Jimmy Johnson to this day could out-scheme any offense

[visionary]

•tremendous football mind.
•great eye for talent.
•great "feel" for his team...he knew what adjustments needed to be made.

very deserving of his gold jacket.

this is what pisses Jerry off

jimmy got something in 6 years that Jerry can’t have after 30

respect as a “football mind”

 

[Kalyan]

If Jerry was like Kraft and gave Jimmy complete control and money to keep his coaches, who knows how long he would have stayed?

 

[TheDuke]

so explain the dolphins , he didnt take them to one afccg? no division titles two playoff wins in 4 yrs, got spanked 62-7 and quit the next day.. brain for defense gave up 62 points in a playoff game..wow genius.. how about give Jerry credit for helping Jimmy and together here they built a team full of HOF and that kind of helped Jimmy succeed..

tired of hearing how Jerry blew this up, we all know the true story and it was mutual..Jimmy never stays long at his jobs much like parcells he gets bored and wears on players and team.. his way most likely wouldn't work in the new NFL..wheres he at ? why isnt he a GM or Coach? Ill tell you why he couldn't wait to get on his boat and retire..

I appreciate what Jimmy hled build and bring here but give it a rest on Jerry made the boggest mistake ever, it would have happened anyway, Switzer got us to the NFCCG in which payers making mistakes cost us that SB, and then a Sb the following year..not sure Jimmy would ahve done much better or stayed past that point..so not sure we were worse off given what we know and Jimmy would have retired or left anyway plus the players aged and slowed....

Well said.

This is just a typical cowboys fan all up in there feelings thread. We see it all the time.

“Romo was the greatest ever and should be the coach and gm. Let’s all hope our daughters grow up to marry someone perfect like him”

“Aikman was the greatest ever and could throw a football through a straw 100 yards away blindfolded and his yelling was the epitome of leadership”


“Dez was a beast and unstoppable and if it wasn’t for Goodell and Mara conspiring to overturn the GB catch Jerry Rice would be introducing him on his HOF induction”

“Jimmy was a genius and could out coach Lombardi it was all Jerry’s fault for running him off or he would still be coaching us to our 27th consecutive super bowl”

maybe a little exaggerated but not much.

 

[joseephuss]

Jimmy's teams played Cover 2 period. .

Did they?

I always thought Jimmy's defensive schemes were quite simple. Simple does not mean easy. He got the right players to run it. Not only the starters, but the backups as well. The defense was deep on the line and utilized substitutions to keep them fresh and energetic. They locked down everyone in man coverage and beat you with speed. They could get an effective pass rush with the front four and then as the game progressed, mix in the blitz.

Bill Parcells has the famous line about being asked to cook dinner without buying the groceries. When Jimmy arrived in Dallas he knew how to buy the groceries because he had been working at the grocery store. Most coaches don't have an intimate knowledge of the college talent because they are too busy coaching. That is why teams rely on the scouts and GMs to gather the talent. Jimmy was heavily involved in recruiting some of the top talent in college, so when he joined the NFL he knew very well the best groceries to purchase. It was a perfect storm. He was a good coach, he had an eye for talent, he was very familiar with the talent coming out of college at the time better than most and he fell into a situation(due to the Walker trade) that allowed him numerous chances to get the right players.

When Jimmy was at Miami he was still a good coach and still had an eye for talent, but he was further removed from the college game. He wasn't nearly as familiar with the high school stars that were getting recruited to the big universities as he was while in Dallas. He also wasn't working with many extra draft picks.

Jerry and Jimmy both ended the relationship. You can assign more blame to one over the other, but the reality is it was both guys. It wasn't 100% Jerry.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

Who cares what he did in Miami. Do you care what Emmitt did in AZ? But it doesn't diminish what they accomplished here.

And that was Marino's team. Jimmy couldn't build that team the way he wanted and he was getting burnt out and even so took them to 3 straight playoffs something Garrett could never do here.

 

[ClappingCarrot]

Great video. Jimmy is often lauded as a master motivator and not much of an X's and O's guy and I've always disagreed.

 

[blueblood70]

And that was Marino's team. Jimmy couldn't build that team the way he wanted and he was getting burnt out and even so took them to 3 straight playoffs something Garrett could never do here.

no no and no..the narrative cant be both I mean if hes agreat coach and talent acquirer plus this thread was slanted toward defenses guru and couldn't find way to win with Marino..he was overrated IMO..


I thought Owners stayed out of it and GMs did their jobs and with Jimmy they would have let him have cart blanche, Jimmy no longer had Jerry up his arse , so what was his excuse? oh he had an aging HOF QB and couldn't build a great team and defense around him..I thought Jimmy had full control and excepted nothing less?

come on Jimmy didnt win because he no longer had the HOF players to work with and Jerry was part of making sure they got them when they started..

they needed each other and the timing was perfect , trades all went their way etc etc Jimmy was agreat coach but his greatness is exaggerated as well as the SBs were ALL HIM ..SMH..

 

[Bob-Lillys-War]

no no and no..the narrative cant be both I mean if hes agreat coach and talent acquirer plus this thread was slanted toward defenses guru and couldn't find way to win with Marino..he was overrated IMO..


I thought Owners stayed out of it and GMs did their jobs and with Jimmy they would have let him have cart blanche, Jimmy no longer had Jerry up his arse , so what was his excuse? oh he had an aging HOF QB and couldn't build a great team and defense around him..I thought Jimmy had full control and excepted nothing less?

come on Jimmy didnt win because he no longer had the HOF players to work with and Jerry was part of making sure they got them when they started..

they needed each other and the timing was perfect , trades all went their way etc etc Jimmy was agreat coach but his greatness is exaggerated as well as the SBs were ALL HIM ..SMH..

 

[Kaiser]

Which he conceived and executed. Greatest trade in NFL history.

LOL. By page 5 of this thread you will be posting that Jimmy wrote the US Constitution and parachuted into Normandy on D-Day.

Jimmy and Jerry are both talented people with strengths and weaknesses, just like all talented people. They are both in the HOF and deservedly so. It took both guys to build the 1990's dynasty and its comical how people need to glorify one of them and tear the other down to fit a narrative.

 

[TheHerd]

Okay Jerry. Jimmy just laid out for you what to look for in players.

1. Intelligence - Jimmy wanted smart players
2. Playmakers - Jimmy didn't care about about how many tackles a guy made. He wanted guys who made plays and impacted the game . Strips, INTS, TDs ect
3. Gym Rat. He wanted guys who lived and breathed football and loved competing. He wanted passionate hard workers.
4. Character - "because you can't win with bums".

BTW, that's the Belichick list exactly. Hmmm...

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

no no and no..the narrative cant be both I mean if hes agreat coach and talent acquirer plus this thread was slanted toward defenses guru and couldn't find way to win with Marino..he was overrated IMO..


I thought Owners stayed out of it and GMs did their jobs and with Jimmy they would have let him have cart blanche, Jimmy no longer had Jerry up his arse , so what was his excuse? oh he had an aging HOF QB and couldn't build a great team and defense around him..I thought Jimmy had full control and excepted nothing less?

come on Jimmy didnt win because he no longer had the HOF players to work with and Jerry was part of making sure they got them when they started..

they needed each other and the timing was perfect , trades all went their way etc etc Jimmy was agreat coach but his greatness is exaggerated as well as the SBs were ALL HIM ..SMH..

Jerry got who Jimmy wanted. If Jerry knew talent the last 25 years wouldn't have happened. Nobody in the world is going to convince me otherwise. I really don't care what Jimmy did in Miami. Just explaining it but he could have went winless there and doesn't change anything from what he did in Dallas. He built these SB teams. Unless Jerry just went stupid after Jimmy left.

 

[Kaiser]

so took them to 3 straight playoffs something Garrett could never do here.

Because 2015 was the year Romo was injured and 2017 was the BS Zeke suspension. Take those out and Dallas is in the playoff five years in a row.

 

[DHCBF66]

Okay Jerry. Jimmy just laid out for you what to look for in players.

1. Intelligence - Jimmy wanted smart players
2. Playmakers - Jimmy didn't care about about how many tackles a guy made. He wanted guys who made plays and impacted the game . Strips, INTS, TDs ect
3. Gym Rat. He wanted guys who lived and breathed football and loved competing. He wanted passionate hard workers.
4. Character - "because you can't win with bums".

ya....Haley and Irvin are 2 guys the had "character"....

 

[Kaiser]

ya....Haley and Irvin are 2 guys the had "character"....

I understand that the "White House" was Jimmy leading them in choir practice.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

Because 2015 was the year Romo was injured and 2017 was the BS Zeke suspension. Take those out and Dallas is in the playoff five years in a row.

2015 Garrett couldn't win one game without Romo and 2017 should have still made the playoffs but bad coaching in that Seattle game torpedoed it. At least he played the starters in that meaningless Philly game though so he could say he had a winning record.

 

[dwmyers]

Did they?

I always thought Jimmy's defensive schemes were quite simple. Simple does not mean easy. He got the right players to run it. Not only the starters, but the backups as well. The defense was deep on the line and utilized substitutions to keep them fresh and energetic. They locked down everyone in man coverage and beat you with speed. They could get an effective pass rush with the front four and then as the game progressed, mix in the blitz.

Bill Parcells has the famous line about being asked to cook dinner without buying the groceries. When Jimmy arrived in Dallas he knew how to buy the groceries because he had been working at the grocery store. Most coaches don't have an intimate knowledge of the college talent because they are too busy coaching. That is why teams rely on the scouts and GMs to gather the talent. Jimmy was heavily involved in recruiting some of the top talent in college, so when he joined the NFL he knew very well the best groceries to purchase. It was a perfect storm. He was a good coach, he had an eye for talent, he was very familiar with the talent coming out of college at the time better than most and he fell into a situation(due to the Walker trade) that allowed him numerous chances to get the right players.

When Jimmy was at Miami he was still a good coach and still had an eye for talent, but he was further removed from the college game. He wasn't nearly as familiar with the high school stars that were getting recruited to the big universities as he was while in Dallas. He also wasn't working with many extra draft picks.

Jerry and Jimmy both ended the relationship. You can assign more blame to one over the other, but the reality is it was both guys. It wasn't 100% Jerry.

nice post. I'm certain they played man to man, and yes I simplified when I said Cover 2 period. But that was the only zone defense in his 1992 playbook. The nice thing about your post is it really highlights Jimmy's strength. He had learned/help innovate the Miami 4-3 while in college and understood the kinds of players that worked best with it. Not every coach is good at choosing players. Jimmy was good enough they essentially gutted the old scouting department when Jimmy was there, as they didn't need those folks. They had Jimmy.

The other thing about Miami (outside of draft luck) is that pro OCs had seen the Miami 4-3 then for some years, and had responses to it. It is something of a gambling defense, and is not gap sound. If you do not have very smart and very fast linebackers, you can be hurt with counters and reverses. They expect the linebackers to cover the holes in the defense, on the fly.

Nice point about the DL rotation. That is SOP now, but it wasn't in the 90s.

And I'd amend "Simple does not mean easy" to "Simple does not mean ineffective."

In Miami, Jimmy didn't have Norv Turner. And he couldn't convince Bill Belichick to join him as DC.

D-

 

[DHCBF66]

So what happened with him for the Dolphins? I forget if he had personnel control. He had an aging Marino. But his final game was a 63-7 or something like that loss to Jacksonville.

Like with Jerry, the cap happened. It wasnt so easy to go out and sign any player you wanted anymore. My guess is....Jerry regrets pushing so hard for the cap. The reason Belechick has been so successful is because Brady played for WAY less that he deserved. If Brady got the $$$ he deserved the Patriots would not have won as many SBs as they did.

 

[blueblood70]

Jerry got who Jimmy wanted. If Jerry knew talent the last 25 years wouldn't have happened. Nobody in the world is going to convince me otherwise. I really don't care what Jimmy did in Miami. Just explaining it but he could have went winless there and doesn't change anything from what he did in Dallas. He built these SB teams. Unless Jerry just went stupid after Jimmy left.

Umm the thread was about Jimmy greatness and MIA proves otherwise.. sorry but Jimmy didnt get it done without Jerry and Vice Versa

so yes the Dolphins record matters and he wasn't much better then Garett in MIA..it is what it is..

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

Umm the thread was about Jimmy greatness and MIA proves otherwise.. sorry but Jimmy didnt get it done without Jerry and Vice Versa

so yes the Dolphins record matters and he wasn't much better then Garett in MIA..it is what it is..

4 years in Miami vs a decade in Dallas. 3 playoff births in 4 years vs 3 playoff births in 10. You are right no difference,

 

[tyke1doe]

Jimmy Johnson was like Chris Pines' Captain Kirk. Calculated recklessness that dumbfounded friends and foes alike but had both marveling when he and his team succeeded.
He planted success and then was so unpredictable that it stunned folks. And it was hilarious too.
Like Johnson calling the radio station promising a win in the NFC Championship. Seifert and Jerry Rice were so taken aback they didn't know what to do. Well, Rice knew what to do - start a fight at the beginning of the game. The normally level-headed Rice wanting to fight. Seifert was so speechless he had to muster the right words to respond, then latter had to concede Jimmy's brass ones. Jimmy played them like fiddles.

Or when the Cowboys shocked the Giants in a blow out and the Giants wanted to whine about Dallas running up the score. Johnson said he never complained when teams were beating up on the Cowboys, other teams shouldn't be complaining now. If you don't want the score run up, stop us from scoring.

I remember the 91 game against the undefeated Skins when the Cowboys just let it all hang out with onside kicks, Hail Marys and defeated Washington 24-21. I remember John Madden saying it was the best coach game he had ever seen.

And then our special teams were better than any I have seen on a Cowboys team. Block punts for touchdowns, punt returns for touchdowns, kickoff returns for touchdowns.

The Johnson teams played with confidence and an aura that they couldn't be beat because they were talented, disciplined and well-prepared. And that came from the COACH. Don't tell me coaching has nothing to do with winning or plays an insignificant part in winning.

I had zero doubts we were going to win Super Bowls 27 and 28.

Man, I truly miss those days.