Sorry, but Landry is not trading for Charles Haley, who basically brought Super Bowls to Dallas as much as, or even more, than the Triplets. He's not trading up for Emmitt Smith. He's not drafting pot-smoking Stepnoski (don't think for a moment people didn't know he smoked pot). And he's not trading Herschel Walker.
Landry was getting older and the game was passing him by. But even if you don't buy that, Jimmy Johnson brought a MENTALITY to the Cowboys that made them the Super Bowl teams that they were. Landry would never have bragged that we're going to win the football game. He would never have promised that the Cowboys WILL make the playoffs before the season starts. He's not letting his team talk trash. I'm not knocking that because that would be my approach as a coach. But Johnson's way worked for him and this team. That cockiness, "you can't beat us" attitude fueled the Dallas Cowboys of the 90s. And they played like it.
As much as I loved the Landry Cowboys, they would always manage to lose a game you thought they would win. Johnson's teams hardly ever - not saying never - did that.
Johnson brought fundamental soundness to every unit - offense, defense and special teams. His teams blocked more punts than I've seen before or since from a Cowboys squad.
No! The Cowboys wouldn't have won three Super Bowls under Landry.
But as I've shared previously, I got a chance to interview Tom Landry before he died. I could tell when I asked him about what transpired in Dallas, he was deeply hurt by it, which is understandable. He had spent the better part of his coaching career with the Dallas Cowboys. Having that ripped away from you (whether warranted or unwarranted) had to be heart-wrenching even for a man who appeared as stoic as Tom Landry.
RIH Coach!