I'm a Dallas Cowboy fan.  I'm not one of those fans that jumped on the band wagon because the Cowboys won in the 90's.  I grew up in Big D.  I went to my first Cowboy game in 1966 with my father in the Cotton Bowl.  I saw Danny Don Meredith, who was one of the greatest leaders that the Cowboys has ever had.  I have seen Roger.  I have met Rayfield Wright.  Heck, he lived down the street from us in the late 60's.  I remember seeing Tony Dorsett run.  I remember Landry being so upset that Dorsett wouldn't hit the hole that play was designed for.  Instead, Tony ran to daylight.

I remember wondering why we picked Troy Aikman.  I didn't think that he was all that great in college.  We also chose Steve Walsh.  I thought he was the better quarterback.  That's why I'm a better fan than coach.  Why did we choose Emmitt Smith?  He wasn't that big.  He was rather slow.   He did have some nice numbers but that was college.  Michael Irvin?  Miami was such an impressive team I don't remember Michael being that special.

I don't think that you can truly appreciate the greatness of Michael Irvin until you watch him in the playoffs and big games.  Everyone in the whole world knew that he was going to get the ball.  Somehow, some way he got open or rather open enough to get to the ball.  Aikman would deliver a blue laser and Irvin would haul it in.  First down.

Some dude who was filling in for Mike and Mike in the morning on ESPN on Friday said that Michael Irvin was a weak vote for the Hall of Fame.  He then said that Michael couldn't hold Marvin Harrison's jock strap.  Umm, wrong.  Let's look at Marvin's numbers in the playoffs.  What numbers you ask?  Exactly.  Marvin disappeared for years in the playoffs.  Michael was there in the playoffs, bigger than life.  He was ready and he was talkin' trash.  He wasn't going to disappear.  He was going to will himself to be great.

Michael Irvin was the heart of the Cowboys for nearly 10 years.  He was the emotional leader.  He was the one that got the guys emotionally ready to play.  He was the one that pushed them to give Troy just a little more time.  He was the one that ask the O-line to hold their blocks just a fraction of a second longer and promised them that Emmitt would find the hole.   He was the one that told Troy that he would get open.

In spite of all of his trials and wrong doing, Michael Irvin was great on the field.  He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame because he helped carry the Cowboys to 3 SuperBowls in 4 years.