Irvin: With Jimmy, Cowboys would’ve won “at least” five Bowls

[Cotton]

Irvin: With Jimmy, Cowboys would’ve won “at least” five Bowls

Since the departure of former coach Jimmy Johnson from Dallas over two decades ago, there’s been a lot of talk of how much he meant to the franchise and what might have happened had he stayed with the Cowboys – a club that won two Super Bowls with him and another with his players.

So we asked Hall-of-Fame receiver Michael Irvin, one of the stars on the club that won three Super Bowls in four years (1992-95) and pushed San Francisco off the map as the Team of the Decade.

Johnson, you might remember, left after a fissure with owner Jerry Jones prior to the 1994 season – a year when San Francisco went on to win the Super Bowl. A year later, the Cowboys were back on top, besting Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XXX.

But that was it. There would be no more Super Bowls, no more playoff success, no more nothing without Johnson. So what might’ve happened had he stayed?

“When Troy (Hall-of-Fame quarterback Troy Aikman) and I get together we look at each other — and I’m telling you there’s not a time we don’t get together (and say) ‘We should’ve at least had five ourselves,’ “ Irvin said on the latest Talk of Fame Network broadcast. “We should’ve won five. We should’ve at least walked away with a minimum of five Super Bowls.

“That’s a minimum I really do believe that. You look back on it now, and if I had the sense I have now … if I had it then … we certainly would have won five Super Bowls. It just works out that way. It still gets to me, man. I’m telling you. It really does.”

Johnson not only was the coach who took the Cowboys to the top of the NFL; he was the talent evaluator, too, swinging the Herschel Walker trade, then pulling off the deal that brought Hall-of-Famer Charles Haley to Dallas. Without him, the Cowboys were a bottom feeder. With him, well, listen to Irvin.

“There was no turnaround without Jimmy,” he said “Just the whole mindset of what Jimmy built and how he set our mind toward one goal. There were a lot of guys when we got here. And they were all wanting to have (their own space) and do their own thing. Some people wanted to make money. Some people wanted to be famous. Maybe some guys wanted whatever they wanted. (But) Jimmy was able to get us all on the same page. And that’s what beautiful about winning championships.”

 

[Texas Ace]

No doubt.

Ron Wolf even said himself that Green Bay may not have won a SB in the 90's had Jimmy stuck around.

What could have been.

 

[Genghis Khan]

I've already said at least four. Who knows after that.but I certainly would have had more much more confidence in replenishing the roster during the mid to late nineties if Jimmy was around.those later teams were closed and under the right guidance certainly could have won more.

 

[dallen]

You have to figure we would have at least also won SB 29. After that, who know? Jimmy was great here and then struggled in Miami. It's possible he may have struggled in Dallas in the late 90's too. It is too bad we never got the chance to find out

 

[jsmith6919]

You have to figure we would have at least also won SB 29. After that, who know? Jimmy was great here and then struggled in Miami. It's possible he may have struggled in Dallas in the late 90's too. It is too bad we never got the chance to find out

If Jimmy had been allowed to trade off Marino like he wanted when he first got there who knows what might have happened.

 

[ravidubey]

With the Jimmy of 1990-1992, no doubt Dallas wins 4 in a row and probably 5 of 7.

But that guy disappeared sometime in 1993. He was relieved when the team won in 1993 and ready to move on, basically burned out and in need of time off.

He also had the advantage of knowing the talent better than most from 1989-1993 since he had coached and/or recruited the players in college, but he'd certainly have lost that edge had he still been coaching in 1994.

 

[townsend]

Jimmy and Jerry were Uranium 236, powerful, explosive and short lived. If Jimmy had been here for the rest of the decade, he wouldn't have been Jimmy.

 

[data]

I'd like for Jimmy to say who he would've drafted instead of Kabila Pittman, shante carver, et al.

 

[Smitty]

With the Jimmy of 1990-1992, no doubt Dallas wins 4 in a row and probably 5 of 7.

But that guy disappeared sometime in 1993. He was relieved when the team won in 1993 and ready to move on, basically burned out and in need of time off.

He also had the advantage of knowing the talent better than most from 1989-1993 since he had coached and/or recruited the players in college, but he'd certainly have lost that edge had he still been coaching in 1994.

He showed in Miami he still knew how to find defensive talent. If he coulda brought Jason Taylor, Zack Thomas, Sam Madison, Patrick Surtain, Tim Bowens and Daryl Gardener to Dallas, we would have kept winning rings.

 

[DLK150]

With the Jimmy of 1990-1992, no doubt Dallas wins 4 in a row and probably 5 of 7.

But that guy disappeared sometime in 1993. He was relieved when the team won in 1993 and ready to move on, basically burned out and in need of time off.

He also had the advantage of knowing the talent better than most from 1989-1993 since he had coached and/or recruited the players in college, but he'd certainly have lost that edge had he still been coaching in 1994.

I kind of agree with the burned out but I wouldn't doubt that he was burning out well before he left/was fired/whatever. Him leaving caught everyone by surprise but I'm sure that what ultimately led up to his flaming out was at least partially fueled by tensions that had been going on for awhile. You had two egos clashing, with one of them not feeling as though they were getting their due respect. That team still had the core but it deteriorated after Jimmy left. It ran on cruise control for awhile before flaming out when the older parts became less effective and the parts that should have been in place weren't there or were ineffective.

I believe we at least win four straight if Jimmy had stuck around, maybe even five.

 

[L.T. Fan]

I'd like for Jimmy to say who he would've drafted instead of Kabila Pittman, shante carver, et al.

How could you committ the cardinal sin and mispell Kavita?

 

[L.T. Fan]

I kind of agree with the burned out but I wouldn't doubt that he was burning out well before he left/was fired/whatever. Him leaving caught everyone by surprise but I'm sure that what ultimately led up to his flaming out was at least partially fueled by tensions that had been going on for awhile. You had two egos clashing, with one of them not feeling as though they were getting their due respect. That team still had the core but it deteriorated after Jimmy left. It ran on cruise control for awhile before flaming out when the older parts became less effective and the parts that should have been in place weren't there or were ineffective.

I believe we at least win four straight if Jimmy had stuck around, maybe even five.

Frankly i disagree that Dallas would have had much of a different outcome had Johnson stayed simply because the personnel was already beggining to become dilluted before he left. A few players were gradually picked off by other teams each year since their first SB win and by the time Switzer came on board the team had a significant dillution. That played a big part of their decline after the third SB win. It's iffy to think Johnson could have had 4 let alone 5 trophies.

 

[Cotton]

I'd like for Jimmy to say who he would've drafted instead of Kabila Pittman, shante carver, et al.

Que?

 

[Cotton]

How could you committ the cardinal sin and mispell Kavita?

It's Kavika. Good lord, fake fans.

 

[VA Cowboy]

Frankly i disagree that Dallas would have had much of a different outcome had Johnson stayed simply because the personnel was already beggining to become dilluted before he left. A few players were gradually picked off by other teams each year since their first SB win and by the time Switzer came on board the team had a significant dillution. That played a big part of their decline after the third SB win. It's iffy to think Johnson could have had 4 let alone 5 trophies.

It's only iffy if you think the same players drafted by Jerry/Lacewell would've been the same guys Jimmy and his staff obtained. I think one more would've been likely, probably by winning in '94. The 5th one might be a reach but in the realm of plausible possibility. I am certain the wildcard win in '96 wouldn't have been our last playoff win until 2009.

 

[L.T. Fan]

It's Kavika. Good lord, fake fans.

Well im in good company. Bet you googled it.

 

[data]

Que?

Haha. Fn auto correct. It took me a minute to undo auto-correct of 'shante' and I missed 'kavika.'

 

[ravidubey]

He showed in Miami he still knew how to find defensive talent. If he coulda brought Jason Taylor, Zack Thomas, Sam Madison, Patrick Surtain, Tim Bowens and Daryl Gardener to Dallas, we would have kept winning rings.

Don't forget Kenny Mixon. No way Gardener would have lasted to Dallas' pick, and he was the lynchpin. Jason Taylor was the real loss, but even he was drafted in the 3rd round. Thomas would not have flourished without Gardener at the start of his career. I strongly believe that.

But you could see Jimmy reaching and faltering once he started to burn out. The John Avery and Yatil Green picks were reaches to fill needs, especially Avery.