Jimmy Johnson will be remembered as one the greatest coaches in NFL history. The former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys achieved a lot in his career. He was a two-time Super Bowl champ and a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
He has one regret from his time on the sidelines, however. It involves one of his former rivals.
Johnson is now an analyst for FOX Sports. Johnson explained that his biggest regret as a head coach was not drafting former New York Giants defensive line Michael Strahan.
Johnson said that the biggest regret in his career was about you. Johnson spoke to Strahan during FOX’s NFL Pregame Show in November. “Here we sit, getting ready to draft. I flew Michael up from Houston. I sat down and told him that I would draft him. He was from a small school so I knew I was always looking to bargain. I thought I could draft him in the second round.”
“I sent a scout, who was sitting in your home [during the draft], because I was gonna call you and say ‘Michael, you’re a Dallas Cowboy.’ Well, New York jumped in front of me so I wasn’t able to draft you. But it turned out pretty good for you, you won a Super Bowl with the Giants and I did ok myself.”
Former #Cowboys HC @JimmyJohnson tells the story of the biggest regret in his career: Not drafting @michaelstrahan before the @Giants 😅 pic.twitter.com/IzCZxH3idm
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 28, 2021
Johnson is correct in stating that Strahan and Johnson did well on their own, without having to work together on the football field. Strahan joined the Giants in 1993 and became a Hall of Famer. He also won a Super Bowl his last NFL season. Johnson was already a champion when Strahan joined the league. He won his second championship in the rookie year as a defensive end.
It’s hard to imagine what a pairing of the Hall of Famer could have looked like. Johnson could have found the best way to use Strahan in Dallas, and Johnson is a legendary coach.
The NFL didn’t get to see them on the field together. Fans will instead settle for seeing them perform on a small portion of one the most popular pregame shows in sports.