10 years of waiting... Parity to blame?

[romo4pres]

We havent won a playoff game in 10 years. Why is this? It is the longest drought in cowboys history as far as i know and one has to wonder if there is any end in sight. To add insult to injury, some of the crappiest teams are experiencing unheralded success these days. If the saints win the superbowl it will be truely a testament to the end of the old days.
The old days= Football dynasties.

And dont go telling me about the pats because their success comes down to their cold, efficient style of football which most importantly DOES NOT RELY ON STAR PLAYERS. Tom Brady may be a "star" but that has more to do with the fact that his team wins than his individual accomplishments.
In the dynasty days you were only competing against a select few teams whose owners were willing to shell out the bucks for star players. Now, with the salary cap, and free agency and all that big market teams like dallas no longer have an advantage over teams like new orleans and and atlanta. Its anybodies game now from year to year, week to week.
I'm not saying you wont ever see the cowboys win a playoff game again...But i am saying that the fact that we are the cowboys is no longer what will propell us to the top.

People love to come on here and talk about the past. I guess thats normal since theres nothing positive to talk about in the present, but in many ways i feel this organization is living in the past, and we lack that spark and energy that teams without such a vibrant history play with.
/endrant

 

[YosemiteSam]

It all began with an ego. That ego belong to Jerry Jones. When Jerry took control over the team after firing Jimmy Johnson the team went on a huge downhill slide making complete blunders in personal, salary cap, and coaching decision rather than letting the people who actually know make those decisions. While he made a major step forward when he hired Parcells by releasing a majority of control, he still maintains some control and you can see those decisions in some of the player signings/resigning.

 

[Rustinpeace21]

The patriots seem like a dynasty to me

 

[DipChit]

In the dynasty days you were only competing against a select few teams whose owners were willing to shell out the bucks for star players. Now, with the salary cap, and free agency and all that big market teams like dallas no longer have an advantage over teams like new orleans and and atlanta. Its anybodies game now from year to year, week to week.
I'm not saying you wont ever see the cowboys win a playoff game again...But i am saying that the fact that we are the cowboys is no longer what will propell us to the top.

Parity isnt to blame.. drafting poorly is to blame.

In the old dynasty days as you put it, before there was FA/salary cap, doling out money had nothing to do with it. Drafting would-be stars did. There was no way to get the players except draft them. To a lesser degree trade for them. But you couldnt buy them from other teams.

All those years with Landry we were always fortunate enough to keep bringing in really good players. Once we lost that ability, we quit winning. Then we were fortunate enough to strike gold again with so many players in the early 90's.

Then we went back to p*ss poor drafts for the better part of a decade. The pinnacle of proof being losing to an expansion team on their opening day.

 

[superpunk]

Parity isnt to blame.. drafting poorly is to blame.

In the old dynasty days as you put it, before there was FA/salary cap, doling out money had nothing to do with it. Drafting would-be stars did. There was no way to get the players except draft them. To a lesser degree trade for them. But you couldnt buy them from other teams.

Exactly. It's always, always, always been about good drafting. The only difference was in the past, you could keep your players forever, if youw ere willing to pony up. The problem with our team has been that in those years after Jimmy, we didn't supplement our aging stars, and eventually, we ended up completely devoid of NFL caliber talent. There's a reason that almost none of the palyers on that 2003 team are even IN THE NFL anymore, and I can't think of more than 1 or 2 that has been a starter elsewhere.

 

[NextGenBoys]

We havent won a playoff game in 10 years. Why is this? It is the longest drought in cowboys history as far as i know and one has to wonder if there is any end in sight. To add insult to injury, some of the crappiest teams are experiencing unheralded success these days. If the saints win the superbowl it will be truely a testament to the end of the old days.
The old days= Football dynasties.

And dont go telling me about the pats because their success comes down to their cold, efficient style of football which most importantly DOES NOT RELY ON STAR PLAYERS. Tom Brady may be a "star" but that has more to do with the fact that his team wins than his individual accomplishments.
In the dynasty days you were only competing against a select few teams whose owners were willing to shell out the bucks for star players. Now, with the salary cap, and free agency and all that big market teams like dallas no longer have an advantage over teams like new orleans and and atlanta. Its anybodies game now from year to year, week to week.
I'm not saying you wont ever see the cowboys win a playoff game again...But i am saying that the fact that we are the cowboys is no longer what will propell us to the top.

People love to come on here and talk about the past. I guess thats normal since theres nothing positive to talk about in the present, but in many ways i feel this organization is living in the past, and we lack that spark and energy that teams without such a vibrant history play with.
/endrant

You're crazy. You're saying the Patriots arent a dynasty because they dont have star players? They WIN. Thats all anyone plays for in the NFL. They win. They are in position to win 4 SB's in 6 years. That is amazing. They are definately a dynasty.

 

[Doomsday]

You're crazy. You're saying the Patriots arent a dynasty because they dont have star players? They WIN. Thats all anyone plays for in the NFL. They win. They are in position to win 4 SB's in 6 years. That is amazing. They are definately a dynasty.

They are definately a dynasty but they arent a great team. They are by far the weakest of any of the best teams from previous decades. No way will anyone ever convince me that NE could compete with the Steelers from the 70s, the Niners from the 80s or the Cowboys of the 90s.

 

[lewpac]

It all began with an ego. That ego belong to Jerry Jones. When Jerry took control over the team after firing Jimmy Johnson the team went on a huge downhill slide making complete blunders in personal, salary cap, and coaching decision rather than letting the people who actually know make those decisions. While he made a major step forward when he hired Parcells by releasing a majority of control, he still maintains some control and you can see those decisions in some of the player signings/resigning.

So who were "the people who actually know" behind the hiring of Jimmy Johnson to begin with? The "hiring of Jimmy Johnson" that was met with nothing but laughter and scoffing and ridicule? Who were the "people in the know" who was sitting there on draft day and involved in every personal decision back before the three Championship days of the early '90's? You know, the guy sitting next to Johnson in all those tapes and video's?
You correctly opine that "it all began with ego..................Jone's ego, etc...."
The key word there are "it all began". Never forget that. If not for J. Jones, you'd have never heard of Jimmy Johnson. He'd still be doing the Steve Spurrier "NCAA team de jour" dance today if not for the "egotistical and meddling" Jones.
The slam-dunk evidence concludes that Jones was doing just fine until FA, salary cap, and other parity driven rules were introduced. Further evidence, Johnsons utter failure in Miami, further proves that even the Almighty and Ordained Jimmy Johnson couldn't overcome the new rules. That Miami job was Johnson's Nirvana job. All he ever prayed for. He also had an owner in Huzinga with deep pockets and and itchy check-book finger. Had Marino. Had all he ever wanted. Couldn't pull it off. Meanwhile, Jones was winning another Ring with his "meddling" choice of Switzer as HC. Of course, Johnson gets all the credit for even that SB win.
No, you gotta' do better than ESPN talking points about Jones to convince me. The facts speak otherwise. Am I pleased with the last 10 years? No. But when the Jimmy vs. Jerry talk begins, examine the record without the "good old day's" of Jimmy Johnson in mind, and it speaks otherwise.

 

[Timbo2st]

No way will anyone ever convince me that NE could compete with the Steelers from the 70s, the Niners from the 80s or the Cowboys of the 90s.

....and the Eagles dynasty of the 10's.

 

[NinePointOh]

To add insult to injury, some of the crappiest teams are experiencing unheralded success these days. If the saints win the superbowl it will be truely a testament to the end of the old days.
The old days= Football dynasties.

I've never understood this logic. How is it better for the bad teams in any sport to remain bad for 40 consecutive years? Before San Francisco's success in the 80s, they'd been through several miserable decades. How many people watched their rise to power and said, "Well, it's the end of the old days, when the Packers and Steelers won all the time."

But then, of course ... the Steelers were horrible for 30 years until the 1970s. It's all part of the game, and it has very little to do with parity.

We havent won a playoff game in 10 years. Why is this? It is the longest drought in cowboys history as far as i know and one has to wonder if there is any end in sight.

Well, it must be the league's fault. It certainly has nothing to do with 10 years of horrible drafting.

 

[lewpac]

You gotta' give it to the Pats. If they DO win it this year, they're in that elite air of 4 rings in 6 years...............70's Steeler-ville.
And you gotta' begin speaking of Billicheck/Brady in the same breath as Lombardi/Starr, Landry/Staubach, Knoll/Bradshaw, Walsh/Montana. Can't avoid it. Especially because Billicheck/Brady are the one constant in the run. Ubelievable in this day and age.

 

[YosemiteSam]

So who were "the people who actually know" behind the hiring of Jimmy Johnson to begin with?

Jerry Jones hired Johnson, but as they say "A stopped clock is right twice a day" (for the hiring of Johnson) and as for the Superbowls, "The sun even shines on a dogs @#$ occasionally!"

Some people say cliches are stupid, but one thing they can't deny. They're true!

:laugh1:

 

[romo4pres]

You're crazy. You're saying the Patriots arent a dynasty because they dont have star players? They WIN. Thats all anyone plays for in the NFL. They win. They are in position to win 4 SB's in 6 years. That is amazing. They are definately a dynasty.

im not saying they arent a dynasty. im saying that theyve overcome the salary cap by a method that will be virtually impossible to replicate. They've done without very many great players. Sort of like the Florida Gators in college...if tom brady played in a different system i dont think hed be so succesful

 

[joseephuss]

Parity isnt to blame.. drafting poorly is to blame.

In the old dynasty days as you put it, before there was FA/salary cap, doling out money had nothing to do with it. Drafting would-be stars did. There was no way to get the players except draft them. To a lesser degree trade for them. But you couldnt buy them from other teams.

All those years with Landry we were always fortunate enough to keep bringing in really good players. Once we lost that ability, we quit winning. Then we were fortunate enough to strike gold again with so many players in the early 90's.

Then we went back to p*ss poor drafts for the better part of a decade. The pinnacle of proof being losing to an expansion team on their opening day.

Losing to the Texans was more than just poor drafting. Dallas certainly wasn't overflowing with talent, but they were still slightly more talented than Houston. Well, at least equal in talent. That game came down to coaching. Dave Campo was lacking.

It is mostly a lack of talent that has kept Dallas from winning playoff games over the last decade. Talent can overcome poor coaching. Poor coaching can handcuff talent sometimes as well.

 

[TEK2000]

....and the Eagles dynasty of the 10's.

 

[Cowboys22]

If parity was to blame then every team should have at least one good year every 3 to 5 years but that isn't really happening. I do think the league is a little watered down and there is parity but that means with good coaching and drafting you should be one of the better teams every year. I think that is proving itself true when you look at the league you see the Patriots, Eagles, Colts, Steelers always seeming on top lately. All those teams have good coaching and tend to draft well. Every year a few new teams rise to the top, those without good coaching or drafting tend to fade away quickly but those who actually develop into well coached teams and then draft well can remain on top. This may be happening right now with the Saints, Bears, Chargers. We will see.

 

[Aikbach]

....and the Eagles dynasty of the 10's.

Psst..I'm gonna let you in on a little secret, the NFL began in 1920.

 

[burmafrd]

the Steelers, us and the other teams that won multiple SBs had a HUGE amount of talent. The Pats have nowhere near that much BUT they have about as much as anyone does - AND they really have very few weak areas. this year they are weak at WR but that is not that bad if you are good elsewhere. In this FA and CAp times if you can keep from being weak at more then one place you can win it all. BUT the most important thing they have is a great QB. That gives them the edge; that and a very good staff and HC.

One thing to remember about the past dynasties; the draft was a lot longer back then; you could bring in 10-12 players every year on the draft.

 

[lewpac]

Jerry Jones hired Johnson, but as they say "A stopped clock is right twice a day" (for the hiring of Johnson) and as for the Superbowls, "The sun even shines on a dogs @#$ occasionally!"

Some people say cliches are stupid, but one thing they can't deny. They're true!

:laugh1:

You're honestly, with a straight face, are going to sit there and chalk the hiring of Johnson and three championships up to pure **** luck and that Jones had ZERO, NADDA, ZILCH to do with it?? Just a horshoe-toss, haphazard fluke that Jones just happened into?
See, this is what led to the very situation that you so want to blame Jones for. The "divorce" that so eats at Dallas fans to this day. Johnson adopted the same attitude, that Jones had nothing to do with any of it whatsoever.
He started to believe the media and his own press that HE and HE alone forged EVERYTHING having to do with that dynasty, which of course isn't true. All Jones ever wanted was some semblemce of respect and credit for his part . But NOOOOOOOOO. No way man!! Jimmy would have none of it! Just read his book if you don't believe he's wonderfull, he'll take's the guess work out of it. If anybody is the ego-maniac who destroyed that time, it was Johnson a ton more than Jones.
Is Jones perfect? No. Does Jimmy get alot of credit? Of course. But the problem was, that in Johnsons world, Jones get's NO credit, and Johnson was the end-all and be-all of ALL that success. THAT, my freind, was the larger part of "the divorce". The end came when Johnson totally dissed Jones at the meetings in Florida, and made a fool of him in front of the entire coaching staff and all present. Jones ambled up to that table, and all the side-splitting laughter stopped suddenly, everyone having a "I'm caught" look on his face. How would you feel having everyone who's salary your paying making an *** out of you behind your back? If I were Jones, I would've booted his *** too. Winning be damned, there's only so much a guy can take.
You're way off base if you think that Jerry Jones isn't a brilliant buisness man, a good football-man, and more than benevolent and fair to his employees. IMO, he's the best owner in the NFL.

 

[YosemiteSam]

You're honestly, with a straight face, are going to sit there and chalk the hiring of Johnson and three championships up to pure **** luck and that Jones had ZERO, NADDA, ZILCH to do with it?? Just a horshoe-toss, haphazard fluke that Jones just happened into?

No. I said Jones hired him, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Meaning, yes he hired him, but the fact that he turned out good had nothing to do with Jerry being smart. Sun shines on a dogs @#$ means, that even a loser can win something. Jerry won because he got lucky when he hired Johnson. Once he decided he was going to make the football decisions, well... we saw what happen next.

It's like the lottery, 250 million idiots throw away a $1. One of those idiots will look like a genius once they've won!