Did Michael Irvin cost the Cowboys a Super Bowl?

OhSnap

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Micheal Irvin' arrest during the 96 off season was the beginning of the end of the great 90's team. It lead to him missing the first 5 games and the Cowboys lost 3 of those games. The Cowboys had put together 3 straight 12-4 seasons leading up to this year and likely could have forced the Panthers to play on the road where the 2nd year expansion team wouldn't have been so comfortable. A win in that game would have led to a game with the Super Bowl bound Packers, a team that the Cowboys had owned in the playoffs for the 3 previous years.

It's possible that Irvin' birthday party cost a SB, then cost Barry Switzer his Job the next year because with a SB win he doesn't get fired the following year. That party also caused the Cowboys to pass on Randy Moss who would have still have had Troy Aikman for 3 more years and most definitely would have been a huge factor for the Cowboys in the next couple years while they still had a potent defense ranking in the top 10 in points allowed in 98 and 99. Passing on Moss also led to the deal for Joey Galloway as the Cowboys struggled to find a replacement for Irvin, a deal that used 2 first round picks for a guy that played one game his first year.
 

Tabascocat

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daschoo

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Micheal Irvin' arrest during the 96 off season was the beginning of the end of the great 90's team. It lead to him missing the first 5 games and the Cowboys lost 3 of those games. The Cowboys had put together 3 straight 12-4 seasons leading up to this year and likely could have forced the Panthers to play on the road where the 2nd year expansion team wouldn't have been so comfortable. A win in that game would have led to a game with the Super Bowl bound Packers, a team that the Cowboys had owned in the playoffs for the 3 previous years.

It's possible that Irvin' birthday party cost a SB, then cost Barry Switzer his Job the next year because with a SB win he doesn't get fired the following year. That party also caused the Cowboys to pass on Randy Moss who would have still have had Troy Aikman for 3 more years and most definitely would have been a huge factor for the Cowboys in the next couple years while they still had a potent defense ranking in the top 10 in points allowed in 98 and 99. Passing on Moss also led to the deal for Joey Galloway as the Cowboys struggled to find a replacement for Irvin, a deal that used 2 first round picks for a guy that played one game his first year.

Might as well blame him for the current playoff drought as well. I'm sure he had something to do do with Romos back and why is he getting a pass on the RW11 trade?
 

windward

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I will say this. If Irvin isn't suspended we probably start 4-1 or 5-0 instead of 2-3. We still had the Packers number and if we played them again in big D, I suspect we'd beat them again. Heck if he doesn't get hurt vs Carolina we make a NFCCG that year. Beyond 96, I'm not so sure things would have turned out too differently.
 

WPBCowboysFan

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I dont think there is any way to know OP.

If we werent good enough to beat Carolina even at their place we prob werent good enough to have won the Super Bowl that year.
 

Plankton

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Leon Lett's suspension was a bigger factor in the 1996 season. Lett was having a great season that year (his stats didn't reflect it, but the defense played at a high level without Charles Haley and effectively, without a great pass rush). Without Lett, the run defense suffered big time against Carolina.
 

theSHOW

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Micheal Irvin' arrest during the 96 off season was the beginning of the end of the great 90's team. It lead to him missing the first 5 games and the Cowboys lost 3 of those games. The Cowboys had put together 3 straight 12-4 seasons leading up to this year and likely could have forced the Panthers to play on the road where the 2nd year expansion team wouldn't have been so comfortable. A win in that game would have led to a game with the Super Bowl bound Packers, a team that the Cowboys had owned in the playoffs for the 3 previous years.

It's possible that Irvin' birthday party cost a SB, then cost Barry Switzer his Job the next year because with a SB win he doesn't get fired the following year. That party also caused the Cowboys to pass on Randy Moss who would have still have had Troy Aikman for 3 more years and most definitely would have been a huge factor for the Cowboys in the next couple years while they still had a potent defense ranking in the top 10 in points allowed in 98 and 99. Passing on Moss also led to the deal for Joey Galloway as the Cowboys struggled to find a replacement for Irvin, a deal that used 2 first round picks for a guy that played one game his first year.







ouch.
 

casmith07

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Micheal Irvin' arrest during the 96 off season was the beginning of the end of the great 90's team. It lead to him missing the first 5 games and the Cowboys lost 3 of those games. The Cowboys had put together 3 straight 12-4 seasons leading up to this year and likely could have forced the Panthers to play on the road where the 2nd year expansion team wouldn't have been so comfortable. A win in that game would have led to a game with the Super Bowl bound Packers, a team that the Cowboys had owned in the playoffs for the 3 previous years.

It's possible that Irvin' birthday party cost a SB, then cost Barry Switzer his Job the next year because with a SB win he doesn't get fired the following year. That party also caused the Cowboys to pass on Randy Moss who would have still have had Troy Aikman for 3 more years and most definitely would have been a huge factor for the Cowboys in the next couple years while they still had a potent defense ranking in the top 10 in points allowed in 98 and 99. Passing on Moss also led to the deal for Joey Galloway as the Cowboys struggled to find a replacement for Irvin, a deal that used 2 first round picks for a guy that played one game his first year.

Yeah not only that he was glass and got injured when we needed him most. Too bad he was so injury prone, we should have cut him when we knew he had a bad neck. #Zone
 

Jenky

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Micheal Irvin' arrest during the 96 off season was the beginning of the end of the great 90's team. It lead to him missing the first 5 games and the Cowboys lost 3 of those games. The Cowboys had put together 3 straight 12-4 seasons leading up to this year and likely could have forced the Panthers to play on the road where the 2nd year expansion team wouldn't have been so comfortable. A win in that game would have led to a game with the Super Bowl bound Packers, a team that the Cowboys had owned in the playoffs for the 3 previous years.

It's possible that Irvin' birthday party cost a SB, then cost Barry Switzer his Job the next year because with a SB win he doesn't get fired the following year. That party also caused the Cowboys to pass on Randy Moss who would have still have had Troy Aikman for 3 more years and most definitely would have been a huge factor for the Cowboys in the next couple years while they still had a potent defense ranking in the top 10 in points allowed in 98 and 99. Passing on Moss also led to the deal for Joey Galloway as the Cowboys struggled to find a replacement for Irvin, a deal that used 2 first round picks for a guy that played one game his first year.

Did you just watch "The Butterfly Effect" ?

MV5BMTI1ODkxNzg2N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMzQ2MTg2._V1_SY317_CR0,0,214,317_AL_.jpg
 

BigStar

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Irvin & Co. were having fun @ the "White House" on a regular basis before the arrest. The team did just fine before he was caught. I fault the team for relying on Deion as a starting WR during that five game suspension. There was a circus atmosphere around the team, but when is there not? Like a previous poster pointed out, if he didn't get injured during the playoff game @ Carolina, we likely win that game and move on to beat GB ,etc. One of Barry's positive qualities was handling the circus atmosphere, so I wouldn't fault the suspension for the one and done appearance. Kevin Smith was also being torched on a regular basis as well (Achilles injury).
 

NoLuv4Jerry

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This is an interesting thread....I was just having a conversation with a high ranking NFL official who was with the Cowboys for their final Super Bowl in the 90s. He has worked for several NFL teams and currently works for a team that is in the NFC. Anyway, he said something that I already knew...and I think there are plenty who knew this as well....Michael Irvin was UNDOUBTLEDLY the heart and soul of the 90s boys. Unified the lockeroom...got along with offensive and defensive players. Got along with specail teams players. EVERY coach loved him. Give me 53 #88s....and I will go to battle any day!
 

jobberone

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Micheal Irvin' arrest during the 96 off season was the beginning of the end of the great 90's team. It lead to him missing the first 5 games and the Cowboys lost 3 of those games. The Cowboys had put together 3 straight 12-4 seasons leading up to this year and likely could have forced the Panthers to play on the road where the 2nd year expansion team wouldn't have been so comfortable. A win in that game would have led to a game with the Super Bowl bound Packers, a team that the Cowboys had owned in the playoffs for the 3 previous years.

It's possible that Irvin' birthday party cost a SB, then cost Barry Switzer his Job the next year because with a SB win he doesn't get fired the following year. That party also caused the Cowboys to pass on Randy Moss who would have still have had Troy Aikman for 3 more years and most definitely would have been a huge factor for the Cowboys in the next couple years while they still had a potent defense ranking in the top 10 in points allowed in 98 and 99. Passing on Moss also led to the deal for Joey Galloway as the Cowboys struggled to find a replacement for Irvin, a deal that used 2 first round picks for a guy that played one game his first year.

Never thought of it that way. Yeah, it may have. Who is knowing these things?
 
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