COLUMN: Did you expect something else?
It was a season of turmoil for the Cowboys. The signing of Deion Sanders and deals with Nike and Pepsi were early distractions. Then a mid-season loss to the arch-rival San Francisco 49ers had everyone (even the Cowboys themselves) wondering whether a Super Bowl trip was possible.
Then came a rocky December with the back-to-back divisional losses and the infamous "fourth and one." But with a little luck and some great football, the Cowboys found themselves back in the big dance.
The game was much closer than most people expected, but when all was said and done, the Dallas Cowboys walked away with their third Super Bowl in the last four years and fifth overall.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were within three points with only about four minutes left in the game. They had the ball and the momentum, but then the unheralded Larry Brown got his second interception of the day to lock up the game and a Most Valuable Player Award.
Brown was a 12th-round pick out of Texas Christian University, which is not exactly the home of Super Bowl MVPs. He was the guy last year who gave up a decisive touchdown in the NFC championship game. Since the signing of Deion Sanders, he has become known as "the Cowboys' other cornerback."
So it's a little surprising that he has had such a big impact this postseason, but without him, the Cowboys might not have even made it to the Super Bowl.
In the NFC championship game against the Packers, he picked off a Brett Favre pass that helped clinch the win.
The sad part is that he might not even be back next year with the Cowboys. His agent might try to parlay the MVP award into a multi-million dollar contract, and there's no way the Cowboys can keep that under the salary cap.
The so-called triplets (Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin) did not have outstanding days. Emmitt did not rush for a 100 yards. Irvin did not have 100 receiving yards and Aikman did not throw for 300 yards. But they did get the job done.
Troy completed about two-thirds of his passes and threw no interceptions. Irvin made some key first downs. Emmitt helped the Cowboys capitalize off turnovers by scoring two touchdowns. These guys are the main reason the Cowboys were in the Super Bowl.
So the question becomes, "Can the Cowboys repeat, and how long will this dynasty last?" The triplets and the offensive line will be back next year, but after next year, Emmitt becomes a free agent. There's no doubt that he at least deserves the kind of money that Deion is making (five million per year).
A lot of naysayers like to say that the signing of Deion will lead to the Cowboys' demise.
One event that everyone overlooks is the team meeting Jerry Jones had with Aikman, Irvin and Emmitt. Jerry called each one of these guys in and asked them if they wanted to sign Deion. All three wholeheartedly said yes. Troy even restructured his contract to help sign Deion.
I think Emmitt would stay in Dallas for a little less than he can make elsewhere, but it's going to take some really creative accounting from Jerry Jones to keep him.
Another big question mark for Dallas could be the defense. Besides Larry Brown, five other starters are free agents. These guys are probably looking pretty good to Jimmy Johnson in Miami.
All-pro safety Darren Woodson might be the most important guy to re-sign, but he could command about five times what he made this year. It is going to be impossible to keep them all.
Every year, the Cowboys lose key guys to free agency, but their window of opportunity will still be around for a couple of years. As long as the triplets remain in Dallas, the Cowboys are going to be Super Bowl contenders.
The Cowboys missed a chance last season to make history with a third consecutive victory, but they are tied for most Super Bowl wins with the 49ers (five) and lead everyone with eight Super Bowl appearances. The Cowboys have reclaimed the title of football's greatest.
This item appeared in the Sports section of the February 2, 1996 issue.
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