The 1992-1995 Dallas Cowboys
How 'bout 'em?
Been a while since the last edition of our dynasty collection, perhaps because we’re arriving at my most hated team, the early 1990s Dallas Cowboys.
Categories
Rings
The Cowboys won three Super Bowls in four years, the first time that had been accomplished. (13/20)
Non-Championship Years
In their one non-championship year of 1994, the Cowboys lost in the NFC Championship Game to the Super Bowl Champion 49ers, in the days when the NFC Championship Game was effectively the Super Bowl.
The Cowboys went 11-5 in the 1991 season and won a playoff game. After their last Super Bowl, they did not make another deep playoff run. (7/10)
Peak Performance
In 1992, the Cowboys went 13-3, and won all of their playoff games by double digits, capping it off with a 52-17 victory in the Super Bowl. (8/10)
Star Power
The Cowboys were led by the “triplets” of Troy Aikman, Emmit Smith, and Michael Irvin. Emmit Smith is the all-time leader in NFL rushing yards, second in touchdowns. They had a dominant offensive line, and their defense included Russell Maryland, Darren Woodson, Charles Haley, and later Deion Sanders. (10/10)
Coaching / Innovation
Jimmy Johnson is one of few coaches to see success in both college and the NFL. The last team was coached by Barry Switzer, in more of a caretaker role. I’m not certain of any particular innovations they had on either side of the ball beyond their talent, but their coordinators went on to head coaching jobs.
The dynasty was built on the trade of Herschel Walker, which netted them a load of draft picks, which they turned into most of the talent on the teams. (4/5)
Legacy
After the doldrums of the last years of Tom Landry (and a 1-15 season under Johnson) this run put the Cowboys back on the map as America’s Team, and, even though they’ve had some rough years and haven’t been back to the NFC Championship Game since, they’ve remained at the top of the NFL conversation since. (4/5)
The Competition
The first two Super Bowl victories were the last half of the Bills’ four consecutive Super Bowl losses. They were obviously a good team, but at that point seemed to have a mental block about the Super Bowl. The last Super Bowl was against a Steelers team that probably was not Super Bowl caliber.
In the NFC, they were competing with the 49ers, who were also a very strong team, and then Brett Favre’s Packers, a team just short of qualifying for this series. The previous two Super Bowl champions came from their division, and the Eagles were good for most of this run as well. (4/5)
Achilles Heel
This was a complete team. I guess they kind of self-destructed with the breakdown of the relationship between Johnson and owner Jerry Jones, and the off-field behavior of the players. (4/5)
Bias Check
I am an Eagles fan. This team’s run spanned my last years of high school and first years of college. I hated this team, and did so at a time when my sports fandom was at its least rational (+2)
Summary
56 points. A little shy of the 49ers, who had greater longevity, and a better peak season. But for those four seasons, the assumption was that the Cowboys would win the Super Bowl unless something weird happened.