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IRVING, Texas — The resemblance is so unmistakable that it’s downright eerie.
The Dallas Cowboys have reeled off six straight wins en route to the best record in the league and legitimacy as a championship contender for the first time since 1995, the last of their three Super Bowl titles of the 1990s.
It’s hard not to notice they have done so in a similar style and fashion as those title teams of yesteryear.
Certainly, the Cowboys have a long way to go to even be mentioned in the same category of those legendary teams led by the Hall of Fame Triplets of Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith.
But there is no denying that this team, led by the “New Triplets” of quarterback Tony Romo, receiver Dez Bryant and running back DeMarco Murray, have that old championship feel.
Romo has been downright Aikman-like in his accuracy, efficiency and error-free play. His 69.2 completion percentage is No. 1 in the league, and he ranks fourth in quarterback rating.
Murray has assumed the role of Smith, NFL’s all-time leading rusher, as the foundation of the team’s success. He leads the NFL in rushing with 913 yards and is actually on pace to shatter Smith’s franchise single-season rushing record of 1,773 yards set in 1995.
And Bryant has been the perfect embodiment of Irvin as the go-to receiver and emotional fire-starter.
Bryant has 45 catches for 590 yards and four touchdowns, but 27 of his catches have led to first downs.
Irvin, now an analyst for the NFL Network, looks at the triple duplication with pride, calling them “The Triplets 2.0.”
"It does hearken you back," Irvin said. "It's rather eerie. I saw Dez and Demarco do Emmitt and my handshake of Double Trouble. It means you take care of the ground, and I take care of the air. We could allow teams to pick your own poison. Take away the run we will beat you with the pass. Play coverage we will run you out the stadium. Love the Triplets 2.0."
The current Cowboys are shying away from comparison because they have yet to accomplish anything.
But they don’t deny the similarity in formulas as prescribed by coach Jason Garrett, who, not coincidentally, was a backup quarterback on the 1993 and 1995 Super Bowl title teams.
“We don’t like to compare things. Those are great teams. They were some of the best teams in the history of the National Football League,” Garrett said. “There was a good formula for playing winning football back then, being able to run the football and spreading it around. That’s certainly an objective ours.”
But even Garrett acknowledged that watching these Cowboys play, led by the New Triplets, “hearkens you back. It does hearken you back.”
And it’s not just with Murray, Romo and Bryant.
The comparison extends to the dominating offensive line, which has paved the way for Murray and given Romo so much time that he can update his Twitter account.
It was no different than in 1990s when the Cowboys line was the best in the league, including placing four of its members in the Pro Bowl in 1995.
Receiver Terrance Williams has taken over Alvin Harper's role as the big-play threat down the field. Williams has just 19 catches, but he has six touchdowns.
And tight ends Jason Witten and Gavin Escobar have copied Jay Novacek as key weapons on third down.
You can even add slot receivers Cole Beasley and Dwayne Harris as this generation’s version of Kelvin Martin and Kevin Williams.
It has all resulted in a diversity of weapons that has given the Cowboys the NFL’s best and most balanced attack.
“I think people are waiting for us to go a different route,” Witten said. “This is just the way we play. Jason talked about this offseason, how we are going to approach games and this season. You saw it in the draft and how we try to play. We got a lot of weapons. Nobody is a decoy. Nobody is running to run. We work that. We talked about it for a long time. It good to see it pay off for us the way it has.”
It all starts with the New Triplets or The Triplets 2.0, as Irvin says.
None of it is lost on owner Jerry Jones. He said Romo, Murray and Bryant are leading the way now just like Aikman, Smith and Irvin did in the 1990s.
“They are great. They’re making great plays at significant times for us,” Jones said. “That certainly was what Michael, Emmitt and Troy did. In that sense, that’s got everything to do with why we’re 6-1.”
It’s also has the Cowboys believing this back-to-future formula, by the New Triplets, can result in a Super Bowl run for the first time 1995.
Then the comparison can start in earnest.
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
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The Dallas Cowboys have reeled off six straight wins en route to the best record in the league and legitimacy as a championship contender for the first time since 1995, the last of their three Super Bowl titles of the 1990s.
It’s hard not to notice they have done so in a similar style and fashion as those title teams of yesteryear.
Certainly, the Cowboys have a long way to go to even be mentioned in the same category of those legendary teams led by the Hall of Fame Triplets of Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith.
But there is no denying that this team, led by the “New Triplets” of quarterback Tony Romo, receiver Dez Bryant and running back DeMarco Murray, have that old championship feel.
Romo has been downright Aikman-like in his accuracy, efficiency and error-free play. His 69.2 completion percentage is No. 1 in the league, and he ranks fourth in quarterback rating.
Murray has assumed the role of Smith, NFL’s all-time leading rusher, as the foundation of the team’s success. He leads the NFL in rushing with 913 yards and is actually on pace to shatter Smith’s franchise single-season rushing record of 1,773 yards set in 1995.
And Bryant has been the perfect embodiment of Irvin as the go-to receiver and emotional fire-starter.
Bryant has 45 catches for 590 yards and four touchdowns, but 27 of his catches have led to first downs.
Irvin, now an analyst for the NFL Network, looks at the triple duplication with pride, calling them “The Triplets 2.0.”
"It does hearken you back," Irvin said. "It's rather eerie. I saw Dez and Demarco do Emmitt and my handshake of Double Trouble. It means you take care of the ground, and I take care of the air. We could allow teams to pick your own poison. Take away the run we will beat you with the pass. Play coverage we will run you out the stadium. Love the Triplets 2.0."
The current Cowboys are shying away from comparison because they have yet to accomplish anything.
But they don’t deny the similarity in formulas as prescribed by coach Jason Garrett, who, not coincidentally, was a backup quarterback on the 1993 and 1995 Super Bowl title teams.
“We don’t like to compare things. Those are great teams. They were some of the best teams in the history of the National Football League,” Garrett said. “There was a good formula for playing winning football back then, being able to run the football and spreading it around. That’s certainly an objective ours.”
But even Garrett acknowledged that watching these Cowboys play, led by the New Triplets, “hearkens you back. It does hearken you back.”
And it’s not just with Murray, Romo and Bryant.
The comparison extends to the dominating offensive line, which has paved the way for Murray and given Romo so much time that he can update his Twitter account.
It was no different than in 1990s when the Cowboys line was the best in the league, including placing four of its members in the Pro Bowl in 1995.
Receiver Terrance Williams has taken over Alvin Harper's role as the big-play threat down the field. Williams has just 19 catches, but he has six touchdowns.
And tight ends Jason Witten and Gavin Escobar have copied Jay Novacek as key weapons on third down.
You can even add slot receivers Cole Beasley and Dwayne Harris as this generation’s version of Kelvin Martin and Kevin Williams.
It has all resulted in a diversity of weapons that has given the Cowboys the NFL’s best and most balanced attack.
“I think people are waiting for us to go a different route,” Witten said. “This is just the way we play. Jason talked about this offseason, how we are going to approach games and this season. You saw it in the draft and how we try to play. We got a lot of weapons. Nobody is a decoy. Nobody is running to run. We work that. We talked about it for a long time. It good to see it pay off for us the way it has.”
It all starts with the New Triplets or The Triplets 2.0, as Irvin says.
None of it is lost on owner Jerry Jones. He said Romo, Murray and Bryant are leading the way now just like Aikman, Smith and Irvin did in the 1990s.
“They are great. They’re making great plays at significant times for us,” Jones said. “That certainly was what Michael, Emmitt and Troy did. In that sense, that’s got everything to do with why we’re 6-1.”
It’s also has the Cowboys believing this back-to-future formula, by the New Triplets, can result in a Super Bowl run for the first time 1995.
Then the comparison can start in earnest.
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Continue reading...