As former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett gets ready for his first season as the Giants offensive coordinator, Hall of Fame quarterback and Fox broadcaster Troy Aikman thinks he will thrive in his new environment.
Aikman, of course, spent his entire 11-year NFL career with the Cowboys, leading them to three Super Bowl titles in the 90s. He talked about the former Cowboys coach during Super Bowl LIV media availability on Tuesday.
"Jason has proved to be a good coach and he keeps in perspective what it was like for him as a player, what he liked and didn't like," Aikman said. "And he's got great personal skills. ...I'd be surprised if he and Daniel Jones don't hit it off right away and develop a real chemistry."
"I think he's going to bring some accountability, some structure," Aikman said on Garrett. "He's going to be very well prepared. There is not going to be any stone unturned. When they go into a gameplan every player is going to know exactly what is being asked of them. I think it's a great situation for Jason. I thought he did a nice job when he was calling the plays as the offensive coordinator… He comes from a pretty good perspective having been around good players but also around good coaches. I think that's probably been the biggest influence on him. And then having played. I think that helps."
Garrett's biggest project as the new OC will be working with Jones, who shocked many with his play this past season, but also struggled holding onto the ball at times, fumbling 18 times on the year.
"He's gotta hang onto the damn ball!" Aikman said. "You can't just throw the ball in the air every time you get touched. So that's got to get fixed and I believe that it can be fixed."
Aikman did however give a lot of praise to the rookie for his play in his first year, and even on how he performed before stepping foot on an NFL field.
"I liked him a lot," Aikman said. "I saw his Pro Day. I won't lie and say I studied him hard but I watched his Pro Day and I loved what I saw. In fact I tweeted about it. I thought the ball came out on time. It's something I point to a lot because it doesn't happen with a lot of young quarterbacks. He had great anticipation, he put the ball where it needed to be. He's continued to prove that. Obviously, he's a smart guy. You always say that about Duke and Ivy League guys."