Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

The Cowboys and Raiders of yore had long, legendary runs of relevance from the mid-60s through the mid-80s.

Dallas had 20 straight winning seasons from 1966-1985 as we all know, but the Raiders came within a 7-9 season in '81 of 22 straight seasons without a losing record (1966-1986).

Both teams won a lot (though oddly they rarely played each other via the schedule and missing out on many a SB meeting)

1985/1986 would mark the end of their glorious runs.

In '85, they squeezed out one last division title (each holding off teams that made the Super Bowl a year later) but went one-and-done in the playoffs in different fashion (Dallas got run over by Eric Dickerson, Raiders had a boatload of turnovers).

In 1986, it looked like they'd still keep winning (Dallas 6-2 through October, Raiders despite an 0-3 start won 8 of 9 to climb to 8-4).

Then the bottom fell out.

Dallas won once after that (at San Diego despite giving up 12 sacks). (Ironically, their first game after White's Meadowlands injury was against the Raiders amidst their hot midseason run).

As for the Raiders... well, we all remember the Marcus Allen OT fumble against Philly. Then a Kingdome MNF debacle. Then 7 turnovers against Kansas City. And finally, the Colts (whom were winless around the same time the Raiders had their 8-1 run) who won their 3rd straight after an 0-13 start.

While the Raiders would flirt with the postseason in 1988-1989 to a degree, Dallas went into a major decline the rest of the decade.

Your thought on the declines of these two pro football powers at around the same time?

I have always thought it was a real testament to Tom Landry's coaching ability that Dallas won the Division title in 1985. How many good players did Gil Brandt draft after 1977? Cosbie, Christensen, Walter, Newsome, Springs, Jeffcoat, Walker, Irvin, Norton, and Walls Bates, and Downs as free agents,. I don't think Brandt drafted 25 decent players in that span and halfway through 86 the machine died.

I am less familiar with the Raiders.

I agree it was a great coaching job by Landry, but he was also lucky in that the Cardinals (who I thought were ready to step into the void left by the aging Cowboys and Redskins in 1985) inexplicably faltered, and Gibbs didn't bench Theismann earlier in the season before the tackle by Lawrence Taylor made it a necessity. After the 1985 season, I felt Dallas was thru and it was clear to me that going into the 1986 season, the Giants would be the team to take over the NFC East.

Dorsett had to share the backfield with newly-acquired, also-Heisman winner Herschell Walker only for his job to eventually get supplanted by him. Marcus Allen had to share the backfield with newly-acquired, also-Heisman Bo Jackson the following year only to eventually lose his job to him. End of era (with their current/initial teams, that is) for those two as well.

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED printed this 1987 article as an epitaph for the Cowboy and Raiders dynasties:

http://www.si.com/vault/1987/09/09/1161 ... superteams

Halas Hall wrote:I have always thought it was a real testament to Tom Landry's coaching ability that Dallas won the Division title in 1985. How many good players did Gil Brandt draft after 1977? Cosbie, Christensen, Walter, Newsome, Springs, Jeffcoat, Walker, Irvin, Norton, and Walls Bates, and Downs as free agents,. I don't think Brandt drafted 25 decent players in that span and halfway through 86 the machine died.

I am less familiar with the Raiders.

You can add Chad Hennings, Gogan and Tuinei to that list. Mike Sherrard looked like a keeper until his multiple leg breaks.

Todd Pence wrote:SPORTS ILLUSTRATED printed this 1987 article as an epitaph for the Cowboy and Raiders dynasties:

http://www.si.com/vault/1987/09/09/1161 ... superteams

"haven't won a playoff game against a team without a "Bay" in its name since 1980" - LOL!

Dallas going into '87 apparently finally realized, admitted to themselves that they're now in rebuilding mode. Twenty-straight winning-seasons can cause you to have an "if it isn't broken..." mentality. No return to the Super Bowl yet alone winning-it-all in '92/'93/'95, but FWIW I think Landry if given the chance to basically retire when he felt like might have, like Noll in '89, scored his own 'last-hurrah' of sorts; or at least go out on a respectable note, 'set the table' for whoever would follow.

Early in the '89 off-season, before that 'day of infamy', Landry seemed set on drafting Aikman as well. A different 'Big 3' would have made its debut (Herschell instead of #22) in '89. Safe enough to say they do better than the previous year's 3-13 output yet alone 1-15. Perhaps back to mediocrity in '90 and who knows the couple years right after. Would Landry have been for the Herschell trade? Sure enough he doesn't draft Steve Walsh. He likely doesn't release Eugene Lockhart either.