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D82's Top 50 Cowboys Of All-Time V.2020


D82

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13. Chuck Howley (1960-1973)

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Career Highlights/Awards 
- 6x Pro Bowl selection (1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971) 
- 5x All-Pro selection (1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970) 
- 1x Super Bowl Champion (VI) 
- Super Bowl V MVP 
- Selected to the Ring of Honor in 1976 


"I don't know that I've seen anybody better at linebacker than Howley." - Tom Landry 

A first round draft selection in 1958 by Chicago, Howley played for the Bears for two seasons before he suffered what then appeared to be a career-ending knee injury the following year. Nobody could've predicted Howley would return to one of the league's up-and-coming teams and become one of the best linebacker's in the game. After Howley decided to make a comeback in 1961, the Bears traded his rights to the Dallas Cowboys as Landry made the gamble to try and perfect his defense. Howley proved to be worth the risk. From 1965 to 1969 the native West Virginian was selected to five straight Pro Bowl's and was a key member of the Dallas defense. 

During the 1970 season, the Cowboys made their first Super Bowl appearance against the then Baltimore Colts. Howley put on one of his best performances on his way to winning MVP, after intercepting two Unitas passes and recovering a fumble in what would be a loss for the Cowboys. To this day, Howley remains the only player on the losing Super Bowl team to be awarded the MVP. 

Throughout his career, Howley was known for his speed and excellent pass coverage skills. He intercepted 25 passes and recovered 17 fumbles, recording three touchdowns in his career. His 17 fumble recoveries stand as second all-time in Cowboys history. Sacks were not recorded during Howley's day, but unofficially is credited with 26.5 during his career. 

Most players dream to go out on top, and after recording a fumble and a 41-yard interception he had during Super Bowl VI which helped the Cowboys win the Super Bowl in '71, the All-Pro made the decision to retire. His 14 seasons with the team stands as the second-longest tenure in team history. 

Howley is one of those guys whom you look at and wonder why hasn't he been enshrined in the Hall yet. With his list of accomplishments the man is certainly deserving of a spot in Canton.

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12. Michael Irvin (1988-1999)

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Career Highlights/Awards 
- 5x Pro Bowl selection (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995) 
- 1x First Team All-Pro selection (1991) 
- 2x Second Team All-Pro selection (1992, 1993) 
- 3x Super Bowl Champion (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX) 
- 1992 Pro Bowl MVP 
- Selected to the Ring of Honor in 2005 
- Elected to the Hall of Fame in 2007
 

"Michael was the hardest working guy on our team...He wasn't a problem. He was more of an inspiration." - Daryl Johnston 

Irvin became the first rookie to start at receiver for the Cowboys in over 20 years and had an impressive rookie campaign in which he caught 3 touchdowns in a win over the hated Redskins, one of only three wins in what would be Landry's final year as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. The following season, year one of Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson, Irvin was limited to only six games due to injuries in what was another dismal season for the Cowboy franchise. After selecting Aikman in '89 and Smith in '90, however, things began to take a turn for the better for the Cowboys. 

Irvin was a major reason for the Cowboys first playoff berth since 1985, after finishing the year with 93 receptions for 1,523 yards and recording 8 TD's, along with being selected to his first of five consecutive Pro Bowls. From 1991 to 1998, Irvin would continue this streak of success, recording over 1,000 receiving yards in all but one season helping the Cowboys on their way to seven postseason appearances, six division titles, three NFC Championship wins, and three Super Bowl championships. 

Irvin was unfortunately forced to retire following the 1999 season, after a vicious hit by an Eagles player injured his cervical spinal cord. Irvin finished what would be a Hall of Fame career with 750 receptions (good for 10th all-time), 11,904 receiving yards (9th all-time) and 65 touchdowns. He recorded 47 100-yard games and was selected to five Pro Bowls (two more than any other receiver in franchise history). Irvin also had an impact on the way the game was played. With his aggressive manhandling of opposing defensive backs, the NFL imposed rulings that limited push-offs by receivers. He had the knack of making a big play whenever you needed him to, which helped earn him the moniker "The Playmaker."

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11. Tyron Smith (2011-current)

Tyron-Smith.jpg

Career Highlights/Awards
- 7x Pro Bowl selection (2013-2019)
- 4x All-Pro selection (2013-2016)
- Member of the NFL's 2010s All-Decade Team

"He was only 20 years old at the time and he was coming out early and we just felt like he had all of the traits to be a great, great player for a long time at a really important position.” - 
Jason Garrett 

Taken with the 9th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys selection of Tyron Smith would be the first time the franchise had spent a first rounder on an offensive lineman since 1981 and it marked a commitment from Jerry & Stephen Jones and head coach Jason Garrett to rebuilding an area that had long been an area of constant turnover for the franchise during the previous decade - as Smith would become the first of three first round picks the team spent on the offensive line during the 2010s while constructing what many considered to be "The Great Wall of Dallas Part II". 

From day one, Smith would cement himself as a starting player along the Cowboys front five and never look back. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl seven times in each of the past seven seasons and named an All-Pro four times. His seven Pro Bowls rank first among offensive tackles for the team, even ahead of Hall of Famer Rayfield Wright. Smith's only negative at this point has been his battle with nagging injuries over the last four seasons, which have caused him to miss a total of nine games over the last three years.

Some have pondered whether Smith may be on the decline as a result. That hopefully won't be the case, but even so, it's hard to argue given his body of work after putting together nearly a decade of playing in the NFL that Smith isn't heading toward a Hall of Fame selection assuming injuries do not cut his career short. After all, he is still only 29 years of age, not celebrating his 30th birthday until this December. 

 

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38 minutes ago, resilient part 2 said:

Dang, this is a hard list to do and I give you all the credit for trying.. But having said that, Tony Romo seems a bit low to me and I am guessing a lot lower to other Romo fans.. WTH @D82, you got some splaining ta do..

I mean, you aren't wrong. I probably do have him too low. He should at least be in the top 25. I just had a hard time trying to place him. 

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39 minutes ago, resilient part 2 said:

Dang, this is a hard list to do and I give you all the credit for trying.. But having said that, Tony Romo seems a bit low to me and I am guessing a lot lower to other Romo fans.. WTH @D82, you got some splaining ta do..

I want to echo this @D82. I dont envy you right now.

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1 minute ago, D82 said:

I mean, you aren't wrong. I probably do have him too low. He should at least be in the top 25. I just had a hard time trying to place him. 

Id be interested in how Deion fell so low. He is arguably the GOAT CB. Is it because he didnt play for us for very long?

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1 minute ago, Matts4313 said:

Id be interested in how Deion fell so low. He is arguably the GOAT CB. Is it because he didnt play for us for very long?

That's always played into it for me. And if you look at my prior lists, he really didn't fall too far. I had him at #20 in my last version, this one he comes in at #23. 

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6 minutes ago, Matts4313 said:

Larry, Emmitt and Rodger will be top 5. If not, we revolt.

Without checking the previously selected I am guessing Dorsett, Aikman,  Wright, Manster and Lilly. Thats 8 of the top 10. 

Wright came in at #15. 

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2 minutes ago, MKnight82 said:

As a non Cowboys fan, I find it hard to believe Tyron Smith is ahead of Michael Irvin.  

Yeah, could argue that Irvin should be ahead of Smith and you'd probably be right, at least right now.

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5 minutes ago, D82 said:

Yeah, could argue that Irvin should be ahead of Smith and you'd probably be right, at least right now.

I mean I get all of the All Pro nods for smith, but Irvin has 3 rings and was a big contributor to those.  Smith hasn't won anything.  

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17 minutes ago, Matts4313 said:

Larry, Emmitt and Rodger will be top 5. If not, we revolt.

Without checking the previously selected I am guessing Dorsett, Aikman,  Wright, Manster and Lilly. Thats 8 of the top 10. 

you forgot the great L.P.

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