Troy Aikman must know what it's like to be a bit underappreciated for playing with a great team.
Aikman didn't put up a lot of huge numbers in his prime. Of course, that was a different day for the NFL before the 5,000-yard passers and before the death of the workhorse running backs, but he was never a big numbers guy as a quarterback.
Perhaps that's why he's drawn a bit to Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who has been compared this week to another former Cowboys quarterback great Roger Staubach.
"He’s a great leader," Aikman told KTCK 1310 The Ticket. "He has infectious optimism, and I think the players really enjoy playing for him. So I’m a huge fan and people say, ‘well is he elite?’ Yeah I think he is and you can’t just look at the stats, and when you do you have to throw in the 800 yards rushing that he had this year too, but I think he brings so much to the table that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.”
Wilson is the definition of a winner who isn't much for passing stats. He averaged just more than 200 yards per game through the air, which was good for worst in the league among starting quarterbacks.
“I think he’s far better than he gets credit for," Aikman said. "He just threw for a little over 200 yards a game, which was the fewest in the NFL. But he has the fewest pass attempts in the game. So he’s never going to put up big numbers, especially with Pete Carroll as the head coach. As good as he is athletically, I will tell you he's one of the most authentic, good guys that I’ve ever had the pleasure of covering in this sport."
