To call the 14 months between Dallas’ victory over the Bills in Super Bowl XXVII and the firing of Jimmy Johnson as tumultuous would be an understatement.
Over that period of time, Dallas would celebrate its third Super Bowl victory. They would add Bernie Kosar to back up Troy Aikman at quarterback.
They would draft wide receiver Kevin Williams (1st round), linebacker Darrin Smith (2nd) and defensive back Brock Marion (7th) in the draft.
Emmitt Smith would hold out and miss the first two games of the season. After an 0-2 start, Smith would return after Jerry Jones relented and paid the man.
Dallas would go on to win 12 of its next 14 games and become the first team to start 0-2 and win the Super Bowl – the team’s fourth championship.
And to cap off the madness, Jones decided there were 500 coaches that could coach the Cowboys and fired Jimmy Johnson on March 29, 1994. More on that fiasco tomorrow.
Emmitt IS The Man
With Smith holding out, Dallas went to Washington and got clobbered. Aikman would throw two touchdowns to Alvin Harper but four Cowboys’ fumbles resulted in a 35-16 loss.
Another four-turnover effort at home against the Bills resulted in a 13-10 loss. It also forced Jones to come to his senses and agree to a contract with Smith.
In 80-degree heat that felt more like 110 degrees (I know because I was on the sidelines) Smith returned and had 45 yards on eight carries.
Rookie Derrick Lassic scored two of his career three rushing touchdowns to help Dallas earn a 17-10 win at Phoenix in a Sunday night game.
The first of two bye weeks followed – the 1993 season being the lone year the NFL had two bye weeks – giving Smith more time to be ready to resume the starting role.
Back In The Groove
Dallas reeled off wins over the Packers (36-14), the Colts (27-3), and the 49ers (26-17). Smith would gain 71, 104 and 92 yards respectively. The Cowboys were back.
Oddly, the NFL scheduled the Cowboys second bye week only four weeks after their first. The break didn’t throw Dallas off rhythm in the least.
The Cowboys ripped off three more wins, extending their streak to seven in a row, with victories over the Eagles (23-10), Giants (31-9) and Cardinals (20-15).
Aikman would get knocked out of the Giants game, leaving Jason Garrett to finish. It would prompt the Cowboys to sign Kosar. He would get the win over Phoenix.
Kosar would fall flat in a 27-14 loss at Atlanta and Aikman would return to start against the Dolphins on Thanksgiving Day.
Really, Leon?
With snow covering the field – thank you hole in the roof – the Cowboys took a 14-7 lead at halftime. The Dolphins got field goals of 20 and 31 yards from Pete Stoyanovich to make it 14-13 in the fourth.
The Dolphins’ kicker lined up for his fourth attempt of the game with seconds remaining but the kick was blocked. The ball thudded into the snow short of the goal line. Dallas was going to hold on for a one-point win. Then Leon Lett happened.
For whatever reason, Lett believed the ball was live and attempted to recover it. He succeeded in touching it, sending it closer to the goal line where it was recovered by Miami. Stoyanovich didn’t miss the gimmie and Miami won 16-14.
Dallas was now 7-4 on the season and most teams would have collapsed after a loss like that. Most teams did not have Johnson as their head coach.
Eight Wins To Glory
The Cowboys recovered, as did Lett, and captured wins over the Eagles (23-17), Vikings (37-20), and Jets (28-7).
After a 38-3 win at home over the Redskins, they would still need a win at the Giants to secure the NFC East and the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
They got the greatest game ever played by a running back. Despite suffering a separated shoulder, Emmitt Smith willed the Cowboys to a 16-13 win in overtime.
Smith carried for 168 yards on 32 rushes, adding 61 yards and a touchdown on 10 receptions. Just this game alone made his contract worth it.
The Cowboys’ running back would win his third-straight rushing title, despite missing the first two games. His 1,486 yards would also earn him the NFL’s MVP award that year.
Aikman would outduel Brett Favre in a 27-17 win over the Packers in the Divisional round of the playoffs.
Aikman would throw two touchdown passes in the NFC Championship game against the 49ers. But he would get knocked out of the game and Kosar would lead a key scoring drive for a 38-21 win.
Dallas was back in the Super Bowl again. And so were the Buffalo Bills, who had no intention of losing a fourth straight title game.
Back-To-Back Champions
Aikman was not 100% for Super Bowl XXVIII, but there was no way he wasn’t starting. Buffalo held the Dallas offense in check for a 13-6 halftime lead.
The Cowboys defense tied the game in the third quarter with a 28-yard fumble return by James Washington. Then Smith took over.
Smith scored two touchdowns, finishing with 132 yards on 30 carries and was named Super Bowl MVP. Dallas won the game, 30-13, to become the fifth team to win consecutive Super Bowls.
Buffalo would become the first team to lose four straight, a feat likely never again to be repeated.
Dallas would try to become the first to win three in a row the next year, and they looked unstoppable in that quest. Only one thing could derail that. Its name was Jerry Jones.
In less than two months his careless words in a hotel bar in the early morning hours would put an end to the Cowboys’ Super Bowl run.