To truly appreciate what the Walker trade did for the franchise, understand the Cowboys' predicament as of Oct. The team had lost 16 of 17 games dating to the season. Only 41, fans attended the '88 season's home finale, Landry's last as coach and Bum Bright's last as owner.
Jones on Feb. All would become part of the Cowboys-dynasty foundation, though that certainly wasn't apparent during season. During that first draft, Johnson also had shown daring - or was it impulsiveness? We don't even talk to each other. I'm just a college coach. I know there's a better way to do it. Johnson says he enlisted Cowboys executive and Jones friend Mike McCoy, a chemical engineer in the oil and gas industry, to construct a line chart using data from the NFL concerning all trades involving draft picks over the previous 10 years.
Each draft pick would be assigned a point value based on that data. That way, Johnson could quickly swap draft picks with other teams based on data no one else had. Soon, variations of the chart would be used league wide and still are today, but for several years it was the Cowboys' secret weapon as they multiplied assets - including those gained in the Walker trade.
Back to October and the Cowboys' crisis point. Along with drafting Aikman, the Cowboys had in the separate supplemental draft selected Johnson's quarterback at Miami, Steve Walsh, which meant Dallas forfeited its first-round pick. How were fans and the media going to react when the Cowboys finished with the NFL's worst record, but no No.
With the Oct. Boys at the wheel. In reality, it might be more accurate to say the franchise was teetering over a canyon's edge. Johnson says he strongly considered trading receiver Michael Irvin to the Raiders but actually was talked out of it by Davis. It is well chronicled Cowboys lore that Johnson brainstormed the possibility of trading Walker during an Oct. The only Pro Bowl player we've got is Herschel Walker.
I'm concerned with getting good here in a couple of years. One of that day's joggers was defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt, whose ties with Johnson traced to late '70s, when both were University of Pittsburgh assistants.
And the offensive coaches were doing the same. He'd been in his office with the door closed. About 5 o'clock in the afternoon, Jimmy walked in and said, 'Well, we may have a big trade going on. Johnson says he first called the Browns, who previously had shown interest in Walker. Two years earlier, the Rams had traded star running back Eric Dickerson to Indianapolis for three first-round picks, three second-round picks and two players. Walker in had finished second to Dickerson for the NFL rushing title.
Johnson believed an asking price had been established. Johnson says he wanted "two ones, two twos and two threes from the Browns, but Cleveland didn't own a No. Johnson says he then phoned Minnesota general manager Mike Lynn, who within an hour faxed a proposal. That evening, Walker was summoned to Valley Ranch to meet with Johnson and Jones, who informed him of the trade - and that a private jet would be whisking him to Minneapolis at the next morning.
Walker balked. He was invoking his trade veto. The Cowboys suddenly had a major problem. Johnson was reportedly interested in accepting the offer from Cleveland, but he wanted to wait just a little longer to see if any other teams would come in and attempt to offer an even larger compensation package.
Eventually, that team ended up being the Vikings , who presented an offer that included five players and picks in the first, second, and sixth round of the NFL Draft. What made the Cowboys choose this offer over the one they received from the Browns was the fact that they could receive additional draft picks from Minnesota if they released or traded any of the five players that were sent over in the deal.
Since Johnson was only looking to compile as many draft selections as possible, getting rid of the players the Vikings included in the trade is exactly what the Dallas head coach did.
In the end, the Cowboys received three first-round picks, three second-round picks, a third-round pick, and a sixth-round pick from Minnesota in exchange for Walker. Major change suggests Dak Prescott will not play vs. He was also a hard worker, a great teammate and had a Boy Scout persona that was a hit with the fans. Johnson felt the Cowboys were so terrible that only a blockbuster trade could help them. Who is going to catch passes for you? Jimmy Johnson had a superior ability to judge football talent and felt the Cowboys lacked any talent to compete in the NFL.
With no scouting department he felt confident in, Johnson ran the entire Draft. The only advantage Johnson had going for him was he had seen firsthand many of the players he was considering selecting. Add to that his relationship with numerous college coaches.
He tried out on a Tuesday, we signed him on Wednesday, he got into the team photo on Thursday, he played on Sunday, and we cut him on Monday. Johnson came up with the idea to trade Walker while on a morning jog with his staff.
I told them we had to trade Herschel Walker. The reaction to the idea did not go over well with the staff. I had to figure out a way to parlay our best asset into a whole team. You could only imagine what Jones was thinking. He was already having repentance from the Cowboys purchase and now Johnson wants to trade away their best, most marketable player.
Jones was having agita from his huge debt, and remember Johnson was as an NFL coach. It was an amazing amount of faith that Jones put in Johnson to allow him to make the trade. Like the Jack and the Beanstalk story Jones had a handful of beans with no proof that any of those players would grow to become anything in the NFL.
Jones bet the family farm on a Jimmy Johnson roll of the dice. Numerous teams contacted the Cowboys when they announced that they would trade Walker. The New York Giants expressed interest, but the trade would have been unfavorable for Dallas since both teams shared the same division.
The Falcons were interested but negotiations bogged down. The most serious offer came from the Browns. Jimmy Johnson along with Jerry Jones decided to contact other clubs to generate buzz and create leverage. Lynn, feeling Walker was the missing piece to a championship run, faxed Johnson that he was interested, and soon after negotiations ensued.
Johnson asked for specific players from the Vikings to make GM Lynn think they really wanted those players. It was a ruse by Johnson who had a bigger interest in the Draft picks rather than those players even though they were decent football players.
Johnson wanted the Draft picks most of all. The trade was made, a wildly complex deal that was complicated by a refusal of Darrin Nelson to report to the Cowboys.
He was quickly traded to the San Diego Chargers for their 5th round pick in the draft which was sent to the Vikings as compensation.
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