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One of the Best Ever
Jeff Sullivan
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Some 20 years ago, in the draft room of the Dallas Cowboys at Valley Ranch, a dynasty was born. Well, perhaps not so much born as nurtured. Maybe that's the word.
Then again, it's kind of difficult, if not disingenuous to say the professional football dynasty of the 1990s was given birth on Oct. 12, 1989, the day of the "Herschel Walker Trade," for no other reason than the Cowboys went 14-24 in their ensuing 38 games, which doesn't exactly conjure up images of Lombardi's Packers or the Steel Curtain.
However, from Thanksgiving Day 1991 through the 1995 season, America's Team went 65-17 including the playoffs and claimed a trio of Super Bowl triumphs. Now that's a dynasty, at least in the abbreviated sense.
Sure, the Triplets were already in place before Jimmy Johnson, Jerry Jones and company kicked off the 1991 NFL Draft festivities, Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith, respectively, having each been selected in the first round of the previous three drafts. And the 1990 team certainly showed signs of future greatness, as it finished 7-9 with Johnson being named NFL Coach of the Year. Still, without the aggressive, and in hindsight brilliant maneuvers over a four-day stretch some two decades previously, there's more than likely not five Lombardi Trophies currently on display at team headquarters. Heck, there might not be more than two.
Rumors were rampant in the days leading up to the first round of the 1991 draft that the New England Patriots were looking to deal the No. 1 overall pick, who was expected to be Notre Dame wide receiver/punt returner Raghib "Rocket" Ismail, because of their inability to sign the speedster. Matters were made more complex because Ismail and his representatives had leverage in the Canadian Football League, which was offering unheard of sums, much like the USFL did with marquee players in the mid-1980s.
Anyhow, the Cowboys were thisclose to finalizing a deal on Thursday, April 18, only to have the negotiations fall apart because of the Patriots' insistence on including fullback Daryl "Moose" Johnston, who played for then-New England coach Dick MacPherson at Syracuse. At that point, the Pats turned their focus to Atlanta as a trading partner, but when those talks didn't produce the offer for which they were looking, a return call was placed to Johnson and Jones.
Finally, less than 24 hours after trade talks were apparently halted, a blockbuster was announced: The Cowboys had indeed acquired the No. 1 overall pick for the 11th and 41st selections and three-of-five players, of whom the Patriots chose linebackers Eugene Lockhart and David Howard and tight end Ron Francis.
This meant that entering the draft, Johnson and Jones had stockpiled a plethora of picks, including a trio in the first round: the first, the 12th and the 14th.
Jones was adamant that the No. 1 overall selection had to be signed before being drafted, at least if the Cowboys were to keep the pick. It was quickly apparent that Ismail wasn't much interested in joining America's Team, or for that matter, the NFL. The Toronto Argonauts and owner Bruce McNall, who at the time also owned the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL, were offering one of those deals no one could refuse, to the tune of $18.2 million over four years with a hefty signing bonus. The Cowboys' initial offer, based on what the previous year's No. 2 pick Blair Thomas signed, was about $5.6 million over four years.
"Our strategy was to see if he was financially interested in the NFL and wanted to play here," Jones said. "If that was the case, we could go to Atlanta or another team and see if we could drop a spot or two (in the first round) for a deal.
"But it was apparent when we got their offer that the Rocket was headed to Canada. His numbers were totally out of range with anything we thought any team in the NFL might be interested in."
By Friday night, the brass, including defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt, had decided on Miami defensive tackle Russell Maryland, who Johnson had recruited and signed while with the Hurricanes. A deal was in place before Sunday's draft and that was that.
To date, Maryland remains just one of three players, and the most recent, taken No. 1 overall by the Cowboys. The others are Ed "Too Tall" Jones in 1974 and Aikman in 1989.
"The last two years, we've been shut out of defensive players in the first two rounds," Johnson said at the time. "We were not going to let that happen this year. We knew two days ago that Russell would be our pick."
The Outland Trophy winner actually played his last collegiate game at the Cotton Bowl and registered three sacks. The fit was also a natural with Maryland already well acclimated with Wannstedt's defensive schemes.
"It's going to be like a big reunion with all the Miami people here. I know the system and a lot of the people, so hopefully it will be a smooth transition," Maryland said.
In retrospect, Maryland was a solid if unspectacular addition, as he missed just five games in five seasons with Dallas before signing with Oakland as a free agent. He was named to a Pro Bowl and, most importantly, won three Super Bowl rings. And looking back, it's not like the Cowboys missed out on a future Hall of Famer, with just seven first-round picks that year even being tabbed to a single Pro Bowl, wide receiver Herman Moore easily the most accomplished of the bunch.
Speaking of wide receivers, with the 12th pick, Dallas found the perfect bookend for Irvin in deep threat Alvin Harper of Tennessee. And for the record, Moore, who racked up more than 9,000 career years, was taken two picks earlier.
"Dallas is the primary team I wanted to play for," Harper said following his selection. "I like their aggressive style and they were my favorite team when I was small. I didn't have a clue exactly where I would go, but I knew when Rocket left I was one of the top two on the board. Some teams like Herman (Moore) better, but I feel like I'm a better player than him."
Like Maryland, Harper almost immediately cracked the starting lineup and while he never quite reached Pro Bowl status, he led the NFL with 24.9 yards per catch in 1994 and was superb in 10 postseason games with the Cowboys (655 yards, 4 TDs). He left for Tampa Bay via free agency following the 1994 campaign.
"We think Harper is as good as any receiver who's come out of the draft in a number of years," Johnson said at the time.
Dallas, with Trader Jimmy and company working the phones, ended up dealing its third first-rounder in a transaction that landed linebacker Dixon Edwards of Michigan State early in the second round. From there, it was more of the same, trading up, dealing down and in the process landing an abundance of talent.
"We had pinpointed linebackers, special teams, offensive line and speed," Johnson said. "We're always looking for speed."
Indeed, when Johnson first took over the reins in 1989, he could barely talk about his team without mentioning the lack of speed, especially on defense. And while everyone speaks of the "Dirty Dozen" draft of 1975 as the best in team history, and that may well be the case, the final tally of the 1991 class at least merits debate. Among the eight players selected after Edwards who made the Cowboys were offensive tackle Erik Williams, a four-time Pro Bowler, defensive tackle Leon Lett, a two-time Pro Bowler who was vastly underappreciated, and cornerback Larry Brown, who was taken in the 12th round out of TCU. Of course, he would go on to earn a starting role and Super Bowl XXX MVP honors.
Others in the mix included linebackers Godfrey Myles and Darrick Brownlow; running back Curvin Richards, who earned infamy by fumbling twice in the 1992 regular season finale and, thus, was basically released on the field by Johnson, defensive end Tony Hill and offensive lineman Mike Sullivan.
Some of the criticism following the draft was that the Cowboys didn't bolster their offensive line, with Williams, a third-round pick out of Central State (Ohio), not expected to become one of the best in the NFL inside of two years.
In many ways, it's also impossible to grade the 1991 draft as a singular class, with picks dealt by Johnson and Jones paying dividends and then some the following year in cornerback Kevin Smith and safety Darren Woodson.
After the exhaustive first day of draft proceedings was concluded, Johnson, while drinking a beer, told Sports Illustrated, "We'll be good, big-time good. There's no doubt in anybody's mind here. I just want to get our guys together and play the type of aggressive football we're used to playing. I couldn't care less what the people out there think of us."
As Johnson said this, Cowboys director of college scouting Dick Mansperger happened by.
"Hey, Dick," Johnson said. "I hope this is one of those drafts where they look back in 10 years and say, 'That's one of the best drafts ever.'"
Reminded of the quote some 19 years later, Johnson laughed and said, "Yeah, we did pretty well, didn't we? That was a crazy few days. Those deals really were the foundation for what we were able to accomplish."
At the conclusion of the two-day draft, late Monday afternoon, Johnson held a press conference, saying in part, "If I don't look like I'm about ready to jump out of my shoes totally ecstatic it's because we're only had a few hours of sleep. But I really feel good about this draft."
As well he should have.
Jeff Sullivan
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Some 20 years ago, in the draft room of the Dallas Cowboys at Valley Ranch, a dynasty was born. Well, perhaps not so much born as nurtured. Maybe that's the word.
Then again, it's kind of difficult, if not disingenuous to say the professional football dynasty of the 1990s was given birth on Oct. 12, 1989, the day of the "Herschel Walker Trade," for no other reason than the Cowboys went 14-24 in their ensuing 38 games, which doesn't exactly conjure up images of Lombardi's Packers or the Steel Curtain.
However, from Thanksgiving Day 1991 through the 1995 season, America's Team went 65-17 including the playoffs and claimed a trio of Super Bowl triumphs. Now that's a dynasty, at least in the abbreviated sense.
Sure, the Triplets were already in place before Jimmy Johnson, Jerry Jones and company kicked off the 1991 NFL Draft festivities, Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith, respectively, having each been selected in the first round of the previous three drafts. And the 1990 team certainly showed signs of future greatness, as it finished 7-9 with Johnson being named NFL Coach of the Year. Still, without the aggressive, and in hindsight brilliant maneuvers over a four-day stretch some two decades previously, there's more than likely not five Lombardi Trophies currently on display at team headquarters. Heck, there might not be more than two.
Rumors were rampant in the days leading up to the first round of the 1991 draft that the New England Patriots were looking to deal the No. 1 overall pick, who was expected to be Notre Dame wide receiver/punt returner Raghib "Rocket" Ismail, because of their inability to sign the speedster. Matters were made more complex because Ismail and his representatives had leverage in the Canadian Football League, which was offering unheard of sums, much like the USFL did with marquee players in the mid-1980s.
Anyhow, the Cowboys were thisclose to finalizing a deal on Thursday, April 18, only to have the negotiations fall apart because of the Patriots' insistence on including fullback Daryl "Moose" Johnston, who played for then-New England coach Dick MacPherson at Syracuse. At that point, the Pats turned their focus to Atlanta as a trading partner, but when those talks didn't produce the offer for which they were looking, a return call was placed to Johnson and Jones.
Finally, less than 24 hours after trade talks were apparently halted, a blockbuster was announced: The Cowboys had indeed acquired the No. 1 overall pick for the 11th and 41st selections and three-of-five players, of whom the Patriots chose linebackers Eugene Lockhart and David Howard and tight end Ron Francis.
This meant that entering the draft, Johnson and Jones had stockpiled a plethora of picks, including a trio in the first round: the first, the 12th and the 14th.
Jones was adamant that the No. 1 overall selection had to be signed before being drafted, at least if the Cowboys were to keep the pick. It was quickly apparent that Ismail wasn't much interested in joining America's Team, or for that matter, the NFL. The Toronto Argonauts and owner Bruce McNall, who at the time also owned the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL, were offering one of those deals no one could refuse, to the tune of $18.2 million over four years with a hefty signing bonus. The Cowboys' initial offer, based on what the previous year's No. 2 pick Blair Thomas signed, was about $5.6 million over four years.
"Our strategy was to see if he was financially interested in the NFL and wanted to play here," Jones said. "If that was the case, we could go to Atlanta or another team and see if we could drop a spot or two (in the first round) for a deal.
"But it was apparent when we got their offer that the Rocket was headed to Canada. His numbers were totally out of range with anything we thought any team in the NFL might be interested in."
By Friday night, the brass, including defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt, had decided on Miami defensive tackle Russell Maryland, who Johnson had recruited and signed while with the Hurricanes. A deal was in place before Sunday's draft and that was that.
To date, Maryland remains just one of three players, and the most recent, taken No. 1 overall by the Cowboys. The others are Ed "Too Tall" Jones in 1974 and Aikman in 1989.
"The last two years, we've been shut out of defensive players in the first two rounds," Johnson said at the time. "We were not going to let that happen this year. We knew two days ago that Russell would be our pick."
The Outland Trophy winner actually played his last collegiate game at the Cotton Bowl and registered three sacks. The fit was also a natural with Maryland already well acclimated with Wannstedt's defensive schemes.
"It's going to be like a big reunion with all the Miami people here. I know the system and a lot of the people, so hopefully it will be a smooth transition," Maryland said.
In retrospect, Maryland was a solid if unspectacular addition, as he missed just five games in five seasons with Dallas before signing with Oakland as a free agent. He was named to a Pro Bowl and, most importantly, won three Super Bowl rings. And looking back, it's not like the Cowboys missed out on a future Hall of Famer, with just seven first-round picks that year even being tabbed to a single Pro Bowl, wide receiver Herman Moore easily the most accomplished of the bunch.
Speaking of wide receivers, with the 12th pick, Dallas found the perfect bookend for Irvin in deep threat Alvin Harper of Tennessee. And for the record, Moore, who racked up more than 9,000 career years, was taken two picks earlier.
"Dallas is the primary team I wanted to play for," Harper said following his selection. "I like their aggressive style and they were my favorite team when I was small. I didn't have a clue exactly where I would go, but I knew when Rocket left I was one of the top two on the board. Some teams like Herman (Moore) better, but I feel like I'm a better player than him."
Like Maryland, Harper almost immediately cracked the starting lineup and while he never quite reached Pro Bowl status, he led the NFL with 24.9 yards per catch in 1994 and was superb in 10 postseason games with the Cowboys (655 yards, 4 TDs). He left for Tampa Bay via free agency following the 1994 campaign.
"We think Harper is as good as any receiver who's come out of the draft in a number of years," Johnson said at the time.
Dallas, with Trader Jimmy and company working the phones, ended up dealing its third first-rounder in a transaction that landed linebacker Dixon Edwards of Michigan State early in the second round. From there, it was more of the same, trading up, dealing down and in the process landing an abundance of talent.
"We had pinpointed linebackers, special teams, offensive line and speed," Johnson said. "We're always looking for speed."
Indeed, when Johnson first took over the reins in 1989, he could barely talk about his team without mentioning the lack of speed, especially on defense. And while everyone speaks of the "Dirty Dozen" draft of 1975 as the best in team history, and that may well be the case, the final tally of the 1991 class at least merits debate. Among the eight players selected after Edwards who made the Cowboys were offensive tackle Erik Williams, a four-time Pro Bowler, defensive tackle Leon Lett, a two-time Pro Bowler who was vastly underappreciated, and cornerback Larry Brown, who was taken in the 12th round out of TCU. Of course, he would go on to earn a starting role and Super Bowl XXX MVP honors.
Others in the mix included linebackers Godfrey Myles and Darrick Brownlow; running back Curvin Richards, who earned infamy by fumbling twice in the 1992 regular season finale and, thus, was basically released on the field by Johnson, defensive end Tony Hill and offensive lineman Mike Sullivan.
Some of the criticism following the draft was that the Cowboys didn't bolster their offensive line, with Williams, a third-round pick out of Central State (Ohio), not expected to become one of the best in the NFL inside of two years.
In many ways, it's also impossible to grade the 1991 draft as a singular class, with picks dealt by Johnson and Jones paying dividends and then some the following year in cornerback Kevin Smith and safety Darren Woodson.
After the exhaustive first day of draft proceedings was concluded, Johnson, while drinking a beer, told Sports Illustrated, "We'll be good, big-time good. There's no doubt in anybody's mind here. I just want to get our guys together and play the type of aggressive football we're used to playing. I couldn't care less what the people out there think of us."
As Johnson said this, Cowboys director of college scouting Dick Mansperger happened by.
"Hey, Dick," Johnson said. "I hope this is one of those drafts where they look back in 10 years and say, 'That's one of the best drafts ever.'"
Reminded of the quote some 19 years later, Johnson laughed and said, "Yeah, we did pretty well, didn't we? That was a crazy few days. Those deals really were the foundation for what we were able to accomplish."
At the conclusion of the two-day draft, late Monday afternoon, Johnson held a press conference, saying in part, "If I don't look like I'm about ready to jump out of my shoes totally ecstatic it's because we're only had a few hours of sleep. But I really feel good about this draft."
As well he should have.
