CFZ Cowboys 4 legitimate Head Coaches in the Jones era

[Whyjerry]

The Cowboys have had 4 legitimate head coaches in the Jerry Jones era.

Jimmy Johnson - was a master talent evaluator and motivator. But he was and is an awful person, who selfishly turned his back on Cowboys fans and his own players, and manipulated Jerry into letting him out of his contract, and paying him to leave. I would never want to spend any personal time with the SOB, but he was a genius coach, and he rightfully gets credit for building the team that dominated the mid-90's. But that was BEFORE the salary CAP era. Even Jimmy, with all his genius, wasn't able to build a championship roster in Miami after the Salary CAP was implemented.

Barry Switzer - Fans don't give enough credit to Barry Switzer. He knew he was stepping into a rat's nest, but also a very talented team. Having coached both Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson when they played at Arkansas, he verbally chastised both of them for screwing up what they had in Dallas. Nevertheless, he was egoless enough to let the team that Jimmy built move forward on inertia. Fans like to blame him for missing the Super Bowl after the 1994 season, but the fault for that failure rests squarely on the shoulders of Troy Aikman, who threw 3 interceptions in the first 5 minutes of the NFC Championship game in January of 1995, putting the Cowboys in a 17-0 hole to the 49ers that they just couldn't dig out of. It wasn't a failure of coaching. It was a failure of execution by the on-field leader of the team.

Complaints about Barry's lack of discipline don't hold water with me. The players were already chafing under the rigid discipline of Jimmy Johnson, and needed a lighter touch. Even though Aikman still complains to this day about the lack of discipline under Switzer, is there anyone who really believes that Aikman would have put up with a strong-armed coach after Jimmy left? Well, after Barry left, the Cowboys did hire another strong armed coach in Chan Gailey, and Aikman was front and center in running him out of town, even though Gailey got the Cowboys to the playoffs in both seasons he was head coach. So, Aikman is just full of crap, and a complete hypocrite. If he wouldn't accept a more disciplinarian type coach after Jimmy left, why does he believe the other veteran players on the team would have put up with a more disciplinarian type style from Barry Switzer.

Barry had EXACTLY the right touch to milk two more very good seasons out of the team that Jimmy built. And after Jerry overpaid for ageing stars, and hired Larry Lacewell to lead the Scouting and Drafting department, Barry had no chance to rebuild the roster. The reality is Barry Switzer had already proved his bona fides, winning 3 NCAA football championships with Oklahoma. He didn't need to "prove" himself to anyone, and surely didn't need to impress Troy Aikman, Jerry Jones, or Jimmy Johnson. If anything, he was cleaning up the mess they all made. Switzer was the ideal replacement for Jimmy Johnson at the time, Despite was Jerry said, there were not 500 coaches who could have taken that team to the Super Bowl. There were over 500 coaches who could easily have screwed up the team in 1994 and 1995. Barry was smart enough not to do that, and deftly allowed his veteran players to lead the team, making corrections with only the lightest of touches - which is EXACTLY what was needed in the two seasons after Jimmy left.

Bill Parcells - Bill Parcells was a great coach, and knew how to build a winner. Ironically, he learned a lot from the example and advice of Tom Landry early in his career, and he always gave Landry due credit. Over 4 seasons from 2003 - 2006, he built a championship caliber team. In 2007, I believe a Bill Parcells coached team would have made it to the Super Bowl to challenge the Patriots. But Bill was old, and ran out of gas. He walked away a year to soon for the Cowboys. But if he was truly spent, another season might have put him in the ground. So, it is forgivable, though unfortunate, that he walked away too soon.

Mike McCarthy - Mike McCarthy led the Packers to 4 NFC Championship games, and 1 Super Bowl win in 13 seasons with the Packers. He was consistently a winner, and despite the falling out with prima donna Aaron Rodger (who by the way hasn't been back to a Super Bowl without McCarthy), he was and is a much better coach than he has been given credit for being. Two consecutive 12-win seasons under McCarthy shows that he still knows how to win. Like Jimmy Johnson ditched OC Mike Shula after the 1990 season, McCarthy ditched DC Mike Nolan after the 2020 season 30 years later. If you want to blame McCarthy for hiring Nolan in the first place, then you also have to blame Johnson for hiring Shula. With Mike back to calling play in 2023, he is back in his element, and has full control over the reins of the Cowboys team. He is the first coach since Barry Switzer to get the Cowboys to win 12 games and go to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Despite the national media hyenas, there is no good reason to believe McCarthy is on the hot seat in Dallas. Dallas is on an upward trend since they finally got another legitimate NFL head coach.

Switzer was a disaster. Listen to what Aikman said about him. Zero accountability and discipline. Guy was handed a Ferrari and drive it into a ditch.

 

[gimmesix]

The Cowboys have had 4 legitimate head coaches in the Jerry Jones era.

Jimmy Johnson - was a master talent evaluator and motivator. But he was and is an awful person, who selfishly turned his back on Cowboys fans and his own players, and manipulated Jerry into letting him out of his contract, and paying him to leave. I would never want to spend any personal time with the SOB, but he was a genius coach, and he rightfully gets credit for building the team that dominated the mid-90's. But that was BEFORE the salary CAP era. Even Jimmy, with all his genius, wasn't able to build a championship roster in Miami after the Salary CAP was implemented.

You seem a bit bitter toward Jimmy.

 

[TequilaCowboy]

Barry had no desire to coach in the NFL and has said as much. He only took the job as a favor to Jerry and had no intent of trying to duplicate Jimmy's level of success. That's a nice long write up you did, but Barry was really just going through the motions. It's one of the reasons why Aikman hated him so much.

Jury is still out on MM. He was out of the league when Jerry called him, then admitted to lying his butt off to get the job. Personally, I think he was just looking for a check and was going to take the first offer that came his way.

Barry was a great college coach and deserves all the credit he has gotten in the NCAA...but I agree as Dallas HC he put the team on auto-pilot and won 1 SB with Jimmy's team. Can't blame him, why fix it if it ain't broke. So i don't consider him a great pro coach at all. He got off his couch and knew he was going to an almost sure thing. Jury still out on MM....as far as Dallas HC is concerned. Ironically, that makes the two best HC in Dallas, Jimmy and Bill, the ones Jerry picked where he left his ego out of it.....one because he didn't know any better (Jimmy) and the other because he needed some credibility during the time of his negotiations with Dallas and Arlington for a stadium. He swallowed his pride and ego and hired Bill. Imagine that.

 

[sunalsorises]

You really care or just into ring-tapping?

I actually worry Jerry will put him in.

 

[CCBoy]

Barry was a great college coach and deserves all the credit he has gotten in the NCAA...but I agree as Dallas HC he put the team on auto-pilot and won 1 SB with Jimmy's team. Can't blame him, why fix it if it ain't broke. So i don't consider him a great pro coach at all. He got off his couch and knew he was going to an almost sure thing. Jury still out on MM....as far as Dallas HC is concerned. Ironically, that makes the two best HC in Dallas, Jimmy and Bill, the ones Jerry picked where he left his ego out of it.....one because he didn't know any better (Jimmy) and the other because he needed some credibility during the time of his negotiations with Dallas and Arlington for a stadium. He swallowed his pride and ego and hired Bill. Imagine that.

No imagining without any realistic picture of win/loss directions and as to coaches in the field isn't much more than stereotyping for hero worship and lazy ring tapping. Add some real measure not refutable if you chooses to instead just stick with insult.

 

[CCBoy]

I actually worry Jerry will put him in.

Not so fast, in a discussion, now explain why!

 

[CCBoy]

You seem a bit bitter toward Jimmy.

Disloyalty seems to do that to most people...

 

[shabazz]

“Fans like to blame him for missing the Super Bowl after the 1994 season, but the fault for that failure rests squarely on the shoulders of Troy Aikman, who threw 3 interceptions in the first 5 minutes of the NFC Championship game in January of 1995, putting the Cowboys in a 17-0 hole to the 49ers that they just couldn't dig out of.”

Please correct me if I’m wrong but in the first 5 plus minutes of that game wasn’t it an INT by Aikman, followed by a fumble by Irvin, followed by a kickoff return fumble by Kevin Williams.

I hope my memory hasn’t gotten that bad And want to make sure blame is properly assigned

 

[CCBoy]

Please correct me if I’m wrong but in the first 5 plus minutes of that game wasn’t it an INT by Aikman, followed by a fumble by Irvin, followed by a kickoff return fumble by Kevin Williams.

I hope my memory hasn’t gotten that bad And want to make sure blame is properly assigned

He didn't care...yea there were errors added to that picture.

 

[acr731]

Please correct me if I’m wrong but in the first 5 minutes of that game wasn’t it an INT by Aikman, followed by a fumble by Irvin, followed by a kickoff return fumble by Kevin Williams.

I hope my memory hasn’t gotten that bad And want to make sure blame is properly applied

He is definitely coming across as anti Aikman. And CCboy is clearly related to the Jones family in some way.

 

[CCBoy]

Switzer was a disaster. Listen to what Aikman said about him. Zero accountability and discipline. Guy was handed a Ferrari and drive it into a ditch.

Reference your statement now...

 

[Diehardblues]

Any Cowboy fan supporting Switzer ( needed 3 paragraphs ) while bashing Jimmy over Jethro has motives to prop up our ownership.

Sorry this era under Jethro Jone$ went to crap after Jimmy left and the black cloud still hangs over it.

Even Jethro said any of 500 coaches could have won with that team. Switzer was our 1st puppet and an example of what was to come.

 

[gimmesix]

Disloyalty seems to do that to most people...

If you stop liking your job and want to leave it, does that make you disloyal? As fans, we're loyal to our team. For coaches and players, football is business.

 

[CCBoy]

If you stop liking your job and want to leave it, does that make you disloyal? As fans, we're loyal to our team. For coaches and players, football is business.

He was responsible for that very team...and you say it's just on a job or no job status yet claim inheritance rights for everything. Who does that fool then?

Jimmy wasn't asking for anything not expected by any GM in sport...respect as to role as well as actual accountability. Not just functional That is called professional accountability. That was Jimmy's job, not smiling in front of trophies. The trophies go to the team.

 

[Whyjerry]

Reference your statement now...

You must not be a fan. Aikman talked about the lack of discipline post Jimmy many times.

 

[CCBoy]

He was responsible for that very team...and you say it's just on a job or no job status yet claim inheritance rights for everything. Who does that fool then?

Jimmy wasn't asking for anything not expected by any GM in sport...respect as to role as well as actual accountability. Not just functional That is called professional accountability. That was Jimmy's job, not smiling in front of trophies. The trophies go to the team.

Professional still requires professional and if not, then bad ethics and morales are shown on top of loyalty involving respect. That was the real issue, Two trophies were won despite directions finished up by their Head Coach. Jimmy achieved but was a part and he wanted all team glory. That was the real issue.

 

[Diehardblues]

If you stop liking your job and want to leave it, does that make you disloyal? As fans, we're loyal to our team. For coaches and players, football is business.

Right.. and we can be critical of moving pieces while supporting the sum.

 

[stilltheguru]

Idgit doesn't approve of this thread.

 

[CCBoy]

Any Cowboy fan supporting Switzer ( needed 3 paragraphs ) while bashing Jimmy over Jethro has motives to prop up our ownership.

Sorry this era under Jethro Jone$ went to crap after Jimmy left and the black cloud still hangs over it.

Even Jethro said any of 500 coaches could have won with that team. Switzer was our 1st puppet and an example of what was to come.

Just tell the truth on issues of integrity and quit throwing in excuses for not. No body bullies Jimmy on coaching, unless that ends up being Miami in origin.

 

[CCBoy]

You must not be a fan. Aikman talked about the lack of discipline post Jimmy many times.

All you do is demeaning here...burden is on YOU to provide valid references in a discussion. Get off a blame game instead. My issue wasn't on Jimmy now but that is being thrown around all over OP's and that is NO, no, NO issue right now except to chunk rocks at Jerry.

Point of my reference is that this team is good by any standard and doesn't deserve name calling by any supposedly fans. This team stands on it's own two legs. Not in blaming other fans who observe history not inclusive with your story lines.

All the rest are your issues, not my making. I like today's team and that involves no past of one Jerry Jones...

Don't further expect me to watch a lie being washed down as that involves issues of integrity. I try to protect integrity even if another doesn't agree upon Jerry.