A question for our resident historians

[gjkoeppen]

There were a few things:

• Michael Irvin was suspended for the first five games of the season.
• Jay Novacek came down with a bad back in mini camp that season, and never played again.
• Emmitt Smith injured his ankle in the third preseason game against the Broncos, and never was fully healthy the whole season.
• The offensive line, despite having great numbers in pass blocking that season (only allowed 19 sacks), regressed mightily. Ray Donaldson was a shell of himself coming back from a broken ankle. Both Nate Newton and Mark Tuinei were not as good as they had been in 1995 as well.
• Deion Sanders was the Cowboys #2 WR. Aikman never developed a comfort factor in throwing to him.
• Kevin Williams regressed significantly from a fantastic close to the 1995 season to 1996. In 1995, he caught 38 passes for 613 yards and 2 TDs. In 1996, he ended up with 27 catches for 323 and 1 TD.
• In looking at the passing game difference from 1995 to 1996, it's startling:
  • 1995:
  • #1 WR - Michael Irvin - 111 catches for 1603 yards and 10 TDs (16 games played)
  • #2 WR - Kevin Williams - 38 catches for 613 yards and 2 TDs (16 games)
  • TE - Jay Novacek - 62 catches for 705 yards and 5 TDs (15 games played)
  • RB - Emmitt Smith - 62 catches for 375 yards
  • QB Troy Aikman - 93.1 passer rating
• • 1996:
  • #1 WR - Michael Irvin - 64 catches for 962 yards and 2 TDs (11 games)
  • #2 WR - Deion Sanders - 36 catches for 475 yards and 1 TD (15 games)
  • TE - Eric Bjornson - 48 catches for 388 yards and 3 TDs (14 games)
  • RB - Emmitt Smith - 47 catches for 249 yards and 3 TDs (15 games)
  • QB Troy Aikman - 80.1 passer rating
• Net yards passing per attempt - 1995 - 7.1 yards (1st in the league)
• Net yards passing per attempt - 1996 - 6.2 yards (9th in the league)
• Net yards rushing per attempt - 1995 - 4.4 yards (4th in the league)
• Net yards rushing per attempt - 1996 - 3.5 yards (22nd in the league)

Namely, it boiled down to lesser performance by literally every player and every position on the offensive roster, injuries to two key players, a suspension to start the season, and a very stale offensive scheme.

That's some good work there.
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[bdk76]

This about sums it up

 

[Stash]

I'm not saying this is the only reason but I'm sure it's part of it. Aikman threw more picks than TD's in 1996. He did this 4 times in his 12 year career. His rookie year, 1990, 1996 and his last year 2000.
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Yeah, Aikman is my all-time favorite Cowboys, but man did he have a lousy year in 1996!

 

[gjkoeppen]

Yeah, Aikman is my all-time favorite Cowboys, but man did he have a lousy year in 1996!

My favorite is a toss up between 4 players. Dorsett, Emmitt, Darren Woodson and Randy White.
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[Stash]

My favorite is a toss up between 4 players. Dorsett, Emmitt, Darren Woodson and Randy White.
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Can't go wrong with any of them either!

 

[Plankton]

This opinion will likely get me tarred and feathered, but 1996 was the highlight of Barry Switzer's coaching career. Getting a team with that impotent of an offense to a division title and advancing a round was pretty amazing in retrospect. I also believe that were it not for Michael Irvin breaking his collarbone on the first drive of the Carolina playoff game, the Cowboys would have won that game and made the title game.

The ride would have likely ended the next week. With the defense missing Leon Lett, they could not handle the inside running game at all.

 

[RS12]

Too lazy to look it up but how many penalties did they have. From the second Switzer got hired I noticed undisciplined play and many penalties. Seemed to get worse every year.

 

[IceStar-D7]

The wheels were coming off. Novacek, Haley, Smith, and Williams were all diminished due to injury.

Irvin was well into his hookers and cocaine period.

Drafting for backups was in its second year.

Are hookers eligible for social security??? Those former girls must be up there in age by now

 

[dckid]

Sorry, your post made me realize that I had totally put down the wrong year for my question, which changes it completely. I meant to post 1996!

Great question. Honestly the team got oldish overnight. They were going on 4 years of not having a second Wr opposite Irvin. The Zampese offense got stale. The o line was older and falling apart. The defense really only had Leon alert. We had draft bums line Karver, Pittman, older Henne and Casillas.
Think of the 92 Cowboys Cowboys roster being halved to 1997.

 

[PhillyCowboysFan]

They struggled as badly to score if not worse after Irvin returned from those first 5 games. They scored 27, 24, and 23 points in three of those 5 games while struggling in the other two (scoring just 7 and 6 points. But the struggled to score points badly later in the year too, for several weeks. Their high score for the entire regular season was 32 points. And they often failed to score over 10 or 12 points.

In my opinion it had a lot to do with our antiquated offense, let me explain. The early 90’s Cowboys was the most talented roster, from top to bottom. Even most of our second teamers could start on other teams. So we ran this simplified offense that no one could really stop, even when they knew what play was called because our players (especially the Oline) was so much more talented. Well five years later with everyone getting older, lingering injures that take longer to heal, the depletion of our roster through free agency and the improvement of other teams because of the same free agency. Now add bad coaching, bad drafting and the sense of entitlement, we just sled of the mountain.

 

[Verdict]

But that's part of what has me scratching my head trying to figure it out. Most of the pieces were still there from those Super Bowls:

1. Aikman
2. Smith
3. Irvin
4. That offensive line (who all played that entire season save for Tuinei missing just one game)

The two missing parts were Harper and Novacek, but I can;t think that they could have such a dramatic effect. The scoring numbers are pathetic.

When was Irvin injured?

 

[CT Dal Fan]

The 1996 Cowboys had a lot to deal with:

1. Michael Irvin suspended the first five games.
2. Emmitt Smith hurt his ankle in camp, his neck in the opener, and wasn't himself all season.
3. The offensive line got old, fast.
4. The team wasn't prepared for tight end Jay Novacek not playing with a back injury sustained in the offseason.
5. The red-zone production was awful.

It's really a shame, too, because the '96 Cowboys defense was absolutely stellar. There's no doubt Dallas would have won their fourth Super Bowl in five years if the offense didn't bog down like it did.

 

[Typhus]

Stepnoski left after the 1994 season. Donaldson was there in 1995 as well.

He left and came back,,Houston if I remember correctly.

 

[CT Dal Fan]

He left and came back,,Houston if I remember correctly.

You're right. Four seasons with the Oilers from '95-'98; then finished his career back with Dallas from '99-'01.