<P> Then, Jones and Johnson made a move midway through the 1989 season that shocked many in the league: they traded their only Pro Bowl player, running back Herschel Walker, to the Minnesota Vikings for five veteran players and eight draft choices . Although the Cowboys finished the 1989 season with a 1--15 record, their worst record since the team's inception, the foundations for the Cowboys' return to glory had been set . Although Dallas had the league's worst record, they traded away the first pick in the 1990 draft so they could get backup quarterback Steve Walsh in the supplemental draft . Then with the 17th pick, they drafted running back Emmitt Smith, and the trifecta of Aikman, Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irvin (who was drafted by Landry in 1988) was now set . Dallas also signed veteran tight end Jay Novacek away from Phoenix, who went on to make the Pro Bowl in five of his six years with the Cowboys . </P> <P> Johnson also started to rebuild the team by drafting players who were fast, quick, and athletic . The defense was designed to become aggressive, while the offense was made to be a conservative one that did not make mistakes . In 1990, the Cowboys finished 7--9, but Smith won the NFL Rookie of the Year Award and Johnson was selected as NFL Coach of the Year . In 1991, the Cowboys finished with an 11--5 record and made the playoffs for the first time in six years . </P> <P> In 1992, the Cowboys finished with a 13--3 regular season record, the second - best in the league . Although not a single one of their defensive players made the Pro Bowl, Dallas was ranked as the number one defense in the league (allowing only 4,278 yards), fourth in fewest points allowed (243), and ranked as the number one defense against the run (allowing only 1,244 yards), bringing back many fans' memories of the Doomsday Defenses of old . The defensive line was anchored by Jim Jeffcoat (10.5 sacks) and Tony Tolbert (8.5 sacks), along with future Hall of Fame pass rusher Charles Haley (six sacks), who had led the NFC in sacks in 1990 and had been acquired by Dallas in a trade with San Francisco . While Norton and Defensive Rookie of the Year Robert Jones anchored the linebacking corps, the team's solid secondary was led by defensive backs Kenneth Gant and James Washington, who both recorded 3 interceptions each, and rookie cornerback Kevin Smith . The last member of the secondary was defensive back Issiac Holt who had been acquired as part of the trade with the Vikings for Walker . </P> <P> Dallas' offense finished second in the league in scoring with 409 points . Aikman had the best season of his career, completing 302 out of 473 passes (ranking second and fourth in the league) for 3,445 yards (fourth in the league) and 23 touchdowns (third in the league) while throwing only 14 interceptions, producing a quarterback rating of 89.6 (third best in the league). Smith led the NFL in rushing for the second year in a row with 1,713 yards and scoring 18 rushing touchdowns, while also catching 59 passes for 335 yards and a touchdown . Fullback Daryl Johnston was also an asset in the backfield, providing Smith with effective blocking and hauling in 32 receptions . Irvin, the team's emotional lightning rod, caught 78 passes for 1,396 yards and 7 touchdowns . Other contributors on the offense included wide receiver Alvin Harper (35 receptions for 562 yards and 4 touchdowns) and Novacek (68 receptions for 630 yards and 6 touchdowns). Dallas' dominant offensive line, later dubbed "The Great Wall of Dallas", was led by Pro Bowlers Nate Newton and Mark Stepnoski, along with 10 - year veteran Mark Tuinei, free agent acquisiton John Gesek and the youngster Erik Williams . </P>

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