As Troy Aikman said, “There was a lot going on at the time.”

After “distraction talk” floated around during the Cowboys’ bye week, the team’s former Hall of Fame QB appeared weekly on Sportsradio 96.7 FM / 1310 The Ticket (KTCK-AM), where Aikman was asked about the types of distractions and issues with the team culture. he experienced when he was a quarterback for the Cowboys of the 1990s and 2000s. If there was ever a time for distraction, you’d think it would be at the height of the Cowboys franchise when they won three Super Bowls in four seasons.

Here’s what Aikman had to say:

Q: It’s a general term used everywhere, but when you first came to the Cowboys and Jimmy Johnson was the coach, there was an expectation, there was a culture. How important was that to what you were doing in the ’90s?

Aikman: “Well, shoot, I don’t know how good the culture was when I first got to Dallas. It was quite tough, for much of the second year. But then you win, and there are games that turn things around. And with that you start winning, and then it becomes a winning culture. So it all goes hand in hand.

“I think you have to remember that when Jerry bought the Cowboys in 1989, he basically risked everything he had. And then look at it 30 years later, where he is, and what the Cowboys’ valuation is and what he’s accomplished. I think Jerry is a promoter at his core, and that’s what he grew up with his father. And so I imagine he should be very proud of what he’s done and the popularity of the Cowboys. And you know, it’s hard to have one without the other. So I think that’s how Jerry looks at it.

“I think over the years, whether it was when I played with Jimmy, even when he was head coach, or others, or the players today. There’s always been a sense of, you know, hey, what are we doing? What’s most important? And it’s a fair question. Winning is important, and this team has won a lot of games. And so it becomes difficult to distinguish when you say, ‘Well, you won twelve games in the regular season three years in a row. Why isn’t that a winning culture?’ And yet people would point that out to the shortcomings they’ve had in the postseason.

“So I don’t think anyone has a real answer to it. But I do know that when Jerry talked about the stadium tours or the facility tours, I think a lot of that for most people who do those tours is as close as they’re ever going to get. to the Dallas Cowboys. They may never attend a game, that may be their best experience and their most memorable experience when it comes to their Cowboys fandom, and they will be fans for life. So that’s important to Jerry. He wants people to be able to feel it and touch it, and he’s very passionate about that, as we’ve heard.

Q: Did you notice a change in that direction starting to happen after Jimmy Johnson and the Cowboys parted ways?

Aikman: “Yes, I think so. I think, you know, when Jimmy was head coach, there would be sponsors. A lot happened then. I mean, you think about Texas Stadium when Jerry bought the team, and maybe it was two years later, after that first year, he started taking out seats and putting in luxury boxes, because of what that meant with revenue sharing, and the amount of income that can be achieved. So it changed completely.

“I think, like I said, I think from the beginning that Jerry is a promoter at his core, and he’s a salesman, and that’s how he got to where he got in life, and that’s where he really good at. So when Jimmy left, I think there was an agreement between the two that Jimmy would handle the football side of things, Jerry would handle the financial side of things, and eventually those lines blurred. And once Jimmy left, and Jerry understood exactly what he was doing and what he wanted it to do, and how he wanted to market the team and how important it is to have access to some of the football elements… Yeah, the things changed. . At first I wouldn’t say dramatic, but I think it just kept escalating over the years.’

To listen to the full interview, click or tap here.

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