Troy Aikman spent most of his NFL career right in the heart of the legendary Cowboys-49ers rivalry. But ahead of Monday night's 49ers game against the Commanders, the top analyst for ESPN's "Monday Night Football" broadcasts heaped praise on his former rivals.
On ESPN's pregame show, Aikman said he had dinner with former 49ers president Carmen Policy on Sunday night and praised the organization's "consistency and professionalism." He also compared the sustained success the current 49ers are having under Kyle Shanahan to the teams of the 1980s and 1990s.
"You look at their style of play ... they play an old-school style of football that the rules of today's game are just simply not supposed to allow you to play - and yet, they do it," Aikman said on "Monday Night Countdown" before the game. "From top to bottom, I just think, over the years, the history that you're talking about, they are so well run from the top to the bottom. I love everything about the 49ers organization."
When Aikman was under center, the 49ers and Cowboys faced off in three consecutive NFC title games, with the Cowboys winning two in 1992-93 and the 49ers winning one back in 1994. The winner of each of those matchups went on to win the Super Bowl. But clearly, the ex-Dallas quarterback has an appreciation for his onetime foe.
Aikman has been in the news lately because he is in the final year of his contract with ESPN's analyst on "Monday Night Football" telecasts. While his partner Joe Buck has inked a lucrative extension to stay at ESPN, Aikman has not - something that Front Office Sports reported became a source of tension between the two last week before they broadcast the Bills-Rams game. Aikman acknowledged his contract situation in an interview with a Dallas radio station last week and made it clear he believes he will be a free agent in the broadcasting world after this year.
As it stands, Aikman is in line to be the analyst for ESPN's broadcast of the Super Bowl in February at SoFi Stadium. With the 49ers 5-0 entering Monday night, Aikman was asked what it would take to see the Niners win their first Super Bowl since the 1994 season.
"We've already seen it this year, it's the health. I mean, they just can't stay healthy," Aikman said. "Like, if they can get healthy and remain healthy once they get into the postseason - keep Brock Purdy upright, keep Fred Warner on the field, getting Nick Bosa back, keep Mike Evans healed up - they're going to give everybody all that they've got."
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This article originally published at Ex-Cowboys star Troy Aikman: 'I love everything about the 49ers organization'.