Cowboys - Patriots Player Comparisons        Pro Bowls Attended   

The Patriots are on the verge of history. A victory over the Philadelphia Eagles next week would give them three Super Bowl championships in four seasons.

That would officially qualify as a dynasty and establish the Patriots as the favorites to join Dallas of the 1990s, San Francisco of the 1980s, Pittsburgh of the 1970s and Green Bay of the 1960s as teams of the decade.

Only one team has managed to win three Super Bowls in four years: the 1992-95 Cowboys. Does that make the Patriots a greater champion than the Steelers or 49ers?

Does that put them on par with the Cowboys ?

Jimmy Johnson is an authority on any such comparison. He coached the first two Dallas champions of the 1990s and now works for Fox as an NFL analyst.

"I don't think you can compare teams after free agency and the salary cap to the dominant teams like the Steelers, 49ers and Cowboys," he said. "That was the strongest era of football. The athletic ability was so much greater than what it was in the early years. There is no comparison."

Johnson built the youngest, fastest, deepest, most talented roster in the NFL in the early 1990s, and Dallas won championships in 1992 and '93. But the salary cap arrived in 1994, and the best teams could no longer keep all of their best players.

Johnson left in 1994 after a falling-out with owner Jerry Jones, and veteran Pro Bowlers Ken Norton, Mark Stepnoski and Russell Maryland followed him out the door over the next few seasons, along with several other starters.

"Football is not as good as it used to be because of player movement," Johnson said. "The salary cap forces you to play rookies and young players. That's the system. When you're forced to play rookies and free agents, there are so many silly and critical mistakes. You're not going to be as good. It's simple."

Eleven players started on all three of the 1990s Dallas Super Bowl champions. Only six players have started on all three of New England's AFC champions of this decade. The Cowboys had 17 position players selected to the Pro Bowl from 1992 to '95. The Patriots have had seven position players selected since 2001, plus two special-teamers.

To fortify a championship-caliber roster, the Cowboys signed free agent Deion Sanders to play cornerback on their 1995 team. The Patriots also have a free agent at cornerback on their third Super Bowl team. But he's an undrafted rookie free agent: Randall Gay.

And that brings us to the driving force behind the Patriots' success – why they would have found a way to compete with the Dallas, San Francisco and Pittsburgh Super Bowl champs if they could have met: coach Bill Belichick.

"The teams that are dominant today are better coached than any teams ever before," Johnson said. "What Bill has done has been masterful. The job he's done over the last few years may be the best coaching job of all time. He's taken young players and free agents and, even with all the injuries, they don't make mistakes."

The Patriots would have to play mistake-free football to beat Johnson's Cowboys.

Belichick has one of the best defensive minds in the NFL, building game plans to take away the opposition's strength. But if he stacked the defensive front to take away Emmitt Smith, that would leave a short-handed secondary to cover Michael Irvin, Jay Novacek and Alvin Harper in the passing game. The Patriots as a defense thrive on takeaways. But Smith and Troy Aikman were ball security personified. Like the Patriots, those Cowboys teams didn't beat themselves.

Dallas also lined up four or more Pro Bowl offensive linemen. So the Cowboys could block the Patriots. In addition, the speed and depth of the Dallas defensive front seven would have given New England fits. The Cowboys rotated seven linemen to keep fresh legs on the field. The Patriots would attempt to block them with a host of blue-collar overachievers.

The Patriots would not have a chance against those Cowboys. But they had no chance against St. Louis in 2002, either. You can shortchange the team, but do not shortchange the coach. The talent of the Cowboys would allow them to win a best-of-3 series. But Belichick would find a way to steal a game along the way.

     Cowboys / Patriots Comparisons    

Here's a comparison of the primary starters for the Cowboys' dynasty of the 1990s and the Patriots' dynasty of the 2000s.

The number in parenthesis represents the number of Super Bowl starts by the Cowboys and projected starts by the Patriots:

    QUARTERBACK   

Cowboys: Troy Aikman (3)
Patriots: Tom Brady (3)
Edge: Patriots
Analysis: Aikman and Brady are the same guy - selfless players willing to sacrifice personal statistics for team success. But Aikman had a Hall of Fame runner and receiver; Brady did not. The Patriots ask Brady to do more than the Cowboys asked Aikman.

Cowboys: Emmitt Smith (3)
Patriots: Corey Dillon (1)
Edge: Cowboys
Analysis: Dillon has had an impact on the Patriots in his one season in 2004, rushing for 1,635 yards. You want impact? Smith is the NFL's all-time leading rusher.
 

     FULLBACK    

     WIDE RECEIVER       

     WIDE RECEIVER     

Cowboys: Alvin Harper (2)
Patriots: Deion Branch (2)
Edge: Patriots
Analysis: Harper was a complementary deep threat to Irvin, averaging 18.3 yards per catch in his three seasons in Dallas. Branch has evolved into a Brady go-to guy.

   TIGHT END  

Cowboys: Jay Novacek (3)
Patriots: Daniel Graham (2)
Edge: Cowboys
Analysis: Novacek was a five-time Pro Bowler and one of the top pass-catching tight ends of the 1990s. He was Aikman's security blanket. Graham is an underneath target for Brady.
 

   LEFT TACKLE  

Cowboys: Mark Tuinei (3)
Patriots: Matt Light (3)
Edge: Cowboys
Analysis: Light is New England's best lineman, a superb pass blocker for Brady's blind side. Tuinei could protect Aikman and also maul defenders in the running game.
 

   RIGHT TACKLE  

Cowboys: Erik Williams (3)
Patriots: Tom Ashworth (1)
Edge: Cowboys
Analysis: If you could elect a player to the Hall of Fame based on four seasons, Williams would be in Canton. He was the meanest, nastiest blocker in the NFL from 1992-95.
 

   GUARD  

Cowboys: Nate Newton (3)
Patriots: Russ Hochstein (2)
Edge: Cowboys
Analysis: Newton's post-career problems off the field shadow the fact he was one of the game's best pulling guards on the field. He went to six Pro Bowls.

   GUARD  

Cowboys: John Gesek (2)
Patriots: Joe Andruzzi (3)
Edge: Patriots
Analysis: Andruzzi would have been the only member of this New England offensive line that could have started for the 1990s Cowboys. His toughness would have been a good fit.

   CENTER  

Cowboys: Mark Stepnoski (1)
Patriots: Dan Koppen (2)
Edge: Cowboys
Analysis: The Cowboys lined up two different Pro Bowl centers on Super Bowl teams, Stepnoski and Ray Donaldson. Koppen was a rookie starter on the 2003 Super Bowl team.
 

   STRONG SIDE END  

Cowboys: Tony Tolbert (3)
Patriots: Bobby Hamilton (2)
Edge: Cowboys
Analysis: Hamilton was the stay-at-home run stuffer on a talented New England front. Tolbert did that and also rushed the passer with 27 sacks from 1992-95.

   WEAK SIDE END  

Cowboys: Charles Haley (3)
Patriots: Willie McGinest (2)
Edge: Cowboys
Analysis: McGinest has lined up at both end in a 4-3 and linebacker in a 3-4, which shows his versatility. But Haley had 100 career sacks and five Super Bowl rings.

   TACKLE  

Cowboys: Russell Maryland (2)
Patriots: Richard Seymour (3)
Edge: Patriots
Analysis: When they sift through the accomplishments of this New England dynasty, Seymour will loom as a Hall of Fame candidate. Maryland was a rotation tackle.

   TACKLE  

Cowboys: Leon Lett (2)
Patriots: Ted Washington (1)
Edge: Cowboys
Analysis: The Patriots lined up a different nose tackles on their three Super Bowl teams. Lett was a giant (6-6) inside - all arms, legs and pass-rush ability.

   STRONG SIDE LINEBACKER  

Cowboys: Ken Norton (2)
Patriots: Mike Vrabel (3)
Edge: Patriots
Analysis: Like quarterback, this position is a toss up. Norton brought a toughness to the Dallas front. Vrabel brings versatility to New England's front. Norton made more tackles, Vrabel made more big plays.

   MIDDLE/INSIDE LINEBACKER  

Cowboys: Robert Jones (2)
Patriots: Tedy Bruschi (3)
Edge: Patriots
Analysis: Linebackers are the heart of the New England 3-4 scheme, and Bruschi is the heart of that corps. He's the big-play maker with seven sacks, seven interceptions and nine forced fumbles on the three Super Bowl teams.

   WEAK SIDE LINEBACKER  

Cowboys: Darrin Smith (2)
Patriots: Roman Phifer (2)
Edge: Cowboys
Analysis: Smith was the fastest, most athletic, most talented linebacker on the Cowboys. He started as a rookie in 1993 and gave the Cowboys a coverage linebacker.

   CORNERBACK    

Cowboys: Kevin Smith (2)
Patriots: Ty Law (2)
Edge: Patriots
Analysis: Law is another of the Hall of Fame candidates on this New England team with four Pro Bowls. Smith gave the Cowboys a corner who could compete with Jerry Rice.

   CORNERBACK    

Cowboys: Larry Brown (3)
Patriots: Otis Smith (1)
Edge: Cowboys
Analysis: Brown was the MVP of the 1996 Super Bowl and Smith probably should have been the MVP of the 2002 Super Bowl for his mauling of Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.
 

   STRONG SAFETY    

Cowboys: Darren Woodson (2)
Patriots: Rodney Harrison (2)
Edge: Cowboys
Analysis: Another tough call. Both were bone-crunching hitters in run support but Woodson was more adept in coverage. He could line up and cover a slot receiver.

   FREE SAFETY   

Cowboys: Thomas Everett (2)
Patriots: Eugene Wilson (3)
Edge: Patriots
Analysis: Everett was the veteran presence that settled down a young Dallas secondary. Wilson is a converted corner who, like Woodson, can line up and cover a slot receiver.

   KICKER  

Cowboys: Eddie Murray (1)
Patriots: Adam Vinatieri (3)
Edge: Patriots
Analysis: Vinatieri is arguably the greatest clutch kicker in NFL history. He has won two Super Bowls with late, long field goals - 41 yards against Carolina in 2004 and 48 against St. Louis in 2002.

   PUNTER    

Cowboys: John Jett (2)
Patriots: Ken Walter (2)
Edge: Cowboys
Analysis: Walter has a 39.7-yard career average, Jett a 42.4-yard average. Jett never had a kick blocked with the Cowboys. Walter had two blocked with the Patriots.