Troy Aikman on NFL Week 1: ‘I saw some really bad quarterback play’

As a Hall of Fame NFL quarterback, Troy Aikman is a master of breaking down QBs as ESPN’s lead NFL analyst.

Aikman didn’t need special expertise to analyze QB play around the NFL on Sunday.

“I saw some really bad quarterback play,” he said on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown.

Aikman isn’t alone in that assessment. Many quarterbacks struggled mightily. No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams threw for 93 yards. Other rookie signal callers struggled. A couple of other young quarterbacks, Bryce Young and Will Levis, looked shaky.

New Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins looked as rusty as you might expect a 36-year-old veteran returning from an Achilles injury to look. Kyler Murray, who played reasonably well, baffled many fans and became meme material after missing a wide-open Marvin Harrison Jr. on a critical play late in the Arizona Cardinals game.

On ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown, host Scott Van Pelt threw out some interesting statistics at Aikman, including the fact that half the quarterbacks threw for less than 200 yards Sunday. Van Pelt asked if the fact so many QBs sit out the preseason now affected Week 1 play.

“Well, I would agree partly, that the fact they don’t play impacts things,” Aikman said. “They don’t work together as often in the offseason or in training camp as they once did, because a lot of players simply just aren’t practicing because of the fear factor of injury.”

“Quite simply Scott, the quarterback play yesterday was not very good overall,” Aikman continued. “In general, not very good. There were some really good performances, but I saw some really bad quarterback play.

“Now you expect some of that from the rookies, of course, but there were some guys who are veteran players who just simply didn’t play well.”

If the trend continues, it could make for some interesting commentary from Aikman and fellow former quarterbacks and now No. 1 network analysts Tom Brady and Tony Romo.

[ESPN]