Getty Image / Julio Aguilar
Troy Aikman loves his Dallas Cowboys. Who can blame him, considering he spent his entire twelve-year NFL career there as the three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback of the franchise.
But, he may love them a little too much, as the Monday Night Football announcer cost himself a vacation, refusing to schedule it because he thought the team would advance to their first NFC Championship Game since 1996.
Here’s Sports Illustrated with more.
Speaking at an event in Dallas, Aikman said that he had left his schedule open for this weekend, as he had assumed that the Cowboys would be playing in the NFC title game, and didn’t want to miss it.
“Pretty shocked,” Aikman said when asked about the end of the Cowboys’ run. “My season [as a commentator] ended last weekend, with the divisional round. I’m free this weekend. I really anticipated that Dallas would be playing in the championship game. Figured it would be in San Francisco. So I was planning on going to the game. Didn’t book a vacation after my season.”
That’s, obviously, not what happened, as the Cowboys had another humiliating early playoff exit. They fell behind the Green Bay Packers 27-0 in the first half of their NFC Wild Card Round playoff game, ultimately losing 48-32 in with some garbage time points.
This is surely getting old for Cowboys fans, who, frankly, have gone too long without playoff success. Dallas has won just five playoff games since 1996, despite having plenty of good teams in that time frame. Right now, they’ve got a pretty loaded roster, with stars everywhere. But, once again, the team fell short in the playoffs. They failed to reach the NFC Championship game despite a 12-5 regular season record for the third-straight season.
Owner Jerry Jones is bringing back Head Coach Mike McCarthy next season, after many thought the team would fire him. But, it’s probably a Super Bowl trip or bust for this Cowboys core and coaching staff.
I’m sure that Troy Aikman would much rather be in Cabo than wherever he is this week.