Dexter Coakley was a complete gentleman with a ton of class. After the Cowboys played the Bengals in Cincinnati, a bunch of us were waiting to see our favorite Cowboys players while they were loading up the buses to take them to the airport. Dexter Coakley was the only one to come over to meet and greet the fans.
I'm not ashamed to admit I shed a tear when I found out Chuck Howley was going to be enshrined in Canton. Anybody on the 50th Anniversary Team should be in the Ring of Honor!!!!
I feel that Chuck Howley should have the MVP award in Super Bowl VI. He dominated that game, helping to shut down Miami. If not him, then there was some great blocking on that OL that allowed those running backs to play so well.
Ive been a fan of The Cowboys my entire life. I didnt watch the 60's guy's live. Great list. I agree with everyone else also. DeMarcus Ware was a terror on offenses. His presence on defense was always known on every play. Many thanks.
I'm so damn happy that Howley is FINALLY going to be enshrined in Canton. I love the fact you're showing Dave Edwards some love. He's one of those franchise players like George Andrie who somehow have faded into the fanbase forgotten files as time goes by.
We had underrated Outside LBs the best from a talent standpoint Hollywood Henderson. Man he was natural his character brought something to the team u need in sports. Great guy just fell prey to substance abuse drug to alcohol. It's great he had a guys like Roger Staubach & Drew Pearson in his corner
Picking from that group of greats is absolutely impossible but you did it. Ware, Howley, Coakley, Edwards but my personal favorite having seen him play a few times, was Thomas 🎬Hollywood📽️ Henderson! He hit and ran fast as few did. Imagine a linebacker doing kickoff returns Lol. That was an awesome upload LC.
It is reasonable to speculate that the outcome of any of the NFC Championship games from 1980-1982 would have been different had Thomas Henderson still been on the team.
Great list. I think you nailed it. Chuck was in a league of his own for sure. Imagine this though. What would it be like if you had Ware on one side and Henderson on the other. That wouldn't even be fair.
Hollywood would have had a nice 10 year football career if cocaine didn't take over his life, but sometimes you need to hit rock bottom before you can pick yourself up. For Hollywood, it took literal prison for him to change. Now he's sober for over 40 years, is a motivational speaker, and lastly it's hard to believe but he won the lottery twice. TWICE!!
OUTSTANDING CONTENT!!!! once again! I watched Hollywood as a child and he was LT before LT. If he would have left that Columbian flake alone, or controlled it better, he would have been HOF and would have received the same praise as LT. I met him once in the 90s at a school event I was working at and he was a super chill nice guy.
This list is spot on, totally agree. Hollywood Henderson was a beast and I loved watching him in those 70's Superbowls. One of my favorite old school linebackers was # 58 Mike Hegman. Hegman and Henderson had a great blitz play in Superbowl 13. Hegman took the ball away from Bradshaw and ran in for a 37 yd. TD. It was a great strip sack, and an awesome play. As usual, amazing breakdown.
I watched all 5 of them in their prime and you are 100% right again as you always are! Dave Edwards was an unsung hero and I watched Chuck get the MVP in SB 5. If Hollywood would have stayed off drugs, not eaten a hot dog on the sidelines during a game, he would have been in the Canton HOF. I watched Hollywood and Mike Hegman take the ball away from Bradshaw and Mike scored the touchdown.
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I'm too young to remember Henderson or Howley. I didn't start watching until '79, but DAMN, do I remember the rest! Coakley is a sentimental favorite of mine, considering the 💩 teams he played on. He and Dat Nguyen were about the only bright spots on those early 2Ks teams.
Great list! Personally, I'm siding with Ware as no.1. Not overall performance, nor stats, nor any of that. Though, he's a beast! The reason I'm picking him as 1 is because I remember him playing with a broken neck (for goodness sakes) and having a career game! My goodness. He, literally, risked his LIFE for the Dallas Cowboys. Mad mad MAD respect!! Not to mention, wearing #94? You just KNOW Charles Haley was keeping a sharp eye on him. 😂
Exactly Dave Edwards definitely a gem as well Chuck Howley. I'm more familiar with Chuck Howley tho . Best hands LB wise even with Henderson cowboys ever had. He was during it in pre passing era highly impressive
@@michaelallen8112 I overlooked him CUZZ no pro bowls, But I can see why on that Cowboy defense that was loaded with em he got overlooked if he played for the Saints he probably would have every year.
Oh this was one of the positions I was so excited to watch! How great it was to remember Dexter Coakley. I've always believed that when you get to the pinnacle of athletic competition, things like size, speed and strength matter. Everyone who gets snaps i the NFL is a great athlete, everyone who gets snaps in the NFL is smart, competitive, hard working and determined. When push comes to shove, a big guy with a ton of talent and personality traits is going to be better than a little guy most of the time. So when you see guys who are outliers in terms of being notably smaller than most guys at their position, and those guys excel, you know that you have a combination of talent, heart and desire that is almost impossible to comprehend. That is Dexter Coakley, I LOVED watching that guy play football.
Great vid but the all time greatest OLB in Cowboy history is Charles Haley. Set the edge, stop the run, smash your QB on 3RD down. I know they called him a DE but he was an OLB that played close to the snap. : )
Thanks for the video. This is a tough list. I tend to think of DeMarcus Ware as a defensive end. In many ways, he was the beginning of what we today call an "edge" player. I should remember Dave Edwards, but I don't. I remember Leroy Jordan and Chuck Howley. I don't remember them well, but I remember them. I was a huge Hollywood Henderson fan, and I was terribly disappointed as he fell apart. I wish he could have avoided the issues that destroyed his career. In some ways, I have a hard time seeing him on the list because he played such a short time. I agree with those who would put Sean Lee on this list in some way. I didn't watch Dexter Coakley a great deal, but I remember him as well.
I loved watching Coakley and Ngyen play together, the little muscle hamsters. On those early 2000's teams especially, those two along with Woody and Roy Williams, they made putting up with the rest of the team bearable.
Henderson was fun to watch! Now let this sink in, he was a fantastic kick returner! Yes folks go search his highlights. His antics now would be taken in stride compared to other players antics. Never a dull moment when he was on the field!
We can debate all day about Chuck being #1. But Hollywood has got to be top 2. For me, watching Ware play was frustrating at times. He NEVER showed up in big games. I began calling him soft until he went to Denver. Plus, Hollywood was a complete linebacker, and a complete football player in general.
@@thelogicalcowboyIt’s a hard thing when talking linebackers I would say. The 3-4 is so different than the 4-3. Completely different skill set. But I cannot complain about how you picked them.
Hollywood could have been the LT before they was an LT. I was a kid my 4th,5th and 6th grade years he was the man. His demons got the best of him , but glad to hear he overcame them later in life. Number 56 could have been the best!! And the time he played it’s safe to say he was close to being the best!!! Long live Thomas Hollywood Henderson 56!!!
Love your videos. But I would respectfully replace Hollywood Henderson with Mike Hegman. Henderson was the higher pick, and probably the better athlete, and certainly more flashy. But Hegmans more years and consistency rate him higher in my opinion. Thanks for all your hard work with the videos.
Of all the guys mentioned, Thomas Henderson was the biggest "difference maker". His addiction and charades were a disappointment but the bigger disappointment is that Landry didn't simply suspend him and send him to rehab/therapy so as to salvage a terrific talent. In the eighties, the sorely missed Henderson is a major reason the Cowboys did not get past the NFC championship games and on to several super bowls. Man, he was fun to watch.
I think with Ware and Howley, the order could be either one 1st, or it could be 1-A and 1-B. Both just as dominant, but playing very different kinds of OLB. Ware would have been an RDE in a traditional 4-3 defense instead of a ROLB, while Howley probably would have played RILB or LILB in the 3-4 defense that Ware spent his career in. Howley does have some amazingly rare/unique accolades though. The founder of the 25 INT / 25 Sack club, the first defensive SB MVP, the only man to win SB MVP while on the losing team, and to this day, no classic NFL jersey will be a bigger conversation starter in the Hawaiian islands than a Chuck Howley jersey :)
Thomas Hollywood Henderson, also was one of the greatest stopping the run tacklers in Cowboys history and for his short career at the time one of the greatest tacklers in the NFL! Hollywood did not give a $hit because he was so coked up!
I would go ahead and put Micah Parsons at number 5, and one could even make an argument for putting him at 4. Yeah, it’s early. But the man is an absolute game changer!
I'm going to speak up for a more recent player vs and older guy again, and say that I'd rank Ware as #1. I do understand how great Howley was, even though I never saw him play. In Ware's day, the most important aspect of playing defense was being able to rush the QB. Left tackles were becoming freaks of nature and the second most important position on offense, and edge rushers that could beat those guys were the most important players on defense. I have this theory about arguing about the GOAT in sports. I think it's very rare that you can definitively say one guy is the best ever. Wayne Gretzky is the one team sport athlete I'll say is unequivocally the GOAT. I understand saying that's true of Brady as well, and given how important the QB position is it's probably true of him as well. However, in football, different positions are so unique, I don't think it makes sense to say that about anyone. I'd say LT is the GOAT of linebackers, I'd say Larry Allen is the GOAT of offensive guards... but I digress. What I really think is true is the statement 'There's never been anyone better than...' So there's never been anyone better at basketball than Michael Jordan. Or LeBron James. Or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Or Larry Bird. You get my meaning. I told you all that so I can tell you this: There's never been anyone better at coming off the edge and rushing the passer than DeMarcus Ware.
Innate saying anyone is the GOAT in football. every position is so different. And each era of the sport is so different. So Brady is the goat of his time but go back in time to when the QB can get tackled and how good would he of been? You take a modern receiver and put them in the 70’s against those defensive rules and how good would they be? This is how I always look at these types of things. I would be very surprised if any modern player was tough enough to play u dear the old rule system. They all cry when they get a bruise now days.
Edwards should be higher, because he was the first strong side-run stuffing linebacker on the great Landry teams. Playing the "grunt" position on the flex defense meant forgoing any glory of tackles, and absorbing the blocking, to free up Lee Roy. He played in 5 championship games. That defense was known as a run stuffing team. He also played in so many more crucial games, coming up big in the biggest most crucial moments. His 2 fumble recoveries in the 1970 Browns win that sent the Cowboys to their first Super Bowl. Larry Cole said it was the most important play in Cowboys history. Not to mention he graded out higher than Lee Roy and Chuck in the 1971 Super Bowl Season. Guys like Coakley played in a meaningless time, and other higher ranked guys never played in any important games. Especially Sean Lee. Never played in any meaningful contests. You can't judge greatness off mediocre records.
Good list. My only difference would be replacing Ware with Sean Lee since 3-4 OLB is apples and oranges with 4-3 OLB (as proved by Ware playing DE when they switched back to a 4-3). I'd rank Lee slightly ahead of Coakley. He's got 2 Pro Bowls to Coakley's 3, but was robbed of 1-3 more. Lee has a first team AP All Pro selection while Coakley doesn't. In fewer games with Dallas Lee had 60 tackles for loss to Coakley's 25, 802 total tackles to Coakley's 713, and 14 INTs to Coakley's 10. I'm a Coakley fan, and he certainly has the edge on durability, but when Lee was healthy he was often the best LB in the NFL. I didn't have that sense about Coakley. For a while the Cowboys defense would suck if Lee was out, but would be good if he played. Their team success hinged from week to week on whether or not Sean Lee played. He was at MLB some but most of his career, including his best years, were at OLB. He's important enough to Cowboys history for me to include him on this list. Edit: Coakley's first two seasons don't have TFL recorded on PFR, but even if they matched his best recorded season (7) they wouldn't come close to Lee's total. Edwards and Howley basically pioneered the strong and weak side LB positions respectively, as I think Landry was among the first to have OLBs switch sides depending on where the offensive strong side was that play. Henderson is one of the most athletic LBs of all time. A big time playmaker. He could have been a HoFer if he hadn't flamed out his own career with drug abuse and immaturity. Despite not making any Pro Bowls, I've still got him as the starting strong side LB on my All Time Cowboys team. The roster includes him, Howley, Lee, and Coakley, with Jordan and Breunig holding down the middle. Tubbs and Edwards are on the practice squad while Lockhart is high in the reserve pool. I suspect Parsons will be there some day.
I got my stats from the Dallas Cowboys official website and Wikipedia. I like pfr but sometimes they can be off once you start looking in the 90s or further into history. Especially for lesser known superstars. Keep in mind According to the Dallas Cowboys Coakley had 7 consecutive 100 tackle seasons and registered 10 tackles per game for 37 total games throughout his career. That's an average of 10 tackles per game for 2 years. Also as a outside linebacker Sean lee never had over 2 interceptions in a single season. Coakley did it twice and one year he had 4. If we add in his 5 touchdowns Dexter Coakley was a better all around player than Lee. Last point- Coakley's availability should be a major factor in this debate as well. He only missed one game in his 8 years with the Cowboys. I'm of the opinion that availability is one of the best unwritten stat in all of football. But in saying all of that I respect your position and you made some great arguments! Sean lee was amazing as well. Thanks for watching!!
@@thelogicalcowboy Sean Lee had 4 INTs twice, in 2011 and 2013, and averaged more INTs, tackles ,and way more TsFL per game than Coakley, but it's fair to note Lee's 4 INT years came as M/inside LB, though I'm not sure how much that speaks to his LB position rather than his ball hawking skills. Coakley had more sacks but that only amounts to a few either way and only 3 more TDs. Neither is a threat to Howley's sack/INT stats. I think Lee was the better player based on facts and the eyeball test (e.g. recognition, thump), but I agree that durability is important and Coakley certainly had more availability in the fewer years he spent in Dallas. On the other hand, Lee was the defensive leader on the field and his presence elevated the entire unit. I also agree that data sets can vary. All of them could be flawed. Things like tackles have also been recorded differently by teams v the NFL. The Football Database for example has even FEWER tackles for Coakley than PFR does and 1 more ( somehow LOL) for Lee than PFR does. I've got the two players pretty close and I respect your argument for Coakley.
Me too. Quick note on research. The Dallas Cowboys site (team/stats/year) shows only one 100+ tackle season for Coakley (2002 -108). Same with ESPN, which is the source for the chart on Wikipedia. Admittedly quick arithmetic shows this: Total Tackles With Dallas Coakley (127 games, 127 starts) DC - 711 PFR - 713 ESPN - 700 Lee (118 games, 92 starts) DC - 804 PFR - 803 ESPN - 804 Slight variations some years but close. Some of the Wikipedia prose claims about Coakley's high numbers in certain years are sourced to a DC page that once existed but is now blank. The claim about his rookie year is sourced to a 2017 DC article that still exists but its numbers are wildly different than the DC site's current historical stat page's. They must have been using a wildly different data set. A 2021 ESPN article about Sean Lee's retirement credits him with holding "five of the top seven tackle games in team history", including a record 22 tackle game against the Giants in 2016. It also says Lee averaged 8.4 tackles/game, higher than Darren Woodson's 7.6. But it also credits him with 995 career tackles, more than their own site's 804! Who knows where some of these numbers come from, LOL? My guess is there are multiple older data sets from the team and/or NFL informing some of these claims. That said, while Coakley was solid I don't remember him being a tackle king. He was versatile but his strength was more in coverage. I think Lee was the better ball handler (great hands!) but Coakley may have been better overall in pass coverage (which goes way beyond interceptions) and posted more pass defenses. Lee WAS a tackle king though. I remember that 22 tackle game and countless double digit tackle games Lee posted, along with many timely tackles for loss. He seemed to be setting various records at the time. Two very good players. You wouldn't got wrong with either.
So I researched career leaders in tackles on PFR website and it seems they have Coakley sitting in the 5th spot all time 2 spots above Sean lee... in solo tackles that is! But the numbers are still some what off from espn. Lee has more combined tackles. Coakley has more solo tackles and is 4th in team history in that respect! Even if we choose PFR database it still comes down to the question.. what is better? Total tackles? Or solo tackles. I think it depends on the situation. Remember lee was a middle linebacker at one point in his career so he was put in better positions to have more tackles. While Coakley was a undersized outside linebacker who had to fight for every tackle and yet ended his career with Dallas with more solo tackles then lee and 4th all time in team history. Again it's preference. here's the link if you want to research more...www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/career-defense.htm
Do we blame Tom Landry for not being able to keep Duane Thomas and Thomas Henderson in line? I never heard about Shula, Nolls or Madden having these issues. Especially with HOF talent players .
He was an outside linebacker in a 34 defense for the majority of his career. He didn't transition to the defensive end in a 43 until his last season with Dallas. So basically, he was a defensive end for just one season with Dallas.
I Believe Hollywood Was the difference that could have helped Big D when Some of those championships in the early 80's especially the one against the 49ers he was the speed at linebacker to containJoe Montana
Jerry Jones is living proof that having money can buy a lot of things, but class is not one of them. Jerry Jones is living proof you can pile shit into an Armani suit.
Dexter Coakley was a complete gentleman with a ton of class. After the Cowboys played the Bengals in Cincinnati, a bunch of us were waiting to see our favorite Cowboys players while they were loading up the buses to take them to the airport. Dexter Coakley was the only one to come over to meet and greet the fans.
Thanks for sharing this. All of the stories that ive heard confirms Coakley was a phenomenal person.
He’s my coach now!
Awesome 👍🥳🚀
Yea. Hes a class dude
I'm not ashamed to admit I shed a tear when I found out Chuck Howley was going to be enshrined in Canton. Anybody on the 50th Anniversary Team should be in the Ring of Honor!!!!
Yep. Never be ashamed! You're passionate about football particularly the Dallas Cowboys.
Great job as always. It's sad that Howley won't know he's in the HOF after waiting all these years.
Yeah that's the nfl to blame. They waited too long!
I feel that Chuck Howley should have the MVP award in Super Bowl VI. He dominated that game, helping to shut down Miami. If not him, then there was some great blocking on that OL that allowed those running backs to play so well.
Hollywood Henderson could have been so much better if he could've overcome his personal demons.
He eventually did. He also received help from Staubach when he was down.
He did just not on the football field
He would have been in the HOF if he would have overcome his cocaine addiction. He was incredible all over the field. Special teams demon.
@@troyc4250 He also partied with some of the most famous people in the entertainment world, went to prison, and won the lottery, not once, but twice.
Yep.
I so badly want to see the Cowboys rock a 60's/70's era blue jersey throwback.
Man. Your videos are a delight. They lift up the fans of America’s Team in a frustrating time. And are a highlight of my time on RUclips. Thank you.
Appreciate you Brett! 🙏 I'm always grateful to here that bro!
Such great linebackers. All of them.
Thank you logical cowboy Go Cowboys as always outstanding content favorite Dallas Cowboys channel
Thanks Chris!
Ive been a fan of The Cowboys my entire life.
I didnt watch the 60's guy's live.
Great list.
I agree with everyone else also. DeMarcus Ware was a terror on offenses. His presence on defense was always known on every play.
Many thanks.
Thanks for watching 🙏 good post!
I'm so damn happy that Howley is FINALLY going to be enshrined in Canton. I love the fact you're showing Dave Edwards some love. He's one of those franchise players like George Andrie who somehow have faded into the fanbase forgotten files as time goes by.
It's about time. Howley deserves it! Give him his flowers before he passes away.
We had underrated Outside LBs the best from a talent standpoint Hollywood Henderson. Man he was natural his character brought something to the team u need in sports. Great guy just fell prey to substance abuse drug to alcohol. It's great he had a guys like Roger Staubach & Drew Pearson in his corner
Picking from that group of greats is absolutely impossible but you did it. Ware, Howley, Coakley, Edwards but my personal favorite having seen him play a few times, was Thomas 🎬Hollywood📽️ Henderson! He hit and ran fast as few did. Imagine a linebacker doing kickoff returns Lol. That was an awesome upload LC.
Thanks bro!
DeMarcus Ware was a killer linebacker he had plenty left in the tank when he got his ring😊
Loved watching Coakley. Sort of forgotten player but he was really good. Fun fact - Hollywood Henderson won the Texas State Lottery - twice. No lie!
It is reasonable to speculate that the outcome of any of the NFC Championship games from 1980-1982 would have been different had Thomas Henderson still been on the team.
I hate what if’s but you got a point.
Keep ‘em coming excellent ❤
Thanks bro!
Great list. I think you nailed it. Chuck was in a league of his own for sure. Imagine this though. What would it be like if you had Ware on one side and Henderson on the other. That wouldn't even be fair.
That would be cheating bro!
Hollywood would have had a nice 10 year football career if cocaine didn't take over his life, but sometimes you need to hit rock bottom before you can pick yourself up. For Hollywood, it took literal prison for him to change. Now he's sober for over 40 years, is a motivational speaker, and lastly it's hard to believe but he won the lottery twice. TWICE!!
Amazing individual
Amazing content!
Thanks!
OUTSTANDING CONTENT!!!! once again! I watched Hollywood as a child and he was LT before LT. If he would have left that Columbian flake alone, or controlled it better, he would have been HOF and would have received the same praise as LT. I met him once in the 90s at a school event I was working at and he was a super chill nice guy.
Thanks bro! 🙏
This list is spot on, totally agree. Hollywood Henderson was a beast and I loved watching him in those 70's Superbowls. One of my favorite old school linebackers was # 58 Mike Hegman. Hegman and Henderson had a great blitz play in Superbowl 13. Hegman took the ball away from Bradshaw and ran in for a 37 yd. TD. It was a great strip sack, and an awesome play. As usual, amazing breakdown.
Thanks Kenny! Glad you liked it!
Well researched. I totally agree with this list. It took Chuck Howley far too long to get into the HoF.
Thanks bro! I agree. It's far too long!
Awesome, been waiting for this list too!
Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!
A great list that means a lot for us fans that understand.
Love this! And Ware and Howley are going into HOF this year!
I watched all 5 of them in their prime and you are 100% right again as you always are! Dave Edwards was an unsung hero and I watched Chuck get the MVP in SB 5. If Hollywood would have stayed off drugs, not eaten a hot dog on the sidelines during a game, he would have been in the Canton HOF. I watched Hollywood and Mike Hegman take the ball away from Bradshaw and Mike scored the touchdown.
Great list, as always. Did not know that LT wanted 56 because he was inspired by HH. 🤯
Yep. Thanks for watching 🙏
Great list no debates from me this time. Like the love for Edwards. To bad Hollywood had his issues with addiction.
Hey, Dallas Nation! If you would like to support the channel, you can donate to $ThelogicalCowboy. If not I completely understand. Thanks for all of your support!
I'm too young to remember Henderson or Howley. I didn't start watching until '79, but DAMN, do I remember the rest! Coakley is a sentimental favorite of mine, considering the 💩 teams he played on. He and Dat Nguyen were about the only bright spots on those early 2Ks teams.
There are few times you thank the Lord that Jerry Jones is your GM!!!! SO TRUE!!!!
Great list! Personally, I'm siding with Ware as no.1. Not overall performance, nor stats, nor any of that. Though, he's a beast! The reason I'm picking him as 1 is because I remember him playing with a broken neck (for goodness sakes) and having a career game! My goodness. He, literally, risked his LIFE for the Dallas Cowboys. Mad mad MAD respect!! Not to mention, wearing #94? You just KNOW Charles Haley was keeping a sharp eye on him. 😂
I would not argue with your choice! Ware was a beast!
Great series 🎉
0:15 Dave Edwards 😳Bro you totally "Lernt me sum new thinkin" Never heard of him Lol. Wow Good stuff
Thanks Steve!
@@thelogicalcowboyI just finished my comment check it out. Gr8 on Dave Edwards
Exactly Dave Edwards definitely a gem as well Chuck Howley. I'm more familiar with Chuck Howley tho . Best hands LB wise even with Henderson cowboys ever had. He was during it in pre passing era highly impressive
@@michaelallen8112 I overlooked him CUZZ no pro bowls, But I can see why on that Cowboy defense that was loaded with em he got overlooked if he played for the Saints he probably would have every year.
@@stevereber
Wow! Thanks!!
Oh this was one of the positions I was so excited to watch! How great it was to remember Dexter Coakley. I've always believed that when you get to the pinnacle of athletic competition, things like size, speed and strength matter. Everyone who gets snaps i the NFL is a great athlete, everyone who gets snaps in the NFL is smart, competitive, hard working and determined. When push comes to shove, a big guy with a ton of talent and personality traits is going to be better than a little guy most of the time. So when you see guys who are outliers in terms of being notably smaller than most guys at their position, and those guys excel, you know that you have a combination of talent, heart and desire that is almost impossible to comprehend. That is Dexter Coakley, I LOVED watching that guy play football.
Great post! Wish I had a thousand thumbs! Lol
Great vid but the all time greatest OLB in Cowboy history is Charles Haley. Set the edge, stop the run, smash your QB on 3RD down. I know they called him a DE but he was an OLB that played close to the snap. : )
I always felt Dexter was underappreciated. That man was a bit undersized but he was sooo fast. He was a joy to watch.
Thanks for the video.
This is a tough list. I tend to think of DeMarcus Ware as a defensive end. In many ways, he was the beginning of what we today call an "edge" player. I should remember Dave Edwards, but I don't. I remember Leroy Jordan and Chuck Howley. I don't remember them well, but I remember them. I was a huge Hollywood Henderson fan, and I was terribly disappointed as he fell apart. I wish he could have avoided the issues that destroyed his career. In some ways, I have a hard time seeing him on the list because he played such a short time. I agree with those who would put Sean Lee on this list in some way. I didn't watch Dexter Coakley a great deal, but I remember him as well.
I loved watching Coakley and Ngyen play together, the little muscle hamsters. On those early 2000's teams especially, those two along with Woody and Roy Williams, they made putting up with the rest of the team bearable.
Henderson was fun to watch! Now let this sink in, he was a fantastic kick returner! Yes folks go search his highlights. His antics now would be taken in stride compared to other players antics. Never a dull moment when he was on the field!
I sold Thomas Henderson a winning lottery ticket in Austin in 2000.
Wow! Thanks for watching 🙏
Only if the offense of the time matched the defense of the time, the Cowboys could be undefeated in Super Bowls
So true! You're always on point brother!
That happens in the 90’s. 😜🤪 great defense and offense in those days.
We can debate all day about Chuck being #1. But Hollywood has got to be top 2. For me, watching Ware play was frustrating at times. He NEVER showed up in big games. I began calling him soft until he went to Denver. Plus, Hollywood was a complete linebacker, and a complete football player in general.
I would have put Ware at #1 but like you said the only player on the loosing team that won the MVP at the Super bowl
Yeah Ware was that good. A generational player.
Another good video but my one critique would be that Ware is an edge guy. Not really an off ball outside linebacker as the rest were
I agree. I probably should have put him in the defensive end line up.
@@thelogicalcowboyIt’s a hard thing when talking linebackers I would say. The 3-4 is so different than the 4-3. Completely different skill set. But I cannot complain about how you picked them.
Hollywood could have been the LT before they was an LT. I was a kid my 4th,5th and 6th grade years he was the man. His demons got the best of him , but glad to hear he overcame them later in life. Number 56 could have been the best!! And the time he played it’s safe to say he was close to being the best!!! Long live Thomas Hollywood Henderson 56!!!
Love your videos. But I would respectfully replace Hollywood Henderson with Mike Hegman. Henderson was the higher pick, and probably the better athlete, and certainly more flashy. But Hegmans more years and consistency rate him higher in my opinion. Thanks for all your hard work with the videos.
Mike hegman was the man!!! My opinion is not better then yours. You have a right to your opinion just as I do. Thanks Joe! I appreciate your support 🙏
The kickoff returns the time he hit Bradshaw great player
Off field is where Hollywood was great. He fixed his problem. I would be honored to buy him a non alcoholic beverage any time.
Of all the guys mentioned, Thomas Henderson was the biggest "difference maker". His addiction and charades were a disappointment but the bigger disappointment is that Landry didn't simply suspend him and send him to rehab/therapy so as to salvage a terrific talent. In the eighties, the sorely missed Henderson is a major reason the Cowboys did not get past the NFC championship games and on to several super bowls. Man, he was fun to watch.
He would have been a terror in the 1981 championship game vs the 49ers. Just a messed up situation.
I think with Ware and Howley, the order could be either one 1st, or it could be 1-A and 1-B. Both just as dominant, but playing very different kinds of OLB. Ware would have been an RDE in a traditional 4-3 defense instead of a ROLB, while Howley probably would have played RILB or LILB in the 3-4 defense that Ware spent his career in. Howley does have some amazingly rare/unique accolades though. The founder of the 25 INT / 25 Sack club, the first defensive SB MVP, the only man to win SB MVP while on the losing team, and to this day, no classic NFL jersey will be a bigger conversation starter in the Hawaiian islands than a Chuck Howley jersey :)
Let's face it , THE COWBOYS ARE THE BEST EVER( MY OPINION)
I'll take their history over any other team in the NFL.
Facts!
@@thelogicalcowboy 👍👍👏👏👏👏👏👏
You’d almost have to since that’s all they have and I’m not being funny. I love their history. Their present isn’t much to talk about.
@@rkid727 agreed. But every team has down seasons and many more with down or losing sessons than the Cowboys. I still take dallas over Any team.
Dextercoakleywasabeast
Henderson’s only mistake was telling Bradshaw that he couldn’t spell cat if you spotted him the c and t.
I know Dat Nguyen was a Middle LB but he was my favorite Cowboys LB of all time
Thomas Hollywood Henderson, also was one of the greatest stopping the run tacklers in Cowboys history and for his short career at the time one of the greatest tacklers in the NFL! Hollywood did not give a $hit because he was so coked up!
I would go ahead and put Micah Parsons at number 5, and one could even make an argument for putting him at 4. Yeah, it’s early. But the man is an absolute game changer!
I'm going to speak up for a more recent player vs and older guy again, and say that I'd rank Ware as #1. I do understand how great Howley was, even though I never saw him play. In Ware's day, the most important aspect of playing defense was being able to rush the QB. Left tackles were becoming freaks of nature and the second most important position on offense, and edge rushers that could beat those guys were the most important players on defense.
I have this theory about arguing about the GOAT in sports. I think it's very rare that you can definitively say one guy is the best ever. Wayne Gretzky is the one team sport athlete I'll say is unequivocally the GOAT. I understand saying that's true of Brady as well, and given how important the QB position is it's probably true of him as well. However, in football, different positions are so unique, I don't think it makes sense to say that about anyone. I'd say LT is the GOAT of linebackers, I'd say Larry Allen is the GOAT of offensive guards... but I digress. What I really think is true is the statement 'There's never been anyone better than...' So there's never been anyone better at basketball than Michael Jordan. Or LeBron James. Or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Or Larry Bird. You get my meaning.
I told you all that so I can tell you this: There's never been anyone better at coming off the edge and rushing the passer than DeMarcus Ware.
As a edge rusher ware was on another level! Although id still put LT above him. That's it. No one else. Lets hope Parsons will get there one day.
@@thelogicalcowboy Yeah Parsons is terrific
Innate saying anyone is the GOAT in football. every position is so different. And each era of the sport is so different. So Brady is the goat of his time but go back in time to when the QB can get tackled and how good would he of been? You take a modern receiver and put them in the 70’s against those defensive rules and how good would they be? This is how I always look at these types of things. I would be very surprised if any modern player was tough enough to play u dear the old rule system. They all cry when they get a bruise now days.
Where did you get the info about Jerry overriding bill for ware. That's hard for me to believe.
Greatest ware highlight of all time is the int stiff arm td on atl vick.....
Edwards should be higher, because he was the first strong side-run stuffing linebacker on the great Landry teams. Playing the "grunt" position on the flex defense meant forgoing any glory of tackles, and absorbing the blocking, to free up Lee Roy. He played in 5 championship games. That defense was known as a run stuffing team. He also played in so many more crucial games, coming up big in the biggest most crucial moments. His 2 fumble recoveries in the 1970 Browns win that sent the Cowboys to their first Super Bowl. Larry Cole said it was the most important play in Cowboys history. Not to mention he graded out higher than Lee Roy and Chuck in the 1971 Super Bowl Season. Guys like Coakley played in a meaningless time, and other higher ranked guys never played in any important games. Especially Sean Lee. Never played in any meaningful contests. You can't judge greatness off mediocre records.
Good list. My only difference would be replacing Ware with Sean Lee since 3-4 OLB is apples and oranges with 4-3 OLB (as proved by Ware playing DE when they switched back to a 4-3). I'd rank Lee slightly ahead of Coakley. He's got 2 Pro Bowls to Coakley's 3, but was robbed of 1-3 more. Lee has a first team AP All Pro selection while Coakley doesn't. In fewer games with Dallas Lee had 60 tackles for loss to Coakley's 25, 802 total tackles to Coakley's 713, and 14 INTs to Coakley's 10. I'm a Coakley fan, and he certainly has the edge on durability, but when Lee was healthy he was often the best LB in the NFL. I didn't have that sense about Coakley. For a while the Cowboys defense would suck if Lee was out, but would be good if he played. Their team success hinged from week to week on whether or not Sean Lee played. He was at MLB some but most of his career, including his best years, were at OLB. He's important enough to Cowboys history for me to include him on this list.
Edit: Coakley's first two seasons don't have TFL recorded on PFR, but even if they matched his best recorded season (7) they wouldn't come close to Lee's total.
Edwards and Howley basically pioneered the strong and weak side LB positions respectively, as I think Landry was among the first to have OLBs switch sides depending on where the offensive strong side was that play. Henderson is one of the most athletic LBs of all time. A big time playmaker. He could have been a HoFer if he hadn't flamed out his own career with drug abuse and immaturity. Despite not making any Pro Bowls, I've still got him as the starting strong side LB on my All Time Cowboys team. The roster includes him, Howley, Lee, and Coakley, with Jordan and Breunig holding down the middle. Tubbs and Edwards are on the practice squad while Lockhart is high in the reserve pool. I suspect Parsons will be there some day.
I got my stats from the Dallas Cowboys official website and Wikipedia. I like pfr but sometimes they can be off once you start looking in the 90s or further into history. Especially for lesser known superstars. Keep in mind According to the Dallas Cowboys Coakley had 7 consecutive 100 tackle seasons and registered 10 tackles per game for 37 total games throughout his career. That's an average of 10 tackles per game for 2 years. Also as a outside linebacker Sean lee never had over 2 interceptions in a single season. Coakley did it twice and one year he had 4. If we add in his 5 touchdowns Dexter Coakley was a better all around player than Lee. Last point- Coakley's availability should be a major factor in this debate as well. He only missed one game in his 8 years with the Cowboys. I'm of the opinion that availability is one of the best unwritten stat in all of football. But in saying all of that I respect your position and you made some great arguments! Sean lee was amazing as well. Thanks for watching!!
@@thelogicalcowboy Sean Lee had 4 INTs twice, in 2011 and 2013, and averaged more INTs, tackles ,and way more TsFL per game than Coakley, but it's fair to note Lee's 4 INT years came as M/inside LB, though I'm not sure how much that speaks to his LB position rather than his ball hawking skills. Coakley had more sacks but that only amounts to a few either way and only 3 more TDs. Neither is a threat to Howley's sack/INT stats. I think Lee was the better player based on facts and the eyeball test (e.g. recognition, thump), but I agree that durability is important and Coakley certainly had more availability in the fewer years he spent in Dallas. On the other hand, Lee was the defensive leader on the field and his presence elevated the entire unit. I also agree that data sets can vary. All of them could be flawed. Things like tackles have also been recorded differently by teams v the NFL. The Football Database for example has even FEWER tackles for Coakley than PFR does and 1 more ( somehow LOL) for Lee than PFR does. I've got the two players pretty close and I respect your argument for Coakley.
@@krl97a
Good debate bro enjoyed it!
Me too. Quick note on research. The Dallas Cowboys site (team/stats/year) shows only one 100+ tackle season for Coakley (2002 -108). Same with ESPN, which is the source for the chart on Wikipedia. Admittedly quick arithmetic shows this:
Total Tackles With Dallas
Coakley (127 games, 127 starts)
DC - 711
PFR - 713
ESPN - 700
Lee (118 games, 92 starts)
DC - 804
PFR - 803
ESPN - 804
Slight variations some years but close. Some of the Wikipedia prose claims about Coakley's high numbers in certain years are sourced to a DC page that once existed but is now blank. The claim about his rookie year is sourced to a 2017 DC article that still exists but its numbers are wildly different than the DC site's current historical stat page's. They must have been using a wildly different data set.
A 2021 ESPN article about Sean Lee's retirement credits him with holding "five of the top seven tackle games in team history", including a record 22 tackle game against the Giants in 2016. It also says Lee averaged 8.4 tackles/game, higher than Darren Woodson's 7.6. But it also credits him with 995 career tackles, more than their own site's 804!
Who knows where some of these numbers come from, LOL? My guess is there are multiple older data sets from the team and/or NFL informing some of these claims. That said, while Coakley was solid I don't remember him being a tackle king. He was versatile but his strength was more in coverage. I think Lee was the better ball handler (great hands!) but Coakley may have been better overall in pass coverage (which goes way beyond interceptions) and posted more pass defenses. Lee WAS a tackle king though. I remember that 22 tackle game and countless double digit tackle games Lee posted, along with many timely tackles for loss. He seemed to be setting various records at the time. Two very good players. You wouldn't got wrong with either.
So I researched career leaders in tackles on PFR website and it seems they have Coakley sitting in the 5th spot all time 2 spots above Sean lee... in solo tackles that is! But the numbers are still some what off from espn. Lee has more combined tackles. Coakley has more solo tackles and is 4th in team history in that respect! Even if we choose PFR database it still comes down to the question.. what is better? Total tackles? Or solo tackles. I think it depends on the situation. Remember lee was a middle linebacker at one point in his career so he was put in better positions to have more tackles. While Coakley was a undersized outside linebacker who had to fight for every tackle and yet ended his career with Dallas with more solo tackles then lee and 4th all time in team history. Again it's preference.
here's the link if you want to research more...www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/career-defense.htm
Hollywood is the original 56
I considered Demarcus Ware as more of a DE like i Consider Micah Parsons and OLB and not a DE
Hollywood ! The original cocaine Cowboy !
Do we blame Tom Landry for not being able to keep Duane Thomas and Thomas Henderson in line? I never heard about Shula, Nolls or Madden having these issues. Especially with HOF talent players .
HOLLYWOOD etait si rapide!
Howley was great but I have to put DeMarcus Ware at the top
And you probably wouldn't be wrong! Both were amazing!! Thanks for watching!
Dave Edwards? Played with Jordan and Howley
Yep.
Jerryjonesthinkshesacoach
Hendersongavelandryafit
Chuck Howley, D D Lewis 2 best.
Damarcus ware should've been #1
Ware is definitely worthy to be number one. So is Chuck howley. Both legendary players. If you have Ware as your number one I completely understand.
Hollywoodwastalented
Demarcus Ware was a defensive end i thought , that dont count
He was an outside linebacker in a 34 defense for the majority of his career. He didn't transition to the defensive end in a 43 until his last season with Dallas. So basically, he was a defensive end for just one season with Dallas.
No Eugene Lockhart
Lockhart was not a outside linebacker. He was a middle linebacker. This is a outside linebackers list only.
@@thelogicalcowboy thank you
Ihadhisjersey
As usual.....awesome vlog
Thanks!!
Hoolywood was WAAAAAYYY before his time. He's a legend and one of my heros.
I Believe Hollywood
Was the difference that could have helped Big D when
Some of those championships in the early 80's especially the one against the 49ers he was the speed at linebacker to containJoe Montana
I agree l!! Thanks for watching 🙏
Jerry Jones is living proof that having money can buy a lot of things, but class is not one of them.
Jerry Jones is living proof you can pile shit into an Armani suit.
I'm a bears fan but I love your channel.......new sub
Thanks bro!