i'm not against it, but i'm not as into it as you. even if you play jerry for his short tenure, it was a short one for a coach. obviously he brought two superbowls. to me, he's not a no-brainer.
I'm also kind of a nonbeliever in his ways. His Cowboys teams were built on a trade that happened to strike gold, the likes of which will never been seen in Draft success ever again. He did a good job corralling his players for 3 hours every Sunday, but then guys like Irvin would get away with the drugs/prostitutes behind closed doors. He ran kind of a vanilla offense and defense (entirely through his assistants) that didn't innovate anything. And, most of all, when the going got tough with Jerry or Wayne Huizenga speaking out of their asses, he quit. He's a quitter who likes fishing and boats more than coaching.
Bill Bellichick, who maybe even has a better football mind than you, presented and credited Johnson with innovative defensive ideas. Jimmy was fired by Jerry, so it seems unfair to call him a quitter for leaving Dallas.
Technically Jerrah did fire Jimmy, but Jimmy pushed him to do it. 5 years per gig is Jimmy's coaching MO. He should have stayed for two more seasons and won two more championships and then pushed Jerrah.
Jimmy resigned, but I'll agree it was definitely forced by Jerry. And the "innovative" defense was Wannestadt's... he had the 4 DL "mug" the gaps and leave more room for the LBs like Norton and Del Rio to operate. It was built upon the talents of the personnel that Jimmy acquired, for which I give him credit. His 1989-1992 drafts produced TEN defensive starters... that would be unheard of today. It didn't rely on pass rush like today's defenses are built upon. I think Belichick is drinking buddies with Jimmy and likes him because he gets the cold shoulder from Parcells. This is another part of the narrative that doesn't sway me back to Jimmy. Look at what happened in those offseasons from like 1994-1996... Erik Williams assaulting a hooker, Michael getting caught in a hotel room, Shante Carver lying about drunk driving, and even Nate admitting to style of dog fights that got Michael Vick thrown in prison in the 2000s. The team crumbled and I think it still would have happened with Jimmy at the helm because of his blind eye attitude. Switzer is an *******, but so is Jimmy when it comes to that stuff. I think the Cowboys would be right where they are today had Jimmy been around a little longer.
Yes: Jimmy was an unabashed alpha dog! He coulda neutered himself and coexisted with Jerry, but then he wouldn't have really been Jimmy Johnson.
Had Jerry taken a backseat and let Jimmy work his magic, the Cowboys may have won 4 SBs in a row and probably more in the following years. But Jerry's ego and him wanting to be thought of as a football savvy owner, and his constant meddling over the years has resulted in only 3 SB wins in the mid 90's with nothing of note since.
I don't pay much attention to the NFL or the HOF ceremony, but I shall watch intently Jimmy's induction speech. He owes his entire career to one man, with great assistance from a second man. To my knowledge, he has never said "thank you" to the second one. If he attended the funeral of the first one, i did not see him.
All I know is I am not an NFL insider, so I must defer to those who are... Seems like every time I hear a real established football guy comment on Jimmy they say about same thing: Something to the effect of there are few people they garner as much insight and knowledge from as Jimmy...he just knows alot more and understands more about football than most and has an enlightening perspective. ...And Jerry was a fool. I do believe Jerry's track record since Jimmy should go real far in settling any debate over who is standing on firmer ground in the split's long wake.
