Moves That Were Almost Made

[Irving Cowboy]

What was the most important trade ever for Dallas.
Well I know most will say Herschel Walker....well, try..was it Doug Donley or Mike Renfro, was traded to the Oilers for a 5th round pick, and the Cowboys used that to select Herschel Walker, even though he went to New Jersey Generals in the USFL.

It wasn't Renfro, it was Butch Johnson.

 

[Alexander]

That is the draft moment that stands out above all others for me. Believe me I have flipped out when Dallas has made questionable/terrible moves during the draft many times, but I went absolute ape feces when they announced that trade. I kept yelling (to no one in particular) "You need a RB! The best one in the draft falls all the way down into your laps...HOW DO YOU NOT TAKE HIM?!! WHAT THE (*****) ARE THEY DOING?!!!" I may have even sprained something when I jumped up during my rant - lol. I was just utterly flabbergasted. Ah memories...

Yes, but think of how "entertaining" our drafts have been.

 

[punit328]

I thought i read somewhere awhile back that Irvin was almost traded to Oakland early in his career? Is this true?

 

[tyke1doe]

Atta boy Chan. Way to give up on a future hall of famer because he smoked a little herb for a mediocre defensive end.

Moss was a game changer, would've made up for a lot of the team's weaknesses because he took the other 9 guys out the equation on the play - just throw the ball up and he came down with it, over and over and over again.

If it weren't for Irvin's indiscretions, Randy Moss would have been a Cowboy. Jerry Jones couldn't risk the negative image because of what Michael "Can I tell you who I am" Irvin brought the franchise. Irvin even admits it later.

 

[mahoneybill]

Choosing Ware over Merriman

Wanting Quetin Jammer and settled for Roy Williams

Bobby Carpenter 1st round pick ?????

 

[Alexander]

I thought i read somewhere awhile back that Irvin was almost traded to Oakland early in his career? Is this true?

Yes. Al Davis actually protected him from doing something very stupid by advising him not to.

http://tracking.si.com/2013/11/28/jerry-jones-al-davis-michael-irvin/

 

[tyke1doe]

What do you think they would have done with the #1 pick in 1977? Would they still have taken Dorsett with Walter already there?

No. The Cowboys had to give up a small ransom for Dorsett. They didn't have the first overall pick.

And I don't know if the Cowboys would have used Walter any better than they used Dorsett. Landry didn't use Dorsett as much because he was small, and he didn't want him to get hurt. He was forced into playing Dorsett more. I love Landry, but he was definitely old school.

 

[mahoneybill]

I heard that Garret was high on Dalton and Kapernick but they were picked earlier than the Cowboys could land them.

Lets hope so . If true then it bodes well for JG's ability to spot QB talent, and get us a good replacement for Romo

 

[mahoneybill]

They tried to trade up to pick Francis, but it didn't work out, then they tried to trade up to get Lamar Lathon, that didn't work either. So they traded up past the Giants to get Emmitt, because the giants needed a RB too.

Shows that even in their greatness coaches like Jimmy were fortunate their desires weren't met and they wound up with someone even better
in the long run.

 

[mahoneybill]

That is the draft moment that stands out above all others for me. Believe me I have flipped out when Dallas has made questionable/terrible moves during the draft many times, but I went absolute ape feces when they announced that trade. I kept yelling (to no one in particular) "You need a RB! The best one in the draft falls all the way down into your laps...HOW DO YOU NOT TAKE HIM?!! WHAT THE (*****) ARE THEY DOING?!!!" I may have even sprained something when I jumped up during my rant - lol. I was just utterly flabbergasted. Ah memories...

Bill for all of his greatness also made some bad decisions as mentioned above. Parcells to a large degree , a HOF coach owes a lot to wide right Scott Norwoood, fumble in NFC championship game by niners, and one hellacious defense that made winning a little easier for the QB.

 

[Alexander]

No. The Cowboys had to give up a small ransom for Dorsett. They didn't have the first overall pick.

We also took advantage of their fright about Dorsett's contract demands and gave up picks that we had stockpiled. That is what Schramm did back then. We would routinely trade our reserves for choices and consistently had picks to burn.

It was fun back then when we had the smartest front office in the NFL. A far cry from what we have right now.

 

[tantrix1969]

Jason Garett was offered the HC position by the Ravens in 2008. He turned them down to remain our OC and they hired John Harbaugh. They have gone on to appear in/win multiple playoff games and win a Super Bowl. We have not.

However sad this post is, I think it wins the thread.

Garrett was also about to be HC of the Rams in 09 but the fans actually led a revolt and they changed their mind on the ginger

 

[trueblue1687]

Choosing Ware over Merriman

Wanting Quetin Jammer and settled for Roy Williams

Ware>merriman....acknowledging merriman was more highly touted

 

[trueblue1687]

Jerry got Deion Sanders to spend some time with Randy Moss before the draft to see what he thought of him. Deion called Jerry and said Randy was a good kid and he would be a mentor for him and suggested to Jerry that he should draft him.

John Garrett and another scout were standing on the table to draft Moss according to Bryan Broaddus. Garrett said something about we're not drafting Boy Scouts here we drafting football players. Chan Gailey told Jerry he didn't want any parts of Randy Moss and that was enough to sway Jerry. Bryan Broaddus talked about it on Talking Cowboys before.

But wait...i thought jerry made all draft decisions and usurped any autonomy of the head coaches he had.

 

[trueblue1687]

That's still not simple, a lot of assumptions in that post.

The 1998 Dallas Cowboys went 10-6 with Troy, Emmitt and Irvin still all there. They had NO ONE to line up opposite Irvin. With Moss, who we now know is one of the greatest to play the game at his position, we would have most certainly beaten the Cardinals in the playoffs.

As far as the Campo/Parcells years, Quincy Carter, Vinny Testaverde, Drew Bledsoe, and yes, Tony Romo would have all benefitted greatly from having Randy Moss to throw to.

I'm sorry, but I refuse to take the position that everything that could have gone wrong with Moss would have if he came here. He would have helped this team and his QBs far more than he would have harmed them.

Your theory Is as much conjecture as the one you "refuse to take"...moss could have been a bust or pot head (as his history at the time of draft leaned toward...as well as other law breaking issues). I think a safer bet is that he would have had a more difficult time staying "clean" in dallas, but again...they're all guesses.

 

[khiladi]

Man that would've been incredible.

Then we probably wouldn't have ended up with Irvin. Results probably would've been similar if not better. Either way, it worked out well for both franchises and players.

Don't know.. Irvin was the proto-type WR for the Norv offense...

 

[trueblue1687]

You're entitled to believe that and it's, obviously, speculation on your part. This is speculation from me:

Randy Moss would have extended Troy Aikman's career. Perhaps, even, in a different twist of fate, might have extended Michael's career too. So much so, in fact, that Jerry Jones spent over 60 million dollars and 4 picks ( two #1's, a 3rd rnd, and a 5th rnd ) combined in trying to replace Randy Moss ( or not taking him ) with Rocket Ismail, James McKnight and Joey Galloway.

Wow! Now that's WILD speculation considering Acheman retired due to getting drilled into the turf and not lack of interest. If I recall, Irvin retired due to the discovery of a narrowed vertabrae after getting tackled hard in Philly. How could moss have extended their careers, was he a world renowned physician too?

 

[BIGDen]

Oh, it can get worse. Try actually being AT the 2004 draft. I waited an entire day only for Dallas to pass on its franchise RB.

Ouch.

 

[khiladi]

Jerry got Deion Sanders to spend some time with Randy Moss before the draft to see what he thought of him. Deion called Jerry and said Randy was a good kid and he would be a mentor for him and suggested to Jerry that he should draft him.

John Garrett and another scout were standing on the table to draft Moss according to Bryan Broaddus. Garrett said something about we're not drafting Boy Scouts here we drafting football players. Chan Gailey told Jerry he didn't want any parts of Randy Moss and that was enough to sway Jerry. Bryan Broaddus talked about it on Talking Cowboys before.

I take these after-the-thought claims with a grain of salt. Dallas was looking for a replacement for Haley and Tolbert for years, drafting guys like Shante Carver. They traded to move up to get Ekuban to team with Greg Ellis. They also picked Kavika Pittman in the second round.

This was the tradition of our scouting team, including during Broaddus years. Plus, Broaddus was hired with the Cowboys in 1999 and Randy Moss was drafted in 1998.

There is no way they rejected Randy Moss because of 'character issues'. It was probably a PR spin move.

 

[khiladi]

Wow! Now that's WILD speculation considering Acheman retired due to getting drilled into the turf and not lack of interest. If I recall, Irvin retired due to the discovery of a narrowed vertabrae after getting tackled hard in Philly. How could moss have extended their careers, was he a world renowned physician too?

Aikman retired because nobody wanted to pick him up because of injuries. He was throwing out feelers to see if he could play with another team. I believe one of them was KC or Miami, I can't remember which one.