8 decisions in Cowboys history, revisited (you decide)

[Red Dragon]

There are decisions that were obviously good (such as the Herschel Walker trade) so they're not being featured. Same goes for decisions that were obviously bad, such as the Roy Williams and Joey Galloway trades.


1. Randy Moss or Greg Ellis?

2. Fire Landry, or keep Landry? (If keep Landry, how long - mid-1990s?)

3. Sell the Cowboys to Jones in 1989 (who would hire Johnson,) or to another buyer instead?

4. Build massive Cowboys Stadium, or a smaller, more traditional venue?

5. Draft Walter Payton with the No. 2 pick in 1975, or Randy White?

6. Morris Claiborne, or Dre Kirkpatrick and keep a 2nd-round pick?

7. Sign Terrell Owens, or not?

8. Fire Chan Gailey, or keep Gailey?









My own take:

1. Moss
2. Release Landry, but in a more tactful way
3. Sell to Jones. The 1990s dynasty might not have taken place without Johnson as coach.
4. Build the huge stadium
5. White, but only because Tony Dorsett was a great RB.
6. Kirkpatrick and the 2nd round pick
7. Sign Owens
8. Keep Gailey

 

[wittenacious]

1. Moss, though I understood -- and didn't hate -- the decision to draft Greg Ellis.
2. Release Landry, but in a MUCH, MUCH, MUCH more tactful way
3. Sell to Jones. Agree that the 1990s dynasty might not have taken place without Jimmy Johnson as head coach.
4. Build the big, full-featured stadium ... not just about size, it's an impressive stadium worthy of the Dallas Cowboys, ego involved or not.
5. Randy White, but NOT just because Tony Dorsett was a great RB. Still, glad BOTH were Dallas Cowboys.
6. Mo Claiborne. Right CB for RR's scheme. Too good to pass up at #6 and the trade deal w/ the Rams favored the Cowboys, IMO.
7. Owens played well for the Cowboys. Overall, wish we'd passed.
8. Keep Gailey

 

[jrumann59]

1. Randy Moss or Greg Ellis?

2. Fire Landry, or keep Landry? (If keep Landry, how long - mid-1990s?)

3. Sell the Cowboys to Jones in 1989 (who would hire Johnson,) or to another buyer instead?

4. Build massive Cowboys Stadium, or a smaller, more traditional venue?

5. Draft Walter Payton with the No. 2 pick in 1975, or Randy White?

6. Morris Claiborne, or Dre Kirkpatrick and keep a 2nd-round pick?

7. Sign Terrell Owens, or not?

8. Fire Chan Gailey, or keep Gailey?

-Moss
-Fire Landry in Dallasland more tactful or not Jones fired a GOD, so 6 in one hand half a dozen in another
-Jones we love to hate him but I think the Herschel Walker trade doesn't happen on the scale it did
-Got to build the Starship Jones
-White no guarantees Sweetness is as sweet
-Claiborne, Kirkpatrick=Carlos Rogers though more talented
-Do not sign TO I actually think he stunted Romo's growth
-We were in decline and Gailey was trying to teach old dogs new tricks, so Fire him.

 

[perrykemp]

Aikman over Mandarich (1989).

At the time Mandarich had the highest scouting combine rating ever recorded -- maybe it even stands today.

I remember some healthy debate (at least as a fan) about the relative merits of the Mandarich over Aikman at the time.

 

[Kingsmith88]

1. Randy Moss or Greg Ellis? Moss

2. Fire Landry, or keep Landry? (If keep Landry, how long - mid-1990s?) Fire Landry it was time for him to go, but it could have been handled way better

3.
Sell the Cowboys to Jones in 1989 (who would hire Johnson,) or to another buyer instead? Sell to Jones, stipulate he has to hire a real GM and not play GM

4. Build massive Cowboys Stadium, or a smaller, more traditional venue? More traditional, the stadium now with the screen, the stripper poles and cages is embarassing


5. Draft Walter Payton with the No. 2 pick in 1975, or Randy White? Randy White

6. Morris Claiborne, or Dre Kirkpatrick and keep a 2nd-round pick? Tough one, time will tell

7. Sign Terrell Owens, or not? TO

8. Fire Chan Gailey, or keep Gailey? Keep Gailey avoid the abortion that was Campo

 

[Kingsmith88]

Aikman over Mandarich (1989).

At the time Mandarich had the highest scouting combine rating ever recorded -- maybe it even stands today.

I remember some healthy debate (at least as a fan) about the relative merits of the Mandarich over Aikman at the time.

Wanted Aikman, I taped and watched the UCLA bowl game that year (think I might still have it) and seeing Landry there. At least that is the way I remember it, may have been one of the final regular season games.

 

[speedkilz88]

How about sign Tim Brown in free agency instead of trading two 1st round picks for Joey Galloway?

 

[perrykemp]

Wanted Aikman, I taped and watched the UCLA bowl game that year (think I might still have it) and seeing Landry there. At least that is the way I remember it, may have been one of the final regular season games.

I fell for the incredible steroid fueled hype that was Tony Mandarich. I remember being in complete awe of the SI "Incredible Bulk" article that outlined his 15,000 calorie per day diet, his 4.69 forty time, and game after game of him either pancaking the DL in front of him or driving them straight off the screen of the game film.

I fell for it hook line and sinker. In other words I was an idiot for thinking Mandarich, even if he lived up to the hype, would have made the Cowboys a better team.

 

[JonJon]

1. Randy Moss or Greg Ellis? Randy Moss

2. Fire Landry, or keep Landry? (If keep Landry, how long - mid-1990s?) Release Landry

3. Sell the Cowboys to Jones in 1989 (who would hire Johnson,) or to another buyer instead? Sell to Jones

4. Build massive Cowboys Stadium, or a smaller, more traditional venue? Massive

5. Draft Walter Payton with the No. 2 pick in 1975, or Randy White? Walter Payton

6. Morris Claiborne, or Dre Kirkpatrick and keep a 2nd-round pick? Morris Claiborne

7. Sign Terrell Owens, or not? Sign Owens

8. Fire Chan Gailey, or keep Gailey? Fire Gailey

 

[IAMKING]

1. Randy Moss or Greg Ellis? Randy Moss

2. Fire Landry, or keep Landry? (If keep Landry, how long - mid-1990s?) Fire Landry

3. Sell the Cowboys to Jones in 1989 (who would hire Johnson,) or to another buyer instead? Sell to Jones

4. Build massive Cowboys Stadium, or a smaller, more traditional venue? The current stadium.

5. Draft Walter Payton with the No. 2 pick in 1975, or Randy White? Walter Payton

6. Morris Claiborne, or Dre Kirkpatrick and keep a 2nd-round pick? Morris Claiborne

7. Sign Terrell Owens, or not? Sign Owens

8. Fire Chan Gailey, or keep Gailey? Keep Gailey

 

[Yakuza Rich]

There are decisions that were obviously good (such as the Herschel Walker trade) so they're not being featured. Same goes for decisions that were obviously bad, such as the Roy Williams and Joey Galloway trades.


1. Randy Moss or Greg Ellis?

2. Fire Landry, or keep Landry? (If keep Landry, how long - mid-1990s?)

3. Sell the Cowboys to Jones in 1989 (who would hire Johnson,) or to another buyer instead?

4. Build massive Cowboys Stadium, or a smaller, more traditional venue?

5. Draft Walter Payton with the No. 2 pick in 1975, or Randy White?

6. Morris Claiborne, or Dre Kirkpatrick and keep a 2nd-round pick?

7. Sign Terrell Owens, or not?

8. Fire Chan Gailey, or keep Gailey?











1. Moss -- Ellis wasn't exactly pain-free and Moss was just a better player.

2. Try to force Landry to resign. Although what Jerry did wasn't as bad as the press makes it out to be. Landry saw the writing on the wall and was making himself unavailable and Jerry lost patience and decided to fire him.

3. Keep the Cowboys, do a better job with the team. Make more profit that way.

4. Build Cowboys stadium. Get rid of the Obstructed View seats...makes it look like they are trying to bilk fans. Love the new stadium.

5. Manster. We had tailbacks and the tailback position is a bit overrated. Finding somebody like Randy White was really rare.

6. Claiborne. Mostly because the value was too good for the offer being made. Moving up that far to get the #2 overall pick (according to your scouts) and only giving up a 2nd rounder? The question is if the scouts are right or wrong.

7. Sign Owens. Have Parcells nip it in the bud by calling him by his name and saying he insisted on having him there. Would have saved the team a lot of problems. Also, stick up for you damn players when hacks like Mr. Blue Suit are taking a 'source' they can to make stories.

8. Keep Gailey. He was better than the alternative (Campo). Or at least hire Belichick.





YR

 

[Yeagermeister]

There are decisions that were obviously good (such as the Herschel Walker trade) so they're not being featured. Same goes for decisions that were obviously bad, such as the Roy Williams and Joey Galloway trades.


1. Randy Moss or Greg Ellis?

2. Fire Landry, or keep Landry? (If keep Landry, how long - mid-1990s?)

3. Sell the Cowboys to Jones in 1989 (who would hire Johnson,) or to another buyer instead?

4. Build massive Cowboys Stadium, or a smaller, more traditional venue?

5. Draft Walter Payton with the No. 2 pick in 1975, or Randy White?

6. Morris Claiborne, or Dre Kirkpatrick and keep a 2nd-round pick?

7. Sign Terrell Owens, or not?

8. Fire Chan Gailey, or keep Gailey?









My own take:

1. Moss
2. Release Landry, but in a more tactful way
3. Sell to Jones. The 1990s dynasty might not have taken place without Johnson as coach.
4. Build the huge stadium
5. White, but only because Tony Dorsett was a great RB.
6. Kirkpatrick and the 2nd round pick
7. Sign Owens
8. Keep Gailey

1. Ellis...I still say off the field Moss and Irvin would have been a bad mix
2. I agree it should have been handled better.
3. Wouldn't change it
4. Love the new stadium
5. Love Payton but Randy is the man
6. Claibourne
7. Hell no to Owens
8. Never liked Gailey

 

[CoCo]

1. Randy Moss or Greg Ellis? Moss would have ultimately been a huge distraction. Stay with Ellis.

2. Fire Landry, or keep Landry? Fire Landry. The "do it more humanely" is easier said than done. In the end, that kind of transition was likely messy no matter how it was handled.

3. Sell the Cowboys to Jones in 1989 (who would hire Johnson,) or to another buyer instead? Stay with Jerry.

4. Build massive Cowboys Stadium, or a smaller, more traditional venue? Haven't been there but I think my preference would be a more traditional venue.


5. Draft Walter Payton with the No. 2 pick in 1975, or Randy White? Going Payton just messes with too much Manster & Dorsett legend. Stay with Manster.

6. Morris Claiborne, or Dre Kirkpatrick and keep a 2nd-round pick? Mo!

7. Sign Terrell Owens, or not? Pass. He was productive. He was destructive. In the end, he was unnecessary.

8. Fire Chan Gailey, or keep Gailey? Probably fire Gailey because it got us to Campo sooner which got us to Parcells and actually creating a plan to rebuild. Staying with Gailey longer would've likely prolonged Jerry's lost years.

 

[DFWJC]

1. Moss, though I understood -- and didn't hate -- the decision to draft Greg Ellis.
2. Release Landry, but in a MUCH, MUCH, MUCH more tactful way
3. Sell to Jones. Agree that the 1990s dynasty might not have taken place without Jimmy Johnson as head coach.
4. Build the big, full-featured stadium ... not just about size, it's an impressive stadium worthy of the Dallas Cowboys, ego involved or not.
5. Randy White, but NOT just because Tony Dorsett was a great RB. Still, glad BOTH were Dallas Cowboys.
6. Mo Claiborne. Right CB for RR's scheme. Too good to pass up at #6 and the trade deal w/ the Rams favored the Cowboys, IMO.
7. Owens played well for the Cowboys. Overall, wish we'd passed.
8. Keep Gailey

We seem to all be on the same page

 

[Risen Star]

There are decisions that were obviously good (such as the Herschel Walker trade) so they're not being featured. Same goes for decisions that were obviously bad, such as the Roy Williams and Joey Galloway trades.


1. Randy Moss or Greg Ellis?

2. Fire Landry, or keep Landry? (If keep Landry, how long - mid-1990s?)

3.

Sell the Cowboys to Jones in 1989 (who would hire Johnson,) or to another buyer instead?

4. Build massive Cowboys Stadium, or a smaller, more traditional venue?


5. Draft Walter Payton with the No. 2 pick in 1975, or Randy White?

6. Morris Claiborne, or Dre Kirkpatrick and keep a 2nd-round pick?

7. Sign Terrell Owens, or not?

8. Fire Chan Gailey, or keep Gailey?

1. Randy Moss. You take the talent when you can get it. I don't think it would have changed anything though.

2. Fire Landry. It was past time to do so.

3. Wow. Talk about a conundrum. Do you take the three titles with Jimmy knowing it means a lunatic will take the franchise hostage till death do they part or do you take your chances with a sane owner who may or may not find the right guy to run the team?

I refuse to answer that question. I'd either have to give back Super Bowls or choose Jerry.

4. A smaller, more traditional venue. I know that doesn't make sense business wise, but you're asking me what I would want as a fan.

5. Payton. He was a better player than White. You take the better player. Yes, I know they are both all time great players. But one was still better.

6. Neither. Both scenarios are unacceptable to me. They do nothing to impact the line play on this team.

7. Sign Owens now? No. When we did? Yes. He was a great player. But the contract extension should have never been.

8. Never hire Chan Gailey. He got a raw deal here with the short hook but he's not a championship caliber head coach. This is the Dallas Cowboys. Let the Chan Gaileys of the world coach in Buffalo or Cincinnati.

 

[Risen Star]

Tony Dorsett shouldn't factor in to Payton/White. He came two years later. The Cowboys had no way of knowing he was on the way.

 

[wittenacious]

Tony Dorsett shouldn't factor in to Payton/White. He came two years later. The Cowboys had no way of knowing he was on the way.

Maybe not, in the purest sense of consideration. Still, it's hard to separate the "hindsight" point of view. Hard to choose in a vacuum, discounting the historical significance of the players being discussed. Was for me, anyway.

Who could really choose without the benefit of looking back, given the way the questions in the OP were presented? I wasn't able to.

Payton or White? I will never regret the Cowboys having drafted Randy White. Never. The fact that we later drafted Tony Dorsett as our RB made the question a moot point, in my mind. Yes, benefit of hindsight at play. Guilty as charged.

 

[Risen Star]

Maybe not, in the purest sense of consideration. Still, it's hard to separate the "hindsight" point of view. Hard to choose in a vacuum, discounting history. Was for me, anyway.

Who could really choose without the benefit of looking back, given the way the questions in the OP were presented? I wasn't able to.

Payton or White? I will never regret having drafted Randy White. Never. The fact that we later drafted Tony Dorsett as our RB made the question a moot point, in my mind. Yes, benefit of hindsight at play. Guilty as charged.

I don't think you should regret it either. It ended up working out best for the Cowboys.

 

[wittenacious]

I don't think you should regret it either. It ended up working out best for the Cowboys.

And yet, I think you were right in raising the valid point you made. I'm just saying I'm totally unable to unlike the choice(s) we made, given the way things worked out. My crystal ball sucks. My 20/20 hindsight view of things, though still imperfect, works much better.

 

[Red Dragon]

3. Wow. Talk about a conundrum. Do you take the three titles with Jimmy knowing it means a lunatic will take the franchise hostage till death do they part or do you take your chances with a sane owner who may or may not find the right guy to run the team?

I refuse to answer that question. I'd either have to give back Super Bowls or choose Jerry.

Well, let's put it this way. If some man offered to purchase the Cowboys from Jerry - and you knew that the Cowboys would get three more Lombardi trophies during his time as owner (expanding the trophy collection from 5 to 8,) but you knew that he would be a meddling, interventionist owner just like Jerry, and hold the reins of the franchise for 25 or more years, would you?



Ask any Cowboys fan in 1988 whether they would be willing to let Jerry control the franchise for 25 or more years - if they knew that this would bolster the Cowboys' collection of Super Bowl trophies from 2 to 5 - and most fans would say yes, three more rings please!