Interesting Brad Sham note on late 80's with Landry

[dbair1967]

I had heard the Hackett stuff before, but don't remember anything about Marty Schottenheimer:

Sham, on how the Cowboys nearly hired Marty Schottenheimer to replace Tom Landry before the team was sold to Jerry Jones in 1989: “Most people who revile Jerry Jones do it because of his dismissal of Tom Landry. I always say, let's see how much you know, because Tex Schramm wanted to get rid of Tom Landry. I wrote a book in 2003 called ‘Stadium Stories,’ and one of the chapters I did was on Tex, and it was about six months before he died. I'd known him 35 years, but I spent a whole day with him, and he told me things that I didn't know. In 1986, Landry says to Schramm, ‘Get ready. Get the next guy. I'm thinking about [retiring].’ Landry hires the hottest young assistant coach in the NFL, Paul Hackett from the 49ers … He hired Hackett because Landry said get the next guy ready. Landry then proceeded to change everything Hackett did, and that was also the year that Herschel Walker got dropped in their lap in the middle of training camp. Landry then decides, without telling anyone, that he's not going to quit. And either ’87 or ’88 in the spring, Landry holds a press conference, and Schramm had Marty Schottenheimer in Dallas showing him houses. He thought he was going to hire Marty Schottenheimer to replace Tom Landry, who was going to retire. Landry has his press conference, and that's when Schramm finds out that Landry is not quitting. He says there's been a lot of speculation, but I want to tell everybody that I'm staying and I hope to coach into the ’90s, and we all thought he meant into his 90s. That's how Schramm found out.”

 

[bbgun]

Schottenheimer is battling Alzheimer's, so he can't tell us if this is true or not. Maybe his family can verify.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

I remember reading theebs saying something like that once. And wasn't Shotty going to hire Wade Phillips for DC?

 

[Doomsday]

Sham might also remember that in '87 and '88 they were wining and dining Jimmy, even having him attend games in the owner's booth with Tex. Plan was to hire Jimmy as Assistant HC/DC with the idea he would become HC when Tex was finally able to ease Tom out the door. Jimmy declined that offer, at the time he had his "dream job" coaching the Miami Hurricanes to a national title.

Most people who revile Jerry Jones do it because of his dismissal of Tom Landry.

No Brad, most people who revile Jerry got over the Landry thing pretty quickly, and revile him for losing Jimmy and 22 years of nothingness since then.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

Exactly. My Jerry hate has zero to do with firing Landry.

That's just Sham making excuses for the last 20 years, acting like fans are unreasonable.

 

[yimyammer]

No Brad, most people who revile Jerry got over the Landry thing pretty quickly, and revile him for losing Jimmy and 22 years of nothingness since then

exactly!

What no-one seems able to remember or admit is the whole town was calling for Landry's head before he got fired and then when he actually got fired, everyone got a case of righteous indignation. I was giving people shit about it right and left asking what the hell they were so mad about, you just said last week it was time for Landry to go???!?!? Plus Jimmy is gonna turn this around man, just watch and see! I've never been so confident in the Cowboys future and Jimmy more than rewarded my faith.

Then after back to back Super Bowl wins, jeri the jackass revealed his true character and my disgust for him began and has bloomed to full on revulsion ever since (as you are all well aware)

 

[cmd34]

Jerry gets a pass because of the 1995 Super Bowl but have you ever really thought about how bizarre the Barry Switzer hiring was?

He ran the wishbone offense at Oklahoma, had zero NFL experience, had been out of football for 6 years at the time, and was chased out of Oklahoma for all sorts of scandals and violations. Weird, weird hire.

I still think it just goes to show how good of a personnel evaluator Jimmy Johnson really was.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

I'd say "weird" is being charitable. Switzer was just the only head coach Jerry knew, and the only one who would accept keeping the entire staff on board.

 

[yimyammer]

Jerry gets a pass because of the 1995 Super Bowl but have you ever really thought about how bizarre the Barry Switzer hiring was?

He ran the wishbone offense at Oklahoma, had zero NFL experience, had been out of football for 6 years at the time, and was chased out of Oklahoma for all sorts of scandals and violations. Weird, weird hire.

I still think it just goes to show how good of a personnel evaluator Jimmy Johnson really was.

bazaar as hell and an obvious in your face move to Jimmy, IIRC, Barry was laying on his couch at the time of the call and thought his coaching career was dead and gone

 

[dbair1967]

I still remember the clips of Michael Irvin ransacking that lockerroom at the team facility the day he heard the news about Jimmy.

 

[English Cowboy]

The game had passed Landry by a good 5 years before he was eventually let go. I don't think anyone had an issue with moving on from Landry, just the way it was done. Even Jerry has admitted as much.

 

[spiderfan_MJ]

acting like fans are unreasonable.

Well, at least the Cowboys fanbase isn't the Eagles fanbase.

 

[MrB]

I'd say "weird" is being charitable. Switzer was just the only head coach Jerry knew, and the only one who would accept keeping the entire staff on board.

Jerry also wanted to prove a point that even the most incompetent coach in the land could coach this team to a SB. He was right.

 

[TheZoneSucks]

Exactly. My Jerry hate has zero to do with firing Landry.

That's just Sham making excuses for the last 20 years, acting like fans are unreasonable.

My hate for Jerry began the moment I watched that press conference, and it dawned on me that Jimmy was being pushed out. I knew what was in store for us long term, and I wasn't wrong. Any man that would push out a defending back to back SB winner is a stupid fucking idiot. I don't care how pissy Jimmy was being, I do whatever it takes to keep him there, because the greatest 4 or 5 year dynasty, one that would likely never be equaled, was on the verge of happening.