Former Cowboys player says Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson 'blew it' in the 1990s
Former Cowboys defensive back Darren Woodson spent his entire 12-year career in Dallas, and during that time he won a total of three Super Bowl rings.
Although winning three championships sounds exciting, Woodson actually sounds frustrated that he didn't add several more Lombari Trophies.
During a recent interview on the Doomsday Podcast with Ed Werder and Matt Mosley, Woodson said the Cowboys didn't win more Super Bowl titles during the 1990s because Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson "blew it."
Just as quick refresher: Jones got rid of Johnson as the Cowboys head coach in March 1994, even though Johnson had just led the Cowboys to two straight Super Bowl wins.
"I was in Phoenix, and when I found out Jimmy got fired, man I was as pissed off as anyone," Woodson said, via the Dallas Morning News. "Michael Irvin, we saw what he did ... throwing garbage cans in the locker room. People were pissed. We knew we could have made history back then. [Johnson and Jones] blew it. Plain and simple."
If Jones and Johnson had gotten along, Woodson thinks the Cowboys could have reached even greater heights.
"I think both of them understand one thing... they didn't live in the moment back then," Woodson said. "If they lived in the moment, we'd probably have four or five rings instead of the two we have with Jimmy. Their pride got in the way. Both of them realized that."
Woodson won two Super Bowls with Johnson, then another with Barry Switzer basically coaching a team that Johnson had built.
The former defensive back, who played in the NFL from 1992 to 2003, says it was pretty clear that Jones and Johnson just weren't going to get along for the long haul.
"You see Jimmy now from what he was in '92-93, back from '89. He was intense, felt like this was his team. And, for the right reasons, Jerry felt like 'Hey, I pay you.' But again, I should probably have four or five rings on my fingers if those two would have just gotten along."
Near the end of the conversation, Werder asked Woodson if he was "over" the fact that the Cowboys didn't win more Super Bowls.
"No, man ... because I should have four or five rings. I honestly felt like we were that dominant as a football team."
The feud between Jones and Johnson was going on as recently as 2014. Over the past 12 months, however, it appears the two men finally have buried the hatchet.
After Jones was named as a Hall of Fame finalist in August 2016, Johnson sent out a tweet to congratulate him. Back in February, the two appeared to be on friendly terms while attending a 25th anniversary event of the Cowboys' win in Super Bowl XXVII.
The ultimate olive branch came at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction on Aug. 5. During his enshrinement speech, Jones prominently mentioned Johnson and said the Cowboys Super Bowl titles wouldn't have been possible without him.