Most presumed that the 1986 Dallas Cowboys would at least make the playoffs, even if they did not look like Super Bowl contenders in early November. By December, the question was whether the 7-6 Cowboys would even finish with a winning record. The answer turned out to be no.
The 1986 Cowboys had plenty of time to sing at Christmastime.
Week 10: L.A. Raiders 17, Dallas 13
Dallas led the Raiders 13-10 in the fourth quarter, but a 40-yard TD pass from Jim Plunkett to Dokie Williams put the game away for Los Angeles. In his first game as a full-time starter, Steve Pelluer threw five interceptions.
Week 11: Dallas 24, San Diego 21
Two touchdown passes from Dan Fouts to Kellen Winslow gave San Diego a 21-10 lead in the fourth quarter. Touchdowns by Herschel Walker and Pelluer, though, were enough to give the Cowboys a three-point lead. Charger kicker Rolf Benirschke just missed a 55-yarder to tie the game at the end of regulation. The Cowboys won despite giving up 11 sacks.
Tom Landry’s comment: “We were born again today.”
Um, nope.
Week 12: Washington 41, Dallas 14
The score was 34-0 at halftime. The Cowboys did not manage to convert a third down until there was about four minutes left in the game. The highlight of the game may have been Reggie Collier’s only touchdown pass as a member of the Cowboys.
Week 13: Seattle 31, Dallas 14
The Cowboys celebrated Thanksgiving by falling behind 24-7 to the Seahawks. Walker and Tony Dorsett both scored in the game, but it was never a contest.
Week 14: L.A. Rams 29, Dallas 10
The Cowboys fell to the .500 mark when they were demolished by the Rams. Tom Landry received death threats at some point and had to be escorted off the field to be fitted with a bullet-proof vest.
Week 15: Philadelphia 23, Dallas 21
It looked like the Cowboys would at least ensure a .500 record when they led 21-16 against the Eagles in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia took the win, though, when Matt Cavanaugh hit Kenny Jackson on a 31-yard touchdown. The loss ruined a great game by Walker, who gained a total of 292 yards (122 rushing, 170 receiving).
Week 16: Chicago 24, Dallas 10
The Cowboys predictably failed to show up in the season finale, falling behind 24-0 to the Bears in a 24-10 loss.
Landry’s summary of the season: “We’re not a 7-9 team, and again we’re not as good as people thought early. We are somewhere in between.”
Not really.
Someone asked in an earier thread if Hogeboom could’ve made a difference?
I don’t know the answer, but surely he would’ve done better than Pelluer. But he was a competitor and not willing to sit on the bench behind White, when he thought he was the better QB (unlike White, who apprenticed under Staubach until his time came).
I’d wager Landry & Schramm would liked to have had that trade back.
Are you telling me that the 1986 Dallas Cowboys made a Christmas video where they sang and danced?
I have never felt such shame…
I think if Hogeboom were on the 1986 team he might have made a slight difference. He ended up doing quite well for the 1986 Colts, and beat two teams the Cowboys lost to that year (Atlanta and the Raiders). But maybe they would have finished 9-7 instead of 7-9, and frankly the debacle of 1986 led directly to the drafting of Troy Aikman in 1989. Things worked out.
I think Hogeboom would have made a bit of a difference, especially in a game like the one against the Raiders. By the latter part of the year, though, he would have needed to improve his play at defensive line, cornerback, and safety to help the team.
The Cowboys made Christmas LPs / videos in both 1985 (blue cover) and 1986 (red cover).
The music almost equaled the results on the field.Incredible when Troy Aikman set Nashville back 50 years with his country&western trainwreck album in that it
doesn’t sound as bad when you’re winning Superbowls.Not so much when you’re 7-9.
Not sure if Hogeboom would have been a big boost over Pelleuer. Then again, I think too much was aksed of Pelleuer given his skill set (poor pocket presence at times as an example). But Matt is right about the other factors–the team was “so-so” in many areas and the strong offense helped them out (kept them of the field more, not put into bad field position situations).
This was a painful season. I, among others I’m sure, were in denial that Dallas was slipping bit by bit. The injury to White just hastended the journey.
I uploaded the Christmas video onto YouTube in 2006, and most of the copies that are around on the web are from the clips that I originally uploaded. Thus, everyone can blame me for the embarrassment that has resulted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPKh_fitv3k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_xbf_jf2Z8
1986 was a tough pill to swallow. ’84 was tough because they missed the Playoffs for the first time in forever but ’86 was the first time in 20 years they failed to secure a winning record… argh..
I was a big fan of Hogeboom and certainly feel he would have made a difference in the teams performance but like others have said, 9-7 at best.. the decay was starting to show on this team..
If WHite had played the second half of the season, the team would have been 10-6 like the year before. WIthout White, the previous year’s team would have slippedas well. THe 86 teams actually had more talent on it than the 85 team did.