Time Machine

[rcaldw]

Have you ever thought about how things could have changed had history taken a different course? If you could go back in time, which of these decisions could have/would have had the biggest impact on Dallas Cowboys history, and where we would have ended up?

Here are the rules: You can only choose 1. And you have to give your reasons why you think it would have made the largest impact on Dallas Cowboys history.

Note: I'm sure that some of you could think of better candidates but someone had to do a list

1. In 1964, with the media speculating about Tom Landry's job, the owner made the decision to give coach a 10 year contract. What would have happened if Clint Murchison had fired Landry?

2. In 1971 Tom Landry was so confused about what to do at QB that he actually alternated Roger Staubach and Craig Morton at QB in a game lost to the Chicago Bears. The next week he named Staubach as the starter, the Cowboys didn't lose another game that season, and Staubach's career was launched. What would have happened to the Cowboys had Landry selected Morton?

3. In 1981 the Dallas Cowboys lost the heartbreaking NFC Championship game in San Francisco, a game famous for what is now simply known as "The Catch." This was a year after losing the Conference championship game to Philadelphia and then the 1982 season would end in a Conference Championship loss to the Commanders. How would White's career and Cowboys history have changed had the Cowboys won the 1981 NFC Championship game in SF?

4. In 1989 Jerry Jones purchased the Cowboys, Jimmy Johnson was hired, and we know the rest of the story. What if Jerry Jones never bought the Dallas Cowboys and Tom Landry had continued as head coach?

5. In 1989 Herschel Walker was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for a boatload of future draft picks. We know how those picks were used and what resulted in the 90's. What if the Cowboys had never traded Walker?

6. In 1988 the Dallas Cowboys lost, the Green Bay Packers won, and Dallas ended up with the first pick of the 1989 draft. Troy Aikman was the first selection overall and we know how that turned out. What if Aikman had never been selected by the Cowboys? And consider the outcome of this from another angle. Do the Cowboys trade Hershel Walker if they don't have the franchise QB in place?

7. In 1990 Emmitt Smith fell into the Cowboys lap in the NFL draft. There was actually some discussion, I believe, about taking LB James Francis from Baylor. What if Francis had fallen to Dallas and Emmitt Smith was never a Dallas Cowboy?

8. In 1994 Jimmy Johnson departed the Dallas Cowboys and Barry Switzer became the new head coach. Dallas advanced to the 94 Conference Championship game, but lost to the 49ers. They won their 3rd Super Bowl title in 1995, but that was the end of the Dynasty of the 90's. What is the history of the Dallas Cowboys if Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones had worked out their troubles in 1994 and Jimmy stayed?

9. In 1998 Randy Moss enters the NFL draft and falls like a rock due to concerns about character and off the field incidents. The Cowboys pass, along with others, and then have to watch as the Minnesota Vikings have a fantastic season and Randy Moss personally scorches them head to head. What happens if Dallas takes Moss in 1998?

10. In 2004 debate rages about two Cowboys QB's. Drew Henson and Tony Romo. Romo won out, and now the picture is clear. We have a real QB. This one looks into the future, if it should be selected by you, but how would Cowboys history have been impacted had Romo been released and Henson retained?

Now, remember. Which one of these time machine moments would have impacted Cowboys history the most? You can only select one, and you have to give your reasons.

 

[Stash]

I'm surprised that the team's decision to pass on drafting Randy Moss isn't on the list.

I think that move has had a significant impact on the franchise for years.

 

[rcaldw]

I'll start off.

I choose #2. The decision to start Roger Staubach in 1971 over Craig Morton.

My reasoning: As influential and important as Tom Landry was, before the emergence of Roger Staubach the Dallas Cowboys were known as "Next Year's Champions". It is true that the 1990's brought us 3 Super Bowls. (Thus the argument could be made for one of the decisions made in the 90's) But it was the 70's that made the Cowboys "America's Team", and the Cowboys never become America's Team with Craig Morton at the helm.

Roger was already frustrated when Landry finally gave him the nod. He was already determined to either start in Dallas or go somewhere else.

I argue that if Roger had been allowed to go somewhere else, even though Dallas already had a history of winning, they would have never become the franchise we know them as today.

So, the most important decision made in Cowboys history may well have been in the 1971 season when Landry went with Roger over Morton.

 

[rcaldw]

I'm surprised that the team's decision to pass on drafting Randy Moss isn't on the list.

I think that move has had a significant impact on the franchise for years.

A very good point Stash. Feel free to add it to the list, and by all means, make your case!

 

[rcaldw]

Btw, at whatever point in history you choose your "most important decision", we will assume that history remains the same up to that point. So, if your choice is 1989, for example, we assume that everything remains the same until 1989, and then from that point on Cowboys history is changed.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

1981 - If we win that championship game I do beleive we beat the Bengals and win the Superbowl that year. White's career is forever changed because he wins a ring and he isn't remembered most for being the guy who lost 3 straight title games.

Plus maybe it would have given the team more confidence to have won the next year too and not let the useless Commanders beat them.

I don't know how much that would have changed the eventual future of Dallas, as in I don't know if winning in 81 would have really had much impact on how bad Dallas had become, but it certainly would have changed at the very least White's career and the short term future of Dallas during that stretch.

 

[rcaldw]

1981 - If we win that championship game I do beleive we beat the Bengals and win the Superbowl that year. White's career is forever changed because he wins a ring and he isn't remembered most for being the guy who lost 3 straight title games.

Plus maybe it would have given the team more confidence to have won the next year too and not let the useless Commanders beat them.

I don't know how much that would have changed the eventual future of Dallas, as in I don't know if winning in 81 would have really had much impact on how bad Dallas had become, but it certainly would have changed at the very least White's career and the short term future of Dallas during that stretch.

I also believe, given this scenario, that the change to Hogeboom is never made in 1984. The Cowboys playoff loss to the Rams in 1983 had to be influenced to some degree by three straight Conference Finals defeats. It would have been very interesting to see what the 80's could have been had 1981 turned out differently.

 

[Stash]

OK.

I think the team's decision to not draft Randy Moss has gone a long way in impacting the fate of the modern Cowboys team.

I understand the reasoning why they didn't at the time, due to some concerns about Moss' character and Michael Irvin's off-field incidents (among others).

But, in retrospect, I feel it was a mistake of monumental proportions and the team has been scrambling to make up for it ever since.

Passing on Moss not only deprived the team of a sure-fire Hall of Fame talent, it's also forced them to pay and pay again at the position, to say nothing of how badly Moss has toasted this team whenever he's played them.

The worst trade in Cowboys' history was giving up two #1 draft picks for Joey Galloway, especially when the team had no idea how to utilize his skills. If the team had drafted Moss, that deal never happens

Follow that up with the multitude of moves made to try to fill that spot.

If the team had drafted Moss, they would have had their #1 receiver position covered for the past 10 years instead of chasing one malcontent after another.

I'd also have to say that they probably wouldn't have traded away this year's 1st and 3rd rounders for Roy Williams either.

Moss is a once-in-a-lifetime talent and I feel if the team had drafted him when they had the chance, we'd be looking at more Super Bowl trophies instead of over a decade of playoff futility.

 

[rcaldw]

OK.

I think the team's decision to not draft Randy Moss has gone a long way in impacting the fate of the modern Cowboys team.

I understand the reasoning why they didn't at the time, due to some concerns about Moss' character and Michael Irvin's off-field incidents (among others).

But, in retrospect, I feel it was a mistake of monumental proportions and the team has been scrambling to make up for it ever since.

Passing on Moss not only deprived the team of a sure-fire Hall of Fame talent, it's also forced them to pay and pay again at the position, to say nothing of how badly Moss has toasted this team whenever he's played them.

The worst trade in Cowboys' history was giving up two #1 draft picks for Joey Galloway, especially when the team had no idea how to utilize his skills. If the team had drafted Moss, that deal never happens

Follow that up with the multitude of moves made to try to fill that spot.

If the team had drafted Moss, they would have had their #1 receiver position covered for the past 10 years instead of chasing one malcontent after another.

Moss is a once-in-a-lifetime talent and I feel if the team had drafted him when they had the chance, we'd be looking at more Super Bowl trophies instead of over a decade of playoff futility.

Great argument, and I am adding it to the list up top.

 

[mmillman]

Dallas came close to drafting Jerry Rice and Joe Montana

 

[rcaldw]

Dallas came close to drafting Jerry Rice and Joe Montana

Feel free to make the argument, if you really believe it would have turned out to be the most important change in Cowboys history. For me, personally, I'm not sure that Joe Montana becomes Joe Montana without the West Coast offense, and that would not have been the offense he would have been running in Dallas. Montana was great, and would have been great anywhere, but the START that he got in SF went a long way in shaping his football future.

Jerry Rice, who knows?

Btw, I'm not familiar enough with the drafting of those two guys to know how close the Cowboys actually came to getting them, or what real opportunities they had to grab them. In the case of Moss, I know for sure Dallas could have had him, and in the case of Aikman and Smith, I know that the other possibilities have been discussed in the past.

 

[Tovya]

1981 - If we win that championship game I do beleive we beat the Bengals and win the Superbowl that year. White's career is forever changed because he wins a ring and he isn't remembered most for being the guy who lost 3 straight title games.

Plus maybe it would have given the team more confidence to have won the next year too and not let the useless Commanders beat them.

I don't know how much that would have changed the eventual future of Dallas, as in I don't know if winning in 81 would have really had much impact on how bad Dallas had become, but it certainly would have changed at the very least White's career and the short term future of Dallas during that stretch.

I choose that one as well, mostly because I've always been a big Danny White fan, and I always thought he got a raw deal in the memories of so many Cowboys fans. If he had gotten us a ring in his tenure, his reputation would be so much more respectable.

 

[Everlastingxxx]

Sorry, if i had a time machine i wouldn’t waste it on football matters.

 

[Tovya]

Sorry, if i had a time machine i wouldn’t waste it on football matters.

No, you see, it's a "football time machine"... with lame rules that go with other fantasy devices (like the magic lamp rule of no wishing for more wishes).

 

[rcaldw]

Sorry, if i had a time machine i wouldn’t waste it on football matters.

, nor would I. Figurative. And just an interesting thing to consider. Its funny all the little decisions that go into how things turn out, and how many different turns those decisions could have taken and the impact they might have made.

 

[rcaldw]

No, you see, it's a "football time machine"... with lame rules that go with other fantasy devices (like the magic lamp rule of no wishing for more wishes).

lol. That IS a lame rule. Why no wishing for more wishes? And why can't we change Cowboys history at EVERY point where we didn't like it?

But really, for example, Landry could have easily gone with Morton in 1971. He apparently really struggled with it. Man, can you imagine how that would have turned out? Look at 1969,70 and 72 for examples. What course would this franchise have taken? (There I am making a case for 1971 again )

 

[Tovya]

lol. That IS a lame rule. Why no wishing for more wishes? And why can't we change Cowboys history at EVERY point where we didn't like it?

But really, for example, Landry could have easily gone with Morton in 1971. He apparently really struggled with it. Man, can you imagine how that would have turned out? Look at 1969,70 and 72 for examples. What course would this franchise have taken? (There I am making a case for 1971 again )

Friggin' fantasy devices, they never do what we ask them to do. Too bad they come with an "absolutely no returns" policy as well.

 

[joseephuss]

OK.

I think the team's decision to not draft Randy Moss has gone a long way in impacting the fate of the modern Cowboys team.

I understand the reasoning why they didn't at the time, due to some concerns about Moss' character and Michael Irvin's off-field incidents (among others).

But, in retrospect, I feel it was a mistake of monumental proportions and the team has been scrambling to make up for it ever since.

Passing on Moss not only deprived the team of a sure-fire Hall of Fame talent, it's also forced them to pay and pay again at the position, to say nothing of how badly Moss has toasted this team whenever he's played them.

The worst trade in Cowboys' history was giving up two #1 draft picks for Joey Galloway, especially when the team had no idea how to utilize his skills. If the team had drafted Moss, that deal never happens

Follow that up with the multitude of moves made to try to fill that spot.

If the team had drafted Moss, they would have had their #1 receiver position covered for the past 10 years instead of chasing one malcontent after another.

I'd also have to say that they probably wouldn't have traded away this year's 1st and 3rd rounders for Roy Williams either.

Moss is a once-in-a-lifetime talent and I feel if the team had drafted him when they had the chance, we'd be looking at more Super Bowl trophies instead of over a decade of playoff futility.

I disagree. I don't think drafting Randy Moss guaranteed that Dallas would win more Superbowls. Dallas was not one player away from winning it all in 1998 or the following years. They had little depth with players being plucked off the team in free agency and large salaries hampering the salary cap. There were plenty of holes on the team that Jerry clearly showed he did not know how to fill. I agree that the Galloway trade probably doesn't happen, but that doesn't mean Dallas would know what to do with those two #1 picks.

I also doubt Moss would last 10 years in Dallas. He probably would have gone into his "I play when I want to play" shell after about 5 years. Heck, it is even possible that he would have gotten into trouble off the field while in Dallas. He could get away with smoking weed while in Minny, but do that in Dallas and the league will make sure it is punished.

 

[Chief]

I'll start off.

I choose #2. The decision to start Roger Staubach in 1971 over Craig Morton.

My reasoning: As influential and important as Tom Landry was, before the emergence of Roger Staubach the Dallas Cowboys were known as "Next Year's Champions". It is true that the 1990's brought us 3 Super Bowls. (Thus the argument could be made for one of the decisions made in the 90's) But it was the 70's that made the Cowboys "America's Team", and the Cowboys never become America's Team with Craig Morton at the helm.

Roger was already frustrated when Landry finally gave him the nod. He was already determined to either start in Dallas or go somewhere else.

I argue that if Roger had been allowed to go somewhere else, even though Dallas already had a history of winning, they would have never become the franchise we know them as today.

So, the most important decision made in Cowboys history may well have been in the 1971 season when Landry went with Roger over Morton.

I agree.

If Landry had gone with Morton and traded Staubach, I believe Dallas would have won zero Super Bowls in the 1970s. The 1970s is the decade that really launched the Cowboys as "America's Team" and a perennial contender for the Super Bowl.

Roger gave the team an identity ... a positive identity, one that created an avalanche of fans.

 

[Stash]

I disagree. I don't think drafting Randy Moss guaranteed that Dallas would win more Superbowls. Dallas was not one player away from winning it all in 1998 or the following years. They had little depth with players being plucked off the team in free agency and large salaries hampering the salary cap. There were plenty of holes on the team that Jerry clearly showed he did not know how to fill. I agree that the Galloway trade probably doesn't happen, but that doesn't mean Dallas would know what to do with those two #1 picks.

I also doubt Moss would last 10 years in Dallas. He probably would have gone into his "I play when I want to play" shell after about 5 years. Heck, it is even possible that he would have gotten into trouble off the field while in Dallas. He could get away with smoking weed while in Minny, but do that in Dallas and the league will make sure it is punished.

So they only drug test the Cowboys?

I doubt it.

Moss has never been the troublemaker many feared he would become.

You're right that Dallas had plenty of needs in '98, but those two #1 draft picks they wasted on the Galloway trade sure would have helped.

And they wouldn't have been chasing after receiver after receiver like they have, even to this day.