Which is the better team?

[Bleed Blue]

Which is the better team the 1999 Cowboys or this 2006 version. The 99 team was the last to win a playoff game. How close in todays watered down league are these Cowboys from winning one?

 

[jackrussell]

The league is no more watered down now than it was in '99.

 

[jem88]

Which is the better team the 1999 Cowboys or this 2006 version. The 99 team was the last to win a playoff game. How close in todays watered down league are these Cowboys from winning one?

I don't remember us winning a playoff game in 1999.

 

[The30YardSlant]

1999 was the year we started off 3-0, dominating both the defending NFC champ Falcons and Arizona. The Irvin got hurt in Philly, we finished 8-8 and lost to Minnesota in the first round

 

[Alexander]

The league is no more watered down now than it was in '99.

One extra team does dilute the talent pool.

 

[MONT17]

the 99 team was the last "hoorah" too bad we didnt know it at the time... I went to 3 games that year all on the East Coast... it was a fun year! 1999 was watered down due to expansion more than anything... that was Cleveland first year back if I recall and they had just expanded a few years prior!!!


I think the 06 team will be fun to watch but the OL will kill them in the end!!!

 

[jackrussell]

One extra team does dilute the talent pool.

Well then it's been watered down since there were only 12 teams in the NFL.

If 1 team can do it, I'm sure the extra 20 pretty much killed it.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

I hope to God this team is better! The 99 team was not all that special believe me!

 

[Crown Royal]

In 1999 we were on the way to the grave and everyone knew it.

This year, magic is back to this team and we call feel the buzz.

I hope that answers the question.

:starspin

 

[jcblanco22]

Beg to differ with those who think the '99 team was nothing remarkable, and I do admit in advance this topic does bring out the Chan Gailey apologist in me every time. While I would rate the '06 version ahead of what '99 could have, should have, and appeared to be on the way to being, I still believe we would have had the 2nd best team in the NFC in '99 (I don't think we were toppling Warner and Co. that year) had an incredibly bad string of injuries, particularly at the WR position, not crippled the team significantly.

Aikman was still more than capable, and he showed it right off the bat in the Week 1 shootout with the Commanders. Irvin was still going strong, and Ismail was proving to be the perfect complement to him that we'd been missing for so long. Mills didn't have the same quality of season as the previous one, but was still pretty good. LaFleur was an underrated pass catcher and an excellent blocker. Chris Warren had already proven he was the best back-up Emmitt had ever had the previous season, and would go on to play well again that year.

On the defensive side, once Deion came back from his early season woes we were pretty strong. Spellman was a great surprise that season in his comeback. Ellis had a very strong year until getting hurt late, and although this is often forgotten, Ekuban actually may have had his finest year that season, his rookie one. Coakley was doing his usual thing outside and Godfrey was very solid in his only season in the middle.

Injuries were a killer that season, and it wasn't only Irvin. People tend to forget McKnight's knee tear in a July scrimmage, which ended up proving more costly down the road when Irvin was hurt; and another surprisingly forgotten unfortunate career-ender that season was Moose hurting his neck and eventually having to retire because of it.

Having stuck up sufficently for that '99 squad, I do think '06 has them beat in terms of overall talent and depth. On offense, I think the '99 Aikman and '06 Bledsoe may be somewhat of a push; I like Owens a couple of notches over the '99 Irvin, but just a couple; Ismail and Glenn I almost see as a push; LaFleur, underrated as I previously stated he was, was never close to a Jason Witten pass catching-wise; I like Barber slightly over the '99 version of Chris Warren, but I do give the one clear-cut edge for the '99 squad to Emmitt over Julius Jones. Not only would the '99 Emmitt have blown by 1500 and most likely 1600 yards that year had he been able to play all 16 games, he was also much more of a sure thing than Jones has been at any point to date.

I definitely like our overall defensive depth and most of the starters over the '99 version as well. The defensive line rotation would appear to be deeper, as well as the linebackers. Remember, we were going to count on Quentin Coryatt to start at one of the outside spots that year, and he couldn't even finish the first series he stepped on the field for (a record that stood until Michael Barrow's "cameo" last year ). I also love our secondary this season over the '99 version, because Deion was gimpy all year with the toe that season.

 

[jem88]

Beg to differ with those who think the '99 team was nothing remarkable, and I do admit in advance this topic does bring out the Chan Gailey apologist in me every time. While I would rate the '06 version ahead of what '99 could have, should have, and appeared to be on the way to being, I still believe we would have had the 2nd best team in the NFC in '99 (I don't think we were toppling Warner and Co. that year) had an incredibly bad string of injuries, particularly at the WR position, not crippled the team significantly.

Aikman was still more than capable, and he showed it right off the bat in the Week 1 shootout with the Commanders. Irvin was still going strong, and Ismail was proving to be the perfect complement to him that we'd been missing for so long. Mills didn't have the same quality of season as the previous one, but was still pretty good. LaFleur was an underrated pass catcher and an excellent blocker. Chris Warren had already proven he was the best back-up Emmitt had ever had the previous season, and would go on to play well again that year.

On the defensive side, once Deion came back from his early season woes we were pretty strong. Spellman was a great surprise that season in his comeback. Ellis had a very strong year until getting hurt late, and although this is often forgotten, Ekuban actually may have had his finest year that season, his rookie one. Coakley was doing his usual thing outside and Godfrey was very solid in his only season in the middle.

Injuries were a killer that season, and it wasn't only Irvin. People tend to forget McKnight's knee tear in a July scrimmage, which ended up proving more costly down the road when Irvin was hurt; and another surprisingly forgotten unfortunate career-ender that season was Moose hurting his neck and eventually having to retire because of it.

Having stuck up sufficently for that '99 squad, I do think '06 has them beat in terms of overall talent and depth. On offense, I think the '99 Aikman and '06 Bledsoe may be somewhat of a push; I like Owens a couple of notches over the '99 Irvin, but just a couple; Ismail and Glenn I almost see as a push; LaFleur, underrated as I previously stated he was, was never close to a Jason Witten pass catching-wise; I like Barber slightly over the '99 version of Chris Warren, but I do give the one clear-cut edge for the '99 squad to Emmitt over Julius Jones. Not only would the '99 Emmitt have blown by 1500 and most likely 1600 yards that year had he been able to play all 16 games, he was also much more of a sure thing than Jones has been at any point to date.

I definitely like our overall defensive depth and most of the starters over the '99 version as well. The defensive line rotation would appear to be deeper, as well as the linebackers. Remember, we were going to count on Quentin Coryatt to start at one of the outside spots that year, and he couldn't even finish the first series he stepped on the field for (a record that stood until Michael Barrow's "cameo" last year ). I also love our secondary this season over the '99 version, because Deion was gimpy all year with the toe that season.

A well-thought post; I agree with most, if not all, of your points. However, the huge edge for this year's version lies with the coach. I couldn't stand Gailey; Parcells, while frustrating at times, has a proven track record.

 

[jcblanco22]

A well-thought post; I agree with most, if not all, of your points. However, the huge edge for this year's version lies with the coach. I couldn't stand Gailey; Parcells, while frustrating at times, has a proven track record.

jem88, I agree with the clear-cut edge for the '06 squad on the coaching side of the ledger, but I have never bought into the whole "lumping Gailey in with Campo and Switzer" thing at all either. I think Chan more than proved what he could do in '98, and it hardly matters in my eyes that the NFC East was supposedly watered down that year or whatever other asterisk I've seen folks place on that season over the years.

Gailey successfully instituted a culture change and an offensive philosophy change in a team full of veterans who had not only grown complacent and overweight for the most part, but who also had 3 Super Bowl rings on their fingers and an owner who had overtly devalued the head coaching position in terms of authority for the previous four seasons, all of which made it even more unlikely they could be worked with easily. And he did it all in one offseason.

I think a lot of folks look at the fact that he inherited Aikman, Emmitt, and Michael when he took over for Switzer and just figure "anyone" could have done it. However, the year before he came in Aikman and Irvin played in all 16 games and Emmitt missed just a bit of time here and there, and they still went 6-10.

 

[dougonthebench]

Which is the better team the 1999 Cowboys or this 2006 version. The 99 team was the last to win a playoff game. How close in todays watered down league are these Cowboys from winning one?

thats a question to ask halfway through the season,it's too soon to tell right now.

 

[big dog cowboy]

2006 > 1999.

 

[ravidubey]

The 1999 team was cursed and getting seriously old.

They had talent to dominate for stretches, but then age would catch up to them and they'd inexplicably lose. Stepnoski lost two games with badly missed shotgun snaps. Emmitt runs for 140 yards in a half only to break his hand! In another game he goes for 100 yards in the first quarter only to get knocked unconscious and fumble the ball away. He fumbled several during the year unexpectedly.

Irvin was paralyzed. Aikman got concussed. Alonzo Spellman rolled onto Greg Ellis' leg and broke it at a time when Ellis was playing the best ball of his career. At one point we had lost 17 one-time starters to injury. Leon Lett was lost for the season.

The league was tired of us, and we never got the calls-- Deion got called for a bogus pass interference call that removed a George Teague TD-saving interception.

That season opener was special (I was there!), but it was a bittersweet last hurrah for the Triplets.

 

[jcblanco22]

The 1999 team was cursed and getting seriously old.

They had talent to dominate for stretches, but then age would catch up to them and they'd inexplicably lose. Stepnoski lost two games with badly missed shotgun snaps. Emmitt runs for 140 yards in a half only to break his hand! In another game he goes for 100 yards in the first quarter only to get knocked unconscious and fumble the ball away. He fumbled several during the year unexpectedly.

Irvin was paralyzed. Aikman got concussed. Alonzo Spellman rolled onto Greg Ellis' leg and broke it at a time when Ellis was playing the best ball of his career. At one point we had lost 17 one-time starters to injury. Leon Lett was lost for the season.

The league was tired of us, and we never got the calls-- Deion got called for a bogus pass interference call that removed a George Teague TD-saving interception.

That season opener was special (I was there!), but it was a bittersweet last hurrah for the Triplets.

ravidubey, as usual your eye for detail brings up some points that I had forgotten and/or found quite interesting.

For one thing, I didn't realize the final "body count" that year on starters was 17, that's unreal. I do remember the WRs going down like dominoes, starting w/ McKnight, continuing with Irvin, then Mills, then McGarity, until we were down to Jason Tucker.

I also had forgotten it indeed had been Spellman that rolled up on Ellis's leg. I remember it was on the near sideline against the Eagles in Texas Stadium and that Greg had 7.5 sacks and a bunch of pressures with 2 games remaining after that one. He was indeed playing outstanding that season.

I have vague memories of the Deion bogus PI call that negated Teague's pick, as well as Emmitt getting knocked unconscious after ripping off 100. What two games were those?