Hard to believe, but here we are! In case you need reminding, the Dallas Cowboys, the most valuable team in all of sports, still haven’t touched a Super Bowl trophy since the 1995-96 season. But what’s even worse? They haven’t even sniffed an NFC Championship game since then. That’s the longest drought in the entire conference. For a team that once ruled the NFL, it’s been nothing but heartbreak and waiting. And honestly, Michael Irvin feels the pain just like the rest of the Cowboys nation.
Year after year, the hype builds, and year after year, it crashes. And honestly, you can feel the frustration boiling over in Dallas. Irvin, who joined a new episode of Fanatics View, too, revealed the same, as he recalled an incident when he and his ex-teammate, Emmitt Smith, were driving home, they talked about the team’s situation and compared it to their times.
Irvin said, “We were talking about next year, dude. Next year we are taking off. Next year we’re going somewhere. So, you know what I mean, now get this – Get the turn. The turn was – we weeded out all of that, pick up that check on Tuesday. And now I got guys like Troy [Aikman] and Emmitt [Smith], who driving home, calling me, talking about what we’re going to do on a football field. Ain’t nothing about no money, it’s all about winning.”
Irvin recalled that at first, the team was just showing up for a paycheck. But then it flipped. Because of Aikman and Smith, that 90’s team started to talk about winning. That’s where the playmaker knew something was happening. The mindset shifted, and it was all about chasing greatness, not cash. And yes, the entire nation saw the result of it.
That strong Dallas team achieved unprecedented success, winning three Super Bowls in four years (1992, 1993, and 1995). The team, which comprised Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders, and Emmitt Smith, established itself as one of the greatest sports dynasties.
During the show, the host even praised Irvin for his leadership, saying how he was seen as the real leader of those teams. But being a generous man, Irvin gave the credit straight to his then-QB Troy Aikman. He said, “Our leader was Troy, okay? Because Troy was the right one. He was right, be where he had to be, do what he had to do.” While highlighting this, Irvin also opened up about his own life – how growing up in the ghetto, then moving to St. Thomas, gave him a different view on the world.
The 59-year-old talked about how he became the heart of the locker room, connecting black and white players, rich and poor, no matter where they came from. To Irvin, it was about building a real brotherhood. He explained how so many players come from tough backgrounds, carrying scars from broken homes and hard lives.
That’s why if you don’t understand both sides of the struggles with race, trust, and pain, you can’t really bring a team together. And that’s the reason why Irvin was so important to that Cowboys dynasty. Aikman couldn’t bridge that gap. Emmitt couldn’t. It had to be him, and hence, all these players came together, building up the franchise’s golden era, which is etched in the history books forever.
But today, Michael Irvin feels the present roster lacks something very important!
A lot has changed inside the Cowboys’ locker room. Players have left, some have retired, and others have been traded away. We’ve even seen guys get frustrated over their paychecks, chasing those big contracts. But if today’s roster followed the path Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman once laid down, maybe they’d finally earn something real in this league. Right now, though, as per Michael Irvin, what they’re missing most is unity.
After that last Super Bowl flash, the Cowboys just faded. They’ve been regulars in the playoffs, sure, but they haven’t made it past the divisional round in 30 years. And Michael Irvin’s tired of watching it. On Fox Sports’ “Speak” earlier, he didn’t hold back, calling out the team’s biggest problem: no real unity. He said, “What I need out of them is to come together as a family and play like they’re trying to represent, ‘We made this choice.’ All the past years, Dallas has had the players with the skill, but I’ve always complained that I didn’t see the collective will. I hope this helps them develop and have that collective will, become a tighter family.” Especially now with Brian Schottenheimer stepping in.
Irvin’s seen enough of the back-and-forth, like the drama between DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons. He made it clear, cut it out, and lock in on one goal: win for the coach, win for each other. And when it comes to Dak Prescott, Irvin’s still all in. He believes Prescott’s gonna be just fine and maybe even have his best season yet.
With a few months left before kickoff, there’s still a chance to pull it together. But, as Michael Irvin said, if they’re serious about chasing another Super Bowl, it’s gotta start with brotherhood – not just talk, but real, gritty, heart-on-the-line brotherhood!
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