Revisiting the 1989 Draft. Aikman vs Barry Sanders, Deion, & Derrick Thomas

[TwoCentPlain]

Just wondering about that 1989 draft and the literal 4-tyne fork in the road. Four of the top five picks were hall of famers. Aikman at 1, RB Barry Sanders at 3, LB Derrick Thomas at 4, and Deion Sanders at 5. Poor GB picked Mandarich.

Was Aikman the best choice in hindsight? Remember Steve Walsh was available in the supplemental and Jimmy Johnson volunteered to pick him up at the airport.

Barry Sanders behind the Great Wall?
Adding the greatest cover CB ever in Deion to that awesome defense? He basically shut down 1/2 of the field.

The 1990 draft offered Jeff George at QB and would have been available if the Cowboys passed on Walsh.

The 1991 draft offered Brett Favre.

In hindsight, I think Deion Sanders would have been the best pick, followed by Barry Sanders. Although, that means no Emmitt (ouch!) in 1990, but I think Barry would have been Tony Dorsett on steroids behind the Great Wall. Aikman and LB Thomas would have rounded it out for me.

Interesting fact: that 1989 draft had two players named Sanders and two players named Thomas in the top 6 picks.

Has any other draft had 4 hall of gamers in the top 5 picks?

 

[perrykemp]

What a draft.

For what’s it’s worth, I wanted the Cowboys to draft Mandarich…. at the time was viewed the best OL prospect basically ever.

 

[1942willys]

Just wondering about that 1989 draft and the literal 4-tyne fork in the road. Four of the top five picks were hall of famers. Aikman at 1, RB Barry Sanders at 3, LB Derrick Thomas at 4, and Deion Sanders at 5. Poor GB picked Mandarich.

Was Aikman the best choice in hindsight? Remember Steve Walsh was available in the supplemental and Jimmy Johnson volunteered to pick him up at the airport.

Barry Sanders behind the Great Wall?
Adding the greatest cover CB ever in Deion to that awesome defense? He basically shut down 1/2 of the field.

The 1990 draft offered Jeff George at QB and would have been available if the Cowboys passed on Walsh.

The 1991 draft offered Brett Favre.

In hindsight, I think Deion Sanders would have been the best pick, followed by Barry Sanders. Although, that means no Emmitt (ouch!) in 1990, but I think Barry would have been Tony Dorsett on steroids behind the Great Wall. Aikman and LB Thomas would have rounded it out for me.

Interesting fact: that 1989 draft had two players named Sanders and two players named Thomas in the top 6 picks.

Has any other draft had 4 hall of gamers in the top 5 picks?

You really think we get three rings without Aikman?

 

[ghst187]

No player is ever more valuable than a QB and Aikman won 3 SBs while Barry and Thomas won none. Deion won one but only because he cheated in SF and then bc Aikman was his QB the second time. So I think we made the right decision but yes it is fun to imagine Barry behind our OL. And we actually got to see Deion behind our D and returning punts for us. So I’d say it worked out well.
I don’t think Walsh would’ve cut it for us.

 

[TwoCentPlain]

You really think we get three rings without Aikman?

Yes. Without the Great Wall and Emmitt Smith and Irvin and an awesome defense, Aikman doesn’t see a Super Bowl without buying a ticket.

 

[zrinkill]

"The great wall" consisted of 3rd round picks or castoffs from other teams until 1994 when we drafted Larry Allen in the 2nd round.

Aikman, Emmitt, Irvin,Jimmy Johnson, and Norv Turner made them great.

 

[zrinkill]

Yes. Without the Great Wall and Emmitt Smith and Irvin and an awesome defense, Aikman doesn’t see a Super Bowl without buying a ticket.

We really need a dislike button.

 

[joseephuss]

Yes. Without the Great Wall and Emmitt Smith and Irvin and an awesome defense, Aikman doesn’t see a Super Bowl without buying a ticket.

Obviously, it takes a complete team to win championships. The defense, the Great Wall, Emmitt, and Irvin needed Troy as much as he needed them. Aikman was the right choice at the time and hindsight only solidifies that the correct decision was made. A team can win a Superbowl with an average QB, but it takes a very good QB to keep their team in contention for several years in a row. A great QB is required to win 3 Superbowls in 4 years. Steve Walsh and Jeff George would not do that with those Cowboys teams.

 

[TwoCentPlain]

We really need a dislike button.

Yes, we really do.

 

[Tabascocat]

Aikman was the correct pick. Oh, and they still got Prime Time

 

[NickZepp]

Aikman was the right pick.

Look at the QBs in 1989-1992

1990
Neil O'Donnell
Scott Mitchell was the only ones that had pro bowl type seasons

1991
Brett Favre was the only one that is really of any note that year. He was a 3rd QB taken and was discarded by his first team because of performance. We think of Brett Favre as great in retrospect but at the time it wasn't a guarentee he would have been good in the Cowboys system. The Packers were fully in the Majikowski being the future at the time so they got him as a backup.

Looking at 92. David Klinger/Tommy Maddox/Jeff Blake. That's pretty big downgrade.

Maybe 1993 with Bledsoe you have a comparable talent to Aikman.

If you are without a QB for 3 or 4 years with a tough NFC East those years Jimmy Johnson probably doesn't make it to 1993.

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

Aikman was the right pick.

Look at the QBs in 1989-1992

1990
Neil O'Donnell
Scott Mitchell was the only ones that had pro bowl type seasons

1991
Brett Favre was the only one that is really of any note that year. He was a 3rd QB taken and was discarded by his first team because of performance. We think of Brett Favre as great in retrospect but at the time it wasn't a guarentee he would have been good in the Cowboys system. The Packers were fully in the Majikowski being the future at the time so they got him as a backup.

Looking at 92. David Klinger/Tommy Maddox/Jeff Blake. That's pretty big downgrade.

Maybe 1993 with Bledsoe you have a comparable talent to Aikman.

Also Favre’s first big season was 1994. Both he and Bledsoe wouldn’t have been ready until after the first two rings were won. Then after 1996 the roster started deteriorating once the cap squeeze began, so you’ve got about a 2 year window to do anything. 1996 Cowboys with Favre aren’t beating the 1996 Packers with Aikman.

Butterfly effect dictates it’d be silly to not do everything exactly how it happened.

 

[VaqueroTD]

Yes. Without the Great Wall and Emmitt Smith and Irvin and an awesome defense, Aikman doesn’t see a Super Bowl without buying a ticket.

3x Super Bowl Quarterback… Steve Buerlein!

 

[jazzcat22]

Yes. Without the Great Wall and Emmitt Smith and Irvin and an awesome defense, Aikman doesn’t see a Super Bowl without buying a ticket.

And if not for Brady and Bellichick cheating they would have seen no SB's.
Every one of their SB's wins were somehow tainted.

 

[jazzcat22]

"The great wall" consisted of 3rd round picks or castoffs from other teams until 1994 when we drafted Larry Allen in the 2nd round.

Aikman, Emmitt, Irvin,Jimmy Johnson, and Norv Turner made them great.

BOOM

Nate Newton even said, they were a bunch of nobodies until Emmitt.

 

[1942willys]

Yes. Without the Great Wall and Emmitt Smith and Irvin and an awesome defense, Aikman doesn’t see a Super Bowl without buying a ticket.

Really interesting how alone you are on this

 

[1942willys]

"The great wall" consisted of 3rd round picks or castoffs from other teams until 1994 when we drafted Larry Allen in the 2nd round.

Aikman, Emmitt, Irvin,Jimmy Johnson, and Norv Turner made them great.

The worst thing about the great wall is that Jerry kept trying to recreate it for too many years with low rd picks and castoff.

 

[TwoCentPlain]

Really interesting how alone you are on this

Robert Frost
1874 – 1963
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

 

[1942willys]

Robert Frost
1874 – 1963
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

"‘Ride, boldly ride,’
The shade replied,—
‘If you seek for Eldorado!’ "


Edgar Allan Poe

 

[TwoCentPlain]

BOOM

Nate Newton even said, they were a bunch of nobodies until Emmitt.

So, the game is not won in the trenches? Draft WRs and RBs?