The Cowboys’ 21st century at a glance

[Bobhaze]

I think Switzer could've kept the ball rolling if he hadn't have been so stupid as to try to take a gun on a plane. Jerry caved and axed him because of the public outcry. That's when the Cowboys actually died, IMHO.

Barry was living off of Jimmy’s talent. When you see Troy Aikman’s “A Football Life”, it’s pretty clearBarry was just drawing a paycheck, and the team’s culture had begun to slide. Switzer was a great college coach and recruiter but by the time he took over in Dallas, I think he was just drawing a check.

 

[MetalMike]

I didn't realize how spoiled I was as a kid in the 70s. The Cowboys were in the midst of 20 consecutive winning seasons and 19 playoff berths in 20 years.

I felt cheated when the '74 team went 8-6 and missed the playoffs on the last day of the season (lost at Oakland). Next year Dallas went to the Super Bowl.

I lived in Eastern KY in the early 70's with my mother and new step-father. My father had recently (at the time) been transferred to Dallas. All of a sudden in early 1970 (or sometime around then) I began to receive Bob Lilly's Cowboy Report in the mail. I was amazed. I showed it to all my friends and even though they hated the Cowboys they loved it too. It was like I had an inside look into all the do's and don't's of the NFL. I got to see the making of the Doomsday Defense firsthand! With no internet and only a smattering of TV coverage I had the inside info into the Cowboys and the rest of the NFL and all my friends couldn't wait to read it when it came. My Dad sowed the seeds of my growth as a Cowboy fan. He always liked them when we were still a family in Memphis. He got to live his dream when he was transferred to Dallas (he worked for Columbia Pictures at the time and had his choice of Dallas or San Francisco). I can't ever imagine myself as a 49er fan so I'm glad he chose Dallas.

Yes, that era as a Cowboys fan, spoiled me too. On Sunday mornings I couldn't wait for This Week In Pro Football with Tom Brookshier and Pat Summerall to come on and show the highlights of last weeks games (remember all those great plays set to that intense music?). Then, you had to wait through a plethora of Sunday morning religious rantings and ravings shows until it came on. I couldn't wait until they showed the Cowboys (usually destroying their opponent) highlights. Man, that's unforgetable.

 

[MetalMike]

Barry was living off of Jimmy’s talent. When you see Troy Aikman’s “A Football Life”, it’s pretty clearBarry was just drawing a paycheck, and the team’s culture had begun to slide. Switzer was a great college coach and recruiter but by the time he took over in Dallas, I think he was just drawing a check.

I did say "could've" not would've.

But, we did finally beat Pittsburgh with Barry. Jimmie's boys or not.

 

[JoeKing]

Here is the perspective we should be considering. Football is just a game played on a blue marble that we all share floating in space.

 

[john van brocklin]

Sometimes, just increasing the size of the picture you are viewing makes everything make more sense. If you are in an art museum looking a 20’ x 20’ canvass painting, and you are staring at the painting from 2 inches away, it doesn’t make as much sense as when you stand back and look at the painting as a whole.

After another frustrating loss, in a frustrating season, I’m going to increase the size of the picture from this season to the whole 21st century performance of the Cowboys and look at the trends that are apparent.

Why start with 2000? I chose for two reasons- 1. It’s a big enough sample size to see big trends. 2. The year 2000 is when most of the Cowboys 90s star players were gone. It marks the end of the Jimmy Johnson era talent.

With that in mind, here are a few interesting factual bullets about this team since 2000:

• In the 21st century, now covering 21 seasons, the Cowboys have had the same owner/GM, but have had 5 different head coaches.
• Since 2000, the Cowboys overall record including yesterday is 171-160. (.516)
• Since 2000, in 21 seasons the Cowboys will have made the playoffs 7 times. (.333) This is assuming we won’t make it this year- and we won’t.
• Playoff record this century is 3-7. (.300)
• Playoff record at AT&T is 3-1 (.750)
• Playoff road record is 0-6.
• This century, including the 2020 season, the Cowboys will have had 10 winning seasons out of 21 seasons. (.476)
• The Cowboys record at AT&T Stayjum since it opened is 51-43 (.542)
• Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game record since 2000 is 10-11. (.476)
• Thanksgiving Day record at AT&T is 5-7. (.416)

When you look at this team over 21 seasons, looking at the overall records, one word best sums up this team’s performance: Mediocre. Not the worst, but certainly not one of the more successful NFL teams either. “You are what your record says you are.”

It’s often hard as a fan to believe things we don’t want to believe. We want to believe the best about our favorite team. I certainly do.

But with 21 seasons of evidence with one man at the chief decision maker, choosing 5 different head coaches, the best we have been able to be is mediocre. Only making the playoffs 7 times out of 21 seasons is the most damning.

Here’s the big picture reality-With 21 seasons of evidence- If things don’t change at the top, we will always be mediocre- at best.

Jerry is a great owner
GM, not so much

 

[dckid]

Cowboys W/L through Jimmy: 314-214-6 (.594), 15 conference championship games and 7 Super Bowls (34 years)

Includes the early expansion years, the 1-15 rebuild, and still just under 60%

Cowboys W/L since Jimmy: 227-199-0 (.532), 1 conference championship game and 1 Super Bowl (26 years)

Includes back-to-back 12 win seasons with Jimmy's team under the incompetent Barry Switzer, who destroyed it 2 years later.

Don’t count the 1994& 1995 teams under Jerry

 

[john van brocklin]

20th century Thanksgiving record: 20-10-1
21st century Thanksgiving record: 10-11

20th century playoff record: 32-21
21st century playoff record: 3-7

20th century NFC championship games: 16
21st century NFC championship games:

Thanks, Jerry.

Jerry is the only common denominator

 

[dckid]

Jerry is a great owner
GM, not so much

Jerry is a terrible owner. The owner is responsible for everything.
If someone slips at your pool party they will sue you not the clown who spilled the drink that cause them to slip.

 

[Redline360]

If it wasnt for Jimmy and before his ego got in the way Jerry would argurably be one of if not the worse franchise owners ever

He has coasted since the last superbowls