NFLN Top Ten Dallas Cowboys

[bbgun]

Hos and the others shamed me into posting the whole thing. Instead of 10+ different threads, I'll house them here.

Intro
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Drew Pearson 10
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Don Meredith 9
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Randy White 8
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Tony Dorsett 7
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Troy Aikman 6
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Emmitt Smith 5
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Bob Lilly 4
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Michael Irvin 3
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Roger Staubach 2
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Tom Landry 1
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Best of the rest
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[big dog cowboy]

There is an obvious ROH name missing Mr. Jones.

[Aikmaniac]

Thanks so much for posting these, bbgun.


I wish I was about 12-13 years older and had been able to watch Roger play live. I try to put myself there from the stories my dad has told me growing up, but it's not the same.

I do feel very thankful to have "grown up" with the triplets though. The chances of seeing a trifecta like that again is slim to none.

[THUMPER]

Michael Irvin #3? Ridiculous! I'd put him at #8 or even lower.

Where is Mel Renfro? Chuck Howley? Harvey Martin? Don Perkins?

[Hostile]

That series was so much fun. Thanks bb.

Tom Landry would want the list to be all players. You can bet your butt on that.

10. Wright
9. Renfro
8. Irvin
7. Allen
6. Aikman
5. Dorsett
4. White
3. Smith
2. Lilly
1. Staubach

[BraveHeartFan]

Michael Irvin #3? Ridiculous! I'd put him at #8 or even lower.

Where is Mel Renfro? Chuck Howley? Harvey Martin? Don Perkins?


Ridiculous? The teams all time leading receiver, the heart and soul of a dynasty that won 3 championships in a 4 year span, and it's ridiculous that he's #3?

Maybe some people wouldn't have him as high, and there is nothing wrong with that, but it's hardly ridiculous that NFL Network did.

[bbgun]

Michael Irvin #3? Ridiculous! I'd put him at #8 or even lower.

Where is Mel Renfro? Chuck Howley? Harvey Martin? Don Perkins?

That just tells you how blessed we've been as an organization. Even a Top 15 list would omit some choice names.

[BraveHeartFan]

That series was so much fun. Thanks bb.

Tom Landry would want the list to be all players. You can bet your butt on that.

10. Wright
9. Renfro
8. Irvin
7. Allen
6. Aikman
5. Dorsett
4. White
3. Smith
2. Lilly
1. Staubach

No love for Drew? How can Wright or Renfro possibly be better Cowboys than Drew?

I'm just curious is all. Everyone has their own unique set of standards for what makes certain Cowboys more important and so I'm interested to see what makes you place them higher than Drew.

[percyhoward]

10. Wright
9. Renfro
8. Irvin
7. Allen
6. Aikman
5. Dorsett
4. White
3. Smith
2. Lilly
1. Staubach
Lilly and White are obviously both top 5. That's probably exactly how I'd put them, except I'd flip Aikman and Dorsett.

And thanks bb

[Cajuncowboy]

No love for Drew? How can Wright or Renfro possibly be better Cowboys than Drew?

I'm just curious is all. Everyone has their own unique set of standards for what makes certain Cowboys more important and so I'm interested to see what makes you place them higher than Drew.

Well Wright and Renfro ARE HOFers. I'm guessing that's a start.

[Cajuncowboy]

That series was so much fun. Thanks bb.

Tom Landry would want the list to be all players. You can bet your butt on that.

10. Wright
9. Renfro
8. Irvin
7. Allen
6. Aikman
5. Dorsett
4. White
3. Smith
2. Lilly
1. Staubach

My only problem with your list is that Bob Hayes isn't on there. He is a ROH member, a HOFer and caused the entire NFL to change the way they play defense. I would replace Allen with Hayes IMO.

[bbgun]

Well Wright and Renfro ARE HOFers. I'm guessing that's a start.

Plus, all three play radically different positions, so I'm not sure how anyone can definitively state that one is better than the others.

[Future]

Ridiculous? The teams all time leading receiver, the heart and soul of a dynasty that won 3 championships in a 4 year span, and it's ridiculous that he's #3?

Maybe some people wouldn't have him as high, and there is nothing wrong with that, but it's hardly ridiculous that NFL Network did.
agreed. I thought the piece on Irvin was awesome.

[Hostile]

No love for Drew? How can Wright or Renfro possibly be better Cowboys than Drew?

I'm just curious is all. Everyone has their own unique set of standards for what makes certain Cowboys more important and so I'm interested to see what makes you place them higher than Drew.Already in the Hall of Fame or 1st ballot guys.

[Hostile]

My only problem with your list is that Bob Hayes isn't on there. He is a ROH member, a HOFer and caused the entire NFL to change the way they play defense. I would replace Allen with Hayes IMO.I think LA is the best OG to ever play the game and has to be on my list. Simply too dominant.

[Cajuncowboy]

I think LA is the best OG to ever play the game and has to be on my list. Simply too dominant.

No question, I think he was the best guard as well. But was he the in the top ten at the expense of Hayes? It's a great debate with no clear cut answer and it's all a matter of opinion, but I would have to find include Hayes.

[lane]

randy white in my opinion is the best player i've ever seen wear a star.

michael irvin is second

[alohawg]

Thanks, that was awesome.

[Zaxor]

Thanks a ton BBgun...

a top ten list of cowboy players is just too hard to do...I could build atleast 2 devastating teams that could beat anything else any team could come up with...

for example just skill positions and without using any players now playing

Team A
Staubach
Dorsett
Hayes
Pearson
Dupree
W.Garrett

Team B
Aikman
Moose
Smith
Irvin
Hill
Cosby

and just for shiites and grins

Team C
Dandy Don
Calvin Hill
Newhouse
Novachek


Team D
Danny White
Herschel Walker
Ron Springs


wow just amazing

[burmafrd]

I like your list Hos.

[jswalker1981]

That series was so much fun. Thanks bb.

Tom Landry would want the list to be all players. You can bet your butt on that.

10. Wright
9. Renfro
8. Irvin
7. Allen
6. Aikman
5. Dorsett
4. White
3. Smith
2. Lilly
1. Staubach

What's cool is that I got my Dad an autographed Roger Staubach football for Christmas awhile ago, and today I'm giving him an Bob Lilly autographed mini-helmet for Fathers Day. It was great to see those videos today.

[THUMPER]

No love for Drew? How can Wright or Renfro possibly be better Cowboys than Drew?

I'm just curious is all. Everyone has their own unique set of standards for what makes certain Cowboys more important and so I'm interested to see what makes you place them higher than Drew.

WRs are just not the most important players on a team. They are exciting but they are nowhere near as important to a team's success as pretty much every other full-time position. On most plays they are decoys at best, especially on the Cowboys who have, until recently, run much more than they throw.

Emmitt Smith was vastly more important to the Cowboys' success in the 90s than Michael Irvin was. For all his excitement and getting the team fired up, Irvin was not the main offensive weapon, Emmitt was. Troy was also more important to the team than Irvin was.

Same goes for Pearson, Dorsett was the main weapon that teams had to try to stop, not Drew.

As for Irvin being our all-time leading receiver, that is only in receptions and yards, not receiving TDs. Bob Hayes still owns that record and he caught less than half the passes that Irvin did.

It is likely that at the rate he is going, Jason Witten will surpass Irvin in receptions in 3 years as he is currently 227 behind him now but he is averaging about 90 receptions a year over the last 3 seasons.

Here is how I would rank the top-15 Cowboys (players) of all-time:

1. Bob Lilly
2. Roger Staubach
3. Emmitt Smith
4. Randy White
5. Larry Allen
6. Troy Aikman
7. Mel Renfro
8. Tony Dorsett
9. Rayfield Wright
10. Bob Hayes
11. Michael Irvin
12. Chuck Howley
13. Don Perkins
14. Drew Pearson
15. Jason Witten

But of course, that is just my opinion. Your mileage may vary. :D

[THUMPER]

Thanks a ton BBgun...

a top ten list of cowboy players is just too hard to do...I could build atleast 2 devastating teams that could beat anything else any team could come up with...

for example just skill positions and without using any players now playing

Team A
Staubach
Dorsett
Hayes
Pearson
DuPree
W.Garrison

Team B
Aikman
Moose
Smith
Irvin
Hill
Cosbie

and just for shiites and grins

Team C
Dandy Don
Calvin Hill
Newhouse
Novacek


Team D
Danny White
Herschel Walker
Ron Springs


wow just amazing

Thought I'd help you out a little. :cool:

[Zaxor]

Thought I'd help you out a little. :cool:

LOL thanks obviously the lack of oxygen is affecting my brain:laugh2:

[JBond]

bbgun....Thank you. Great thread.

[mmohican29]

10. Woodson
09. Allen
08. Witten
07. Pearson
06. Dorsett
05. Aikman
04. Irvin
03. White
02. Smith
01. Staubach

[bbgun]

Watching that Drew Pearson retrospective makes his exclusion from the ROH all the more mystifying and infuriating.

[bbgun]

10. Woodson
09. Allen
08. Witten
07. Pearson
06. Dorsett
05. Aikman
04. Irvin
03. White
02. Smith
01. Staubach

Bob Lilly would like to have a word with you .. in a dark alley. ;)

[Big Country]

Dallas Cowboy greatest players list should always start with Staubach and Lilly. If you add greatest people, then 1 2 3 should be Landry, Staubach, and Lilly

[THUMPER]

LOL thanks obviously the lack of oxygen is affecting my brain:laugh2:

No problem. I'd add RB Don Perkins and WR/TE Frank Clarke in there as well. They were our first real stars on offense in the 60s (along with Meredith).

People overlook Perkins because he played on our early teams that weren't very good but he was! 6 pro-bowls in 8 seasons at a time when the league focused on running much more than passing. He was the 5th all-time leading rusher when he retired but has been overlooked by the HoF voters as well and now has zero chance of ever being inducted.

He is STILL the 3rd leading rusher in Cowboys history behind Emmitt and Dorsett but most Cowboys fans don't even know who he is/was. A great player and a wonderful person as well.

Frank Clarke is 11th in receptions for the Cowboys but he is 6th in yards and 4th in receiving TDs! Another guy younger Cowboys fans never heard of but he was a great player who scored a lot of points for us in those early years. He had 1043 yards and 14 TDs in 1962 and he only played 12 games that year!.

His receiving TD record wasn't broken until Terrell Owens did it a few years ago with 15 (in 16 games). Think about that for a minute... Hayes never scored that many TDs in a season. Pearson didn't, even Michael Irvin didn't and he played in 16 game seasons!

Clarke was a stout guy too at 6'1" 215 lbs but the guy was outstanding for us back in those early days. He averaged over 22 yards per catch a couple of seasons. He scored 50 TDs on only 291 receptions. Compare that with Witten who has 27 TDs on 523 receptions, or nearly half on almost twice as many catches.

For some reason, the pro-bowl selectors back then tended to go by number of receptions rather than average yards or TDs so he was overlooked for some of his best seasons even though he outperformed some of the receivers who were selected to the PB. He was selected as 1st team AP in 1964 when he had 65 receptions but his 1961 & 1962 seasons were better IMO.

Clarke was another outstanding person as well as a great player. He has lived as a live-in "nanny" for the past 27 years, helping other people raise their kids. You can read about it here: http://www.**********.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/cowboys/stories/062908dnspocowclarke.4374c53.html

Sorry to get on my soapbox but I think these two Cowboys greats deserve to be remembered and recognized by the fans. :starspin

[Zaxor]

No problem. I'd add RB Don Perkins and WR/TE Frank Clarke in there as well. They were our first real stars on offense in the 60s (along with Meredith).

People overlook Perkins because he played on our early teams that weren't very good but he was! 6 pro-bowls in 8 seasons at a time when the league focused on running much more than passing. He was the 5th all-time leading rusher when he retired but has been overlooked by the HoF voters as well and now has zero chance of ever being inducted.

He is STILL the 3rd leading rusher in Cowboys history behind Emmitt and Dorsett but most Cowboys fans don't even know who he is/was. A great player and a wonderful person as well.

Frank Clarke is 11th in receptions for the Cowboys but he is 6th in yards and 4th in receiving TDs! Another guy younger Cowboys fans never heard of but he was a great player who scored a lot of points for us in those early years. He had 1043 yards and 14 TDs in 1962 and he only played 12 games that year!.

His receiving TD record wasn't broken until Terrell Owens did it a few years ago with 15 (in 16 games). Think about that for a minute... Hayes never scored that many TDs in a season. Pearson didn't, even Michael Irvin didn't and he played in 16 game seasons!

Clarke was a stout guy too at 6'1" 215 lbs but the guy was outstanding for us back in those early days. He averaged over 22 yards per catch a couple of seasons. He scored 50 TDs on only 291 receptions. Compare that with Witten who has 27 TDs on 523 receptions, or nearly half on almost twice as many catches.

For some reason, the pro-bowl selectors back then tended to go by number of receptions rather than average yards or TDs so he was overlooked for some of his best seasons even though he outperformed some of the receivers who were selected to the PB. He was selected as 1st team AP in 1964 when he had 65 receptions but his 1961 & 1962 seasons were better IMO.

Clarke was another outstanding person as well as a great player. He has lived as a live-in "nanny" for the past 27 years, helping other people raise their kids. You can read about it here: http://www.**********.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/cowboys/stories/062908dnspocowclarke.4374c53.html

Sorry to get on my soapbox but I think these two Cowboys greats deserve to be remembered and recognized by the fans. :starspin

no doubt Clarke and Perkins are great additions...and obviously in my rush to finish that post I left them out....also there is Preston Person maybe one of the greatest 3rd down backs ever. and if you ask pete gent he had the greatest hands ever :D

[Hoofbite]

Wow. I can't believe NFLN has Florio on there.

Crazy how a guy can run a rumor mill, most of which are snagged from other sites, and just weasel his way into a pretty nice position.

[percyhoward]

1966-69 is evidently a very underappreciated era for this franchise.

[Star4Ever]

10. Woodson
09. Allen
08. Witten
07. Pearson
06. Dorsett
05. Aikman
04. Irvin
03. White
02. Smith
01. Staubach

Sorry, a list that doesn't include Lily cannot be taken seriously by ANYONE.:bang2:

[THUMPER]

1966-69 is evidently a very underappreciated era for this franchise.

I agree. Our defense was truly amazing in that span and our offense was so explosive. It's a shame we couldn't seem to win the big games in that timeframe, those players deserved a title.

I still believe that our 1968 team was the best we ever had when compared with the competition and that we would have beaten the Jets in the SB that year. The dump we laid against the Browns in the playoffs broke my heart. :cry2: (Hey, I was 10 at the time.)

10 players from that team were named to the PB or 1st team AP. We were #1 in offense and #2 in defense (the Colts were the opposite, #1 def, #2 off). Several of our 2nd string players would have started on other teams.

In all 3 losses that year (2 in the regular season and 1 in the playoffs) Meredith threw 3 INTs. He had an excellent season but laid a turd in those 3 games, particularly the playoff game.

Our run defense in particular was amazing. We allowed only 2 rushing TDs that year (and 3 in 1969) and 3.2 yards per carry by our opponents. That was in an era when teams ran the ball much more often than they passed.

These kids nowadays don't know what REAL football was like! :geezer: :D

[BAT]

That series was so much fun. Thanks bb.

Tom Landry would want the list to be all players. You can bet your butt on that.

10. Wright
9. Renfro
8. Irvin
7. Allen
6. Aikman
5. Dorsett
4. White
3. Smith
2. Lilly
1. Staubach

Love Landry too, but I have to completely agree. And Meredith would not be in my Top 10 either:

10. Bob Hayes
9. Mel Renfro
8. Larry Allen
7. Troy Aikman
6. Tony Dorsett
5. Mike Irvin
4. Randy White
3. Bob Lily
2. Emmitt Smith
1. Roger Staubach

Rayfield Wright, Chuck Howley, Harvey Martin, Cliff Harris, Drew Pearson, Charles Haley & Erik Williams all deserve Honorable Mentions IMO. Both Deion Sanders and Terrell Owens should be 1st ballot HOFers, but not sure if either makes the Top Ten Greatest Cowboys.

Witten, Ware and likely Romo will break into the top ten someday.

[Hagman]

No love for Drew? How can Wright or Renfro possibly be better Cowboys than Drew?

I'm just curious is all. Everyone has their own unique set of standards for what makes certain Cowboys more important and so I'm interested to see what makes you place them higher than Drew.

I love Drew Pearson, but Mel Renfro was a better athlete and football player. He excelled at safety when brought into the league, and solved a long-standing problem the team had at right corner when he was moved to that position. He shut down the dangerous Paul Warfield in SB VII. He also was an excellent kick and punt returner. 10 Pro Bowls, 5 time All-Pro. Pearson I would argue belongs in the ROH, but doesn't have the record to be in Canton.

It's harder to explain a lineman like Wright since stats on blocks made and sacks prevented aren't as popular as TD's and yardage made, but he was probably the best offensive lineman of his day....(even if I am a Cowboys homer)....and he was named to the NFL All Decade Team of the 1970s.

[Bob Sacamano]

Man, I don't know Roger Staubach and have never met him, but if he told me to do anything right now, I probably would do it.

BTW, Hos is right when he bags on soccer because it doesn't take much skill like it does to play football. All you have to do is look at Don Meredith. Dude, looks like Dean Martin, rather than a football star, but he had mad skills.

[Star4Ever]

Love Landry too, but I have to completely agree. And Meredith would not be in my Top 10 either:

10. Bob Hayes
9. Mel Renfro
8. Larry Allen
7. Troy Aikman
6. Tony Dorsett
5. Mike Irvin
4. Randy White
3. Bob Lily
2. Emmitt Smith
1. Roger Staubach

Rayfield Wright, Chuck Howley, Harvey Martin, Cliff Harris, Drew Pearson, Charles Haley & Erik Williams all deserve Honorable Mentions IMO. Both Deion Sanders and Terrell Owens should be 1st ballot HOFers, but not sure if either makes the Top Ten Greatest Cowboys.

Witten, Ware and likely Romo will break into the top ten someday.

I agree about Sanders and Owens. Hall of Famers for sure. Great football players for sure. Top 10 Cowboys? Nope. Not with us long enough, and not even during the top portions of their careers. Erik Williams is interesting. Had it not been for his car accident, he might have gone down as the best tackle in the history of the NFL. He was THAT dominant before he got hurt. Plus, he was nasty as hell. Great player.

[Sam I Am]

I love what Dan Reeves said about Bob Lilly.

Bob didn't have a mean streak in his body. If he were mean, they would have had to outlaw him.

[Manster68]

What is unfortunate for the Cowboys is that when you do a Top 10 for this franchise, there will be great players left out.

[Romo 2 Austin]

Uh, ill argue Emmitt over Roger and after 2010 Witten over Hayes.

[Stautner]

No love for Drew? How can Wright or Renfro possibly be better Cowboys than Drew?

I'm just curious is all. Everyone has their own unique set of standards for what makes certain Cowboys more important and so I'm interested to see what makes you place them higher than Drew.

I love Drew - I would put him in the same league as Irvin. But Wright and Renfro are certainly worthy of at least being considered over Drew. Especially Renfro.

I think LA is the best OG to ever play the game and has to be on my list. Simply too dominant.

I can't argue with that.



AS FOR BOB HAYES: He did change the position and force the league to develop zone defenses HOWEVER it was due to his speed and not due to being a great receiver. Hayes did not have particularly great hands, nor was he tough going over the middle. Hayes had great speed, but Irvin and Pearson's great hands, toughness and dependability in the clutch made them far and away the better receivers.

[burmafrd]

Emmitt over Roger? Well consider the source.

[Stautner]

Emmitt over Roger? Well consider the source.

It may be an age thing. Most younger fans seem to think the Cowboys legacy orginated in the 1990's.

[Romo 2 Austin]

Emmitt over Roger? Well consider the source.
Greatest RB of all time vs a top 3 QB of all time. Either is a valid pick.

[Stautner]

Greatest RB of all time vs a top 3 QB of all time. Either is a valid pick.

I'll bet you can't find any Cowboy fan who was old enough to understand the game in both eras and who saw both Roger and Emmitt play that would place Emmitt above Roger. That's no disrespect to Emmitt, but Roger is the man. Lilly is probably next, then Emmitt.

[BraveHeartFan]

Well Wright and Renfro ARE HOFers. I'm guessing that's a start.

I guess so but I don't believe what the Hall of Fame voters decide should be part of the equation.

Drew should be in the Hall of Fame, IMO, and why he is not is baffling. I mean by that thought process would you leave Andre Reed off the list of top 10 Bills of all time because the Hall of Fame voters are too stupid to get him in the Hall already?

How about Charles Haley? Does he not deserve to be in the Hall, yet for some reason isn't? The Hall of Fame thing simply isn't accurate to me cause they far too often leave guys out that should long ago have been in.


Already in the Hall of Fame or 1st ballot guys.

Like I said above. I put no real merit in that because the voters for the Hall seem to be really weird about some of the guys they're missing out on.


WRs are just not the most important players on a team. They are exciting but they are nowhere near as important to a team's success as pretty much every other full-time position. On most plays they are decoys at best, especially on the Cowboys who have, until recently, run much more than they throw.

Emmitt Smith was vastly more important to the Cowboys' success in the 90s than Michael Irvin was. For all his excitement and getting the team fired up, Irvin was not the main offensive weapon, Emmitt was. Troy was also more important to the team than Irvin was.

Same goes for Pearson, Dorsett was the main weapon that teams had to try to stop, not Drew.

As for Irvin being our all-time leading receiver, that is only in receptions and yards, not receiving TDs. Bob Hayes still owns that record and he caught less than half the passes that Irvin did.

It is likely that at the rate he is going, Jason Witten will surpass Irvin in receptions in 3 years as he is currently 227 behind him now but he is averaging about 90 receptions a year over the last 3 seasons.

Here is how I would rank the top-15 Cowboys (players) of all-time:

1. Bob Lilly
2. Roger Staubach
3. Emmitt Smith
4. Randy White
5. Larry Allen
6. Troy Aikman
7. Mel Renfro
8. Tony Dorsett
9. Rayfield Wright
10. Bob Hayes
11. Michael Irvin
12. Chuck Howley
13. Don Perkins
14. Drew Pearson
15. Jason Witten

But of course, that is just my opinion. Your mileage may vary. :D

Don't get me wrong I think Emmitt was the most important player back then (as shown by how poorly they'd play without him) and Aikman was equally as important but don't try and tell me that those teams would have been anywhere near as good without Irvin. In fact those teams don't win 3 out of 4 without Irvin at WR unless the WR he was replaced with was Jerry Rice.

Irvin was extremely important. A great example of how important he was, despite the fact that they were much older of course, was his final season. 3-0 out the gates and doing really well offensively only to stall and be average, at best, the rest of the year after he was gone.

It wasn't just what he did on the field, or the position he played, that meant so much to those teams it was his on the field fire, passion, and leadership that you simply couldn't just replace with someone else.

But, again, I don't have any problem if people put Irvin lower on the list. To each their own. I don't know if he'd be top 3 for me either but I certainly can see why NFLN had him top 3.


Uh, ill argue Emmitt over Roger and after 2010 Witten over Hayes.


Man that's crazy talk about Emmitt. I love him. He's my all time favorite Cowboys player but even I'll tell you there is absolutely no way, ever, in any measurable way that he's more important in Cowboys history than Captain America.

He is the Cowboys. He is what made the Cowboys what they are today. The closest to that, and still far behind in my opinion, is Bob Lilly. Mr. Cowboy is really the only guy anyone can even remotely make a case for over Roger.

[JPM]

I think LA is the best OG to ever play the game and has to be on my list. Simply too dominant.
I'll go a step further Hos, LA was the best OL to play. Big, strong, fast, and his best quality NASTY.

[thechosen1n2]

Michael Irvin #3? Ridiculous! I'd put him at #8 or even lower.

Where is Mel Renfro? Chuck Howley? Harvey Martin? Don Perkins?

I know why some would feel that way, but I feel he was the only player out of the triplets that there was never a decent replacement for.

[DallasEast]

Uh, ill argue Emmitt over Roger and after 2010 Witten over Hayes.
I'm just going to ban myself.

[bbgun]

I'm just going to ban myself.

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/8026/catpermabanned.gif

[Stautner]

I know why some would feel that way, but I feel he was the only player out of the triplets that there was never a decent replacement for.

Really? How long did it take to find a replacement for Aikman and Emmitt? Do you remember the string of Stoerner, Leaf, Wright, Henson, Hutchingson, Quincy, Vinnie etc ... before we finally got to Romo? As for Emmitt, it took the 3 headed combo we have acquired the last couple of years to provide hope of replacing him.

[Chocolate Lab]

Michael Irvin #3? Ridiculous! I'd put him at #8 or even lower.:hammer:

[THUMPER]

Really? How long did it take to find a replacement for Aikman and Emmitt? Do you remember the string of Stoerner, Leaf, Wright, Henson, Hutchingson, Quincy, Vinnie etc ... before we finally got to Romo? As for Emmitt, it took the 3 headed combo we have acquired the last couple of years to provide hope of replacing him.

You beat me to it. It took about 17 years to replace Aikman and we STILL haven't replaced Emmitt and it has been about the same amount of time. I don't see any one of the three RBs we currently have that could do anything close to what Emmitt did.

Everyone talks about how Irvin was the "heart and soul" of the Cowboys of the 90s but having played football at various levels for 40+ years I can tell you that rah-rah guys only fire up a small percentage of players on a team. Most guys are self motivated and don't need or want some guy jumping and yelling to get them fired up. I didn't need or appreciate guys like that and I was considered sort of a crazy player. I got myself fired up and if someone was stupid enough to get in my face they usually found themselves on the ground somehow. :D

Aikman certainly didn't need Irvin to get him to play hard, neither did Novacek or a lot of other guy on the team. That is a media myth that people have bought into but it is not true to the extent that they would have us believe. Yes Irvin was a leader on the team but THE leader was Aikman and anyone who doubts it wasn't paying attention.

Irvin was a great player but he wasn't the best or most important of the "Triplets". It seems to be the younger fans who believe the hype about him. :geezer:

[BubbleScreen]

Wow. 4 pages and still no Cliff Harris, Charlie Waters, or Lee Roy Jordan. No Danny White, who was at least the McNabb of his era.

I think Cowboys fans would have a hard time agreeing on a consensus top 50, regardless of order. Someone put Darren Woodson in the top 10. He's one of my favorites, but he's not even top 20 by this team's standards.

[Chocolate Lab]

Randy is on DFW Sports Beat right now (he's going to have his own show with Tinker this year in addition to DFWSB, they announced), and just talking about Spencer playing with intensity, he leans forward on the couch like he's all fired up himself.

He's the man.

[Stautner]

You beat me to it. It took about 17 years to replace Aikman and we STILL haven't replaced Emmitt and it has been about the same amount of time. I don't see any one of the three RBs we currently have that could do anything close to what Emmitt did.

Everyone talks about how Irvin was the "heart and soul" of the Cowboys of the 90s but having played football at various levels for 40+ years I can tell you that rah-rah guys only fire up a small percentage of players on a team. Most guys are self motivated and don't need or want some guy jumping and yelling to get them fired up. I didn't need or appreciate guys like that and I was considered sort of a crazy player. I got myself fired up and if someone was stupid enough to get in my face they usually found themselves on the ground somehow. :D

Aikman certainly didn't need Irvin to get him to play hard, neither did Novacek or a lot of other guy on the team. That is a media myth that people have bought into but it is not true to the extent that they would have us believe. Yes Irvin was a leader on the team but THE leader was Aikman and anyone who doubts it wasn't paying attention.

Irvin was a great player but he wasn't the best or most important of the "Triplets". It seems to be the younger fans who believe the hype about him. :geezer:

I agree with much of this, but 17 years? I don't think we were trying to replace Aikman or Emmitt in 1993 in the middle of the Super Bowl years.