The underrated great teams in Cowboys history by decade

[DuncanIso]

that's another one..yep..

I think the 82 team is underrated. Maybe because of the players strike.

the OL still had Rafferty and Donovan.

I think Rafferty is totally ignored as a great Center.

 

[Bobhaze]

I think the 82 team is underrated. Maybe because of the players strike.

the OL still had Rafferty and Donovan.

I think Rafferty is totally ignored as a great Center.

That strike in ‘82 really hurt the Cowboys. I think the season was shortened to 9 games and Landry’s teams always needed more games to hit their stride.

 

[plasticman]

Here is another underrated team, and I mean in the sense of what everyone thought of them before the season started.

I am talking about the 1975 season.

In 1974 the Cowboys went 8-6 and missed the playoffs for the first time in 9 seasons. The Cowboys lost several key players after that to retirement. They lost perennial Pro Bowlers Bob Hayes, John Niland and Cornell Green among others. Many veteran stayed on in their mid thirties but not at the same level of performance in previous seasons.

Sports analysts, many of them ex-players whose team was routinely beat by the Cowboys, happily announced that this was the end of the Cowboy's run, they had gotten old. They theorized it would take several years for the Cowboys to rebuild.

Those in the NFL world predicted that the Cowboys would slide further in 1975. They were wrong.

Tom Landry used 12 rookies and combined them with those old veteran players, The key game was game #13 in a 14 game season against the Commanders. The Commanders had won the first game in overtime, this game was for the only wildcard spot since the Cardinals ran away with the division title. The Cowboys destroyed them on their way to winning 5 of the last 6 games.

In the playoffs the Cowboys faced the NFC #1 seed and clearly the best team of the season, the Minnesota Vikings. Half their starters made the Pro Bowl. Their defense featured the legendary Purple People Eaters D-line. The Cowboys beat them thanks to the Hail Mary pass.

I can't think of another team that made it to the Super Bowl in their first "rebuilding year". The Cowboys would continue to compete for another ten consecutive winning seasons, going to two additional Super Bowls.

The 1975 Cowboys truly shocked the world.

 

[DuncanIso]

Here is another underrated team, and I mean in the sense of what everyone thought of them before the season started.

I am talking about the 1975 season.

In 1974 the Cowboys went 8-6 and missed the playoffs for the first time in 9 seasons. The Cowboys lost several key players after that to retirement. They lost perennial Pro Bowlers Bob Hayes, John Niland and Cornell Green among others. Many veteran stayed on in their mid thirties but not at the same level of performance in previous seasons.

Sports analysts, many of them ex-players whose team was routinely beat by the Cowboys, happily announced that this was the end of the Cowboy's run, they had gotten old. They theorized it would take several years for the Cowboys to rebuild.

Those in the NFL world predicted that the Cowboys would slide further in 1975. They were wrong.

Tom Landry used 12 rookies and combined them with those old veteran players, The key game was game #13 in a 14 game season against the Commanders. The Commanders had won the first game in overtime, this game was for the only wildcard spot since the Cardinals ran away with the division title. The Cowboys destroyed them on their way to winning 5 of the last 6 games.

In the playoffs the Cowboys faced the NFC #1 seed and clearly the best team of the season, the Minnesota Vikings. Half their starters made the Pro Bowl. Their defense featured the legendary Purple People Eaters D-line. The Cowboys beat them thanks to the Hail Mary pass.

I can't think of another team that made it to the Super Bowl in their first "rebuilding year". The Cowboys would continue to compete for another ten consecutive winning seasons, going to two additional Super Bowls.

The 1975 Cowboys truly shocked the world.

excellent post.

our FB was the teams leading rusher that season. Robert Newhouse. 900 yds.

it looks like it was RB by committee that year.

 

[cowboyec]

i still hold a place in my heart for Coach Landry's last 3 teams.
'86 was the best...who knows if Danny doesn't get hurt...that team had fight...and almost won that game after White broke his wrist.
'87 and '88...what they lacked in talent they made up for in guts.
to the end they never quit on him.
didnt know how to finish...how to seal the deal...but they never quit.
they'd get their ***** kicked and come back the next week...fought hard for 4 qtrs.
i loved those teams.
it hardened my fandom.
and im also biased...those were the years i wrote my favorite players...and got some awesome responses.

 

[plasticman]

excellent post.

our FB was the teams leading rusher that season. Robert Newhouse. 900 yds.

it looks like it was RB by committee that year.

That's right, the bowling ball Robert Newhouse. I'm going to go off on a tangent now. Robert Newhouse was drafted in the 2nd round that year. Another RB, Bill Thomas (No relation to Duane) was drafted in the 1st round, ended up being a bust.

Anyway, from the 30's to the end of the 70's the first game of the preseason was not the Hall of Fame game. It was actually the SB Champion-College All Star Game.

That's right, the SB champions would play a team made up of the best players they just drafted. Well, in 1972, the champions of the 71 season was the Dallas Cowboys. Robert Newhouse was on the All Star team. The Champions always won the game in the 60's and 70's as the NFL became more sophisticated. The Dallas Cowboys won 20-6. The All Stars scored a TD and it was Newhouse.

Robert Newhouse wasn't always the FB. He was a RB in his first 3 seasons but Tom Landry always had a habit of experimenting with the two back system. He often had a "tweener" who would spell both backs or in some cases he just wanted to get the two best backs on the field.

He did the same thing previously with Duane Thomas, Calvin Hill, and Walt Garrison. Quite often he would put both Thomas and Hill on the field together in which case it was always Duane who switched to FB.

The first season Newhouse became a full time FB was 1975. The Cowboys wanted to start the RB they got from the Steelers, Preston Pearson because he was also a great receiver (unrelated to Drew Pearson). In 1975, as you noted, Newhouse was the leading rusher but they got contributions from 4 other backs including Roger Staubach.

Of course, after the Cowboys drafted Dorsett, Newhouse was a pure FB. That doesn't mean he didn't carry the ball, for the next five seasons he got anywhere from 300 to 700 yards a season.

Anyway, below is a link to a S.I. story about that preseason game between the SB champions and College All Stars. It's wrapped around a story involving an offensive lineman by the name of Jackie Slater, a HOFer that played 20 seasons. However, his first taste of the NFL was as a rookie All Star playing against the SB champion Steelers. As an O-lineman, his assignment was HOFer Mean Joe Greene.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2015/12/08/college-all-star-football-classic-jackie-slater-joe-greene

 

[DuncanIso]

That's right, the bowling ball Robert Newhouse. I'm going to go off on a tangent now. Robert Newhouse was drafted in the 2nd round that year. Another RB, Bill Thomas (No relation to Duane) was drafted in the 1st round, ended up being a bust.

Anyway, from the 30's to the end of the 70's the first game of the preseason was not the Hall of Fame game. It was actually the SB Champion-College All Star Game.

That's right, the SB champions would play a team made up of the best players they just drafted. Well, in 1972, the champions of the 71 season was the Dallas Cowboys. Robert Newhouse was on the All Star team. The Champions always won the game in the 60's and 70's as the NFL became more sophisticated. The Dallas Cowboys won 20-6. The All Stars scored a TD and it was Newhouse.

Robert Newhouse wasn't always the FB. He was a RB in his first 3 seasons but Tom Landry always had a habit of experimenting with the two back system. He often had a "tweener" who would spell both backs or in some cases he just wanted to get the two best backs on the field.

He did the same thing previously with Duane Thomas, Calvin Hill, and Walt Garrison. Quite often he would put both Thomas and Hill on the field together in which case it was always Duane who switched to FB.

The first season Newhouse became a full time FB was 1975. The Cowboys wanted to start the RB they got from the Steelers, Preston Pearson because he was also a great receiver (unrelated to Drew Pearson). In 1975, as you noted, Newhouse was the leading rusher but they got contributions from 4 other backs including Roger Staubach.

Of course, after the Cowboys drafted Dorsett, Newhouse was a pure FB. That doesn't mean he didn't carry the ball, for the next five seasons he got anywhere from 300 to 700 yards a season.

Anyway, below is a link to a S.I. story about that preseason game between the SB champions and College All Stars. It's wrapped around a story involving an offensive lineman by the name of Jackie Slater, a HOFer that played 20 seasons. However, his first taste of the NFL was as a rookie All Star playing against the SB champion Steelers. As an O-lineman, his assignment was HOFer Mean Joe Greene.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2015/12/08/college-all-star-football-classic-jackie-slater-joe-greene

Good post! I did not know about this all star game!

Thanks for sharing.

 

[plasticman]

Good post! I did not know about this all star game!

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, and let me use this post to make a correction. Of course, the first Super Bowl was during the 1966 season so, prior to that, I am talking about the NFL champions.

 

[JohnsKey19]

The 07 team is definitely not underrated. It is widely known, that was our best team since the last SB win.


Id go with the 09 team. We actually had an elite defense to go with a good offense.

09 would also be my pick from the 2000s.They ran into a very good team in Minnesota in a very difficult place to win on the road. Not to mention I think Columbo got beat like a drum all game. Sadly, I think Minnesota wins that game 9 times out of 10.

To the OP...I don't believe the '94 team can be looked at as underrated. Everyone knows they were a great team. But San Fran was also a great team and they won on a tough game on their home field. Two super powers going at it. The home team won, which is going to happen more times than not.

 

[DuncanIso]

interesting video on the 85 team.

I'd forgotten about the Jeffcoat play vs the Giants to help win the NFC East.