About Jimmy Johnson leaving Cowboys - Dallas Cowboys Forum

thescarface1989 · 07-21-2006

Did anyone ever watch a short special called "Untold Stories of the superbowl"? I came on tv on the same SuperBowl sunday when the Eagles played the Patriots at about 10 in the morning. Well anyway, it was on Fox so Jimmy Johnson, Troy Aikman, Chris Collinsworth, Terry Bradshaw, and Howie Long, were all there with JB.

Well
TB asks JJ "Dont you deep, deep down inside wish you had just stayed, if you and Jerry could have worked it one more year?"

Jimmy responds with a simple "NO". Troy then responds "well that makes me feel good" ,Then everone just busts out laughing.

JJ "Well it wasnt because of that, it was a point in my life, You know I was grinding on these guys, and I was tired of grinding, Iwanted to pull, I wanted to go to South Florida,

TB "So it was only later that you and Jerry had the spat...then JJ cuts in

JJ "No i had already moved my car to South Florida

Troy "During the Season In the 93 I was in the middle of a contract negotiation, I wasnt really sure what my future with the cowboys was, I wanted to make sure some things were in place, I was with Jimmy, I was riding in his Corvette with him, and I said Jimmy Whats your status, are you planing on being here a while? and he turned and said "You cant make your decision based on what I am doing"

Troy " and I knew then, maybe not that year, but I knew it would be very limited how long he would be with us"

JJ "You know the Attitude I had at that time I may have been a negative influence had I stayed, but like I said, "I was tired of grinding, Iwas tired of being the bad guy, or the tuff SOB" I wanted to go and enjoy life"

ChrisC "So your saying the Jerry Jones thing was not the.....

JJ "No, Everybody Blamed Jerry, It really wasnt Jerry, It was what I wanted to do with my life".

JB "Wow, an untold story indeed"

SupermanXx · 07-21-2006

wow, I didn't know that

thanks for posting this

I wonder who Jerry would have picked as head coach if he and Jimmy had never had "the incident", since Jimmy was apparantly leaving anyway.

jterrell · 07-21-2006

I think it is just really hard for average guys to understand.

Jimmy was working 70+ hour weeks and most of it constantly pushing other people to do more, get better, to win.

Thats stuff really causes a strain.

This guy was not a Parcells.

He was a college coach who won with overwhelming talent and the ability to coach but without out-working folks. Not so different from Spurrier at Florida.

NFL coaching in non-stop intensity. You have to push players, media, front office folks et al.
That kind of intensity wears on you and makes you generally miserable to be around.

The guy has been offered large sums to coach again and hasn't because I tend to believe he just doesn't have it in him to dedicate that much time and effort again. He knows what it takes to win and he just doesn't have it in him.

Parcells may be a lot of things but he is a guy that does have that in him. Its really the sum of him.

Hostile · 07-21-2006

Good stuff.

InmanRoshi · 07-22-2006

Somebody send this newsflash to Randy Galloway and Dale Hansen ... Jimmy was ready to party !!

http://deadspin.com/sports/top/its-g...son-188081.php

theogt · 07-22-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by InmanRoshi

Somebody send this newsflash to Randy Galloway and Dale Hansen ... Jimmy was ready to party !!

http://deadspin.com/sports/top/its-g...son-188081.php

Holy! Don't click!

CM Duck · 07-22-2006

AH-HAAA!!!!!

So it was Jimmy's fault that the Cowboys didn't win 4(at least!) Super Bowls in a row.

With him at Head Coach we had a very very good shot at that! and you know it!!!!!

I didnt know thats what went down at Valley Ranch.

Thats what I get for assuming. And you know what they say when you assume....?

DavyBaby · 07-22-2006

Hey Guys--

Its like after your girlfriend dumps you (much experience here

) , after a few months you tend to remember things differently . . .

Jim Dent in his book "King of the Cowboys" basically states that Johnson wanted to coach one more year (1994) and then quit.

I find this scenario much more plausible. Johnson had a chance to be the first coach to win three consecutive Super Bowls.

Here is the key section in the book (p. 166):

(quoting Jerry Jones): "Jimmy wanted to coach this team very badly for one more year. Basically he sat there and begged me to let him do it . . ."

Dent also cites Larry Lacewell that Johnson wanted to coach one more year (1994) and then quit after that season (p. 165).

It comes down to who you believe.

**big dog cowboy** · 07-22-2006

And some people think there is a chance he will want to come back here and coach again. When we had that discussion earlier this off season I said no way. Of course some said "you never know" and stuff like that. Not only won't be the coach of the Cowboys again, I seriously doubt he will be a head coach ever again.

jman · 07-22-2006

What it comes down to is getting the whole story.

Originally, that was Jimmy's plan. Although Jimmy had already been looking into becoming the coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars during the Super Bowl week. Jerry knew this and is one of the sources of his drunken' "500 coaches speech" that Jerry gave.

Both Jerry and Jimmy sat in Jerry's office for hours discussing the probability of Jimmy coaching another year. When it was over, they both agreed that too much had happened and doing so would only delay the inevitable from happening.

And now, everyone wants to blame Jerry for firing Jimmy. Well folks, it just aint true. Jerry never "fired" Jimmy. It was a mutual parting of the ways. It's just not as sexy as blaming a meddlesome owner for ruining possibly the best team in professional football history.

RealCowboyfan · 07-22-2006

So it's a chance that Jimmy Johnson could come back as a Dallas Cowboy, because he isn't mad at Jerry Jones and Jerry Jones wasn't mad at Jimmy Johnson.

So, after Parcells retire either from winning a superbowl or not bring Jimmy Johnson back.
Because I believe Cowboys will be a much better team in that Doomsday 3-4 Defense. Not the hated Pittsburgh Steelers steel curtain. No disrespect to coach Bill Parcells Philosophy.

Just not a Cowboy tradition, but I'll be alright with it if we could win a superbowl.

LeonDixson · 07-22-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavyBaby

Hey Guys--

Its like after your girlfriend dumps you (much experience here

) , after a few months you tend to remember things differently . . .

Jim Dent in his book "King of the Cowboys" basically states that Johnson wanted to coach one more year (1994) and then quit.

I find this scenario much more plausible. Johnson had a chance to be the first coach to win three consecutive Super Bowls.

Here is the key section in the book (p. 166):

(quoting Jerry Jones): "Jimmy wanted to coach this team very badly for one more year. Basically he sat there and begged me to let him do it . . ."

Dent also cites Larry Lacewell that Johnson wanted to coach one more year (1994) and then quit after that season (p. 165).

It comes down to who you believe.

The part that hasn't been mentioned is that Jerry wanted Jimmy to coach too. Only he wanted him to coach for several more years instead of just one. It basically boiled down to Jerry saying either sign a multi-year contract or let me get on with a coaching change right now, while the new coach still has talent to coach.

ConcordCowboy · 07-22-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by RealCowboyfan

So it's a chance that Jimmy Johnson could come back as a Dallas Cowboy, because he isn't mad at Jerry Jones and Jerry Jones wasn't mad at Jimmy Johnson.

If Gibbs can come back after 13 years...Jimmy can too!

DavyBaby · 07-22-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeonDixson

The part that hasn't been mentioned is that Jerry wanted Jimmy to coach too. Only he wanted him to coach for several more years instead of just one. It basically boiled down to Jerry saying either sign a multi-year contract or let me get on with a coaching change right now, while the new coach still has talent to coach.

Leon,

I've heard that too--and I think it could be true, but I'm not sure if this was the pivitol issue (Johnson not a agreeing to make a long term commitment). After all Johnson was still under contract for several more years-(ten year deal?)-he couldn't "legally" jump to another team.

I'm not trying to make Jerry Jones the "bad guy' here, his options were limited. I just wanted to point out Johnson was willing to coach one more year (1994).

The more interesting question is whether Johnson as coach in 1994 would have been a **good idea**. I personally think the team easily could have "blown up" during the '94 season from all the tension and negativity if Johnson had stayed. Troy and others indicated that the '93 season was a grind due to all the pressure and negativity. I'm not sure if that environment could have continued much longer. I think everyone assumes we would have had three (Super Bowl wins) in a row if Johnson had stayed. I think that assumption is questionable at best.

All in all--I think Jerry made the right move --pushing Johnson out the door when he did. Does anyone really think Jimmy and Jerry could have survived together much longer?

CaptainAmerica · 07-22-2006

What's interesting is that Jimmy pulled the same trick on Wayne Huizenga and the Fins. I won't ever forget the story of him, (the day after the playoff game disaster against the Jags), climbing in his convertible Vette, pulling out of the Dolphins parking lot and telling the reporter he was out of there and headed for the Keys.

Jimmy was never in coaching for the long haul like a Landry or even a Parcells who recharges his batteries and then comes back for more.