THROUGH THE EYES OF A FAN, Part 7 of 16

"THROUGH THE EYES OF A FAN"

THE LONG ROAD BACK TO THE TOP

FOR THE DALLASCOWBOYS
 

After the 1990 season Jimmy Johnson decided to make a change on the offensive side of the ball. He fired offensive coordinator Dave Shula and hired Norv Turner away from the L.A. Rams to replace him. Turner had become a very successful offensive coordinator with the Rams. Some thought he was an offensive genius. He had helped Jim Everett become one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL and now it was time to do the same with Troy Aikman.

Quickly it became April, which meant it was time for another draft for Jimmy Johnson and the Cowboys. Johnson pulled off another trade, this time with the Patriots for the number one pick overall. Some experts thought that the Cowboys would go after wide receiver Raghib "The Rocket" Ismail, out of Notre Dame. Johnson ended up taking defensive tackle Russell Maryland out of Miami. Maryland was strong, mobile and very fast and could anchor the defensive line for the Cowboys. In addition to Maryland the Cowboys had a very successful draft in 1991 as they selected many impact players. Wide receiver Alvin Harper, offensive tackle Eric Williams, linebacker Dixon Edwards, defensive tackle Leon Lett and cornerback Larry Brown. Johnson also made another move that would help out the team when he traded for defensive tackle Tony Casillas who was unhappy playing in Atlanta.

For the second year in a row the Cowboys won their season opener. They went into Cleveland and beat the Browns 26-14. Emmitt Smith led the way with 112 yards rushing. Troy Aikman was back healthy after suffering a separated shoulder that ended his 1990 season. He threw for 274 yards and two touchdowns. Michael Irvin added 123 yards receiving and scored once.

The next two games were against division opponents. The Cowboys opened the season at home against the Redskins on Monday night. Even though Aikman threw three touchdown passes and Emmitt Smith ran for over 100 yards, they were not able to stop the Redskins and lost 33-31. Then the Cowboys were destroyed by the Eagles 24-0. The Eagles held the Cowboys offense to only 90 yards for the game and also sacked Aikman 11 times. The Cowboys fell to 1-2.

The following week against the Cardinals was the Emmitt Smith show. He rushed for an amazing 182 yards and two touchdowns. One form 60 yards out and the other from 12 yards out. The Cowboys beat the Cardinals, 17-9 to even their record at 2-2.

What I hoped for was a win over a quality team. The next week the defending Super Bowl Champion Giants came to Texas Stadium. The Cowboys were leading 14-3 in the third quarter, but then the Giants mounted a comeback and took a 16-14 lead late in the fourth quarter. Aikman drove the Cowboys offense down the field and finished the drive off with a 23 yard touchdown pass to Michael Irvin. Irvin caught the pass from Aikman inside the ten yard line, then broke away from the Giants cornerback Mark Collins and scored to take the lead 21-16. But there was still time left on the clock for the Giants.

The Giants drove down the field and into Cowboys territory. That's when it appeared that these were not the same Cowboys that had been losing games for so long. Giants quarterback Jeff Hostetler threw into the end zone where the Cowboys Issiac Holt leaped and came down with the interception. Holt was the last player left out of the five in the Herschel Walker trade. Aikman completed 20 of 27 passes for 277 yards and the touchdown to Irvin. It was a good win for Jimmy Johnson and the Cowboys. Progress was being made and the Cowboys weren't losers anymore.

The Cowboys traveled to Washington for their rematch against the 11-0 Redskins with a 6-5 record.  Aikman was having a great game, going 13 out of 20 for 204 yards and a touchdown, but then he hurt his knee before halftime and was lost for the rest of the regular season. The Cowboys backup quarterback was now Steve Beuerlein who had signed with the Cowboys during the off-season after spending time with the L.A. Raiders.

The Cowboys seemed to rally around Beuerlein after losing Aikman and went on to beat the Redskins 24-21. Emmitt Smith rushed for 132 yards and ran for a 32 yard touchdown. Michael Irvin had 130 yards receiving and a touchdown. Alvin Harper added 101 yards receiving and also scored.  Beuerlein completed 7 out of 12 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. Beuerlein went on to start the final four games of the 1991 regular season the Cowboys and won all four.

One of those wins would be the hurdle that got the Cowboys back into the playoffs for the first time since 1985. The Cowboys were 9-5 as they traveled to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles who were also 9-5. The play of the game came in the fourth quarter with the Eagles leading 10-8. Cowboys punt returner Kelvin Martin broke loose for an 85 yard punt return for a touchdown. It was a block from the Cowboys Issiac Holt on the Eagles Robert Drummond that made the highlight film. As Martin crossed midfield and avoided the Eagles punter, it was Drummond who was closing in from behind. Holt met Drummond head on and crushed him, which allowed Martin to score to make the score 15-10. Beuerlein was only 9 out of 31 for 145 yards, but his one touchdown to Irvin increased the Cowboys lead to 22-13. The Cowboys not only beat the Eagles 25-13, they also earned a playoff spot with the win. They would be a Wildcard team and be on the road for the playoffs, but coming all the way from 1-15 to 11-5, I don't think it really mattered to the team.

The Cowboys had a great season in 1991. They won their final five games of the season to end up with an 11-5 record and second place in the NFC East. That would be their best record since they went 12-4 in 1983. Even with the good news of going to the playoffs, there was still a question whether Troy Aikman would be ready.

The Cowboys traveled to Chicago to play the Bears in the Wildcard round. Aikman's knee still not ready, so Jimmy Johnson stayed with Steve Beuerlein. The Cowboys went ahead 10-0 early on the running of Emmitt Smith. The Cowboys defense sacked Bears quarterback Jim Harbaugh three times and intercepted him twice. The second of those interceptions came from Bill Bates late in the game and the Cowboys won 17-13. Emmitt Smith finished the game with 105 yards rushing. The Cowboys were off to play the Lions in the Divisional Round in Detroit.

Reports leading up to the Lions game were that Troy Aikman was ready to play, but Johnson decided to stay Beuerlein. Earlier in the 1991 season the Lions had crushed the Cowboys, 34-10. It would be no different this time around. The Lions took control early and dominated the Cowboys throughout the game. They led the Cowboys at halftime 17-6 and never looked back. Lions quarterback Eric Kramer threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns. The Lions gained 421 yards on offense and the Cowboys only gained 276 yards and turned the ball over four times. Aikman did come into the game towards the end even though it was pretty much over and did well, going 11 out of 16 for 114 yards. The end result was a 38-6 victory for the Lions. The season had come to an end on the field of the Pontiac Silverdome.

Although the Cowboys lost to the Lions in the playoffs, there were many things the Cowboys accomplished in 1991. For the first time since the 1985 season they had a winning record (11-5) and made the playoffs. The Cowboys also crowned their first ever NFL rushing champion. Emmitt Smith won the title with 1,563 rushing yards and scored 12 touchdowns. Michael Irvin scored eight touchdowns and led the league in receiving yards with 1,523 yards. It was the first time in NFL history that rushing champion and receiving leader played for the same team. Things were only looking up for the Cowboys. Jimmy Johnson had a plan from the very first day and it was all starting to come together. The 1992 season would be a season to remember for the Cowboys and a...RETURN TO GLORY.

To be continued...