Jimmy Johnson's comments about the '92 Cowboys and 49ers

[lastcat3]

At the Hall of Fame game Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones (along with Troy Aikman) sat down and reminisced about the Cowboys during the JJ era. Interesting during that conversation Jimmy said that he thought the '92 49ers were a better team than the Cowboys but that Dallas happened to beat them on that day. Now Jimmy is a little prone to exaggeration at times as he has also said in the past that he thought his Miami Hurricane teams could have beaten the '89 Cowboys team. Now the '89 Cowboys weren't a whole lot more than a college all-star team but saying something like that probably should be viewed as a little tongue in cheek.

In regards to what he said about the '92 49ers I can buy him truly believing that the 49ers were a better team that year as during much of the regular season they probably were a better team (especially during the first quarter of the season. Dallas was still an extremely young team and had vast improvements while the season went along. By the time the playoffs came around Dallas had probably surpassed San Fran but if the two teams played during the '92 regular season the 49ers likely would have won at that time.

What is funny is that even almost thirty years later he still gives very little respect to the '92 Bills and he still says he had no doubt in his mind that they would win that Super Bowl after getting past the 9ers.

[Brian wolf]

Beating Philly twice in 1992, including the postseason, convinced Johnson that they would beat any AFC team in the SB, including Buffalo but in his mind, the Niners were the team to beat with their experience and skill position excellence. Dallas knew they had to win the turnover battle and control the ball, which they did but had the 49ers not had that long Rice TD called back in the NFC Championship game, it might have been more a shootout, which would have been tough for his team. For some reason, that play took the air out of the 49ers and their crowd and pumped up the Cowboys who basically manhandled them on both sides of the ball in the second half.

Buffalo had a great AFC team but wasnt used to the Cowboys speed on defense and like the SB before, could not afford to turn the ball over, which Jim Kelly did before getting injured. The game then turned into a nightmare for Bills fans ...

[Brian wolf]

Johnson and Pearson had some rousing HOF speeches.
Jimmy could be humble and cocky all at once. Hopefully Cowboys, Howley, Martin, Jordan and Woodson will join this Hall as well ...

[sheajets]

The 92 Bills were an experienced team at that point still hungry for a Super Bowl but there were a lot of warning signs during the regular season. They had a lot of trouble with the awful Jets (losing to them at home...albeit it was the game after the Dennis Byrd injury so that would probably be as inspired as the Jets were going to play that year) And of course the miraculous Oilers choke kept their quest going...a game they should've lost. Pittsburgh at that point just didn't have the passing offense to beat Buffalo in 1992. Once the Bills beat the Oilers, they were in the Super Bowl. They absolutely owned Miami back then it seemed


The 1992, 1993, and 1994 NFC Championship Game's were treated like Super Bowls back then

[Brian wolf]

Though Aikman was rightly the MVP of that 92/93 SB for Dallas, Charles Haley set the tone for the game with his pass rush on Kelly ... it seemed like Jim was getting hit on every pass play ...

[74_75_78_79_]

The 92 Bills were an experienced team at that point still hungry for a Super Bowl but there were a lot of warning signs during the regular season. They had a lot of trouble with the awful Jets (losing to them at home...albeit it was the game after the Dennis Byrd injury so that would probably be as inspired as the Jets were going to play that year) And of course the miraculous Oilers choke kept their quest going...a game they should've lost. Pittsburgh at that point just didn't have the passing offense to beat Buffalo in 1992. Once the Bills beat the Oilers, they were in the Super Bowl. They absolutely owned Miami back then it seemed


The 1992, 1993, and 1994 NFC Championship Game's were treated like Super Bowls back then

Dallas was clearly Numero Uno in '92 as they also would be the following year, but I wonder how SBXXVII turns out if it would have been held just one week after the CC games? The Bills, starting with that Classic Monster comeback vs Houston, were on such HIGH momentum upon wrapping up the AFC yet again! Forgive me if my math is wrong, but after being down 35-3 they then from there outscore their AFC opponents by a combined 91-16! Not to mention making true road-warriors out of themselves those last two games!

Its not an 'excuse'. The Super Bowl, for the most part, has always been scheduled two weeks after. But it's interesting to think how it unfolds had it been just one week? Buffalo, still knocking on the door, momentum not having that extra week to cool off (one less week of being reminded by the media of the still elusive Lombardi), and against a 'new' young team. Dallas very likely wins it anyway IMO, and perhaps still not by a slim margin, but just a thought.

Back during that long ongoing era, even before the '80s NFC-dominance, of the SB almost-always being a bad game, I always thought that perhaps it should be just one week later. Both teams just coming off winning their respective CC, immediately roll up their sleeves for "one more game" next week, both teams fresh and fired-up! A chance for a better game, I thought. No time for either to get all caught up in any long-winded pre-game hype. Again, or so I thought. Then what explains the SB, now, mostly being a good game these past 25 years despite it still being a two-week wait?

As for '92-thru-'94 NFCCGs being the "real" Super Bowl? Maybe but maybe-not the case for '93. One could argue that Houston, Buffalo, and even KC may have been better than San Fran that very year.

[Brian wolf]

Good call but wasnt the Giants-Bills SB a week after the Championship games ? The Bills may have needed another week for their backs to heal from all the pats after the Raider game ...

[sheajets]

Good call but wasnt the Giants-Bills SB a week after the Championship games ? The Bills may have needed another week for their backs to heal from all the pats after the Raider game ...

Bills offense was raring to go and shredded the outstanding Giants defense that day when they were on the field. Trouble was they were rarely on the field. Was good to hear Parcells praise Erhardt publicly for how vital his gameplan and execution was to winning that game

[7DnBrnc53]

The 92 Bills were an experienced team at that point still hungry for a Super Bowl but there were a lot of warning signs during the regular season. They had a lot of trouble with the awful Jets (losing to them at home...albeit it was the game after the Dennis Byrd injury so that would probably be as inspired as the Jets were going to play that year) And of course the miraculous Oilers choke kept their quest going...a game they should've lost. Pittsburgh at that point just didn't have the passing offense to beat Buffalo in 1992. Once the Bills beat the Oilers, they were in the Super Bowl. They absolutely owned Miami back then it seemed


The 1992, 1993, and 1994 NFC Championship Game's were treated like Super Bowls back then

The Steelers had some drives in Buffalo territory in the first half, but they didn't work out. One was short-circuited by a Bruce Smith sack-fumble, and there was another drive in the second quarter (where O'Donnell missed a wide open Barry Foster at the ten yard line) that didn't end up in any points. Then, after Richard Shelton missed that INT-TD in the third quarter, the air went out of the balloon.

As for Miami, they only ran the ball 11 times. When they played Buffalo closer in the playoffs (in 1990), they were more committed to the ground game, and they hung around longer. In 92, they had Bobby Humphrey (former Pro Bowler with Denver) and Aaron Craver, and they don't even try to run the ball. That played right into Buffalo's hands.

[Brian wolf]

After that big Thurman Thomas run on the final drive, I will never understand why the Bills didnt get closer for the FG attempt against the Giants ... they really butchered the clock and wasted too much time as well on Kelly runs. An intense game indeed. I miss those days of desperate NFL football.