Argument for Dallas by Tim McMahon:
ESPNDallas.com
Archive First, let's make it clear that we're debating which four-year span was more dominant.
This is a discussion of dynasties, so double-digit-win seasons don't mean anything unless the team ended it by lifting a Lombardi Trophy. So it's the 1992-95 Dallas Cowboys versus the 2001-04 New England Patriots.
(Sorry, New England, your 16-0 season in 2007 is irrelevant here. If it makes you feel any better, folks around these parts are also still bitter about those Giants pulling off a playoff upset.)
Now here's something that will really perturb Patriots fans: The dynasty Cowboys would dominate the dynasty Patriots.
Let's begin with the eyeball test. We could do a whole Hot Button on in-his-prime Troy Aikman versus early-years Tom Brady, but those Dallas teams were superior offensively at every other position. In some cases, it's not laughably lopsided.
Emmitt Smith or Antowain Smith? Michael Irvin or Troy Brown?
The talent difference between the defenses isn't quite as stark. But give me Charles Haley over Willie McGinest, Darren Woodson over Rodney Harrison and so on.
The proof, of course, is in the performances. Each team won three Super Bowl titles in its four-year window, but the Cowboys have the advantage in all of the other most important categories. The Cowboys won a little more often and a lot more convincingly.
The '92-95 Cowboys had a 49-15 record. They scored an average of 25.5 points and allowed 15.8. The only time they didn't finish third or better in scoring offense or defense was when the '92 team allowed the fifth-most points in the league.
The '01-04 Patriots had a 48-16 record. They scored an average of 24.2 points and allowed 17.2. They finished in the top five in scoring offense once and in scoring defense twice.
Those Cowboys played their best ball in the postseason, while those Patriots had an amazing knack for surviving in the playoffs.
Dallas went 11-1 in those four postseasons, with the lone loss coming to the Steve Young/Jerry Rice San Francisco 49ers in the 1994 NFC Championship Game. All 11 victories were decided by double figures, including Super Bowl scores of 52-17, 30-13 and 27-17.
The Patriots went 9-0 in playoff games during their dynasty years, failing to qualify for the playoffs after the 2002 season. Five of those games were decided by a field goal, including all three Super Bowls. Give those Patriots credit for performing in clutch situations, but they couldn't have kept it close against the Dallas dynasty teams.
ESPNDallas.com
Archive First, let's make it clear that we're debating which four-year span was more dominant.
This is a discussion of dynasties, so double-digit-win seasons don't mean anything unless the team ended it by lifting a Lombardi Trophy. So it's the 1992-95 Dallas Cowboys versus the 2001-04 New England Patriots.
(Sorry, New England, your 16-0 season in 2007 is irrelevant here. If it makes you feel any better, folks around these parts are also still bitter about those Giants pulling off a playoff upset.)
Now here's something that will really perturb Patriots fans: The dynasty Cowboys would dominate the dynasty Patriots.
Let's begin with the eyeball test. We could do a whole Hot Button on in-his-prime Troy Aikman versus early-years Tom Brady, but those Dallas teams were superior offensively at every other position. In some cases, it's not laughably lopsided.
Emmitt Smith or Antowain Smith? Michael Irvin or Troy Brown?
The talent difference between the defenses isn't quite as stark. But give me Charles Haley over Willie McGinest, Darren Woodson over Rodney Harrison and so on.
The proof, of course, is in the performances. Each team won three Super Bowl titles in its four-year window, but the Cowboys have the advantage in all of the other most important categories. The Cowboys won a little more often and a lot more convincingly.
The '92-95 Cowboys had a 49-15 record. They scored an average of 25.5 points and allowed 15.8. The only time they didn't finish third or better in scoring offense or defense was when the '92 team allowed the fifth-most points in the league.
The '01-04 Patriots had a 48-16 record. They scored an average of 24.2 points and allowed 17.2. They finished in the top five in scoring offense once and in scoring defense twice.
Those Cowboys played their best ball in the postseason, while those Patriots had an amazing knack for surviving in the playoffs.
Dallas went 11-1 in those four postseasons, with the lone loss coming to the Steve Young/Jerry Rice San Francisco 49ers in the 1994 NFC Championship Game. All 11 victories were decided by double figures, including Super Bowl scores of 52-17, 30-13 and 27-17.
The Patriots went 9-0 in playoff games during their dynasty years, failing to qualify for the playoffs after the 2002 season. Five of those games were decided by a field goal, including all three Super Bowls. Give those Patriots credit for performing in clutch situations, but they couldn't have kept it close against the Dallas dynasty teams.
