Dallas Cowboys: Talented team rivals early 90's teams

The last time the Dallas Cowboys had a defense this young and talented they won three Super Bowls in four years.

When legendary Miami Hurricane head coach Jimmy Johnson took over the Dallas Cowboys back in 1989, the historic franchise was a shell of itself (and that’s saying it kindly). No longer the dominant franchise that won two Super Bowls, appeared in five Super Bowls, and recorded 20 consecutive winning seasons, the team sunk to new levels of mediocrity as it ended the 1988 season 3-13.

That would mark the third consecutive season the Cowboys finished below .500. Coach Tom Landry no longer had the mojo that made him one the winningest coaches in NFL history, and the man who wore the Fedora lost touch with the new changes of the NFL and was unceremoniously fired by new owner Jerry Jones.

After trading All Pro running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for a boatload of draft picks, Johnson built the Dallas Cowboys into one of the best dynasties in NFL history. We all know the Hall of Famers and other talented players that brought the Cowboys three Lombardi trophies in a span of four years:

Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Alvin Harper, Jay Novacek, Daryl Johnston, Erik Williams, Nate Newton, Russell Maryland, Charles Haley, and Ken Norton are some of the notable players who anchored those dynastic teams.

Fast forward almost three decades later, and the current Cowboys’ team rivals the ones of the early 90’s. Now before you demand that I be drug tested for my line of thinking, just hear me out…that’s all.

And no I didn’t say this current team is better than Johnson’s teams, or more talent, or will win three Super Bowls in a four-year span either. Just hear me out…

The 2019 roster is a talented on both sides of the ball

Top-10 Defense

I want to give Dallas’ defense its props first because it’s been a very long time where you could mention Dallas and a top-5 defense in the same sentence. Finally, from front to back, the defense has talented players.

With War Daddy DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory terrorizing opposing quarterbacks, Dallas’ defense was a force to be reckon with last season

It was backed up with the dynamic duo of Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith. Those two linebackers tackle running backs like a cheetah chasing down a gazelle on the Animal Kingdom.

Dallas’ secondary has promising talent in Byron Jones, Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis, Anthony Brown, and Xavier Woods (sorry, Jeff Heath is a second teamer). All of the aforementioned players made big plays throughout the season.

Side note* Woods has potential to be a perennial a Pro Bowler and Jourdan is really good and needs to play more.

This defense will only get better with a third year of experience under their belt, and the majority of them are in their early to mid-twenties. My goodness!

The Offense

Just like its predecessors of yesteryear, the 2019 Dallas Cowboys are talented on the offensive side of the ball.

Dallas returns one of the best offensive lines in the league with All Pro center Travis Frederick coming back from Guillain-Barre syndrome ( a rare autoimmune disease).

That outstanding offensive line will open up holes for Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott– who happens to be the best running back in the game. With a dominant running game, it opens up the air attack with Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Randall Cobb, Allen Hurns, Tavon Austin and Jason Witten.

Zeke has proven to be a dual weapon, too. Whether gashing opposing defenses or catching passes out of the backfield to pay dirt ( 77 receptions, 567 yards, 3 touchdowns), Zeke averages a legitimate 4.7 yards a carry.

The receiving corps is beyond scary with ultra-talented play makers that can beat any secondary with short and immediate routes or a simple fly pattern. Cooper is a top-10 receiver that runs routes to a perfection, and Cobb is smaller version of Coop with the same capabilities.

Gallup is a deep threat that started meshing with quarterback Dak Prescott late in the season, particularly in the playoff game against the Los Angles Rams (6 receptions, 119 yards). Those three receivers are going to give any defense a hard time.

Austin will give Dallas a boast in its special teams with his ability to return a punt/kickoff for a touchdown. At least Dallas has a special team ace who can give the offense good field position.

Dallas Cowboys: Talented team rivals early 90’s teams

By Dink Kearney | Apr 4, 2019

The last time the Dallas Cowboys had a defense this young and talented they won three Super Bowls in four years.

Top-10 Defense

The Offense