NFL: Irvin questions Cowboys' direction
Michael Irvin may be retired, but he's certainly not shy about letting his feelings be known about the Cowboys.
By Jason Markman Sportsuperstarz.com Columnist
It is obvious to anyone from those in football circles to just the casual fan that the Dallas Cowboys are not the same team anymore. Two years ago, standout wide receiver Michael Irvin was left laying on a field in Philadelphia with a devastating neck injury, that would later force him to retire from the game. Most recently, the team released it’s first ever draft pick under Owner Jerry Jones, former Super Bowl MVP Troy Aikman.
This left just Emmitt Smith remaining from the celebrated triplets. The combination once thought the greatest runner-receiver-quarterback threat ever in football down to just one aging member. Of course, that is not the only thing that has changed. Only one wide receiver remains, most of the defense is now different, and the celebrated offensive line is beginning to show its age. The team is also not developing the celebrated young talent that it used to.
The team fell to 5-11 last season and had its first non-playoff trip in three seasons. The team has been headed in the wrong direction for the last several seasons, as they have not advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs since the Super Bowl season of 1995. And with an aging array of diminishing talent, things don’t appear to be turning around for America’s team. All this does not sit well with one of the former triplets.
Irvin, out of the game since the injury against the Eagles, is not happy with the direction of his former team. A source close to the former All-Pro wide receiver recently spoke with Sportsuperstarz.com and according to them, Irvin is very sour on the current direction of the team that he helped mold into a tremendous NFL team.
“Things have gone bad and it looks like they are not committed to playing winning football anymore,” stated the source, which spoke with Sportsuperstarz.com on condition of anonymity. “Look at some of the moves they have made or the coaches they have hired. That shit never would have gone down with us. The things that they are doing just don’t make a lot of sense. They have to work harder now.”
Irvin was Tom Landry’s final #1 draft pick in 1988 from the University of Miami. Irvin was a member of three Super Bowl winning teams for the Cowboys. Despite having sorted off the field legal problems, Irvin had what most would consider a stellar career. He ranks second for the Cowboys in receptions and receiving yards and is their career leader in all time touchdown receptions. The source stated to us that Irvin believes the commitment level is just not the same.
“He believes things started going bad after Jimmy was fired,” he stated. “The team despite winning that Super Bowl (1995) was just not the same. Their not the same Cowboys in both effort and will to win. Michael has said he really doubts Jerry’s commitment to wanting to win. The team has let go of a lot of talent and Michael believes that the will to will is no where near what it was when the team was running off Super Bowls.”
Irvin was one of the most vocal against the firing of Jimmy Johnson in 1994. The team had won their second consecutive Super Bowl when owner Jones and then coach Johnson clashed. Following the firing, Irvin delivered a blistering tirade, that included tossing a Gatorade bucket at reporters. As Irvin reflects now, he said that he is sorry for doing that. However, according to the source, Irvin is not sorry for the implication of what he did.
“Michael and a lot of players believe that they would have been the greatest team ever if Jimmy weren’t fired,” he said. “The guy was a great head coach. The guy commanded that team and the guy knew how to win football games. They need to turn things around in Dallas and restore the tradition. According to Michael, the team is not the same. The team has lost its luster and it now has to get things back together.”
If Michael, Emmitt, and Troy were still playing their positions, would the boys be a different team? That one can be filed under “what if.” However, according to the veteran and now former player Irvin, the team is definitely not the same as when he departed it.
Article courtesy of Sportsuperstarz.com
It is obvious to anyone from those in football circles to just the casual fan that the Dallas Cowboys are not the same team anymore. Two years ago, standout wide receiver Michael Irvin was left laying on a field in Philadelphia with a devastating neck injury, that would later force him to retire from the game. Most recently, the team released it’s first ever draft pick under Owner Jerry Jones, former Super Bowl MVP Troy Aikman.
This left just Emmitt Smith remaining from the celebrated triplets. The combination once thought the greatest runner-receiver-quarterback threat ever in football down to just one aging member. Of course, that is not the only thing that has changed. Only one wide receiver remains, most of the defense is now different, and the celebrated offensive line is beginning to show its age. The team is also not developing the celebrated young talent that it used to.
The team fell to 5-11 last season and had its first non-playoff trip in three seasons. The team has been headed in the wrong direction for the last several seasons, as they have not advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs since the Super Bowl season of 1995. And with an aging array of diminishing talent, things don’t appear to be turning around for America’s team. All this does not sit well with one of the former triplets.
Irvin, out of the game since the injury against the Eagles, is not happy with the direction of his former team. A source close to the former All-Pro wide receiver recently spoke with Sportsuperstarz.com and according to them, Irvin is very sour on the current direction of the team that he helped mold into a tremendous NFL team.
“Things have gone bad and it looks like they are not committed to playing winning football anymore,” stated the source, which spoke with Sportsuperstarz.com on condition of anonymity. “Look at some of the moves they have made or the coaches they have hired. That shit never would have gone down with us. The things that they are doing just don’t make a lot of sense. They have to work harder now.”
Irvin was Tom Landry’s final #1 draft pick in 1988 from the University of Miami. Irvin was a member of three Super Bowl winning teams for the Cowboys. Despite having sorted off the field legal problems, Irvin had what most would consider a stellar career. He ranks second for the Cowboys in receptions and receiving yards and is their career leader in all time touchdown receptions. The source stated to us that Irvin believes the commitment level is just not the same.
“He believes things started going bad after Jimmy was fired,” he stated. “The team despite winning that Super Bowl (1995) was just not the same. Their not the same Cowboys in both effort and will to win. Michael has said he really doubts Jerry’s commitment to wanting to win. The team has let go of a lot of talent and Michael believes that the will to will is no where near what it was when the team was running off Super Bowls.”
Irvin was one of the most vocal against the firing of Jimmy Johnson in 1994. The team had won their second consecutive Super Bowl when owner Jones and then coach Johnson clashed. Following the firing, Irvin delivered a blistering tirade, that included tossing a Gatorade bucket at reporters. As Irvin reflects now, he said that he is sorry for doing that. However, according to the source, Irvin is not sorry for the implication of what he did.
“Michael and a lot of players believe that they would have been the greatest team ever if Jimmy weren’t fired,” he said. “The guy was a great head coach. The guy commanded that team and the guy knew how to win football games. They need to turn things around in Dallas and restore the tradition. According to Michael, the team is not the same. The team has lost its luster and it now has to get things back together.”
If Michael, Emmitt, and Troy were still playing their positions, would the boys be a different team? That one can be filed under “what if.” However, according to the veteran and now former player Irvin, the team is definitely not the same as when he departed it.
Article courtesy of Sportsuperstarz.com
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