“It Was Hard”: Michael Irvin Doesn’t Hold Back on Struggles Under Cowboys HC Before Retirement

NFL“It Was Hard”: Michael Irvin Doesn’t Hold Back on Struggles Under Cowboys HC Before RetirementAdd us on Google

NFL“It Was Hard”: Michael Irvin Doesn’t Hold Back on Struggles Under Cowboys HC Before RetirementAdd us on Google

MIAMI GARDENS, FL – JANUARY 19: Michael Irvin before the Indiana Hoosiers versus the Miami Hurricanes College Football Playoff National Championship Game Presented by AT&T on January 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire COLLEGE FOOTBALL: JAN 19 College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T Indiana vs Miami EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260119547499

MIAMI GARDENS, FL – JANUARY 19: Michael Irvin before the Indiana Hoosiers versus the Miami Hurricanes College Football Playoff National Championship Game Presented by AT&T on January 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire COLLEGE FOOTBALL: JAN 19 College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T Indiana vs Miami EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260119547499

Michael Irvin is easily one of the Cowboys’ best offensive players. He helped the franchise win three Super Bowls in its heyday. At that time, the Cowboys set the standard, hiring three head coaches who won the Super Bowl for Dallas. But then Chan Gailey arrived in 1998, bringing an end to that run and hampering the Cowboys’ offense.

“I remember having some real doubts about our offense when we got a new offensive coordinator in Chan Gailey,” Irvin said on the White House Podcast. “When we had our first offense that Norv Turner and Ernie Zampese was running no matter what, when we got into those ruts, we had those few plays, low right, low left for Emmitt. I’m going to run that 8-38 and bang 8, or slant route. We had certain plays that we knew we could go to. Then we go to this Chan Gailey’s offense, and I remember being in a game and not having the confidence.

“Those few plays, the go to, let’s go get it. These are our plays. Now we were in a whole new offense, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God.’ When you were talking about it, I remember that, that’s one of the first times I was in a game like- And I didn’t feel as confident. And it was hard for me to get there in that new offense.”

When Michael Irvin was able to play for the entire regular season, he always tallied 1,100+ receiving yards. But in 1998, his first season with Gailey, Irvin recorded only 1,057 yards. He was limited by injury in the 1999 season, which also happened to be Gailey’s last.

Gailey’s tenure with the Cowboys lasted only two seasons, and his record stood at 18-14. A blowout loss in the playoffs in 1999, just like 1998, was eventually what showed him out the door at Dallas.

“It was two enjoyable years,” Gailey told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram back in 2011. “I mean we were fighting to keep our head above water and fighting to try to win games, and it was great opportunity for me, and I appreciated the opportunity.”

How the offense ran under Gailey was a problem. It was a deviation from the system formerly run by Turner and Zampese.

Per the Associated Press, former quarterback Troy Aikman was frustrated about how there were too many dump-off passes. In 1999, the Cowboys were 4-5 in the games star running back Emmitt Smith rushed for 100 yards or more.

The former Cowboys’ wide receiver claimed that Gailey was a pretty decent offensive coordinator. But as a head coach, he still had a few things to take care of.

“It’s more than just Xs and Os, it’s about managing people,” Irvin said on WFAN back in 2015. “If you don’t know how to do that you’re not going to survive, bottom line… You’re going to have to motivate people and you’re going to have to approach people.”

Moreover, according to Irvin, hiring Chan Gailey was probably the second-biggest mistake that Jerry Jones made in his career. Of course, the first mistake, as per Irvin, was the fallout with Jimmy Johnson.

“Out of all the things Jerry ever did here, that was the biggest mistake he made,” Irvin said on the DLLS Cowboys Podcast as he recalled the losing catch streak in his last game against the Cardinals. “I mean, second to him and Jimmy [Johnson] falling out. I don’t want to throw a dart at him. But Chan Gailey should have never been here.”

For ‘The Playmaker’, Gailey’s arrival was a clash of philosophies. Decades later, Irvin’s memories serve as a stark reminder of how quickly the wrong coaching hire can derail a legendary franchise.