The Jimmy Johnson Era

[DenCWBY]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/greatestcoach/jimmy-johnson-brief-greatness

This may have already been posted however. I just found this was a write up in ESPN.com, ESPN's "greatest coaches" segment.
For those who were around during the Jimmy Johnson days this will bring a tear to your eye with what we had back in the early 90's.
I think I wanted that 3peat more than anyone in Texas. Man, what could have been!!

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/greatestcoach/jimmy-johnson-brief-greatness

This may have already been posted however. I just found this was a write up in ESPN.com, ESPN's "greatest coaches" segment.
For those who were around during the Jimmy Johnson days this will bring a tear to your eye with what we had back in the early 90's.
I think I wanted that 3peat more than anyone in Texas. Man, what could have been!!

Nah man, you're not the only one that wanted that. It kills me to this day. IMO, the best team during that run was the one that didnt win the SB that year. Those 3 turnovers, and 21 pt lead we gifted the Whiners in the first 7 mins of the NFC Championship game cost us winning 3 in a row, and as it turned out it cost us winning 4 in a row. We got 3 of 4, but it shoulda been 4 in a row!

 

[KJJ]

I think I wanted that 3peat more than anyone in Texas. Man, what could have been!!

The Cowboys won 3 SB's in 4 years including back to back championships and became the undisputed team of the 90's. Hard for me to say "what could have been" with as much as the team accomplished during that period.

 

[rags747]

Damn link is down at the moment, all i see is fn commercials.

 

[rags747]

And dont forget the Non Call on Neon Deion where he clearly interfered with Irvin down the sideline. That whole game was a rip. That team was primed for 4-5 SB's, Ahhh the Glory Days...

 

[Super_Kazuya]

Nah man, you're not the only one that wanted that. It kills me to this day. IMO, the best team during that run was the one that didnt win the SB that year. Those 3 turnovers, and 21 pt lead we gifted the Whiners in the first 7 mins of the NFC Championship game cost us winning 3 in a row, and as it turned out it cost us winning 4 in a row. We got 3 of 4, but it shoulda been 4 in a row!

Not sure why people think this. The 49ers had a better record, beat us once in the regular season, and beat us again in the championship game to boot. It was a tough way to lose with that start but it was their time to get us.

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

Not sure why people think this. The 49ers had a better record, beat us once in the regular season, and beat us again in the championship game to boot. It was a tough way to lose with that start but it was their time to get us.

Both of those games against the Whiners we were the better team but beat ourselves by our own mistakes. Doesnt mean SF wasnt a good team. We simply failed to execute our game and too many mistakes are too hard to overcome against a team as good as SF was.

 

[Super_Kazuya]

Both of those games against the Whiners we were the better team but beat ourselves by our own mistakes. Doesnt mean SF wasnt a good team. We simply failed to execute our game and too many mistakes are too hard to overcome against a team as good as SF was.

I watched both games and never felt we were the best team. They had the better QB (MVP) and WR, and Deion was the Defensive player of the year that year. They led the league in scoring by a huge margin, but their defense was also great, almost as good as ours. Our 0-2 record, no matter how many excuses people want to make, bore that out.

As a side, I didn't think we were better than the 14-2 1992 49ers either, but we kind of snuck in and threw them for a loop. Don't get me wrong, we earned the win, but it was a situation where I think we caught them off guard with just how good we were. It was one of those things if they played the game 10 times, I think the 49ers would have won more of them. It was rare for a team to take all of the steps at once like we did that year.

Now the 93 Cowboy team, that team was better than their SF counterparts, and beat *them* 2 times, if I recall. It was a great rivalry.

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

I watched both games and never felt we were the best team. They had the better QB (MVP) and WR, and Deion was the Defensive player of the year that year. They led the league in scoring by a huge margin, but their defense was also great, almost as good as ours. Our 0-2 record, no matter how many excuses people want to make, bore that out.

As a side, I didn't think we were better than the 14-2 1992 49ers either, but we kind of snuck in and threw them for a loop. Don't get me wrong, we earned the win, but it was a situation where I think we caught them off guard with just how good we were. It was one of those things if they played the game 10 times, I think the 49ers would have won more of them. It was rare for a team to take all of the steps at once like we did that year.

Now the 93 Cowboy team, that team was better than their SF counterparts, and beat *them* 2 times, if I recall. It was a great rivalry.

Same QB and WR we had beaten the previous 2 years. Im not making excuses, but the reality is we made crucial mistakes in both of those games that we could not overcome. SF was too good a team for us to make as many mistakes as we did. And in both games you take away our mistakes and the rest of the game we outplayed them. Bottom line is we were the better team but didnt play well enough to win the games. The better team does not always win.

 

[Stash]

Not sure why people think this. The 49ers had a better record, beat us once in the regular season, and beat us again in the championship game to boot. It was a tough way to lose with that start but it was their time to get us.

They beat us when we had a caretaker for a head coach, not Jimmy Johnson.

And they also manipulated free agency and cheated the NFL salary cap at the time to assemble their own 'Dream Team' and essentially buy a championship.

Nobody should ever forget that.

I think if Jimmy Johnson had stayed, this team would almost certainly have won 4 consecutive Super Bowls, but it was not meant to be.

 

[Randy White]

is an over-generalization, fluff piece with regurgitated selected pieces of information that doesn't even begin to describe that era.

That guy might as well written: " Titanic sailed, Titanic sank. The end ".

 

[noshame]

I just want a "coach" again, that's all. The rest will take care of itself.

I remember sitting down for a Thanksgiving day meal, and actually enjoying it:laugh2:

 

[DenCWBY]

They beat us when we had a caretaker for a head coach, not Jimmy Johnson.

And they also manipulated free agency and cheated the NFL salary cap at the time to assemble their own 'Dream Team' and essentially buy a championship.

Nobody should ever forget that.

I think if Jimmy Johnson had stayed, this team would almost certainly have won 4 consecutive Super Bowls, but it was not meant to be.

Agreed.
This will be one the first questions I will ask the good Lord about when I get to heaven. I know he'll give me a wink and say get over it but to be the first team to 3peat would have been awesome. JJohnson would have gotten us there. He wouldn't allow this team to lose at that point.
Ok I'm moving on.

 

[KJJ]

There's no guarantee had Jimmy stayed the Cowboys would have three-peated. San Francisco had an excellent team in 94 a team that was very hungry after losing consecutive NFC title games to the Cowboys in 92 and 93. Personally I feel SF was a slightly better team than the Cowboys in 94 and they were a hungrier team. I do believe the addition of Deion that season gave SF an edge plus they had the home field. The crowd at candlestick was really revved up for that game. The Cowboys lacked focus right out of the gate which resulted in several early turnovers that put the team in a big hole. Although the Cowboys battled back the early turnovers cost them that game.

If you go back to the 92 NFC title game the Cowboys caught a HUGE break when a holding call on SF's first drive nullified a 63 yard TD pass to Jerry Rice. That nullified TD and 4 turnovers cost SF that game. Even with everything that went against SF that day they were within 4 points of the lead with just over 4 minutes to play. The Aikman to Harper play took the wind completely out of their sails which led to the Cowboys sealing that victory. We can only speculate but had the Cowboys three-peated they likely would have never won SB XXX the following year. The team would have been more than satisfied after three-peating and a letdown the following year would have been likely.

The loss to SF in the 94 title game kept the fire burning entering the 95 season. The Cowboys were on the way down in 95 and struggled in Dec that year. The team got hot in the playoffs which propelled them to their 3rd championship in 4 years. The Cowboys were fortunate to beat the Steelers in that SB and had it not been for those 2 very timely picks by Larry Brown Pittsburgh could have very easily pinned another SB loss on the Cowboys to add to their 2 SB wins over them during the 70's. I never go back to the early to mid 90's and think "what could have been" because of how special those years were.

Those championship years came at a time when the morale of Cowboy fans was at an all-time low. The Cowboys were coming off some of the leanest years in franchise history in 88 and 89. After the Cowboys won their last championship under Landry in 77 Cowboy fans had to endure the agony of watching the team lose SB XIII a year later which included one of the most famous gaffs in NFL history Jackie Smith's drop of a sure TD pass.

After that disappointing SB loss Cowboy fans had to endure the agony of 3 consecutive NFC title game losses from 1980 to 82 one of which included one of the most famous plays in NFL history (The Catch) that went against the Cowboys. For decades we've had to relive that play along with the one that happened only seconds later Danny Whites fumble. From 78 to 82 is when I look back and think "what could have been."

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/greatestcoach/jimmy-johnson-brief-greatness

This may have already been posted however. I just found this was a write up in ESPN.com, ESPN's "greatest coaches" segment.
For those who were around during the Jimmy Johnson days this will bring a tear to your eye with what we had back in the early 90's.
I think I wanted that 3peat more than anyone in Texas. Man, what could have been!!

The thing about Jimma was that not only was he a great coach (he knew how to delagate and stuff) but because of he genus he could make his assistants better. Look at all the great assistants who worked under him and succeeded. Then look how they fell flat on their little haids when they no longer worked for Jimma.

But the greatest things about him:
1. He put fear into his players. If a Cowboy gave up chasing the ball carrier, if he fell asleep in class, if he was late to meetings, if he talked back -- he was out on the street quicker than a Spike Lee movie could end its run. He didn't pretend to be fair to all players. He was upfront in saying star players were different.
2. He could size up talent. And, yes, there were many who failed, but when they did, he did not linger and think long why a player failed, he just waived them and brought another in. As far as scouting for draft talent he had that magic that Jerra wishes he had.

Jimma was the best and he accomplished 2 super bowls in the quickest time.
None of this "he's a competitor and tries too hard" schtuff. Jimma was all: "He cant run the route but maybe his backup can." Or "We're not gonna keep doing that and he's been told to shape up."

Ahhh, the Jimma days warm my heart like Joely Richardson.

 

[5Stars]

The thing about Jimma was that not only was he a great coach (he knew how to delagate and stuff) but could pick out the diamonds, ahem, the gems from the shaff.

But the greatest thing about him were two other things:
1. He put fear into his players. If a Cowboy gave up chasing the ball carrier, if he fell asleep in class, if he was late to meetings, if he talked back -- he was out on the street quicker than a Spike Lee movie could end its run. He didn't pretend to be fair to all players. He was upfront in saying star players were different.
2. He could size up talent. And, yes, there were many who failed, but when they did, he did not linger and think long why a player failed, he just waived them and brought another in. As far as scouting for talent he had that magic that Jerra wishes he had.

Jimma was the best and he accomplished 2 super bowls in the quickest time.
None of this "he's a competitor and tries too hard" schtuff. Jimma was all: "He cant run the route but maybe his backup can." Or "We're not gonna keep doing that and he's been told to shape up."

Ahhh, the Jimma days warm my heart like Joely Richardson.

This is true, but Jimmy was able to coach in a salary cap free era. Coaches cannot do that now, although I wish they could.

Seeing a player sleep during a meeting and telling him to pack his bags and get the hell out of Dodge just cuts into the salary cap.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

This is true, but Jimmy was able to coach in a salary cap free era. Coaches cannot do that now, although I wish they could.

Seeing a player sleep during a meeting and telling him to pack his bags and get the hell out of Dodge just cuts into the salary cap.

Good point. But he established that policy way early on and the lackidaisical schtuff stopped very quickly despite the salary ramifications or depth he had on hand. And he was effective.
Jerra, to his credit, hired Jimma. That is the greatest thing Jerra has ever done up to this point. Or maybe will do.

 

[honyock]

Not sure why people think this. The 49ers had a better record, beat us once in the regular season, and beat us again in the championship game to boot. It was a tough way to lose with that start but it was their time to get us.

The regular season loss to the Niners was huge that year, it gave them belief they could beat us and gave them home field in the championship game. I think it also goes to a coaching philosophy difference between Jimmy and Switzer that may have cost us dearly.

Jimmy spoke about how he always identified two or three regular season games as key games, and he had at least one assistant who spent time from the preseason on, watching film and preparing for that game. He knew that all regular season games weren't created equally and he put time and resources into being as prepared as possible.

Barry didn't, by his own words. We went into the regular season game that year with a one game lead in win-loss over the 49'ers. Barry treated the game as just another regular season game, he said that often leading up to it, and it showed on the field. There just didn't look to be much urgency on Dallas' part and the Niners played with a whole lot of urgency. Once they won, the whole landscape of the NFC changed - we came out of the game tied with them in the standings and they held the tie-breaker and had a ton of momentum. They ended up a game ahead in the standings and got home field through the playoffs.

Who knows, if the NFC Championship were in Dallas that year, they may have beaten us anyway. But that regular season game really shifted things.

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

Barry didn't, by his own words. We went into the regular season game that year with a one game lead in win-loss over the 49'ers. Barry treated the game as just another regular season game, he said that often leading up to it,

A lot of coaches play down the significance of a game - its coach speak. You're placing way tot much stock into "what Barry said" as compared to what "jimmy did." Two entirely different things - unless you know what all Barry did and said to the team away from the media.

 

[Fmart322]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/greatestcoach/jimmy-johnson-brief-greatness

This may have already been posted however. I just found this was a write up in ESPN.com, ESPN's "greatest coaches" segment.
For those who were around during the Jimmy Johnson days this will bring a tear to your eye with what we had back in the early 90's.
I think I wanted that 3peat more than anyone in Texas. Man, what could have been!!

The Jimmy Johnson era was Great. The best 5 years of football, 7 if you count The Switzer Super Bowl.