DMN Blog: NFL Network crowns 'greatest Cowboys of all time'

[Section446]

It would've been more appropriate for NFL Network to have come up with a Top 20 or 25 list instead of a Top 10. Too many Cowboys fit the bill.

Exactly, I wonder if they will be doing this with any other teams.

 

[bbgun]

Hard to argue for the most part, but how do you justify not including Jerry Jones?

Or Clint Murchison. Then again, the criterion is "great," not "influential."

 

[Section446]

Or Clint Murchison. Then again, the criterion is "great," not "influential."

In my opinion Jones is the best OWNER in sports.

 

[DallasDomination]

1. Landry
2. Emmitt Smith
3. Staubach


My top 3.

 

[CowboyMike]

Another thought.

How did arguably the greatest lineman to ever play the game of football not be on this list? Larry Allen.

 

[Derinyar]

I think you might have to find a spot on there for Larry Allen. He was the lineman of a decade for the NFL it seems.

I think I would probably have to leave Pearson off that list in favor of either Allen or Rayfield Wright.

 

[Big Dakota]

Gotta love lists

 

[Section446]

I think you might have to find a spot on there for Larry Allen. He was the lineman of a decade for the NFL it seems.

I think I would probably have to leave Pearson off that list in favor of either Allen or Rayfield Wright.

Great point, I'd replace Pearson with Allen as well.

 

[J-DOG]

7:32 AM Fri, May 29, 2009 | Permalink
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Now the NFL Network is getting into the act. If you want to come up with a list to catch people's attention it's never bad to start with something Cowboys.

NFLN is ranking the Top 10 folks in the history of various franchises. The series begins at 7 tonight with the Cowboys. Note it's not only players. It's people who have contributed to the franchise.

Here's the Top 10 (If you don't want to know, don't turn the page):


10. Drew Pearson
9. Don Meredith
8. Randy White
7. Tony Dorsett
6. Troy Aikman
5. Emmitt Smith
4. Bob Lilly
3. Michael Irvin
2. Roger Staubach
1. Tom Landry

OK, I'll start the yapping right here. Michael Irvin No. 3? Ahead of Bob Lilly, Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman? No Tex Schramm? No Jerry Jones? No Mel Renfro?

Discuss among yourselves.

The more I see this list the more I am agreeing with it.
Irvin was the heart and soul of the 90's Cowboys...Troy and Emmitt would tell you that. It was Irvin who set the tone in practice, it was Irvin who got in players faces(no matter if they played defense or special teams) and it was Irvin who set the tone for work ethic.
I am convinced that Alvin Harper(as flaky as he was) would not have been near the player he was for us if not for Irvin constantly pushing his buttons to get the best out of him.
I say Irvin and Lilly are real close in my opinion and choosing between those 2 is like choosing who is your favorite child...you can't do it. You love em both.

 

[Achozen]

no Sanders? eh?

Sanders wasn't really a "true" Cowboy. Everyone on the list started their career as a Cowboy.

 

[28 Joker]

Putting Emmitt Smith at number 5 is a joke.

I think Emmitt Smith should be the number one player for sure.

His 1993 game at New York made him a legend for the ages.

 

[RS12]

Danny White should be on that list. He shouldn't be high, but he should be on the list.

Huh?:laugh2: You are kidding right?

 

[RS12]

I think you might have to find a spot on there for Larry Allen. He was the lineman of a decade for the NFL it seems.

I think I would probably have to leave Pearson off that list in favor of either Allen or Rayfield Wright.

Yep no doubt.

 

[Ultra Warrior]

Danny White should be on that list. He shouldn't be high, but he should be on the list.

Agreed.

 

[links18]

Huh?:laugh2: You are kidding right?

No, but then again, I came of age when Danny was the QB. Its hard to see who else on the list he would beat out, so maybe if it was top 15 or top 20 Cowboys of all time he should be there. Danny was a very good QB during a tough stretch for the franchise.

 

[RS12]

For those people who say Jerry Jones should be on the list I say no. I do believe he will be in Canton and should be. If there were a Hall of Fame for businessmen he would be in there too. His fellow owners should get down on their knees every night and think him for the money he has put in their pockets over the years. However he is not one of the ten greatest Cowboys.

I do think that the two men most responsible for making the franchise what it is today are at the top of the list Landry and Staubach. The decade of the 70's is most responsible for making the NFL and Cowboys what they are today. too me Landry and Staubach are the main reasons why.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

This is on right now. Brad Sham is right when he says Randy White is one of the greatest football players who ever lived and should be in the top 5 of this list.

And props to the Philly guy who said similar things, and also said Dorsett should be higher.

 

[pancakeman]

 

[BourbonBalz]

I don't have a real difficult time picking the Top 10 Cowboys of all time, until I get to the last 3 or so. I do have a hard time rating them from 1 to 10 because it's so hard to rank players that play different positions. OL don't get the stats of a RB, QB, or WR. At any rate, below is my ATTEMPT to rank the top 10 Cowboy PLAYERS. I'm not going to include coaches, owners, etc. Everyone knows Landry would be # 1 if you did include these guys.

1) Roger Staubach
2) Emmitt Smith
3) Bob Lilly
4) Troy Aikman
5) Michael Irvin
6) Tony Dorsett
7) Randy White
8) Larry Allen
9) Rayfield Wright
10) Mel Renfro

Some of the others I considered, in no particular order, include Chuck Howley, Drew Pearson, Harvey Martin, Darren Woodson, Don Meredith, Ed Jones, Cliff Harris, Charlie Waters, Bob Hayes, etc.

There are two players that I think would've been definitely included in the Top 10 if certain circumstances hadn't arisen: Erik Williams had he not been involved in the car crash. He was never the same. Charles Haley if he had played more years for the Boys and if his back had not become an issue late in his career.

There's one current Cowboy that will break into the Top 10 if his career continues the way it has gone thus far. I'm sure to no one's surprise the player I'm talking about is Ware.

Of my Top 10 listed above, I don't see how anybody could leave out Staubach, Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, Bob Lilly, Tony Dorsett, Michael Irvin, Randy White, or Larry Allen. To me, that's 8 players that should be a lock in any list that anybody could put together. That really only leaves two spots to argue. Just my take.

 

[BourbonBalz]

By the way, I've got Staubach and Aikman both in the Top 5 simply because of the position they play. Everyone knows that QB is the biggest key to any football team. It's the hardest position to master, requires leadership, and is just the engine that pulls the train. Staubach and Aikman have 5 Super Bowls between them. That makes these two lock Top 5 to me.