{"id":281351,"date":"2025-08-12T05:11:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T05:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/281351\/"},"modified":"2025-08-12T05:11:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T05:11:13","slug":"americas-team-is-part-nostalgia-part-reminder-where-cowboys-havent-been-in-30-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/281351\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018America\u2019s Team\u2019 is part nostalgia, part reminder where Cowboys haven\u2019t been in 30 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the early going of \u201cAmerica\u2019s Team: A Gambler and His Cowboys<\/a>,\u201d there\u2019s a moment when Jerry Jones, far and away in the starring role, drops one of his many lines that might give Cowboys fans an eye twitch.<\/p>\n

When reflecting upon the Cowboys\u2019 watershed victory over the San Francisco 49ers<\/a> in the 1992 NFC Championship, the Cowboys owner tied the emotion of the moment to his time with the Arkansas football team, when he, teammate Jimmy Johnson and a few dozen other Razorbacks defeated Nebraska in the 1965 Cotton Bowl to secure the national championship.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019d been almost 30 years since I\u2019d had that same feeling,\u201d Jones tells the viewer in the series\u2019 third episode. \u201cAnd now with the Dallas Cowboys, it wasn\u2019t just a dream to be a part of winning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bad news for the 1993 version of Jerry. Another 30-year wait<\/a> is in your future.<\/p>\n

Cowboys<\/p>\n

Be the smartest Cowboys fan. Get the latest news.<\/p>\n

Related:Q&A with co-directors of Cowboys\u2019 Netflix docuseries: The show\u2019s biggest revelations, more<\/a>\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones in Netflix’s trailer for its docuseries “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys.”<\/p>\n

Courtesy: Netflix<\/p>\n

\u201cAmerica\u2019s Team,\u201d the eight-episode docuseries set for release Aug. 19<\/a>, is a lot of what you might expect from a documentary about Jerry Jones and the most valuable sports franchise in the world. It\u2019s big, bold, shiny, glamorous. A former President of the United States makes an appearance less than 10 minutes into the first episode.<\/p>\n

But the series is also laced with moments where the viewer, especially if they so happen to be a Cowboys fan of a certain age, will be hit over the head with ironic quotes and cold reminders of how long it\u2019s been since this franchise has achieved anything close to the level of greatness required to win three Super Bowls in a span of four seasons.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s Jones reminiscing about the P.T. Barnum-esque words of wisdom from his father (\u201cYou gotta make it look like it works whether it does or not, by mirrors or smoke or wire, you got to look the part.\u201d), or a comment from a local former sports broadcaster who had a longstanding feud with the Cowboys owner.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho the hell\u2019s he hired?\u201d asks former WFAA sports anchor Dale Hansen, who was interviewed for the series. \u201dCoaches that nobody wants?\u201d <\/p>\n

And that was even before Hansen knew Jerry\u2019s pick to lead the Cowboys into the 2025 season<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Related:Why Brian Schottenheimer is the biggest \u2018who cares\u2019 hire in Dallas Cowboys history<\/a><\/p>\n

That said, \u201cA Gambler and His Cowboys\u201d is sure to be an informative and enjoyable watch for sports fans in general, and it\u2019s a virtual must-watch for Cowboys fans, of any age. Co-directed by brothers Maclain and Chapman Way, who are also responsible for the \u201cUntold\u201d documentary series on Netflix, \u201cAmerica\u2019s Team\u201d is packed with entertainment value, thanks in large part to the staggering amount of access given to the Way duo.<\/p>\n

Jerry, Jimmy, Barry Switzer, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders \u2014 they\u2019re all major players in the series, sharing open and honest stories with a fun, spaghetti-western style backdrop that\u2019s so perfectly befitting for the series\u2019 subject matter.<\/p>\n

\"Former<\/p>\n

Former Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin in Netflix’s trailer for its docuseries “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys.”<\/p>\n

Courtesy: Netflix<\/p>\n

But the web of storytelling also stretches to outrageous characters such as Charles Haley, longtime foes like Steve Young and Jerry Rice, titans of industry like Phil Knight and Rupert Murdoch. Assistant coaches, old staff, former beat reporters … if they were anywhere around the \u201990s Cowboys and they\u2019ve still got a pulse in 2025, there\u2019s a good chance they are in this documentary.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s not a lot of new ground covered, not many shocking revelations, but behind testimony from Johnson, Switzer, Aikman, Smith and especially Irvin, \u201cAmerica\u2019s Team\u201d does delve quite deeply into the old ground. Nearly entire episodes are devoted to the Jerry-Jimmy rise and fall, the acquisition of Sanders, Irvin\u2019s trial for cocaine possession and how Jones came to purchase the Cowboys franchise in the first place.<\/p>\n

Another thing it makes clear: Jones and Johnson still disagree on quite a bit of stuff<\/a>. To this day if you tried to get them in a room to nail down which one gets credit for the Herschel Walker trade, you\u2019d be in that room for a while.<\/p>\n

Jones obviously gets more screentime than anyone else, and while his quotes are sometimes frustrating, there are more humanizing moments from the now 82-year-old Cowboys owner, too. <\/p>\n

Jones\u2019 kids, Stephen, Charlotte and even Jerry Jr., offer a lot to the series, and the patriarch of the Jones family gets emotional numerous times while discussing his relationship with them, or with his wife, Gene, or with Johnson or Irvin or a number of others. <\/p>\n

There are many tearful moments from Jerry. And there are a few quick shots of his famous JerryDoodles<\/a> during his interviews as Jones scribbled away absentmindedly on a pad throughout the series. Something for sharp-eyed fans to keep watch for.<\/p>\n

Related:Viral Jerry Jones doodles more than meet the eye? \u2018In some weird way, he\u2019s Picasso\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Jones makes clear that the 30-year wait cuts him deeply. And he\u2019s not the only one. Aikman, Irvin and Smith all share disappointment that often borders on grief when telling of how their time with the team ended, and where things have gone since. At one point Smith recalls being the last man standing during his record-breaking run in 2002 that set the NFL\u2019s all-time rushing record, the championship \u201990s teams having mostly dissolved by then.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was thinking when it happened,\u201d a tearful Smith said. \u201cTroy Aikman\u2019s gonna put the ball in my stomach. Daryl Johnston\u2019s gonna be the guy who leads me up the hole. And we\u2019ll all celebrate together. That\u2019s what I was thinking, but as life would have it, things don\u2019t always work out the way you think.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are high highs, and there are low lows, all broken down throughout an eight-episode span that emphasizes in no uncertain terms what a giant strike of lightning in a bottle the 1990s Cowboys were. When things were going well, when Jimmy and Jerry were buds, Aikman, Emmitt and Irvin were cooking and the talent on the field matched the level of the drama surrounding it? This thing was an absolute machine.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s crumbled under Jones\u2019 reign in the 30 years since, leaving Dallas fans with fodder that makes for an easily digestible eight hours on Netflix but isn\u2019t much of a substitute for the greatness of what once was.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Twitter: @coylio33<\/a><\/p>\n

\"America\u2019s<\/a>Q&A with co-directors of Cowboys\u2019 Netflix docuseries: The show\u2019s biggest revelations, more<\/a><\/p>\n

Brothers Maclain and Chapman Way spoke with The Dallas Morning News about their creative process for \u2018America\u2019s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Former<\/a>Emmitt Smith explains how Cowboys\u2019 dispute with Micah Parsons is distraction to team<\/a><\/p>\n

Smith was in attendance at the premiere for the Netflix docuseries that chronicled the Cowboys\u2019 run in the 1990s.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>Cowboys\u2019 flashy Netflix premiere was a taste of the 90s with a dash of Micah Parsons drama<\/a><\/p>\n

While the star-studded premiere of the docuseries was a celebration of the Cowboys of old, Parsons\u2019 trade request was still a hot topic.<\/p>\n

Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the early going of \u201cAmerica\u2019s Team: A Gambler and His Cowboys,\u201d there\u2019s a moment when Jerry Jones,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":281352,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2066],"tags":[1758,29581,230,229,257,2461,21119,7,2883,43939,21120,6,2884,16154],"class_list":{"0":"post-281351","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas-cowboys","8":"tag-tv","9":"tag-charlotte-jones","10":"tag-cowboys","11":"tag-dallas","12":"tag-dallas-cowboys","13":"tag-dallascowboys","14":"tag-emmitt-smith","15":"tag-football","16":"tag-jerry-jones","17":"tag-jimmy-johnson-american-football-coach","18":"tag-michael-irvin","19":"tag-nfl","20":"tag-stephen-jones","21":"tag-troy-aikman"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115014080089895926","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=281351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281351\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/281352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=281351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=281351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=281351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}