Darren Woodson was one of the better safeties during his 12-year career with the Dallas Cowboys. He earned three Super Bowl titles and five trips to the Pro Bowl during his tenure with America’s Team.
But for Woodson, the team-wide success he enjoyed could have been even more widespread if it weren’t for owner Jerry Jones and then head coach Jimmy Johnson.
“I was in Phoenix, and when I found out Jimmy (Johnson) got fired, man I was as pissed off as anyone. Michael Irvin, we saw what he did … throwing garbage cans in the locker room,” Woodson said, via the Dallas Morning News. “People were pissed. We knew we could have made history back then. [Johnson and Jones] blew it. Plain and simple.”
Indeed, Jones’ decision to move on from Johnson was met with skepticism throughout the NFL world. Though, in the team’s second season with Barry Switzer replacing Johnson on the sidelines, Dallas earned its third Super Bowl in a four-year span.
After that, it’s been a whole bunch of nothing for the Cowboys. In each of Woodson’s final four seasons with Dallas, the team failed to finish better than .500 and missed out on the playoffs each year.
For his part, Jones did touch on his relationship with Johnson during the owner’s Hall of Fame speech earlier this month.
“You were a great teammate, you were a great partner,” Jones said to Johnson, via the Dallas Morning News. “To the contrary of popular belief, we worked so well together for five years and restored the Cowboys’ credibility with our fans. We were back to back, we were driven, we had thick skin, we took all the criticism they could dish out. I thank you.”
The issue here is that Johnson lasted just five seasons as the Cowboys’ head coach. He was let go after leading the team to two consecutive Super Bowl titles. That’s obviously what Woodson was talking about in his scathing review of the two all-time greats.