Jerry Jones proved just how much a gamble can pay off.
On February 25th, 1989, he bought the Dallas Cowboys as they were in the midst of some
tough times. He replaced franchise cornerstones Tom Landry
and Tex Schramm with Jimmy Johnson and himself. Led by Michael Irvin and first-overall pick
Troy Aikman, Dallas stumbled out of the gate to a one-win
season - but quickly got some help. An infusion of talent headlined by Emmitt
Smith graced the Cowboys thanks to one of the NFL's most brilliant trades ever.
What holes they couldn't patch through the draft they fixed elsewhere
Tight end Jay Novacek came over in free agency.
And when San Francisco grew tired of his antics, Charles Haley joined Dallas via trade. Alongside
Leon Lett and Russell Maryland, Haley helped turn the defense into a terror.
Running the ball was made far easier behind the Great Wall of Dallas.
Erik Williams further solidified a line led by Mark Tuinei and Nate Newton, which meant
Smith was able to do as he pleased.
As a bonus, he had Daryl Johnston, paving the way.
And in just the fourth season with Jones at the helm, the Cowboys put it all together.
They blew out the Bills for the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy since Super Bowl 12.
A year later, they did it again, same opponent and all.
After a coaching change that we’ll get to later and an early exit thanks to the eventual
champs, Jones showed he wasn’t content with just
two Super Bowls. He brought in Deion Sanders, upgrading an
already stout secondary led by Darren Woodson. And after a fourth straight season of at least
12-wins, Dallas won Jerry a third Super Bowl.
He had turned the franchise around and put them in position to keep rolling.
But, about that...
Barely a month after Super Bowl 30, part of what defined America’s Team once again spilled
into public view: dysfunction. On March 3rd, 1996, Dallas police entered
a hotel room that contained, among other things, lots of weed, plenty of coke, a pair of “self-employed
models,” and Michael Irvin. When the cops entered,
the first thing Irvin offered was, “can I tell you who I am?”
He was a national champion with Jimmy Johnson’s Miami Hurricanes.
He was Tom Landry’s final first-round pick. As Jeff Pearlman put it in “Boys Will Be
Boys,” he was the reason for the Cowboys dynasty. The police didn’t need an introduction
- but Irvin knew that. This is the guy who once said, “My greatest asset is my ego.”
If there was a personification of the Dallas Cowboys - other than Jerry Jones - it had
to be Irvin. And as he sat in the hotel room, two days
before his 30th birthday, there couldn’t be a more obvious omen for the franchise.
But, one of the women claimed possession of everything in the room.
Irvin made a plea deal and avoided a prison sentence.
He dodged an extortion attempt from an alleged rando, then a murder plot by the boyfriend
of the woman who took the fall. But Irvin couldn’t slip past a suspension
from commissioner Tagliabue. Their title defense took another hit when
Russell Maryland left for Oakland. He was the latest of many examples as to what
the NFL’s recently introduced free agency could do to a team as talented as the Cowboys.
But with his first-hand experience, Maryland knew Dallas could get through whatever obstacles
they set in their own way. The money saved by letting the defensive tackle
walk was then put straight into their running back’s pocket.
Smith was extended on a massive deal that included a record signing bonus, but it was
a little less eye-popping when compared to the similar-sized stacks of cash given to
Aikman and Sanders. Jones was investing in his team and looked
to lock up the nucleus that had brought him success - he was just banking on the hope
that everyone could stay healthy, happy, and at the top of their game.
The bad news - it didn’t play out like that. But the following year they did manage to
once again win the NFC East, so, there’s that?
It just came amidst further drama.
They spent the 1996 season working around an ongoing beef between their franchise quarterback
and head coach. Whether it was trust issues stemming from
that or a three-time Super Bowl hangover,
the offense took a major step back. And in December the defense they had to lean on more
than normal lost one of their anchors due to a drug-related suspension. With all that,
they somehow managed a wild-card win over the Vikings,
but then came up short against Carolina. For the first time in five years, they failed
to make the NFC Championship Game. Part of the struggle came from the fact they were
without their star tight end for the entire year.
Novacek had missed the season due to a degenerative disk in his lower back and during the offseason,
Aikman’s safety valve decided to call it a career. Along with him went Haley, who despite
all of his off the field stunts had given Dallas what it needed for success.
Losing a leader from both sides of the ball was a tough pill to swallow, and Jones was
doing what he could to not let the train slip off the tracks. But preventing derailment
can be costly. Jerry locked up Daryl Johnston to a massive
deal.
For context, here’s how it compared to the extension signed by Irvin just two years prior.
That was gifted to Moose without many competing offers coming his way. Jones said simply,
“we owed him that contract.” And as Peter King put it, it was a giant step
for an organization that was otherwise spiraling.
Johnston himself added, “I think there’s a feeling among the guys in the weight room
that the bad days are over for us.” Moooose, sorry bud, they’re not.
Not long before the season kicked off, Barry Switzer was arrested for having a handgun
in his luggage at the airport.
That was added to a list of complaints against Switzer -
including those expressed from Aikman directly to the team’s owner, as well as incidents
like Switzer getting flagged for contact with an
official that helped seal their defeat in the ‘94 NFC Championship.
The arrest kicked off a season where the Cowboys were truly spiraling. Their offense was a
mess, due in part to some career-threatening injuries
to some of the guys who had kept Aikman clean and let Smith rack up rushing titles.
A knee injury to Mark Tuinei shortened his season and led to his retirement in the offseason.
It was another crack in the Great Wall. Even with the behemoth Larry Allen filling
some of the void, the Cowboys struggled to score and therefore struggled to win.
It was the first losing season of Switzer’s coaching career, and his last season in Dallas.
With that, he resigned, and Jerry made it clear that he wasn’t pleased with what the
coach had done to his team. But Switzer would’ve had to have been perfect to keep Jones happy.
Jerry had been looking to prove a point with the position of head coach - the Cowboys had
become the success that they were because of Jones, not whoever was coaching the team.
And while Switzer had to fall on the sword of dysfunction,
it was his predecessor that helped cause the storm.
Jimmy Johnson was by Jones’ side as the Cowboys were rebuilt.
He did more than his share in getting them into Super Bowl form. And in Jones’ eyes,
he got more than his share of the credit.
In a now-famous alcohol-fueled interaction with some sportswriters, Jerry made his feelings
clear - Johnson didn’t do anything that any other coach couldn’t do. He could bring
anyone else in and have success. But Johnson had his own thoughts on the matter.
While Jerry was the one who signed the checks, Johnson made sure they were getting the most
out of the players. In his mind, this was his team, and he’d
coach for as long as he felt like it - allegedly telling Jones as much on a flight home following
a win. It was no surprise that they couldn’t find
a way to keep working together, and a split became necessary.
So when Switzer walked into the organization - it was egos from top to bottom. And when
he left, not much had changed. Well, I sort of take that back, one thing
did change. They had a happy quarterback again. On February 12th, 1998, the unheralded Chan
Gailey was announced as the new head coach. Aikman said that the hire was a sign of good
things ahead - a statement he likely would’ve made even if Jerry had named himself coach.
And there were those that believed this move was actually Jones doing just that.
His love of football plus his confidence in himself had led Jones to be more hands-on
than most in his position. But few had had the success that graced Jerry
almost immediately. It’s easy to understand why he believed
this team ran through him. Credit is due for the success,
but also for the drama that this team - much like Jones - had a flair for.
And unfortunately, that was again on display during the 1998 offseason.
Offensive lineman Everett McIver was getting his haircut during training camp when Irvin
rolled in. The receiver shouted, “seniority,” and
expected McIver to get out of the chair. With teammates standing around, Irvin continued
yelling at McIver who eventually got up and shoved him. After even Leon Lett couldn’t
break them up, McIver punched Irvin in the mouth. That’s when the wide receiver grabbed
a pair of scissors and slashed McIver across the neck, leaving a room full of their teammates
silent. The offensive lineman would be alright after a hospital stay.
And thanks to Jerry, Irvin avoided criminal charges. Plus,
a judge ruled that this didn’t violate the terms of the wide receiver’s probation that
stemmed from the hotel incident. My favorite part is the judge calling it “playful.”
For Dallas, the drama didn’t end once football began.
In week two, Aikman suffered a broken collarbone during a blowout loss against the Broncos.
The Cowboys were forced to lean on backup Jason Garrett, who actually handled himself
pretty well. As far as what they could do on the field,
this was a good team. Deion proved he was still Primetime.
Smith got back on track for his best season since their last Super Bowl run.
And Aikman returned halfway through the year to show what Gailey’s offense was capable
of. They became the first NFC East team to ever
sweep the division. Those eight wins helped Dallas get back into
the playoffs.
But against the rival Cardinals on wild card weekend, third time was the charm for Arizona.
Dallas was left with even more questions about their future. Aikman admitted to the natural
shifts of the NFL, how this wasn’t the team it used to be.
Sanders added that no one should be happy with how they played, and said, “It’s
time for some guys to step up or step out.”
One of the guys who chose the latter was Nate Newton. The career-long Cowboy had seen age
get the better of him, and instead of sticking around for a backup role opted to join Carolina.
The Great Wall had crumbled, and the team’s on-field identity was in trouble.
Their off-field identity remained well intact though, once again thanks to Lett. It was
the third time since 1995 that substance-abuse violations would keep him off the field.
But hopes somehow remained high, and expectations hadn’t changed for this team.
The start of the 1999 season looked like they were capable of another run.
Just, they’re getting a Collapse episode for a reason.
While visiting Philadelphia in week five, in the first quarter Michael Irvin caught
a pass as he had seven-hundred forty-nine other times in his career.
Trying to avoid a helmet-to-helmet hit, he came down awkwardly on the artificial turf.
With little padding between Irvin and the cement beneath the turf,
he suffered a cervical spinal cord injury. And as the Eagles crowd cheered, the stretcher
was brought out. Just that morning, the Philadelphia Inquirer
published a piece by Phil Sheridan that credited the job Jones and the Cowboys organization
had done in maintaining the triplets. But that snap would be the last of Irvin’s
career. And with the trio down to two, the Cowboys got a glimpse of their future just
a few weeks later. Aikman suffered another concussion, Smith
broke a bone in his hand, and for the first time since 1988 the Cowboys would be without
all three of their biggest stars. That was on top of a neck injury to Daryl
Johnston, which being his second in three seasons meant his time as a Cowboy was also
over. While Moose was never going to threaten Emmitt
for touches, he was a leader of the team and beloved by the organization as well as
the fan base. The team was suddenly becoming unrecognizable.
They managed to sneak into the playoffs at eight-and-eight, but it was over quickly against
the Vikings. And from there, things started to speed up.
Right after the early exit, Jerry chased another coach out of town.
He promoted long time defensive coach Dave Campo, then once again gambled for the future
by sending two first round picks to Seattle in exchange for Joey Galloway.
Upon arrival he received a massive deal, in hopes of filling the void at wide receiver.
But that meant they had to save cash elsewhere, and Sanders played
the victim. Primetime had showed up and kept the good
times going, but was quickly another big name moving on.
Things only got worse with Campo as head coach. After the first of three straight five-and-eleven
seasons, some of the last remnants of those Super Bowl
teams found new homes. Erik Williams moved on to the Ravens, Leon
Lett became a Bronco, and the team made the tough but expected decision to say farewell
to their franchise quarterback. Dallas waived Aikman the day before a seven-year,
$70-million extension would’ve kicked in. A month later, injuries forced him to officially
retire but he’d still be on the books for nearly 15% of the Cowboys salary cap.
The highlight of the Campo era came when Smith broke Walter Payton’s record for career
rushing yards. But even one of the greatest careers a running
back has ever had wouldn’t be enough to save Smith.
Like everyone else, time had caught up to Emmitt. He’d averaged nearly 350-touches
per season over his 13 years as a Cowboy - and that’s before adding postseason play.
As a result, his effectiveness slowed in a way that mirrored the direction of Dallas.
After yet another coaching change, Smith’s time as a Cowboy was over.
And other than Jerry, only one name remained from that first Super Bowl team.
Darren Woodson managed just one more season
before a herniated disc led to his retirement at the end of 2004. With that, the dynasty
was officially over. By the time Woodson played his last snap,
the Cowboys were 10-games below 500 since their last Super Bowl.
And now, Jones had no one left to share the credit or the blame.
He was left to pick up the pieces and try to resurrect the franchise for a second time.
After chasing championships, big names, and anyone who got in his way, he’d get to try
it all again. But through the hard times, the success still shined bright even with
all the distractions that piled up along the way.
The collapse of America’s Team, it felt massive, but only because of how incredible
their time on top truly was.