Were the Cowboys of the early 90’s the greatest NFL team ever? Norm Hitzges certainly thinks so, and he is eager to tell everyone why in his book, Greatest Team Ever: The Dallas Cowboys Dynasty of the 1990s.

The great NFL dynasties are often debated. They include the Packers of the 60’s, the Steelers of the 70’s, the 49ers of the 80’s, the Cowboys of the 90’s, and the Patriots of this decade. Each of those teams have their own unique feel, with the Packers known for their great coach, the Steelers with their ‘Steel Curtain’ defense, the 49ers and the rise of the west coast offense, the triplets of the Cowboys, and the Patriots with the rise of their quarterback out of the ashes of obscurity and the brilliance of their head coach.

Which dynasty was the best?

The truth is that we will never know the answer to that question. It is difficult to compare even a player from one era to a player from a different era, much less an entire team. The game evolves, the playbooks evolve, the coaching evolves, the players evolve.

But Norm Hitzges is quick to point out areas that the Cowboys reign supreme in, including being the only team numbered among those dynasties to have five straight twelve-win seasons.

I remember NFL Films putting together a mock game between the Cowboys of the 90’s and the Steelers of the 70’s. The game went back and forth and down to the wire when — in a good twist — an instant replay gave the game to the Steelers.

But could the Steelers have stood up against Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, one of the biggest and most dominating offensive lines ever, and the top-ranked defense? Certainly, that 1995 Cowboys team was one of the best ever, but do they top the list?

Could they even beat the 1993 Cowboys? From a player standpoint, the 1995 Cowboys had Deon Sanders and Larry Allen, two future hall of fame players that were not on the 1993 team. But, the 1993 team had Jimmy Johnson. Any way you slice it, that’s a tough call. I’d like to think that Johnson could outcoach Switzer even with a talent deficit, but those are two mighty good additions.

I do think that 1995 team could have downed the 70’s Steelers. I actually think the Patriots of this decade would give that 1995 team a better game. No doubt Belichick would have something up his sleeve to use against the triplets.

But, in the end, it is a question that won’t be answered. Or, at least, not anytime soon. Maybe Madden 2021 will be so fantastic that we can pit those dynasties against each other and see who wins the big tournament. And, maybe it’ll be the Browns of the 2010 decade that wins it all — though I doubt it.