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yimyammer
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Too bad I didnt have an iPhone in my pocket back then to get more pictures. We scored seats 20 rows up around the 10 yard line. One of my buddies' mom worked for the Cowboys and got us the tickets which included the after party and riding the tteam bus t(or employees, etc) to and from the game. We were at the after party with the cheerleaders and players, jeri jones, etc, ect. Most players dipped early or no showed because they all set up their own private parties elsewhere.
One of the fun conversations was talking to Kevin Williams and telling him he saved the season with his diving catch on 4th down against the Giants.
In case no one remembers, this team was on fumes having been to 2 out of the last 3 Super Bowls as well as the last 3 championship games plus suffered from attrition due to free agency losses and the fatigue from trying to stay on top not to mention replacing Jimmy Johnson with Switzer. So they really needed home field advantage for at least one game and preferably have the bye as well but that wasn't looking like a possibility because San Francisco had kicked their ass at home early in the season (with their back up QB.....fucking Elvis Grbac) which gave them the tie breaker going into their last game of the season against the Atlanta Falcons who they had thrashed 41-10 earlier in the season so it appeared the best that could happen for the Cowboys is to win the division and get one home game and hope someone else knocked off the Niners as I didnt have any confidence this team lead by Switzer and the idiot owner could beat the Niners at home.
Also, after starting 8-1 the Cowboys fell of a cliff after the Niners smashed them in a game that was billed up to be revenge for the Cowboys, I can still feel how sickening it was to see them get their asses kicked and thought, they just dont have the same edge they had under Jimmy. Dallas won the next 2 to get 10-2 but then lost to the Redskins (now coached by Norv Turner) and then lost to the Eagles. This was the game where they went for it on 4th & 1 with the game tied from their own 29 yard line, got stopped but the two minute warning nullified the play to rescue them from Switzers buffoonery but he went for it again and they were stopped, here it is in all its glory:
The Cowboys were now 10-4 and looking a mess
Back to the Giants game and the Cowboys were on the precipice of losing 3 in a row and even worse giving the Eagles a chance at the division and possibly pushing the Cowboys into a wildcard game. The Cowboys were losing 20-18 with 1:14 left at the Giants 38 and its 3rd and 10 so if they dont pick up the first down, they'll be forced to try a long field goal or go for it on 4th when Kevin Williams makes this catch:
they go on to win, narrowly avoiding losing 3 in a row and falling off the cliff in confidence, standings and playoff positioning.
It still didnt look like there was any chance they could get the much needed bye and home field advantage throughout when they got a Christmas miracle on the way to play Arizona on Christmas Day, they got the news the Falcons had upset the Niners 28-27 opening the door for the Cowboys to take home field throughout as well as grabbing that desperately needed bye.
That news must have been a massive shot to the arm of this team because they kicked that door down with a 37-13 thrashing of the Arizona Cardninals on xmas day. Getting that bye and home field was essential for a team holding onto the last gasps of its dynasty. Sadly, this proved to be one of the last 4 presents Cowboy fans would see for the next 27 years and counting.
Everyone knows the rest of the story where they go on to win Super Bowl XXX but had Kevin Williams not made that catch, everything could have gone in a completely different direction and imho, they would have never won that super bowl if they had lost to the Giants that day.
Anyway, we hugged Kevin and told him he saved the season and he was so nice and humble. I remember him looking at me confusedly saying "Really? You really think that?" I said "Hell yes!" I'm almost certain of it as a replayed the events of above.
I can still see him smiling with pride as we lavished him with the fan love he so richly deserved
yimyammer
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relief was the way I felt as a fan too, you could tell thats the way the players felt after winning the 3rd Super Bowl. It was more like they didnt want to deal with the grief of losing it versus thirsting for the joy of winning
Being at that game was a let down of sorts, after the first half, especially when they reversed Irvins TD which would have put them up something like 17 or 20 to 0, they really stalled and the Steelers were on their way to winning. The crown in Tempe was overwhelming Steelers with those fucking terrible towels seemingly in everyones hands. The second half of that game was overwhelming dread until the big INT.
Thank gawd for Neil O'donnell (or whichever receiver ran the wrong route) because without that gimme INT by Larry Brown, I think the Cowboys lose that game
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I was at that 1995 home game against SF. Nobody could believe it that day and it was 100% the day when most level headed people figured out for sure that Switzer was a complete fuck-up as a HC. The team looked flat and uninspired from the opening, and it was also the game that Dave fucktard Campo thought it would be a great idea to try and have overweight and out of shape OLB Darrin Smith (who had held out and just returned to the team a couple weeks earlier) try to shadow Jerry Rice.
In regards to Kevin Williams. He made that great grab as you mention against NYG and the following week had the best game of his career against the Cardinals, grabbing his first two TD's of the season and going for over 200 yds. He went over 100 yds the next game (playoff vs Philly) but otherwise, he had a shitty career here. The thing I remember most about him was his rookie yr in the playoff game vs GB (1993). He fucked up a couple routes badly and one led to an easy GB interception. Aikman and Irvin just ripped his stupid ass on the sideline over it after he apparently laughed about it (that's the story I heard).
He never turned into a good WR and after his rookie yr really wasn't that great of a return guy either. That 93 draft was definitely Jimmy's worst in Dallas.
In regards to Kevin Williams. He made that great grab as you mention against NYG and the following week had the best game of his career against the Cardinals, grabbing his first two TD's of the season and going for over 200 yds. He went over 100 yds the next game (playoff vs Philly) but otherwise, he had a shitty career here. The thing I remember most about him was his rookie yr in the playoff game vs GB (1993). He fucked up a couple routes badly and one led to an easy GB interception. Aikman and Irvin just ripped his stupid ass on the sideline over it after he apparently laughed about it (that's the story I heard).
He never turned into a good WR and after his rookie yr really wasn't that great of a return guy either. That 93 draft was definitely Jimmy's worst in Dallas.
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The Stealers really didnt do anything the whole game though. Their best play was the onside kick, otherwise the only reason they were in the game was the officials. The Irvin PI call was awful and then there was that terrible spot down deep in Dallas territory.
yimyammer
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doesnt matter, they had the momentum and the stadium was overwhelmingly in favor of the Steelers, it felt like a damn home game for them. I was so pissed and nervous. It was a 3 point game when O'Donnell threw that pic and the Dallas O had dried up pretty fierce after what appeared to be a hot start. Fortunately, all we can do is speculate about possible adverse outcomes as I'd be furious if we went 0-3 against the stealers in Super Bowls
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... was him dropping the punt in the Meadowlands, giving the Giants cheap points. Then again, he had a big TD in the Leon Lett game that should've been the game clincher.
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Which is odd, because Zona is Cowboys country. Of course, this wasn't a Cards-Cowboys game.
yimyammer
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thats because the tickets were hard to get and expensive plus most of the people there were attending for the experience, got corporate tickets, etc and didnt have a team but Dallas had become the bully so when the tide turned and all the terrible towels were given away people started rooting for the underdog, it sucked!
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The entire second half was a white knuckle ride. We could get nothing going offensively, and I remember Troy taking a really bad sack on 3rd down. I recently rewatched the game to see if Irvin pushed off on that 2nd Q TD. He did.
yimyammer
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you should have been there, there was a looming sense of dread until the miracle INT
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So you saw the "We did it baby!" speech up close. I'm jealous.
yimyammer
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yes but that part made me want to puke as they two idiots took some of the shine off the win
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That was nothing compared to what Deion did to him the year before in the NFC Championship game, which of course was "missed"I recently rewatched the game to see if Irvin pushed off on that 2nd Q TD. He did.
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