The One Cowboy Ex-Player You Find It Hard to Forgive

[plasticman]

Not that any ex-Cowboy player can only find redemption in my forgiveness, but there are those guys that really could have changed history by one routine play. There are those that were just in the wrong place at the wrong time with enough frequency that they destroyed a season.

The infamous include guys like Jackie Smith.....Phil Pozderic.....Craig Morton.....Joseph Randle......Chaz Green.....Dwayne Goodrich.......Babe Laufenberg.......


Which player is responsible for the gut wrenching loss or wasted season you can never forget? Here are my top 3.

Super Bowl 5 - Craig Morton, pathetic. 12-26-127-1TD-3INT....The 127 yards passing was actually his best performance of the three playoff games that postseason. He could throw long but he had zero touch and absolute zero escapability

Super Bowl 13 - Jackie Smith, no explanation needed.

1990 season - Babe Laufenberg. The Cowboys had their own destiny in their hands when they peaked late in the 1990 season, Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones's second.

They were on a four game winning streak when they faced the Eagles in game #15. They hit Aikman hard early in the first quarter and he was out. Enter Laufenberg who produced an 8.8 passer rating with a 36% completion rate. The defense held the Eagles to 10 offensive points when Laufenberg saved the worse for last with a pick six.

But this isn't the game that earned him notoriety. The Cowboys still would have clinched a playoff spot with a victory in game #16 against the 4-11 Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons defensive gameplan was simple, load the box against rookie RB Emmitt Smith. Laufenberg took advantage of the Falcons keying on Smith by delivering a 38.4 passer rating including 2 INT's the last one shockingly in the area of Deion Sanders. He returned it 61 yards for a TD. The Cowboys defense held the Falcons to 17 points but the Falcons shut out the Cowboys until the final minutes of the game.

 

[ChronicCowboy]

Jackie Smith (even though I wasn’t alive) or Dez in Green Bay.

 

[Jake]

Morton and it's not even close. Landry's inexplicable fascination with that bum cost the Cowboys a SB win, although he did help contribute to one when he was a Bronco.

The SB V team scored 5, 14, and 13 points in their playoff games. He sucked and they still could've won it.

Almost cost the Cowboys SB VI until Landry finally gave up on him and put Staubach in for good when the Cowboys were 4-3. They didn't lose another game that season.

 

[Hypotenoose]

Danny White, he broke my heart as a boy when fumbling the ball in the ‘82 NFC Championship. It’s the only time I’ve ever cried after a Cowboys loss. The Catch was absolutely shocking. Yet, Pearson catching the 30 yard pass from White, getting to the 49’ers 45, seemed like we might just snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. I was too young to remember Staubach, other than the night I became a Cowboy fan, watching the 1979 SB. Yeah, Danny broke my heart that night at Candlestick. He’ll always be one of my favorite Cowboys, but not sure the sting from ‘82 will ever go away.

 

[Risen Star]

Jason Witten.

I always felt the Cowboys were one TE away during most of his career.

 

[WillieBeamen]

Patrick Crayton

 

[Texas2Step41]

Jason Garrett. If he was never a backup with the team we wouldn’t of had to endure a decade of his bs

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

Septien but for terrible off the field stuff.

E. Williams for getting in a car wreck.

 

[AtomicDog]

Deion Sanders and TO. Never considered them Cowboys.

 

[TheSkaven]

Patrick Crayton

Yep.

This one is easy for me. That 2007 team is the best Cowboys team since 1995 and it’s not even close. Crayton blew that game for the team, a year I am certain that we would have gone to and possibly won the Super Bowl.

If you’ll remember, the Pats ended our unbeaten streak that year but the post game was full of “we’ll see you in the Super Bowl”. Crayton cheated us out of that Super Bowl.

For those of you who don’t remember how close we were, and who can stomach it:

 

[NEODOG]

Chaz Green

(snickers}

 

[Redball Express]

Not that any ex-Cowboy player can only find redemption in my forgiveness, but there are those guys that really could have changed history by one routine play. There are those that were just in the wrong place at the wrong time with enough frequency that they destroyed a season.

The infamous include guys like Jackie Smith.....Phil Pozderic.....Craig Morton.....Joseph Randle......Chaz Green.....Dwayne Goodrich.......Babe Laufenberg.......


Which player is responsible for the gut wrenching loss or wasted season you can never forget? Here are my top 3.

Super Bowl 5 - Craig Morton, pathetic. 12-26-127-1TD-3INT....The 127 yards passing was actually his best performance of the three playoff games that postseason. He could throw long but he had zero touch and absolute zero escapability

Super Bowl 13 - Jackie Smith, no explanation needed.

1990 season - Babe Laufenberg. The Cowboys had their own destiny in their hands when they peaked late in the 1990 season, Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones's second.

They were on a four game winning streak when they faced the Eagles in game #15. They hit Aikman hard early in the first quarter and he was out. Enter Laufenberg who produced an 8.8 passer rating with a 36% completion rate. The defense held the Eagles to 10 offensive points when Laufenberg saved the worse for last with a pick six.

But this isn't the game that earned him notoriety. The Cowboys still would have clinched a playoff spot with a victory in game #16 against the 4-11 Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons defensive gameplan was simple, load the box against rookie RB Emmitt Smith. Laufenberg took advantage of the Falcons keying on Smith by delivering a 38.4 passer rating including 2 INT's the last one shockingly in the area of Deion Sanders. He returned it 61 yards for a TD. The Cowboys defense held the Falcons to 17 points but the Falcons shut out the Cowboys until the final minutes of the game.

As much as I hate to admit it..Don Meredith.

The loss in the 1966 Championship came down to the last interception by Dandy Don. I was in the endzone that day and could see the panic in his eyes when he threw that pass to Frank Clarke.

Never had a chance.

Meredith lost the following 1967 Championship Game, too. Meredith never figured out the conditions and we had no passing attack. Everybody knows how that game ended.

Add in all the losses he had consistently to Cleveland in important games and he unhappily retired as a bit of a loser. He went on to be a great announcer and a decent TV actor which endured him to all his fans.

But big game winner..nope.

 

[khiladi]

Septien but for terrible off the field stuff.

E. Williams for getting in a car wreck.

i was gonna say Septien and E. Williams probably would have been the greatest OL ever. He was better than Larry Allen pre-injury and absolute dominance.

 

[tyke1doe]

Jason Witten.

I always felt the Cowboys were one TE away during most of his career.

 

[tyke1doe]

Yep.

This one is easy for me. That 2007 team is the best Cowboys team since 1995 and it’s not even close. Crayton blew that game for the team, a year I am certain that we would have gone to and possibly won the Super Bowl.

If you’ll remember, the Pats ended our unbeaten streak that year but the post game was full of “we’ll see you in the Super Bowl”. Crayton cheated us out of that Super Bowl.

For those of you who don’t remember how close we were, and who can stomach it:

Didn't Crayton miss an easy catch earlier in the game too? He made another critical error earlier in that game.
He wasn't ready to be a champion.

 

[Hagman]

All of the above are good choices. I would like to add Cowboys-Cardinals, December 4, 2011. Game tied. Clock running down. Dan Bailey kicks a 49 yard FG. Cowboys win......BUT NO!!! Jason Garret had called a timeout HE ICED HIS OWN KICKER!!!!! As predictable as a Garrett team finishing 8-8, Bailey sails the second kick wide left and short. Cowboys lose in overtime. I just sat there stunned afterwards saying over and over again “He iced his own kicker. He iced his own kicker”.

And he still coached the team for another 8 years.

 

[lostar2009]

Can i name several?

 

[Kingofholland]

Troy Hambrick : )... Not that he cost the Cowboys anything, but thinking he was better than Emmitt and could fill his shoes easily. I know Parcells was a component of Emmitt no longer being there, but I would have rather Emmitt finish up the 2 years here. I think Parcells would have figured out quickly even a 34 year old Emmitt would be a better option. Then the next season there would be no reason to bring Eddie in.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Which player is responsible for the gut wrenching loss or wasted season you can never forget? Here are my top 3.

Super Bowl 5 - Craig Morton, pathetic. 12-26-127-1TD-3INT....The 127 yards passing was actually his best performance of the three playoff games that postseason. He could throw long but he had zero touch and absolute zero escapability

Super Bowl 13 - Jackie Smith, no explanation needed.

Those are my top 2. Either one changes history. Just imagine if the Cowboys had one, or possibly both those games. 3rd place goes to Danny White's fumble. All those losses were so gut wrenching.

 

[coult44]

As much as I will always be a fan and have much love , I’ll always find it hard to forgive Tony Romo for the Seattle fumble. My heart is still in that stadium, in the seat where a Seahawk fan picked me up and hugged me, thanking me for The Romo Fumble. My son and I both had tears in our eyes.