Did Jerry Buss not agree to fire Tom Landry or something? Because I believe Jerry said he would and son of a gun with a lower bid Jerry got to own the Dallas Cowboys.
Bum Bright couldn’t fire Landry with the agreement he made when he purchased the Cowboys. And he had a hard-on for Tom.
Bum was attracted by Jethro cause he was going to bring Jimmy in which meant Tom was out. And the fact Jethro was buying with cash which meant a quick transaction.
Bum was facing bankruptcy with the Savings and Loans fall-out and Dr Buss would have to sell out his majority stake in Lakers which would have taken more time.
There was never any talk about how Buss would have made a move with Tom. Tex had been facing some pressure from Bum but was bound to the agreement made and it was Tex’s call.
Tex had been exploring a way for Landry to retire at some point. Jimmy's name had come up with Tex. Dan Reeves and Ditka were other names thrown around.
Tom was determined for the Cowboys to return to some level of prominence before he bowed out . They were going to draft Troy. The Cowboys decline was directly related to not having a QB after Danny went down .
They were 6-2 in 1986 and finished 7-9 after season ending and basically career ending injury. Cowboys never recovered in 1986 or following seasons in 1987 and 1988 with the likes of Pueller and Hogeboom.
And with Troy, Herschel and Irvin would provide him a core to build around. I don’t think Tex& Tom would have traded Herschel and it’s probable they wouldn't have had such a quick turn around as Jimmy did winning multiple championships . But I think it’s likely they could have returned to the respectability Tom was seeking before retiring.
And while we might not have won back to back or 3 out of 4 it’s definitely more likely with a normal ownership and structure we would have been in better position for more success moving forward.
