While Tony Romo has endured a significant fall from grace as CBS' lead NFL color analyst, Troy Aikman has taken his already elite ESPN game to another level by embracing an ‘I don’t care’ approach and being as authentic as possible in the booth.
Aikman was on the call for the Eagles' collapse against the Chargers on Monday night. You wouldn’t know he’s a Dallas Cowboys legend based on his commentary. He calls the game objectively no matter who’s playing, and that was obvious throughout Philadelphia’s meltdown.
Speaking of Aikman's candid approach, he told a wild story about former Cowboys teammate Oronde Gadsden, whose son is the Chargers' standout rookie tight end.
"What I remember most about his dad is he had a pet monkey that he used to bring to the locker room," Aikman said.
Troy Aikman revealed on MNF that former Cowboys teammate Oronde Gadsen had a pet monkey
What made Aikman's story so remarkable is that he casually brought it up and then failed to follow up in any capacity. He left Monday Night Football viewers wanting to learn more about Gadsden's pet monkey. There is a non-zero chance that Aikman doesn't have incredible stories about the primate.
Did the monkey ever get loose in the locker room? Did Jimmy Johnson approve? What prompted Gadsden even to get a pet monkey in the first place?
Unfortunately, Eagles-Chargers didn't exactly call for Aikman and Joe Buck to get sidetracked. What the game lacked in high-quality football, it more than made up for in entertainment.
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The highlights included five turnovers in a span of 11 plays, and Jalen Hurts becoming the first player in NFL history to commit two turnovers on one play. It was an offensive slog on both sides, but there was a lot of action on both sides, so it was fast-moving. Not to mention, the game ultimately went to overtime and ended on a red-zone interception.
Aikman probably would’ve needed a blowout, or an otherwise boring game, to give us the full backstory on Gadsden and his pet monkey
The absolute worst thing Aikman could've done is exactly what he did. You simply cannot reveal that a former teammate had a pet monkey that he brought into the locker room and just end the story there.