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“To us, Dallas was the evil empire. Those people coming out of Texas, they were the imperialists.
"When we played Dallas and won, it was like Christmastime. When we played Dallas and lost, you felt like a member of the family had just passed away." https://theathletic.com/1977373/2020/09/30/center-stage-reliving-the-revolutionary-cowboys-49ers-rivalry-of-the-1990s/
"When we played Dallas and won, it was like Christmastime. When we played Dallas and lost, you felt like a member of the family had just passed away." https://theathletic.com/1977373/2020/09/30/center-stage-reliving-the-revolutionary-cowboys-49ers-rivalry-of-the-1990s/
I’m going to thread some nuggets from my 49ers-Cowboys 1990s history piece throughout today and draw some connections/lessons for the current team. This rivalry formed so many of the NFL ground rules that the 49ers face today, from the salary cap to getting over the hump...
Every butterfly was once a caterpillar. It took years for the 49ers-Cowboys rivalry to blossom into the most star-studded matchup in NFL history. Take 1989, when the 49ers were historically good — they outscored postseason opponents by 100 (!!) points — and Dallas was 1-15.
Cowboys FB @DarylJohnston on the 49ers: “We hung with them for three quarters and then you saw the skill, the maturity, the chemistry. They never panicked against an opponent that wasn’t on their level at that time, and they just rolled us.”
But just 3 days before the 49ers spanked the Cowboys in '89, Dallas executed the biggest trade in NFL history, dealing Herschel Walker in a swap that eventually involved 18 players/picks.
To this day, the draft remains the best way to build a powerful roster. SF has 9 2021 picks
To this day, the draft remains the best way to build a powerful roster. SF has 9 2021 picks
Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson built a rising juggernaut through the draft. Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. A massive O-line dubbed the "Great Wall of Dallas." A defense that rose up the NFL rankings behind Ken Norton Jr., Darren Woodson and Kevin Smith.
While Dallas roared to life, the 49ers suffered a reminder of something that's even more true today: NFL success, like SF's '80s formula, is very difficult to sustain.
“But I think maybe it caught up with us in ’92 and ’93," 49ers TE Brent Jones said.
The SF-DAL stage was set.
“But I think maybe it caught up with us in ’92 and ’93," 49ers TE Brent Jones said.
The SF-DAL stage was set.
We talk so much about the franchise-changing value of edge rushers now. Nick Bosa, '19. Decades before that, Charles Haley made his mark on both of the two premier franchises of the early 1990s. The 49ers traded Haley to the Cowboys in '92, shifting the balance of power to Dallas
“I still have nightmares about it and he’s a dear friend today,” former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. said of Haley. “If we didn’t trade Charles to Dallas, and I’ve spoken to Jerry Jones who’s owned up to this, we would have won two more Super Bowls.”
Aldon Smith played for the 49ers and now Dallas, but we obviously can't compare that to Haley's switch between the two teams.
However, it's no coincidence that the 49ers' two most recent NFC title-caliber teams have come with a premier edge rusher on the roster: Smith and Bosa.
However, it's no coincidence that the 49ers' two most recent NFC title-caliber teams have come with a premier edge rusher on the roster: Smith and Bosa.
On to the struggles of 49ers fans to accept a new QB, thanks in large part to the legacy of Joe Montana. This also goes back to the 49ers-Cowboys rivalry of the '90s, and is the culmination of one of the most fascinating backstories in NFL history...
Steve Young was the NFL's MVP in 1992. But he threw 2 interceptions against Dallas in the NFC title game, which the 49ers lost. Montana didn't play.
“Put Joe in! There’s still time,” a lone fan lingering at the top of Candlestick’s upper deck bellowed long after the final gun.
“Put Joe in! There’s still time,” a lone fan lingering at the top of Candlestick’s upper deck bellowed long after the final gun.
The NFL misses 1990s-style trash talk. It's tame now.
Before the next season's NFC title game rematch with the 49ers, Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson called into a talk radio show: “We will win the ballgame. And you can put it in three-inch headlines.”
Wait for SF's response...
Before the next season's NFC title game rematch with the 49ers, Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson called into a talk radio show: “We will win the ballgame. And you can put it in three-inch headlines.”
Wait for SF's response...
49ers coach George Seifert in response to Johnson's Cowboys victory guarantee, On Air: "Well, the man’s got balls, I’ll tell you that. I don’t know if they’re brass or papier-mache. We’ll find out here pretty soon.”
Dallas validated Johnson. They beat the 49ers and won SB again.
Dallas validated Johnson. They beat the 49ers and won SB again.
In a Texas Stadium elevator afterward, an incensed DeBartolo Jr. instructed Policy to do whatever it took for the 49ers to catch and overtake Dallas.
“It was a win-at-all-costs mentality,” DeBartolo Jr. said.
Good thing that the NFL had just instituted unrestricted free agency
“It was a win-at-all-costs mentality,” DeBartolo Jr. said.
Good thing that the NFL had just instituted unrestricted free agency
On to the ancestor of modern Twitter madness.
The mail at the 49ers’ facility overflowed. The fax machine never rested. Title game losses had shaken fans.
“Thank God we didn’t have the internet,” Policy said. “If we had to worry about websites, we’d have been out of business.”
The mail at the 49ers’ facility overflowed. The fax machine never rested. Title game losses had shaken fans.
“Thank God we didn’t have the internet,” Policy said. “If we had to worry about websites, we’d have been out of business.”
Think that Shanahan and Lynch are facing a tough 2021 salary-cap crunch?
It'll never be as tight as the first one, in which Policy's techniques revolutionized the NFL: At one point in the 1994 offseason, the 49ers had only $432 in cap space with several players still unsigned.
It'll never be as tight as the first one, in which Policy's techniques revolutionized the NFL: At one point in the 1994 offseason, the 49ers had only $432 in cap space with several players still unsigned.
We've already seen some 49ers contract restructures in this cycle and we'll likely see more soon. Policy invented that practice during the 1993 playoffs. Select players would sign their new deals in full uniform, muddying the GM's office.
"It was hilarious," Brent Jones said.
"It was hilarious," Brent Jones said.
SF signed the most star-studded FA class ever; crown jewel Deion Sanders. Norton defected from DAL. Future HOFs Rickey Jackson and Richard Dent signed. So did Pro Bowl C Bart Oates. Gary Plummer brought new toughness.
“We were literally dancing through raindrops," Policy said.
“We were literally dancing through raindrops," Policy said.
And the 49ers started *fist-fighting* in practice.
“You offensive players asked me to go out and get some tough guys because we’ve been pushed around by the Cowboys,” Seifert said. “So I went out and got a couple tough guys. Now shut the hell up and play football!”
“You offensive players asked me to go out and get some tough guys because we’ve been pushed around by the Cowboys,” Seifert said. “So I went out and got a couple tough guys. Now shut the hell up and play football!”
The 49ers did all this because everything was on the line.
“If we lose to Dallas,” Policy said, “We die.”
“If we lose to Dallas,” Policy said, “We die.”
The 49ers, of course, didn't die. We all know how this story ended: SF finally beat Dallas to end 1994 and win its most recent Super Bowl. Then Sanders signed with the Cowboys, who won their most recent title to close 1995. The Packers ended the 49ers-Cowboys rivalry.
The 49ers and Cowboys haven't overlapped in the playoffs since 1998, a streak that'll continue this year. But while Sunday's game won't match the luster of the epic 90s, we can apply its groundbreaking lessons today. Great rivalries never die.
/end thread, enjoy the game!
/end thread, enjoy the game!
