Troy Aikman during penalty-filled MNF game: ‘The product’s just not very good’

Referee Alex Moore got a lot of screen time during Monday night’s game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos. Late in the third quarter of the game, Troy Aikman made it clear that he was not a fan of what he was seeing.

On one play, Denver’s Alex Palczewski was penalized for a blindside block. Rules analyst Russell Yurk signed off on the penalty, saying it was a “good call.” And while Aikman agreed that the call was right, he wasn’t convinced that it needed to be made.

“I’m not gonna keep my mouth shut,” a chuckling Aikman said. “That’s a good call. Just not a necessary call. No opportunity to try and make a play. Nothing brings a broadcast to a screeching halt more than these yellow flags.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Yurk replied.

After a brief conversation between Aikman and Joe Buck about astronomy and astrology, another flag was thrown. This penalty was an ineligible man downfield, called against Broncos center Luke Wattenberg, whose number was called a lot during the game.

“The product’s just not very good,” Aikman said after the penalty was announced. “I’m gonna be honest. It’s just not very good. I mean, this is ridiculous.”

Does the blame lie with the players or officials? Some penalties need to be called while others are complete whiffs. Then, as Aikman noted, some calls are technically correct but may not be completely needed. As Buck noted, Wattenberg’s illegal man-downfield penalty was the 22nd penalty called on the night and the 15th to be accepted. With that many flags being thrown, there’s plenty of blame to go around.

And regardless of who’s to blame, Aikman is right. Games with an abundance of penalties aren’t fun to watch. When they occur, the product is bad.