Ex-Cowboys QB Reveals How Troy Aikman Used To Rip Him After Bad Play Calls

Troy Aikman was the Dallas Cowboys ' starting quarterback during one of the best stretches in franchise history. Jason Garrett spent those same years mostly waiting for his chance behind him, while learning how an NFL offense worked from inside the quarterback room.

Garrett had more to do than hold a clipboard on game day. He also wore the headset, took plays from offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese and passed them along to Aikman.

Jason Garrett remembers being stuck between Troy Aikman and Ernie Zampese

Garrett told The Dan Patrick Show that the arrangement could become awkward on third down. If Aikman disliked a play call and Dallas failed to convert, the Hall of Fame quarterback would sometimes direct his frustration at Garrett.

"He'd come over to me, and he would rip me up and down as if I made the call," Garrett said .

Aikman would then send Garrett back to Zampese with the complaint. "Then he'd say, 'You tell that guy upstairs,'" Garrett recalled.

That put Garrett in the middle. Zampese had called the play, Aikman had rejected it and Garrett had to deliver the quarterback's response to the coaching staff. Garrett even recalled trying to soften the message: "Hey, Ernie, I'm not sure he really likes it. That's what you're going to tell him," he recalled.

Troy Aikman's standards were high in Dallas Cowboys

The story reflects Aikman's standing in Dallas during those years. He led the Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles in the 1990s and remained the starting quarterback throughout Garrett's time with the team. Garrett spent seven seasons in Dallas from 1993 through 1999 but made only nine starts.

Zampese also played an important role in the offense. He served as Dallas' offensive coordinator from 1994 through 1997, including the 1995 season when the Cowboys won Super Bowl XXX. That left Garrett in an unusual position, close enough to hear Aikman's complaints but with no control over the play calls that caused them.

Garrett was caught between two of the most influential people on the offense while holding little power himself. He later spent nine seasons as the Cowboys' head coach, but his role during the Aikman years was much simpler. He was the backup quarterback who sometimes took the blame for a call he never made.