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America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys revisits the Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s, who are remembered for their dominance on the football field and their turbulent culture off of it. This period is revisited in the new Netflix docuseries, released on Tuesday, August 19.
The series explores Jerry Jones’ purchase of the Cowboys, the success of the “Triplets” of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin, and the controversies that shaped the team. One of the defining turning points came when Barry Switzer replaced Jimmy Johnson as head coach after back-to-back Super Bowl victories.
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“Because we had the same pieces of the puzzle in place. All he had to do was be the manager of the team, and not mess the team up,”
Emmitt Smith recalled in episode five of America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, highlighting the uncertainty and shifting dynamics during that transition.
America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys: Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin revisit Cowboys history
Smith, speaking in the Netflix series, reflected on how the Cowboys were caught in limbo when Switzer arrived in 1994. Johnson, known for his strict discipline and demanding practices, had left a culture of accountability.
Switzer, coming from a highly successful run at Oklahoma, offered a contrasting approach. Smith noted that the roster remained intact, and the focus was simply on whether Switzer could maintain continuity without destabilizing the team. Troy Aikman also addressed the transition in America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, admitting that it was clear things would not be the same.
“I just remember thinking things are different, going forward,” he recalled of the early days under Switzer.
Former safety James Washington added further insight in the series, saying,
“A lot of guys liked him because now the guys felt like they had freedom. Barry came into that locker room, the dynamic, the accountability, the work ethic, that had changed.”
For Michael Irvin, one of the team’s leaders, the looser environment coincided with the rise of the Cowboys’ notorious 'White House.' Speaking in America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, Irvin detailed how the house, located near Valley Ranch headquarters, became a gathering point for players seeking privacy away from hotels.
“We was like, ‘Man, we spend a lot of money for these hotels, all of these women,’” Irvin recalled. “So then we said, ‘Let’s do a house.’”
Michael Irvin explained that the so-called 'White House' had five rooms where players and guests engaged in activities that included drug use and the presence of women, saying it was arranged so that
“whatever you like, you commingle with your like.”
Coach Barry Switzer, who appeared in the Netflix series, said he never stepped in when it came to players’ personal choices, noting that they lived “on the edge” and were adults who needed to take responsibility for themselves.
Team owner Jerry Jones also reflected on that period, saying that football couldn’t be played by “Sunday school teachers,” emphasizing the strong personalities that shaped the Cowboys’ success.
More about America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys
America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys is an eight-part series directed by Chapman and Maclain Way. It documents Jerry Jones’ 1989 purchase of the franchise, the famous Herschel Walker trade that helped shape the Cowboys’ dynasty, and the team’s three Super Bowl championships in four years.
It also covers the strained split between Jones and Johnson, the emergence of Aikman, Smith, and Irvin as the faces of the franchise, and the controversies surrounding off-field behavior. The premiere of America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys took place in Hollywood, California, on Sunday, August 18, with Jones, Smith, Irvin, and other former Cowboys in attendance.
The event featured a blue carpet and served as a reunion for key figures from the 1990s dynasty. Speaking to reporters at the premiere, Jones reflected on the project.
“It refreshed the memory, I appreciated guys like Michael, Jimmy, Troy, Charles Haley, Deion [Sanders], all those guys, and I can’t wait for you to see all of the stuff about Deion,” he said.
Fans can stream America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys on Netflix.
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