For younger Cowboy fans who don't remember Craig Morton

[Fletch]

Morton came up small in big games.

So did Romo. Sorry. Open wounds!

 

[Cannibal_Cowboy]

Yep. You gotta win big games. That's what people remember and rightly so.

^^^^ Danny White, Tony Romo, Dak Prescott....

 

[Established1971]

... here's an article about him. The team nearly won their first Super Bowl with Morton, Super Bowl V, but it wasn't meant to be. Morton was a good quarterback and certainly would have been the long-term starter of the Landry era if the team hadn't gambled an won in drafting Staubach, who turned out to be the better of the two QBs.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2014/02/20/star-long-romo-craig-morton-was-good-enough

my first season was 1971 and it was horrible that Staubach went down in pre season 72 (damn you Marlin McKeever for life) so I watched Morton all of 72. But he will always be the man who got us Randy White

 

[Reverend Conehead]

my first season was 1971 and it was horrible that Staubach went down in pre season 72 (damn you Marlin McKeever for life) so I watched Morton all of 72. But he will always be the man who got us Randy White

Then ironically Randy White kicked his butt in Super Bowl 12. Morton did do really well in Denver and ended up in their Ring of Honor. He wasn't as good as Staubach, but he did end up having a good career.

 

[kskboys]

I was only 5 when Morton led us to our first SB. I wasn't following football then. I do remember him playing for the Broncos later on though. He was a good QB. Landry made the right call though. Roger was special.

If Landry makes that call for Super Bowl 5, do we win it?

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

If Landry makes that call for Super Bowl 5, do we win it?

I'd like our chances.

 

[Diehardblues]

Morton was a 1st round pick out of Cal in 1965. On a team that never had a winning season . His HC was Marv Levy and asst coach Bill Walsh. A fact many don’t know.

He had the longest career of any drafted QB in Cowboys history (18 years) and first NFL QB to start for two different teams in the Super Bowl. Dallas 1970 and Denver 1977.

 

[Diehardblues]

If Landry makes that call for Super Bowl 5, do we win it?

It’s all subjective. It was definitely a SB we could have won. But that was a great Colts team which was redeeming itself for losing a couple years earlier in greatest upset in SB history to the Jets.

I think we could argue Morton could have won SB VI with a defense that still holds the record giving up the fewest points (3).

 

[UncleOscar]

To me, Craig Morton, Danny White and Tony Romo all were similar in that they were great passers, put up some impressive numbers, and ALL had a tendancy to choke in big games.

 

[Diehardblues]

To me, Craig Morton, Danny White and Tony Romo all were similar in that they were great passers, put up some impressive numbers, and ALL had a tendancy to choke in big games.

“ Choking” is a very subjective description. One used basically to support a narrative.

Would you describe Tom Landry as “ choking “ losing 3 Super Bowls and 7 Championship games?

Labels like “ next year champions” and “ chokers” are simply media driven click baits and have no real meaning.

I’d argue they played at a high level to reach the plateau they did and in most cases better teams or greater performances knocked them off.

 

[Brax]

Morton gave me some of my favorite Cowboys memories:

All would be penalties today sad what the NFL has become

 

[DandyDon52]

Did he hurt his elbow in the pre-season or something? I looked up his game log for that season and he was struggling to hit 50%.

Perhaps you are thinking of the 1969 season. Looks like he started off pretty well that year.

yeah 69 season leads to 70 sb. after he hurt his elbow or whatever in his arm, he was never the same. until later on in denver guess he had surgery or it healed up.

 

[rags747]

yeah 69 season leads to 70 sb. after he hurt his elbow or whatever in his arm, he was never the same. until later on in denver guess he had surgery or it healed up.

Correct. Morton had a cannon for an arm. Prior to hurting his arm 5 games into the season I believe he was the leading passer. After that it was a rough go as it was evident that he was not fully healed. His SB appearance vs the Colts he was basically a one armed qb unfortunately.

His years in Denver showed why we drafted him #1 as he got his arm back and they were a wide open passing offense which he fit perfectly into. Great long ball qb in Denver and his arm looked as strong as ever. Kind of sad that we had to end his story book career in Denver with the shellacking that we gave him in the SB. Would have been nice to see him get his ring, just not against us.

 

[CrownCowboy]

I was born in the early 80's but I've read about the Morton/Staubach situation. It's my understanding that Staubach went to Landry and wanted to be traded if he didn't get playing time. Maybe it was covered up thread or I could be flat out wrong but it seems like I read something about that in the past.

 

[jwooten15]

Yes, that and Staubach had rust in the NFC Championship against Washington because he hadn't been playing due to the injury. Plus, they had lost Duane Thomas due to his head trips. Makes me wonder if Thomas was bipolar, and if they could have known and gotten him treatment, maybe Thomas + Staubach all season would have meant a Super Bowl 7 victory. Miami only beat Washington by 1 TD, and they only scored two TDs.

Can you expand on some of Thomas' issues? I'm too young to be familiar with that era of football but I always enjoy hearing details from fans who lived it

 

[Melonfeud]

... here's an article about him. The team nearly won their first Super Bowl with Morton, Super Bowl V, but it wasn't meant to be. Morton was a good quarterback and certainly would have been the long-term starter of the Landry era if the team hadn't gambled an won in drafting Staubach, who turned out to be the better of the two QBs.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2014/02/20/star-long-romo-craig-morton-was-good-enough

Man, I'd ended up "splitting the front bench seat covers" with my older&year ahead of me in high School Denver Broncos fan , girlfriend ( she was built like a ten thousand dollar brick walled& shingle pitch roofed outhouse,too) real soon after that "77" SUPER BOWL Victory, that he'd drew a 2nd place ribbon award in

 

[Melonfeud]

Yep, I'm 46 and have no recollection. Those guys must be ancient.

Ya, you wouldn't of even dropped yer' egg shell peckin' tooth to facilitate yer' hatchin' forth from, by then, let alone the innate casing-liner of "savvy" Sunday football

*It's an out of character,albeit, still a genuine pleasure to me, in seeing you "posting up" around here again,,,,cuz' man alive my brother!!! There were a whole fistful of DALLAS COWBOYS .football games,in where I'd be "on call" over the weekend & naturally inevitable " beeper/ phone" would "zing/ ring" & I'd miss 2 hours min. of some games& yer' game threads running commentary/ play by play account was the nearest thing to real time unfolding events I could anchor ahold to while driving down the road to respond

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Can you expand on some of Thomas' issues? I'm too young to be familiar with that era of football but I always enjoy hearing details from fans who lived it

Thomas may have been bipolar. We don't know for sure. He was a head case in meetings and practice where he would refuse to talk to anyone and just keep his head down and ignore people talking to him. The team traded him to the Patriots for another running back, but Thomas didn't cooperate with the coaches there, which voided the deal and they sent him back to the Cowboys. But Thomas was a great runner and helped them to win Super Bowl VI. For more info, I would refer you to Tom Landry's autobiography where he goes into detail. It's a sad case. If he could have gotten the help he needed, he may have been a great RB on the team for years.

 

[jwooten15]

Thomas may have been bipolar. We don't know for sure. He was a head case in meetings and practice where he would refuse to talk to anyone and just keep his head down and ignore people talking to him. The team traded him to the Patriots for another running back, but Thomas didn't cooperate with the coaches there, which voided the deal and they sent him back to the Cowboys. But Thomas was a great runner and helped them to win Super Bowl VI. For more info, I would refer you to Tom Landry's autobiography where he goes into detail. It's a sad case. If he could have gotten the help he needed, he may have been a great RB on the team for years.

Very interesting. Appreciate it!

 

[Plankton]

It’s all subjective. It was definitely a SB we could have won. But that was a great Colts team which was redeeming itself for losing a couple years earlier in greatest upset in SB history to the Jets.

I think we could argue Morton could have won SB VI with a defense that still holds the record giving up the fewest points (3).

If the official in the end zone in the third quarter actually made a possession determination on Duane Thomas' fumble in the end zone that required finding the person with the football rather than the person who yelled the loudest that it was "our ball", the Cowboys likely would have won the game.

Thomas fumbled while going in for a potential touchdown with the Cowboys leading 13-6 in the third quarter. In the pileup, Billy Ray Smith of the Colts jumped up and down and said "our ball". The ref ruled that it was Colt ball. Dave Manders, the Cowboy center, handed the ref the football shortly after this.