ESPN's Troy Aikman Talks Cowboys, MNF Opener Broncos/Chiefs, UCLA & More I The Rich Eisen Show

One year after he was the first guest when the show arrived on Disney Plus and the ESPN app, Troy Aikman was back to help kick off another football season, and the conversation eventually landed where every NFL conversation seems to land right now. Can anyone move the ball on the Rams?

Aikman has unusual standing on that question, because he has lived the nightmare version of it.

Rich brought up a conversation from the week before, when Michael Irvin talked about Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett lining up together and compared it to going against Jerome Brown and Reggie White. Aikman was the one who actually had to throw into that. His reference point is the 1991 Philadelphia Eagles, a defense he put in the same breath as the 1985 Bears.

"They were number one against the run, number one against the pass, number one overall," Aikman said. "Just a brutal defense."

He remembers one 1991 game in particular. "I was sacked 11 times." The detail that still stands out to him is how little Philadelphia needed to do it. "They only rushed four guys. They didn't have to blitz. And so it felt like there were about 12 guys in coverage."

That is the fear with Donald and Garrett, and Aikman thinks it is a legitimate one. The obvious plan is to get the ball out fast, but that just makes life easier for everyone on the back end. "You can do a lot when you have two pass rushers that are as dominant as those two guys," he said. "I know that everyone who's on their schedule is just thinking, man, how are we going to move the football against them?"

He had a story to show what that kind of defense does to an offense. Ernie Zampese, his offensive coordinator in Dallas for several years, was coordinating the Los Angeles Rams when they played the '85 Bears in the postseason. By Zampese's telling, punting on fourth and 10 or less counted as a successful series. You went three and out, but you didn't lose yardage.

Rich called the Rams the story of the NFL season, with Donald back, Garrett acquired, Trent McDuffie added to a team that almost made the Super Bowl, and the returning MVP at quarterback. He also suggested the other 31 teams might take it personally. Aikman agreed, and started inside the division. The defending world champion Seattle Seahawks are one of those teams saying hold on, and Aikman thinks Seattle has flown a little under the radar precisely because of all the attention on Los Angeles. He is also a big fan of what the 49ers have built, if they can stay healthy.

As for Donald himself, Aikman has no doubts. "I think he's going to be phenomenal. There's no question that the guy's in shape and ready to go."

Then Rich asked the Dallas question, and Aikman was more bullish than cautious.

"I'm excited about Dallas. I really am," he said, calling them a potential real contender into the postseason. The big question was whether the defensive problems from a year ago got fixed. "From what I can tell, I believe they have."

He likes the hire of Christian Parker. Dallas has often gone back to a defensive coordinator who had been a head coach, and Aikman sees value in going the other way. "Sometimes when you hire a guy who's never done it before, you know, there's an energy and an urgency that that coach brings. And I sense that Christian Parker has brought that." The players, he said, really like what Parker has done.

His expectation is higher than the popular one. A lot of people say Dallas only needs an average defense to pair with that offense. Aikman thinks this group could be above average.

The caveats are familiar. The offensive line took a hit this week, and the key is keeping Dak Prescott healthy. Aikman pointed to what frustrates Cowboys fans most about last season: Prescott was healthy, the offense played exceptionally well, and Dallas still missed the postseason.

Rich was all in, pointing to Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams in the middle, the addition of Rashan Gary, and the way Brian Schottenheimer and George Pickens seem to be leading. "This feels real, Troy, to me," Rich said. Aikman agreed, and pointed to how quiet the offseason was. Dallas has had its share of drama, whether it was the Micah Parsons situation or the question of how Pickens would handle not getting a big contract after last year. Pickens signed the franchise tag, has been in camp, and has looked good. "This group seems to be really locked in and focused," Aikman said, adding that he is a huge fan of Prescott.

He also warned against sleeping on the opener. The Giants have not done much in recent years, but they have a new coach who has won in John Harbaugh. "Anytime you go on the road, week one, prime time game, I think that's going to be a much tougher game than probably a lot of people would think on paper."

Aikman's own opener is Broncos and Chiefs on Monday Night Football, and he expects the old Patrick Mahomes. "From all indications, he's going to come out and he's going to be Patrick Mahomes," he said, the two-time MVP.

He also thinks people keep looking past Denver. The Broncos won the division last year after Kansas City had won nine straight division titles and reached seven consecutive AFC Championship games, and yet many picked them third behind the Chiefs and Chargers. Aikman loves what Sean Payton has done, noted Bo Nix appears fully healthy, and expects Jaylen Waddle opposite Courtland Sutton to give the offense an element it simply has not had.

The piece of that game he is most curious about is in Kansas City's backfield. The Chiefs signed Kenneth Walker, and Aikman knows as well as anyone what a running game does for a quarterback. Mahomes has not played with a 1,000-yard rusher since becoming the starter, and Walker could help a quarterback coming off a significant knee injury.

On the broader slate, Aikman called it without question the best Monday night schedule since he and Joe Buck moved to Monday Night Football in 2022, with far more divisional games. There is one catch. He has no Dallas games in Dallas, and Buck, who just moved to Denver, has no Broncos games in Denver.

It all ends with a Super Bowl, the first on ESPN. Aikman and Buck have called six together and used to get one every three years, and February will mark eight years since their last. He also pointed out the calendar gift. The Super Bowl falls on Valentine's Day, and Presidents Day is the next day. "Everyone's been wanting a national holiday after the Super Bowl. You finally get one."

The conversation started somewhere much lighter, with his Eight beer. Taylor Sheridan is a big supporter and put it in Landman. Aikman explained it is only sold in Texas and Oklahoma for now, is in its fourth year on the market, and is built as a better-for-you light beer at 90 calories and 2.6 carbs with no corn, rice, syrup, sugar or sweeteners. That makes it, he agreed, the unofficial beer of the Red River rivalry, which he played in as an Oklahoma sophomore.

He also took a moment for UCLA and new head coach Bob Chesney, who opened with a big road win. "As someone who's been around a lot of really great coaches, you just kind of know when someone has it, and this guy has it."