Re-evaluating Jimmy Johnson

[ottawacowpoke]

The post about us being arrogant and overconfident when we played SF in 94 was dead on. Most of the time coaches really cannot do anything about that. Lombardi and Landry couldn;t' it happened to Bellicek as well. And it was those killer turnovers that put us in so deep a hole that it would have taken a near miracle to win.

But those that think we could have won it all in 96 are full of crap. The SB in 95 showed we were in the decline. The Steelers pretty much stuffed our O line in the second half; we could not run the ball. And out D was pure lucky that McPick gifted our SB MVP like he did. I think without those pics we lose that game.
By 96 our O line was even weaker and so was the D.

True. But if Jimmy had stayed he would have been there for the 94, 95 and 96 drafts (theoretically). Assuming that’s the case, I really feel that those drafts are better with him and as such Dallas wouldn’t have experienced such a precipitous drop in talent by 96. Again, huge assumptions.

 

[IceBowler]

So you think they win the one they lost, and lose the one they won?

Won in 92 & 93, missed in 94 for the 3-peat then won in 95. It's the missed one I've always felt got away. So, I see your point - would have been 4 in a row given the 95 win ..

I'm old and it gets rougher every day.

 

[Runwildboys]

Won in 92 & 93, missed in 94 for the 3-peat then won in 95. It's the missed one I've always felt got away. So, I see your point - would have been 4 in a row given the 95 win ..

I'm old and it gets rougher every day.

I know the feeling...I think.

 

[xwalker]

I used to be one of those fans who believe that had Jimmy stayed we would have won more Super Bowls.

Not anymore.

I now realize that things ended the way they did because it couldn't have gone any other way. Jimmy Johnson's act as a tough-minded psych genius was getting old and Jimmy recognized it. He figured it was better to go out on top vs. sticking around for the downside. Much easier to build a young, fast team and to do it from the perspective as the most recent best college football coach with the most cutting edge knowledge of the young players of that era. Much more difficult to maintain a team that had already peaked, was already starting to lose players and to babysit a team full of spoiled superstars.

In fact, I'm actually more impressed with what Barry Switzer did. There may have been no other coach that could have stepped into that situation and keep it together long enough to win another championship.

Your thoughts?

They would have won the Super Bowl for the 94 season if Jimmy had stayed.
- Players partied but always had Jimmy in the back of their mind.
- With Jimmy in 94, Erik Williams probably wouldn't have wrecked his car.

Jimmy's players were so well coached and team discipline was so extreme that they basically coaches themselves to the 95 season Super Bowl win.

If Jimmy had complete control long term he would have managed like Belichick does.
- He definitely wouldn't have made it past the 95 season with Jerry as the owner.
- He orchestrated his Buddy Wannstedt to become the Dolphins HC because the owner didn't give Jimmy complete control. The owner refused to let Jimmy cut or trade Marino.

 

[TheCritic]

They would have won the Super Bowl for the 94 season if Jimmy had stayed.

Here's my challenge to you and anyone else dumb enough to believe Jimmy would have won it all in 94. Find one Jimmy Johnson quote stating he wish he would have returned in 94. JUST ONE!! The truth is that no such quote exists. Jimmy Johnson was finished and lost all desire to coach the Dallas Cowboys. With no desire to coach for the Dallas Cowboys, there's no chance in hell the Dallas Cowboys would have won that 3rd SB in a row with Jimmy Johnson. End of story.

 

[Havic]

I think he could have got 1 more with that squad. Then the slow decline / rebuild.

 

[TexasBoys2288]

Jimmy did not respect Jerry, or Jerry's role in building those great teams. And then, Jimmy disrespected Jerry in front of the other coaches and team management staff at a dinner. I think everyone there was lit up pretty good, none the less you don't disrespect the big dog. So, it really was Jimmy's own fault.

 

[Runwildboys]

Here's my challenge to you and anyone else dumb enough to believe Jimmy would have won it all in 94. Find one Jimmy Johnson quote stating he wish he would have returned in 94. JUST ONE!! The truth is that no such quote exists. Jimmy Johnson was finished and lost all desire to coach the Dallas Cowboys. With no desire to coach for the Dallas Cowboys, there's no chance in hell the Dallas Cowboys would have won that 3rd SB in a row with Jimmy Johnson. End of story.

Since you're the one who posted the question in the first place, why didn't you add the caveat that all conditions remain the same, with the exception that Jimmy begrudgingly keeps coaching?

Everyone who answered (myself included) that they think he'd win at least the next one was under the assumption that he would have stayed because he wanted to stay.

It's a pretty stupid premise to imagine he kept coaching, if he didn't want to.

 

[eromeopolk]

The drafting got worse because Jerry Jones installed his stooges in the scouting department. People like John Wooten and Bob Ackles were out, replaced by Lacewell and even Garrett’s father got more influence.

Your right. However Jim Garrett was not that bad of a scout. He did not have the influence you think because of his ties to Landry, and Jimmy. He really tried to get the Cowboys to draft Randy Moss and he knew not to draft his son or sign him as a UDFA QB out of college...Jason Garrett originally sign with the Saints where his pos was a DB coach with Nolan a Landry disciple that later became 49er HC.

Jerry Dumbo GM Jones was the blame for all those awful drafts from 1994-2003. Because Larry "loser" Lacwell would set the board and have Jerry play GM with no challenge, push back or flat out stopping him from doing dumb crap. So Parcells came in and fixed the personnel department dumping Lacewell, hiring Ireland, and Jim Garrett retired after Parcells first draft (he was just old as prehistoric crap). Garrett would still hang around and give Parcell players out of the blue...see Miles Austin.

 

[TheCritic]

Since you're the one who posted the question in the first place, why didn't you add the caveat that all conditions remain the same, with the exception that Jimmy begrudgingly keeps coaching?

Everyone who answered (myself included) that they think he'd win at least the next one was under the assumption that he would have stayed because he wanted to stay.

It's a pretty stupid premise to imagine he kept coaching, if he didn't want to.

Don't feel bad. A lot of fans made the same error in judgment.

 

[BAT]

Former Cowboys who actually played for Jimmy vehemently disagree with you.

I used to be one of those fans who believe that had Jimmy stayed we would have won more Super Bowls.

Not anymore.

I now realize that things ended the way they did because it couldn't have gone any other way. Jimmy Johnson's act as a tough-minded psych genius was getting old and Jimmy recognized it. He figured it was better to go out on top vs. sticking around for the downside. Much easier to build a young, fast team and to do it from the perspective as the most recent best college football coach with the most cutting edge knowledge of the young players of that era. Much more difficult to maintain a team that had already peaked, was already starting to lose players and to babysit a team full of spoiled superstars.

In fact, I'm actually more impressed with what Barry Switzer did. There may have been no other coach that could have stepped into that situation and keep it together long enough to win another championship.

Your thoughts?

 

[Runwildboys]

Don't feel bad. A lot of fans made the same error in judgment.

Why would you pose the question of "if he'd stayed" under the circumstances that he didn't want to? That makes no sense.

 

[88sAndHeartbreak]

Thus happened close to 30 years ago, let it go...

 

[Runwildboys]

Former Cowboys who actually played for Jimmy vehemently disagree with you.

No, no. They don't understand the question. Apparently, he wants to know if they would have won with Jimmy, if Jimmy didn't want to be there.

 

[Ranched]

Like Belichick & Brady. Johnson was nothing w/out Aikman & vise versa. Only a handful of fan bases can discuss this topic.

 

[john van brocklin]

My thoughts?

If Jimmy stayed two more years the Cowboys would've won four SBs in a row. Switzer's SB win was a happy accident, courtesy of Jimmy's leftovers.

 

[BAT]

No, no. They don't understand the question. Apparently, he wants to know if they would have won with Jimmy, if Jimmy didn't want to be there.

Even if Jimmy didn't want to be here, his drafting acumen-player acquisition-player management abilities along with his absolute hate of losing would have still garnered a few more championships.

Especially because HIS culture and chemistry was already there on the team.

 

[Reid1boys]

In Jimmy's A Football Life , he stated that he didn't plan to stay long, basically saying he didn't leave because of Jerry.

I think he could have kept the winning going, had he chosen to stay, at least for a couple more years. I think we would have had 4 in a row.

Really? Was it Switzerland fault that we turned the ball over 27 times in the first quarter of the nfc title game against the miners? That was a veteran team and it is what it is. Switzerland came in and got us a title under extremely hard circumstances. He wasn’t jimmy, but he was a damn good coach.
The 18 and 0 pats lost to Eli Manning....is that belicheks fault?

 

[Reid1boys]

That's silly. Switzer didn't cost them the 94 NFC championship. An arrogant team that hadn't lost a playoff game in almost 3 years going against a team ready for revenge and peaking at the right time. That's what happened. 1996 Cowboys were a washed up team riddled with injuries.

Arrogant? They were arrogant in 93, no? They fumbled away that game to the miners.....that simple. not Switzers fault. Not arrogance... sometimes you just lose.

 

[TheCritic]

Former Cowboys who actually played for Jimmy vehemently disagree with you.

Go back and read what I said about Switzer precisely. And then go find me Cowboy player complaints from January 1996 about Switzer and lack of discipline. In other words, go do your homework.