'WWJD?' On Cowboys Rules, Jimmy Johnson, Schotty, Sinatra & Irvin

"WWJD''?

No, not that "J.''

"J'' as in "Jimmy.'' "J'' as in "Johnson.''

I've got a simple suggestion for present-day Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schotteheimer and his wobbly "culture'': When it comes to "discipline,'' learn a lesson from a halcyon-day Cowboys coach.

It was Saturday, Nov. 7, 1992, and Pro Bowl receiver Michael Irvin had just arrived at the team hotel in Pontiac, Michigan for Sunday's game at the Detroit Lions.

Irvin, you see, was late; he'd missed the team plane leaving DFW Airport ... and Johnson decided that Irvin's mistake was worthy of punishment.

As Jimmy recently retold the tale, he noted that Irvin - the emotional heartbeat of the team and one of his favorite players, of course, dating back to their time together at the University of Miami - actually did make it to the airport that day ...

But he was late. 

Johnson ordered the doors closed even though the coach was being told that Irvin was on the tarmac, waving frantically at the pilots to wait for him.

Jimmy says that QB Troy Aikman came up the aisle to inform the coach that Irvin wasn't yet on the plane but that it wasn't too late to allow him to board.

Nope. Johnson again barked the order to close the doors and take off.

I was literally in the hallway at the hotel (waiting to visit Irvin's room) when I saw the coach and the player interact.

Again, as Johnson tells it: "He said, ' Coach, I'm sorry.' I said, 'I know you're sorry. He said, 'Well, what's going to happen now?' I said, 'You're going to be punished. You're not going to start tomorrow.''

That, in addition to a $1,000 fine, was the punishment. It was designed to punish the player, maybe even to embarrass him a bit, while also getting the attention of the rest of the roster.

After all, if the taskmaster Jimmy would do this to "The Playmaker,'' nobody was safe!

Later that night, I spoke to Irvin, wrote my exclusive-interview story for the newspaper and, a full day well-worked, went to bed.

Unfortunate sidebar: Late that evening, a bit of an impromptu party formed in the lobby because some guy was singing and playing the piano. That guy happened to be scheduled for a Sunday night show at The Palace in Auburn Hills.

That guy was 76-year-old Frank Sinatra.

Anyway ... onto Sunday. 

Jimmy: "Michael's on the sideline, wanting to get on the field. So we go three and out. My offensive coordinator, Norv Turner, called down. He said, 'You think we punished him enough?'

"I said, Michael, 'You're in the next series.'"

The Cowboys beat the Lions 37-3, moving their record to 8-1 on the way to their first of three Super Bowls in four years. Once Irvin got into the game? He recorded five receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown.

Which brings me to Schottenheimer and his 4-5 Cowboys, who are trying to find the inspiration today to beat the favored San Francisco 49ers at AT&T Stadium.

Last week, in a too-close win at the Indianapolis Colts, injured linebacker DeMarvion Overshown ran onto the field to celebrate during the game while in street clothes, his boneheaded enthusiasm earning the Cowboys a 15-yard penalty. ...

And now providing Schottenheimer with a "culture''-building tool.

In short, Overshown, now healthy, should not start this game. Bench him for the day. Sit him out a half, a quarter or a series. Something that addresses the seriousness of his foolishness, something that maybe tightens the focus of this decidedly undisciplined Cowboys team.

Johnson benched "The Playmaker.''

Schotty should bench "Agent Zero.''

"WWJD?'' is the question. I just gave these Cowboys the answer.