Back when he was a young Cowboys quarterback, Troy Aikman could always seek counsel from Roger Staubach. Aikman was also certain the Cowboys' first Hall of Fame quarterback would never utter a negative public word about him.

These days Tony Romo can turn to Aikman, the Cowboys' second Hall of Fame quarterback, for counsel. But here's the difference: Aikman publicly analyzes Romo all the time. Sometimes the analysis is critical. It's what Aikman has to do as lead NFL analyst for Fox Sports.

"I like the guy (Romo), but I have a job to do," Aikman said in a telephone conversation this week. "When I evaluate Tony and I'm asked to talk about Tony, I am very honest in what I say."

Given Fox's fetish for the Cowboys, Aikman sees plenty of Romo every season. After being shut out of the first three Cowboys games this season, Aikman worked the loss to the Broncos, he'll work Sunday's game at the Chiefs and he is scheduled to work the post-bye Oct. 24 home game against the Falcons. Oh yes, Joe Buck will be joining Aikman in the booth.

And when Aikman talks Romo, people listen. It often becomes headline news.

If Cris Collinsworth or Jon Gruden or even Phil Simms makes a negative comment about Romo's play, it usually disappears into thin air. But if Aikman says something that could be construed as negative, it becomes news and often takes on a news-cycle life of its own. Even Aikman's positives make negative news.

"It plays out locally (in Dallas) much more if I say something critical," Aikman said. "But it plays out nationally much more if I say something positive."

Aikman said he hears it from fans and media critics up and down the East Coast if he compliments Romo during a broadcast or compares him favorably to other quarterbacks. Aikman is perceived by the Eastern literati as a Cowboys homer taking care of his boy.

"I always say I am not a Tony Romo apologist," Aikman said. "I know he has special talents, but when I say that, some critics scoff at that. . . . Does he have the propensity to make throws that he'd like to have back? Sure. My style was different. But at the end of the day, if you win, you were good enough. If you lose, it's not good enough."

Even the mildest Aikman criticism often gets lumped in with the harshest. When he mentioned after the loss to the Giants that Romo's turnovers were killers, he was put in the category of Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith, who had been far more critical.

"I wasn't ripping Tony," Aikman said. "That was not my intent. . . . More times than not Tony puts the team in a position to win. When he left the field against the Giants, the Cowboys were winning."

Aikman cited other examples of what he believes were harsh misinterpretations of what he has said about Romo. Sometimes, he conceded, his words read differently than was his intent when he said them.

He volunteered that there are times he would like to see media critics and reporters evaluated by critics who specialize in that field.

Here's one thing Aikman believes is true. No one knows the pain Romo feels like Aikman.

"I do know that if you get to the point where Tony is, no one in that (Valley Ranch) facility, coaches' office, locker room knows what Tony is going through. I do. It's a roller coaster. You feel like you are absolutely alone. No one else gets it.

"When I was playing, when our team was struggling, you felt the weight of the city was on your back. That comes with the dinner."