikman doesn’t think that solely firing the defensive coordinator will solve Dallas’ defensive woes.
“I think there are some holes within that roster,” he explained. “I’ve seen players that, if they were playing somewhere else, they wouldn’t have started 13, 14, games this season at other places. The standard would be a little bit higher. So I don’t know that I would necessarily agree that personnel-wise, the team’s just fine, and the problems run deeper than that.”
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