Troy Aikman knows a thing or two about winning with a star wide receiver, capturing three Lombardi Trophies during an 11-year run alongside Michael Irvin in Dallas. And the legendary former Cowboys quarterback isn’t happy with the way America’s Team used — or, rather, misused — No. 1 target CeeDee Lamb in the club’s wild card loss to the 49ers. Joining 96.7 The Ticket on Wednesday, Aikman suggested the Cowboys hurt themselves by overthinking Lamb’s role in the postseason.
“There was a lot of single coverage on CeeDee Lamb,” Aikman said. “I hate going back to (when I was playing) because nobody cares, but what I see around the league — it’s not just Dallas, I’ve seen it with a lot of teams — a lot of these offenses want to scheme things. The coordinators, it’s all about scheme, rather than, ‘This corner is playing soft. He’s scared to death.’ Just run the route tree. Run a comeback. Run a dig route. Run a curl. Run anything.”
“You’re going to complete the pass whenever you want,” Aikman continued. “(Michael Irvin) would’ve had 10 catches at halftime if they played us the way they played CeeDee Lamb in that game. … The game is not that difficult. If I’ve got a great player at wide receiver and a corner is playing him in single coverage, throw him the ball. He’s going to win most of the time.”
Lamb, for what it’s worth, had five passes thrown his way against the 49ers — his highest target total in three games. But one of those games was a meaningless Week 18 rematch with the Eagles, and only one of his five targets against the 49ers went for a catch. On the season, the second-year pass catcher had 79 receptions for 1,102 yards and six touchdowns to lead the team.
