The Press Box - Michael Irvin on the 30th Anniversary of the 1992 Dallas Cowboys

Episode Date: January 11, 2023

Bryan is joined by football Hall of Famer and NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin on the 30th anniversary of the 1992 Dallas Cowboys. They revisit that season’s NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers, reminisce about Dallas’s Super Bowl victory over the Buffalo Bills, and discuss details behind the Cowboys’ performance—including Irvin’s most replayed catch of all time—and offer a last-minute discussion about the current team heading into the playoffs. Host: Bryan Curtis Guest: Michael Irvin Associate Producer: Erika Cervantes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is Chris Vernon, and me and my buddy Kevin O'Connor, aka Kevin O Everything, host an NBA podcast called The Mismatch. They call it The Mismatch because I'm awesome and Kevin is a gigantic nerd. No, no, that's not why at all, Chris. They call it the Mismatch because I have a brain and you're a loudmouth bozo. Good grief. Anyway, listen to our amazing NBA podcast, The Mismatch. Or don't. We really don't care.

We're probably going to win a million awards either way. Chris, we do care. So don't say that. Please subscribe and listen to the mismatch only on Spotify. Did you really call me a bozo? Hello, media consumers. Welcome to the press box. Brian Curtis of the ringer here along with producer Erica Servantes.

There's an old saying among reporters that goes something like this. One for them and one for me. Meaning if I do an assignment my editors want me to do, then I get to do an assignment I want to do. Talking to the NFL network's Michael Irvin, aka the Playmaker, about the 30th anniversary of the world champion 1992 Dallas Cowboys, the Cowboys team that won the Super Bowl when I was a freshman in high school.

Yeah, that's one for me. I talked to Irvin about all kinds of things through 1992, Troy Eggman and Emmett Smith, Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson, the time Irvin missed the team playing to Detroit, the Eagles, the 49ers, the Bills. And if you happen to hear the voice of a 15-year-old from Fort Worth who's replaying the first great sports moment of his lifetime,

yeah, that's one for me too. Here's the playmaker, Michael Irvin. All right, Michael, whenever a team wins the Super Bowl, we all like to pretend that it was obvious in retrospect. But that 1992 Dallas Cowboys team was the youngest, team in the NFL, you had won one playoff game ever. When did you think the Cowboys were good enough to win the Super Bowl? Let me tell you something.

When we were, after that 91 season, I won, I think I won a rookie, a receiver of the year, Emmett won, running back of the year. You know, we had the most yards. We weren't running back on receiving. He was driving home. He was driving home. He said to me, called me to, man, we're going to work for next year. he said we're going to rip it up next year

I said eat we're going all the way next year we're going to get it because we had just there's this I was telling somebody about this today how they train hunting dogs

and it's called first blood they get the dog and they smear the dog snout nose and blood and then they say now go hunt after he's gotten that smell of blood that's all he wants

it's called first blood But that was that, that's what that playoff game was like for us. Especially when you coming from a one in 15 and a three and 13, just to get to the playoffs, well, it was everything. And once we got there, it was like, we're not going back. That's it. Because that 92 year, remember, everybody thought we were a little too young, and that it's 49ers, we're going to give them a game,

but the 49ers will win it. And when we went to candlestick, I remember us saying in the locker room, we would die before we lose this. We are willing to die. And I took a hit through right on that two-yard line. I felt like I was dead because they caught me pretty good. But yeah, we were ready for that game. All right.

So when I'm growing up in Fort Worth 30 years ago, there were all these guys around who were literally your father's Dallas Cowboys. Tom Landry, Roger Staubbag, Drew Pearson. How did you think of yourselves in comparison to those guys? Well, you know, I was Tom's last. last, well, last first round draft pick. You know, I was in his last draft. So, so I got a chance to get my beak wet with those guys.

I walked in the locker room and saw Ed Too Tall Jones and Randy White and all of those guys, you know, Danny White. And so, so, so those guys I had the utmost respect for, the utmost respect, love and respect for. I still do. I still talk to those guys. And we, we wanted, we wanted to be like those guys. Not one time in our time that we said, man, I'm tired of hearing about the old guys because they had the tradition. They had, you know, they had understanding.

Our offensive linemen wanted to pay respects to them in the game. Why, they did that little up-down thing that, you know, the lineman do. Out of respect, saying, we know you guys upset the standard, and we're trying to meet them and beat them. And unfortunately, we did. A couple of things about that 92 season I want to ask you about. This is before the NFL had free agency. So you did not have a contract.

Is this right until four days before the season opener against Washington? Yes. Yeah, yeah. We went back and forth on that contract for a while. And I remember I was willing to sit out, sit out, and we finally got together and talked and got, you know, one thing Jimmy said to me, Jimmy said, Michael, if it was anyone else, I would have forced them to get something done quicker. But I know how hard you work.

You're going to be working as hard as we were here. So I calm my heels so that you get as much as you can so you can get it done. But yeah, yeah, I came in and we played that first game. We played okay in that first game. We still won that game against Washington, even though I came in three days before. And then we just went on that run. One of my favorite rivalries during that period was your rival. with the Eagles. I think you were one and eight against the Eagles going into that 92 season,

and they were kind of the league leaders in bulletin board material before you guys played them. What was it like playing the Eagles in 92? It was like lining up against death. That's what it was. Dude, they had like Clyde Simmons, man, Dwight, Jerome Brown. Dude, said, Joyner. Man, they had a squad, man. They're calling on that defense. they sack Troy so many times, man. I felt so bad for Troy, man. And it had that thing over us. You know what I mean?

They just, they dominated us. I saw offensive linemen leaving the game. They said, well, what's wrong with you? He said, I'm hurt somewhere in here. I'm just not going back in the game. You know what I mean? They were making guys not want to play. But, man, that was quite a squad.

That was quite a squad. But right around that, like you're talking about, that 92 season, we were like, man, We were a whole different football team there. We had Eric Williams and we had some officers of linemen and had a different kind of personality. We had Eric and Eric, you're going to take care of Reggie what? You're going to wherever reggie he is, you're going to take care of Reggie.

And he did. And once he got a hold of Reggie, we got a hold of everything. November 8th game against Detroit. I remember this being a huge story in DFW at the time. You missed the team playing. What happened there? Yeah, that was an interesting, interesting morning. Now, you know, what we, how I messed up is a lot of the family members were gone.

So my wives and everybody, they all went a day before, right? The whole family went the day before. I'm home by myself. And I go to sleep, I go to sleep, I say, I'll get up and make it. And, man, I was running. I was only five minutes behind. Finally, I ran up right, I'm looking right at the plane. I see, Rich like, here comes Michael, Jimmy, shut your door, we're gone.

Let's go. I said, oh, my God. I said, right here. How are you going to leave me? I'm right. Man, he pulls off. When I got to, when I got to Detroit, he was so hot. Coach was so hot.

I've known coach, you know, since I was 17, 18 years old. Because I started with him at the University of Miami as a freshman. And I know when he's hot, that look was shaking. He was mad. He said, Michael, you're one of my leader. Oh, can you realize, coach?

I don't want to hear it. He said, I'm fine in you. And you will not be starting in the game. And I see, yes, sir, yes, sir, no problem. Yes, sir, I understand. Because I knew he was upset. I see yes or no, yes, sir. I hope you want to do it.

I'm weird. So we get it, we get it. They stay, say, just stand by me on the sideline. Calvin Martin starts. Alvin Hopper. I think Nora called like, and I'm standing right next to Jim, right? And Norve, you can hear of Nora on the head, said, no, she calls one play. And then Norne next play, just, Noah's like, hey, Jimmy, come on, that's enough now.

Let's get them in the game. That's enough, you know. And a few plays later, that's it. was sitting in me right back in the game, you know, I mean. But Detroit gave us some, some fits those days. And Detroit was, Detroit was a tough team, man. Detroit locked us out of that playoffs. And for some reason, we had some real struggles playing Detroit. Another airplane story from that season. You guys are 11 and 2, kicking butt. And then you go to Washington and lose. What was Jimmy Johnson like on the team playing on the way back to

Dallas from Washington? And you know what? That's so funny because you bring that up. I thought what Minnesota had this year was something similar to that. Minnesota had the chain thing going, right? So let me tell you how that worked through. When we had, whenever we were being a game, we would play that game in Washington. And man, you know, could you, say you eat five hours before the game.

You eat five hours before the game. Then you go play a game. That's your pre-game meal. You come in, you're warm up, then you go play a game. You're exhausted, and you're starving. And the lady, when we get on the plane, the lady was bringing that card out after we lost that game. Because remember, I think it was they fumbled in the end zone or whatever.

However, we were fumbled in the zone. We lost that game. I think Eric Williams tried to throw the ball out the end zone and somebody fell on and got a touchdown or something. Jim, it was hot. It was hot. And that poor lady, she started bringing that food out. one is Sir Jimmy

Put your food back You bring that He's scared that later Like I don't know She took that card back They were hungry They should eat on the field Nobody's eating around here today

I mean we couldn't We didn't even eat We were starving As a long flight back From Washington Not to eat Are you joking man This is not right

So the rest of the year The rest of the year We're on the road anytime that game is closer we're down, I come in that huddle and pull, of course, hey dude,

what's going on, man? Are we going to eat or not? Are we going to eat or not? Let's get it back. And it would turn everything. You know what I mean? Just that little thing,

that's all I had to do is coming to a huddle and say, are we going to eat or not? Let's get this different thing going. And we would get it going. I read after that week, there was actually a Christmas party, a team Christmas party.

And enough of the, The players were pissed off at Jimmy or just generally pissed off that they did not show up for the Christmas party. Is that what happened? I don't know. I wouldn't remember that. I knew I went to the group's party. And by the time they got here, I couldn't remember what they were at that time anyway. I don't remember guys not showing up.

I showed I had funded those Christmas party. The relationship between Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones exploded less than a year and a half after this season. knowing what you know now, what fault lines could you see forming in 1992? Man, no, no, I know now. I know how much business is involved in this business, you know, and ego that are real. They're real. It's all real. You know, that's why I said this year on TV, man, I just didn't like the way I saw things playing out in Green Bay with Ann Rogers,

and that's why they look like some personal stuff to me, there, you know what I'm saying? And it's hard to succeed when you have that kind of stuff going on. I was so I was so crushed to find out that those two separated. You know, I knew they were great friends before them. We came together and we all did some great things and to not be able to try to, to not be able to try to finish to see how far we can take it as is and intact will always be a disappointment. There's no doubt about it. To have that kind of run that we had and not be able to finish.

It is tantamount to that last dance that we saw with the Bulls, you know what I mean, and Michael Joy. Because right now to this day, we won three Super Bowls, but we always talk about the ones that we should have won and that we didn't win because we didn't feel like we got a chance to finish. We live in a world now, Michael, whether it feels like there's a bombshell national story about the Cowboys every week.

And if there's not, the debate shows make sure that there is a bombshell story about the Cowboys. Did it feel like that in 1992? Did you feel like you were doing a week-to-week national media kind of living in that kind of existence? I don't think it, to this degree. Now, because the,

there are differences. We had networks that determined what was bomb. The network was determined what was bombshells. How much something would come down? How much would they play it? Wow. Look at it. And then we get to say, oh, I guess that's a bombshell. So the net was determined at. Now

you can put something on any show, what show, we'll talk about anywhere. And social media determined if it's a bombshell. You see what I'm saying? And so now that the bombshells determining factors are in the people's hand, not many more in the executive hands and the networks. It's in the people's hand literally on these devices. Yeah, it's all cowboys all the time. All of our segments on the first take of Cowboys segments,

ratings through the room. You know what I mean? It's just all cowboys all the time. I love that. You blow out the Eagles in the playoffs. 34 to 10 in the first round. And then Jerry Jones does something that's kind of straight out of college football. He has a pep rally for 60,000 fans at Texas Stadium.

What was that like? Yeah. Jerry, Jerry, Jerry believes in all of this. This was Jerry. When I first met Jerry, Jerry's here. He believed it when he said, the Dallas Cowboys there is nothing bigger than the Dallas. Cowboys. We've got to make sure

the Dallas Cowboys name is on every little in the world. And it's that big of a brand. Salesman like that, he's not just saying that out of his mouth. He really chewed that. He swallowed that. He's digested

that and he believed that. That's how Jared took it, $140 million investment and turned it into $8 or $10 billion today if he was trying to sell that. team. So, yeah, he believed it. When Jerry wanted everybody thinking Dallas Cowboys, that PetRey, I remember we did that kind of stuff, man, it was, that was insane. It was fun,

too. It was fun. It was fun. Because remember, remember, we were getting those people involved and getting them going, man, getting them excited again about the Dallas Cowboys because they've had, we've had a long, we had a lower, a low in there, you know what I mean? It wasn't Cowboys football, but we were back and we were ready for everybody to know it. Yeah, it's just so fun to think about having that not only before the Super Bowl, but before the NFC championship game. Right. You're on stage whipping everybody up, you know, and that's very funny.

You know, Jimmy, you know, Jimmy were going crazy about that. You know, Jimmy was like, man, we need to be focusing. But Jared was the promoter. He was the seller, and he did a great job itself. January 17, 1993, which is 30 years ago next to you, week play San Francisco in the NFC championship game. I remember watching on TV and just seeing a mud puddle on my television screen where the football field used to be. What do you remember about the field that day? Yeah. The field was horrible. But it wasn't anything that we were going to let

get it in our way. We talked about it. We said, man, they did this own purpose. That was the worst field. We had to go and change to those long spikes. Everybody, we went out the first. We went out the First time we went out, oh, my God. I was like, oh, they did this on purpose. They did this on purpose. San Francisco, they mucked up the field on purpose. They don't want to, they didn't want to fill this heat. And actually, when we got there, I thought, I felt like, that's so funny,

I felt like we were in the movie. Lawrence Yard went out of Sandler and said, that old man watering down our field, to let me know that he's scared. And that's what we started seeing. They must be scared. Why they had to do this. Hey, well, okay, let's see. And we had to go change those spikes,

but we came back out and commenced it to whip at butt still. Super Bowls in Pasadena against the Buffalo Bills. I got some true or falls for you for Super Bowl week here. I don't care what anybody said, whatever you want to say, how you want to see, whatever you want. I don't care what I'm supposed to say. You asked me about Super Bowl. They ain't nothing like that first.

Ain't nothing like that first. And it was in Hollywood. We were like, we're on it, Hollywood. That was the perfect ending to that season in Pasadena Road, for that road. True or false, you were sad because Arsenio Hall asked Emmett Smith to be on his show that week instead of you. I loved Arsenio Hall. I won't be on Arsenio Hall. Absolutely.

You know, so that's a yeah. I'll give you that a true. True or false, you and Troy and Emmett talked to Magic Johnson that week about. how to prepare to win championships. Love magic. Always thought we're magic. Still, in this day, talk to imagine. And magic, let me tell you some truth.

Let me give you this quick story, too. You know, my rookie year in the league, I got into it. We were at some club here in Dallas. I got into it with Ron Harper at a club. I had just gotten drafted, got Ron Harper, the basketball player. We got into a real, a real dust-up fight, you know? And Magic heard about it. Magic.

And when we went at that first training camp, out in 1000 oaks, out in a thousand oaks, we had a first training camp, Magic was having a camp there for kids, too, basketball camp. You know, Magic called me and run, Ron Hopper, we got Run Hopper to come in and made us talk and make it up like he said, man. As black men, we got enough to fight. We can't be fighting each other. We got to be fighting together. So, you know, Magd, I love Magic, man.

I just love Magic. I'll never forget that. I was a rookie. A rookie. I'm sitting in, you know, I don't been in the principal office before, but I was sitting in Magic's office. I was like, this is Magic Jones. Hey, what?

Hey, but Magic was right, man. And what he said, he's always been just the greatest dude in the world. That's amazing. Magic Johnson convened a peace summit between you and Ron Harper. I did not know that story. But he's after that now. If I see it right now, we run up to each other and just jump. You know what I'm saying?

We're just two alpha dogs going at it. And Maxie said, no, we're not having any of that. Not even across sports. He said, we're not having any of that. And he made both of us sit down and hash that out. And of course, the weirdest story from Super Bowl Week is that Magic Johnson's bodyguard allegedly got in a fight with the Bill's linebacker Daryl Talley at a nightclub. Truly, one of the weirder Super Bowl Week story.

of all time. That's true. That's true, too. Were you there? Were you at that nightclub? I was at Rocksbury. I was at that club. I was absolutely there.

They were popping, but what do you mean? I'm not going to miss that. They were popping by in LA. That club. Everybody was at that club. And yeah, it was quite a night. Tour Falls, you left the locker room at halftime at the Super Bowl

to check out Michael Jackson's halftime show. True. That's absolutely. you better believe it. I never got a chance to see Michael Daxon. And that was probably that was going to be my chance and I'll never forget

when I stuck out. You know how he came out and he just stood there for a minute. And he stood there for a while. And I was like, come on, man, do something. I got to get back in this room. I got to get back in this locker room. I just went to hear him sing. But he was just standing there.

And I'm like, but yeah, it was, yeah, It was phenomenal to see it. Looking back at that Super Bowl, I had forgotten that you guys actually started kind of slowly in that game. When did you know you're going to win that game? When Emmett and I hit the tunnel, Emmett and I come out last,

and we'll go right at the edge of the tunnel. We'll always tap each other, and we'll hit our chest and hit each other two, two fingers on each end. That's double trouble. 8822. By land up by air, they're going to lose this game. So that's what was, and all week we were talking about,

he was like, man, this is another game. A 20-yard end is a 20-yard-in. Let's just go. And when he hears experience stuff, Buffalo's been here before, that ain't got nothing to do with nothing. It's just a regular game. And then when we got the edge of that tunnel

to do our double trouble, those fans went like, wow, and dude, My heart rate jungle and my knees buckled. And I looked at Emmett. He said, hey, man, let's just keep it cool. Make sure nobody says anything. Because if they know we were, we got no shot.

Because, you know, we got him and I were, you know, so we got no shots. So let's go eat. Let's go. So we were, we were hyperventilated that first, you know what I mean? I was, I couldn't get going, man. I felt exhausted early on. that game. And I remember, was it up? And we finally, I remember Troy hitting, it was a Jay Noble check.

Yeah, upper scene. We got to go play up the scene that kind of got us going and got us settled down. And then we commenced to doing what we were going to do. But Jimmy talked about all that. Jimmy broke that game down exactly how it would happen. He says, that first quarter was going to be hard. And we'll start gaining a little way around the second, beginning of the second quarter. He said right around the middle of the quarter, they'll start turning the ball over. And we're going to take over the game right then. We're going to pour it on and put our foot on their throat. And that's exactly what happened.

They started turning that ball over right around the middle of the third, second quarter. Remember, I got two touchdowns in 18 seconds, two offensive touchdowns in 18 seconds. As much as we're throwing the ball now, it's the only record I could probably keep forever. Two offensive touchdowns in a Super Bowl. within 18 seconds. Hopefully that would have stayed play out. Including your most replayed catch of all time, which is you jumping up in the air,

catching the ball at like waist level. Right. Spinning left into the end zone. Yeah, right. And that play, really, that was the second of the touchdown, right? The first one, I had just run like a little bang eight. And I came back until he tried.

He's sitting deep inside, Troy. He's sitting deep inside. He said, you want to get a seventh? That means a, you know, a post corner, back to the corner. I said, yeah, let's get one on them. Let's go, let's run that post, that same post, give him that action. And then go back to the corner, you put in the corner to it.

He said, let's do it. Bam, we break the hurdle. I come out, he's way inside again. Man, he's so weird side. And I even try to cut down my spitter, a little split just a little bit. But he went down even more. He's giving me all that. So I run the route.

And then when I go run, go to run the seventh, go to run the postline. He's so far inside. I was like, I don't know, I came out of it too soon. I should have taken two more steps. I came out of it too soon. So when I'm running back to the corner, I'm seeing Troy getting ready to throw the ball. That means if I'm seeing Troy throw the ball,

the DB's already driving. He's already driving because the timing of this player's off. So when I, when Troy threw it, I jump. I jumped to kick him in his head. I wanted that's why my leg went up a computer. that you intercept his ball. But, right, I was going to try to take hell hold him back with my leg

while I checked the ball. When I caught it and I tried to hold him back, he spent me around. When he hit my leg, trying to come through my leg to spend, he spent me around, man, saw he would die and give him the ball. And I was, what a great pleasure, dog.

That was my fault right there. I came out of that route too early. That was almost a 99-yard pick six. That would have been disaster right there. But I would have kicked his head off if I could have. I was thinking about this while watching TCU and Georgia play last night. What does it feel like to be part of a game that turns into a mismatch like that? Yeah, yeah.

Yeah. I felt bad for TCU last night after that kind of a season. You know, I have a godsend that plays on TCU that I help make the, help him make the decision and go to TCU. And I talked to him after the game last night and his family. And his family was like, you know, they were all just, they were just torn up. I said, listen, his dad asked me,

he said, what do I say to him? What do I say about the game? I said, let me tell you what you say. And I took it from what my mom said to me after we lost that Penn State game. I remembered that, you know, I was so crushed and everything. I came out.

And we lost that game. I was crying. She said, oh, baby, don't worry about that. You'll get it next time. She said, baby, this has been an incredible. incredible year. We got to do things. We went to some credible games and we got to come out here

this, out here this bowl game to say you brought the family back together again and we all got to go to the football game. And that's what I told them last night. I was like, man, what an incredible ride that that was to TCU.

You know what I mean? All the national games, they got to travel, they got to go to the big bowl games. I said, man, that's what to focus on. It was a hell of a great year and a great experience for a freshman. You know what I'm saying? It just got in.

So that's what you ought to focus on when you're on that end of a game like that. Now, I'd never been on the losing end of a game like that. I've lost, but nobody ever just to beat me down like that. That was a beat down. You win the Super Bowl. We get on the bus to go back to the team hotel. What do you do for the rest of the night? Oh, listen, when we won the Super Bowl, when we won the Super Bowl, I was the last person out of that locker room.

I'm usually the first out of locker room. You know, we're going to go hit the school club, get us some dreams and now, everything. I was the last one out of the locker room. I sat there all day, all night. And I said, wow. Wow. this is what it is this is what it was

we and I remember the one in 15 I remember the 3 and 13 I was like wow we came from that to this I didn't want to leave I didn't want to leave as a matter of fact it's kind of how I got the chance

to get in the business who was Jim Rohn who was his name Mark that used to run ESPN Mark Shapiro Mark Shapiro he was Jim Rohn's

Mark Shapiro, that's my boy. Mark Shapiro's my boy. He was Jerome's producer. I was the last one out of the locker room. And they were looking, and Jerome was coming on overnight. Remember that late night stuff? Remember? And they were like, man, man, I know you, I know you been working on there.

I know you had spoken. He said, man, and there was nobody there. It was nobody here. I just didn't leave the locker room. I was just sitting there. I can't believe him. I was crying. And then he called me and said, man, if you can give him some time, man, just excuse me and this, man, I'll never forget it, Mike.

I'll never forget it, man. It was really big. I was like, I ain't got some time. And then we're going to talk. We're going to talk. We just won the Super Bowl. I got tired of talking. Come on, let's do you some talking, you know.

So I went on with them. We, you know, we had a great interviews, fun talks, talk. And then we left, you know, went on. Now, I, you know, I kept in touch with Rome and talked to Rome more as I went through it. But then years, years, years later, I retired. I'm working at Best Damn Sports Show. And I get a phone call. And it's Mark Shapiro.

He said, we want to bring you in. And we want to interview you for Countdown. I said, oh, really? Okay. He said, you remember me? I said, what do you? He told me, he told me. He said, yeah, I was the producer.

I told you I'll never forget this. He said, I think this is the opportunity. that I was talking about even back then. So doing this, I think they were playing on, you know, parting ways with Sterling Shark. And that was right after the Super Bowl that Tampa won. And you remember, Sterling and Kishon had something going. So right after Tampa won the Super Bowl,

they put a camera in front of Kisham and said, Hey, Kishon, where do you think? Kishon looked right in the camera and said, well, hey, Sterling, I got my ring. And my brother didn't have to give it to me. I got my own, right? You see what I'm saying? So, so, so they, that was right.

They were right in the year and all that. Now, I'm not saying that's why they parted away with Sterling, but they did part ways with Sterling that all season. When they brought me in for the interview, you know, you bring in, they sit down, and we're doing the interview, talking, talking, talk, at the end of the interview beat. Let me tell you what I did, Brian.

Anyway, I'm so stupid. I'm just a nut. I don't know. I'm trying. You always, you remember what they say, try to leave an oppression at the end of an interview. Try to leave an oppression. So when you leave, they're still thinking about you, right? So I go back.

I'm thinking about what happened to the Super Bowl and everything. So I get, when I'm in the meeting, we're all sitting in the room, Spiro, all the execs are in the room. We're interviewing me, interviewing me. I'm talking. I'm talking to my agent right there. And then interviews over, I shake all in their hands. We stand up.

I said, and we start acting like we're leaving. And then I said, guys, one sec, one last second, one last thing. I said, listen, I was watching the Super Bowl when Kishan yelled at Sterling, where he yelled, talking about, oh, I got my Super Bowl ring and it's not my brothers. I got me one. I said, I don't know if that looks good. I don't know how good that looks for the network. I said, but I tell you what?

put that all through them on a table like dice you'll never have to worry about that with me and walked out you know what I mean all through them all right going across the table right

I walked out I told me he says to get the rings and he said wait wait wait wait wait come back come back we got to give you the job that was it right there so that's the deal they said wait okay Michael

come up back we're going to give you the job and so I got the opportunity to work with Chris Berman and Tom Jackson in the business. I thought they were the best in the business. I learned so much from those dudes, man. I thought they were just the best. That's an amazing walkout story right there. I mean, that's an ender.

And those rings are in my pocket all day. And I never take my rings, right? I'm holding home to them. I'm going to make sure I don't lose them. They're rattling in my pipe. And then I threw them on the table like that. Like they were dice, man. And everybody started laughing, you know, then so they're like, yeah, yeah, okay, come back, come

out. You got the job. We're going to work it out right now. So, yeah, it worked out. A couple more quick ones for you. One of the funny things over the last 30 years since I experienced this team when I was in high school is to watch people sort of try to reevaluate you guys over the years. Oh, Emmett, you know, he was just running behind good offensive lines.

Troy Eggman, his stats don't stack up against other Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Michael Irvin, oh, the games change so much. so much more passing. Are you protective of the idea of how good you guys were in the 90s? Well, the game does, it all evolves. It really does. The athletes are better now. They are. Remember, when we played, I was the big guy and they had a fast guy. Not a big guy is a fast guy. Everybody's fans. I mean, everybody's fan. Everybody. So, yeah, you got better athletes. I don't I don't be grudged. I don't I don't say that's not the case.

That is the case. But a unit, we had a certain unit. And I always hear people say that too. When I read behind the greatest office, I was like, stop saying that. That line was the same line. Brian, you, you remember when we got parents Flagler from San Francisco, who was a really good running back over there, he came over here behind this line. He got nothing.

It was nothing. Until Emmett got there. And then all of a sudden, these fifth rounders and six rounders and three agents like Nate Newton and the two and a, all of a sudden they became the greatest offensive line ever. Yeah. It was both Emmett and them getting together. I don't think anybody had any one of them as one of the greatest athletes at the individual. But when you put it all together, it worked perfect. It just worked perfectly.

And it didn't work with any other back like that. But in me. I was talking to Chris Collinsworth, who played on two losing Super Bowl teams earlier this year. And he told me, I think about losing the Super Bowl almost every day. So I want to ask you the reverse question here. How often do you find yourself thinking about winning the Super Bowl? I think about every day we should have won more. I think about every day that play in San Francisco, I should have attacked that ball.

I mean, every damn day of my life, Brian, I should have attacked that ball. That ball, I shouldn't have waited. If I would have gone up, it would have clarified that pass interference. You know what I'm saying? And Dion would have gotten that pass interference, would have got the ball down on the two or three yard line, somewhere that I would have gone and scored and got by control of that game. Now, I think about all the time, because, I'm wondering if I was selfish in that moment.

I could have gone up, but I wanted, I said, come, volleyball and get by, just get by. I wanted to catch it, stretch it, and get the touchdown. You know what I'm saying? And be the one, man, Mike, you did it for us, brought us back, you got the game for it. As opposed, so, so, so since it didn't work out that way, that's what I think about the most. I don't ever think about, man, we won the Super Bowls or something. The thing that that affects me is that play. I should have attacked that ball better.

That's what goes through your mind, not catching two to the touchdowns in the 983 Super Bowl. And it's always been that way, Brian. I'm going to tell you something, man. We would, I would put a game up in Arizona, man. I had 210 yards on like eight catches, three touchdown. I go home, man. I'm on the ceiling.

You're on the ceiling all night and not sleeping. You're not thinking about the plays you make. You're thinking about the one or two ways that got away. Man, I could have had 240. I could have had 240. I could have done you. Like, man, let go. Go to sleep.

Go to sleep, you know. But it just keeps playing over and over and over and over in your mind. You know, it's just, you just, those ones that got away. And we let some Super Bowl get away from that divorce of Jerry and Jimmy. All right. Last one. I mentioned that back in 92, Roger Stauback and Drew Pearson and those guys were your father's Dallas Cowboys. You're and I, here you and I are 30 years later.

How does it feel to be somebody's father's Dallas Cowboy? I can't believe how this thing has come. And every time you need to tell me, my, my dad loves you, man. They love you, man. You know, the kids, they never even seen you. These kids are under 30. They're under 30. They never, they're like, my dad, love you, way.

He says this. I've seen you on YouTube. I've seen the highlights, but yeah, we're the old heads now. We're the old heads, you know. It's just so funny. And just like this, Doc and those guys are going to be the old hair. And I'm telling you, man, I tell those dudes that say, man, you don't want to spend it. Think about how much we think about the Super Bowl that got away.

We won three. We won three. You think you're going to walk out of this league with zero in a clean, brain? Are you joking? It ain't going to happen. I'm telling you, I try to tell these people, it ain't going to happen. You're not walking out of this league with zero Super Bowls in a clean brain. You're going to be thinking about that. You're going to be vexed by the rest of your life, Barnard. Cowboys are playing on the road on Monday, Michael. The Dallas Cowboys haven't won a road playoff game since you guys won in San Francisco in 1993. Isn't that crazy?

30 years. Isn't that crazy? But greatness requires you step across some landmines, you step across all obstacles that stand in your way. So whatever that obstacle is, they got to step on it and across it because it's what it needs to be done. You got it.

They cannot lose that game in Tampa. You cannot lose that game. Michael Irvin. Thanks for coming on the press box. Be always good to see you, man. All right. It's time for the second. Weekly edition of David Shoemaker guesses, the strained pun headline.

Yay. Monday's headline about Clint Black and his wife Lisa's concert series was the hits and the misses. It's so good. Today's headline comes from our good friend Thomas Brooke from the New York Times' deal book newsletter. You and I love a good box store, David. Oh, yeah. But things are not going well at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Some bad holiday sales over there.

And now that store that moms across America love to hoard coupons from is thinking about bankruptcy. So I'm going to give you bed, bath, and what was the New York Times's strained pun headline? I have to get this. Bed, bath, and be bankrupt. Yeah, be bed bath and. Be gone. My gosh. Why can't I get this?

Bed bath and... Ooh, they're in a bad state. It's on the ropes a little bit. Be gone? We'll be gone. We'll be gotten. Begotton? Is that...

No, on the ropes. Oh, it's not feeling good. We're out of sorts here. Just don't quite... Bewildered? Oh, so close. Belie. Believe.

Belieg. Beliegered. Bed bath and beleaguered? Bed bath and beleaguered. I like We would have gone better I think that would I think it would have read

Yeah Somebody also tweeted Bedbeth in the Great Beyond Oh yeah that's great He is David Shoemaker I'm Brian Curtis Production Magic by Erica Servantus

I think I'm gonna be back One more time this week And then David and I are back Monday with more lukewarm takes about the media See you then David See you later Brian