On Tuesday morning, Netflix released its long-awaited eight-episode docuseries titled “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” chronicling the rise of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s under owner Jerry Jones.
The Star-Telegram was able to view the docuseries early to give viewers an idea of some of the most interesting moments from the series, directed by Chapman and Maclain Way.
For fans of the Cowboys in their Super Bowl-winning days, the series is a trip down memory lane to relive the glory days. But just as it played out in real life, all good stories come to an end — and the end for the ‘90s Cowboys wasn’t the prettiest.
From Super Bowls to scandals and all of the controversy in between, here are the five most interesting moments from the newly released docuseries, now available worldwide:
Jerry Jones almost went into business with Jimmy Hoffa
The opening scene of the docuseries sees Jerry Jones looking down on an oil rig in Jewett, Texas, from his helicopter as he begins to reminisce on his business success — and gambles — in the 1970s and 1980s. From being a self-admitted slick-talk money borrower to hitting big on an oil well that paid him millions, Jones became a success story overnight. But he wasn’t done there.
The opening episode details his lifelong desire to own a football team, and nothing would get in the way of him accomplishing that goal, even if it meant going into business with some shady individuals.
As he was in talks to buy the San Diego Chargers in the 1960s, Jones was approached by Teamsters union president Jimmy Hoffa, who had ties to organized crime, as a main investor in the bid. Jones didn’t bat an eye, but it took convincing from his family to step away from the situation while he still could.
He thought that would be his only chance at living out his dream. That is, until the Dallas Cowboys were put up for sale in 1984, leading to Jones’ purchase five years later.
The 1992 clash at Candlestick shines as bright as ever
While the eight-episode journey is compelling throughout, the third episode stands alone. When the show officially premiered in Hollywood on Aug. 11, it made sense why this was the episode that was shown in front of a packed Egyptian Theatre.
After watching coach Jimmy Johnson and Jones hit rock bottom with a 1-15 season, the story of the 1992 season culminates with an episode dedicated to the NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman (8) scrambles under pressure from San Francisco 49ers defensive end Kevin Fagan during the 1992 NFC championship game on Jan. 17, 1993, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Peter Brouillet-USA TODAY Sports USA TODAY NETWORK
From Johnson explaining how he mapped out the field’s sloppy surface before the game to defensive end Charles Haley all but wishing death on his former 49ers teammates, the 53-minute episode paints the 30-20 Cowboys victory into The Louvre, all while jumping back and forth in time to show that the victory was a culmination of a lifelong effort from Jones to be on the sport’s mountaintop.
And while one more game was still to play in the Super Bowl, the beating of the 49ers on their home turf shines brighter when the ensuing 52-17 result against the Buffalo Bills was all but predetermined.
Emmitt Smith’s 1993 holdout feels too familiar
In episode four, it was ominous seeing how the contract standoff with running back Emmitt Smith and Jones played out.
As Jones finds himself immersed in an all-too-familiar situation with Micah Parsons in the present day, the story of Smith eventually winning out with the richest contract for a running back in league history at the time makes the viewer wonder if Jones learned any lessons over the past 32 years.
But, in true Jerry fashion, it was a line that he has repeated multiple times in the past few years with similar situations that rang true then and still does now.
“Negotiations have a lot of ambiguity,” Jones said. “And I have a high tolerance for ambiguity.”
Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith (22) is tackled by Buffalo Bills nose tackle Jeff Wright (91) during Super Bowl XXVIII on Jan. 30, 1994, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. RVR Photos USA TODAY NETWORK
The deal eventually got made, but not until an 0-2 start in 1993 after Smith held out from the opening two games of the season. At that point, Smith had all of the leverage.
Could a similar outcome be on the horizon for Parsons?
The Jerry Jones-Jimmy Johnson reunion takes center stage
From the building tension in the early 1990s, to the blowup in 1994 at the league meetings in Orlando, Florida, to the public divorce that was put on full display just a few weeks later, the Jones-Johnson split was shown in explicit (literally) detail.
The nuances of the disagreement led to Jones revealing his cancer diagnosis from 2010 when he told his doctor — in his own not-safe-for-work words — that he couldn’t put his beef with Johnson in the past, even if it meant his health would suffer.
But much like his cancer that eventually faded from his body roughly a decade later, time can heal some big wounds. This messy split was no different.
The final episode dedicates a large portion of time to what went into Jones mending fences with Johnson in 2023 before finally putting him in the team’s Ring of Honor 29 years after their nuclear blowup.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones kisses former coach Jimmy Johnson after Johnson’s induction in the Ring of Honor on Dec. 30, 2023, at AT&T Stadium. Kevin Jairaj USA Today Sports file photo
Behind-the-scenes conversations and added context from those who saw the relationship grow malicious over three decades back to fruitful give the viewer an intriguing look at onetime college best friends — and later enemies — reuniting once again.
Not even Netflix could write a storybook ending
Throughout the 2023 season, Netflix followed Jones and the Cowboys with the expectation that the Mike McCarthy-led 12-5 squad would finally reach the same pinnacle that the teams of the 1990s did.
With camera crews set up in the owner’s suite during the 2023 wild-card matchup against the Green Bay Packers, the camera crews were prepared to end the docuseries on a high note with its perfect Hollywood ending.
But not even the award-winning Way brothers could change that fate. The Packers jumped out to a huge lead and won 48-32.
The final episode serves as a 42-minute look into the present, and even a hesitant look into the future by the Jones family, as his children choked up at the thought of a world without their father. But even as the pain of the Green Bay loss still stings as it’s mentioned, Jerry doesn’t seem keen on stepping away from the action anytime soon.
“I can’t help but be thankful for the time that I’ve owned the Dallas Cowboys,” Jones said. “It is impossible for me to think about doing something different, and I’ll probably continue right on out until the end.”