Hostile
The Duke
- Messages
- 119,565
- Reaction score
- 4,544
http://i6.***BLOCKED***/albums/y244/2Hostile/helmets/CowboysVersusRedskins.jpg
The date was December 16, 1979. It was a cold day in Dallas, Texas. So cold in fact that many of the fans in the stands had blankets as well as their heavy coats, gloves, and woolen caps.
On this day playoff spots were riding on the line in the NFC East. All the Eagles had to do was win and they had the Wildcard spot sown up. A feat they accomplished when they defeated the Houston Oilers.
In the matchup in Texas Stadium however, it was a battle for the NFC East crown. The winner won the East and the first round bye in the playoffs. The loser was eliminated and went home.
Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier were in the booth for CBS. They unfolded for America one of the greatest games ever played.
Some interesting things you should know about the game. Tony Dorsett, Dallas best weapon, did not play. The week before in the victory over the Eagles he had suffered a shoulder injury. Featured RB for the Cowboys on this day was rookie RB Ron Springs, a 5th round pick from Ohio State.
Ed "Too Tall" Jones was not playing. Not because of injury. 1979 was the year he decided to give professional boxing a try. He was at the game though and even met with Summerall and Brookshier at halftime. He would return to the team in 1980.
Strong Safety Charlie Waters also was not playing. An injury stopped his run of three straight Pro Bowls.
Drew Pearson was not 100%. Two weeks prior to this game he had a freak injury against the Giants. On his 3rd touchdown catch of the day he actually hurt himself spiking the ball. He landed awkwardly on his right foot and his knee buckled. Several times in the game he limped to the sidelines to walk it off and either Butch Johnson of Jay Saldi would replace him.
The Cowboys had been swept by a division foe in 1970. That foe being the St. Louis Cardinals. Throughout the rest of the 1970's none of the four division rivals had repeated that feat. Dallas had swept the Commanders in 1970 and 1977. They swept the Giants in 1971, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979. They swept the Eagles in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978. They swept the Cardinals in 1971, 1972, 1973, 1978, and 1979. The Commanders had won earlier in the year, so a win would give them the sweep to end the decade of the 70's.
A win by the Cowboys would mean that they had the most wins in the NFL for the decade of the 70's with 105 wins. The win would put them one win ahead of the Miami Dolphins for the decade. An amazing feat for a team that only has 6 Hall of Famers for that entire decade. 5 Super Bowl appearances and 105 wins just aren't what they are cracked up to be.
Perhaps the most important information of all was that prior to the game an all black funeral wreath was delivered to Harvey Martin. It simply said, "from the Commanders."
Early on it seemed like the wreath was an omen. On Dallas' first 2 possessions they fumbled the ball and Washington recovered both times. On their next two series they were forced to punt. Washington capitalized on these chances and quickly took a 17-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter.
Realizing their backs were against the wall Roger Staubach did what he did best. He engineered drives. After Dallas scored it's second touchdown, just before the half, Roger had whittled the Commanders lead to 17-14.
Momentum had clearly swung the way of the Dallas Cowboys. They scored a third touchdown to start the second half and Dallas took a 21-17 lead.
The game would prove to be one of swings and unanswered points. The Commanders scored the first 17 points. Dallas scored the next 21 points. The Commanders would seize the momentum back and score the next 14 points to take a 34-21 lead deep into the 4th quarter. On their last score John Riggins rumbled 66 yards for a score and the Commanders bench rushed the endzone to celebrate. In today's NFL it certainly would have drawn a flag.
A lot of fans left at that point thinking the game was over, that they could get out of the cold and perhaps beat the traffic. Idiots. That was Captain Comeback behind Center in Dallas.
Dallas needed to score twice and prevent the Commanders from any more scoring drives. However, the next time Dallas got the ball, they were forced to punt. Time was running out.
Washington needed to run the clock. This meant heavy doses of Riggins, Clarence Harmon, and Ike Forte were likely. None of the three were known as fumblers, so Dallas desperately needed a three and out. Then the unthinkable happened. Riggins fumbled the ball (today it would not be considered a fumble) when he landed hard on his back. Captain Crash, Cliff Harris bent to scoop up the ball and try to run with it, didn't get it secured and was himself stripped of the ball. A second Dallas Cowboy had it briefly in his hands, then a third, but in the scrum that ensued the Commanders got it back. A golden opportunity was gone.
On the very next play Clarence Harmon was stripped of the ball and it bounced right to Randy White. He covered the ball and Dallas took over. They were 13 points down and there was 3:49 left on the game clock.
Roger was briliant. Working the middle of the field he connected three times. The third one was to Ron Springs who pushed three defenders the final two yards into the endzone for the score. Washington's lead was now 34-28.
There was 2:28 left in the game and Dallas had all their timeouts left. They elected to eschew the onsides kick and kick it deep. A first down by Washington would pretty much cement the win. Everyone and their Uncle knew they were going to run the ball. Two straight runs left them third and not quite two yards to go for the first down. Dallas used one of their timeouts and the clock was stopped at the 2 minute warning.
The critical third down was a handoff to John Riggins who was setting up a sweep to the right and had blockers in front of him. The final remaining member of the Zero Club, Larry Cole knifed through the line of scrimmage, dove at Riggins ankles, and dropped him for a three yard loss to force the punt. Dallas used their 2nd timeout.
Roger Staubach and company got the ball back with less than 2 minutes and 70 yards to go. Just like the previous series they began to work the middle of the field. At one very crucial point it was third down and Roger went back to pass. The pocket collapsed and Commanders pass rush artist Joe Jones had a running start right at Roger's chest. Somehow Roger ducked and Jones went right by him. Roger stepped up into the pocket and found the ever reliable Preston Pearson who earlier in the game had scored the touchdown right before halftime. It was classic Roger the Dodger. Just about any other quarterback would have been sacked and their team would face a crucial 4th down.
Dallas methodically moved the ball down the field eventually to the 8 yard line. There with just over a minute left to play Roger Staubach hit Tony Hill who raced right past CB Lemar Parrish. It was Dallas turn to empty the bench into and endzone to celebrate. The extra point put Dallas ahead 35-34.
There was a lot of time left on the clock for the Commanders. They simply needed to get within field goal range of Mark Moseley, one of the most dangerous deep kickers in NFL History. Harvey Martin wasn't having any of it. On every play, he and the Dallas D-line were in the face of Joe Theisman. Despite this the Commanders kept moving the ball down the field. One final pass was completed that would have made it a 57 or 58 yard field goal attempt but the clock ran out. Or did it?
For just over a minute with players form both teams surrounding them the Officials huddled to determine if there was 1 second left on the clock or if it had run out before the final timeout was called. The fans were alerted to the Official's decision by a jubilant Bruce Thornton.
The game was over, Dallas the winner of the NFC East in an improbable 13 point comeback with only 3:49 to play. It would turn out to be Roger Staubach's final regular season game. A fitting way for the man Tom Landry described as the greatest clutch player of all time to end his illustrious regular season career. During the game Tom Brookshier had said that 1979 was Staubach's greatest year as a Quarterback. You can't argue that it was a great way to end the season, three straight wins over Division foes.
Beautiful Harvey Martin was not through with the Commanders though. Upon returning to the Dallas locker room he grabbed the funeral wreath that the Commanders had sent him and stormed to the Commanders locker room. He ripped open the door. The Commanders were kneeling in team prayer as Harvey, with some rather colorful language, hurled the wreath back to the Commanders and hit kicker Mark Moseley right in the melon.
Kind of fitting the way Harvey handled that.
On this day playoff spots were riding on the line in the NFC East. All the Eagles had to do was win and they had the Wildcard spot sown up. A feat they accomplished when they defeated the Houston Oilers.
In the matchup in Texas Stadium however, it was a battle for the NFC East crown. The winner won the East and the first round bye in the playoffs. The loser was eliminated and went home.
Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier were in the booth for CBS. They unfolded for America one of the greatest games ever played.
Some interesting things you should know about the game. Tony Dorsett, Dallas best weapon, did not play. The week before in the victory over the Eagles he had suffered a shoulder injury. Featured RB for the Cowboys on this day was rookie RB Ron Springs, a 5th round pick from Ohio State.
Ed "Too Tall" Jones was not playing. Not because of injury. 1979 was the year he decided to give professional boxing a try. He was at the game though and even met with Summerall and Brookshier at halftime. He would return to the team in 1980.
Strong Safety Charlie Waters also was not playing. An injury stopped his run of three straight Pro Bowls.
Drew Pearson was not 100%. Two weeks prior to this game he had a freak injury against the Giants. On his 3rd touchdown catch of the day he actually hurt himself spiking the ball. He landed awkwardly on his right foot and his knee buckled. Several times in the game he limped to the sidelines to walk it off and either Butch Johnson of Jay Saldi would replace him.
The Cowboys had been swept by a division foe in 1970. That foe being the St. Louis Cardinals. Throughout the rest of the 1970's none of the four division rivals had repeated that feat. Dallas had swept the Commanders in 1970 and 1977. They swept the Giants in 1971, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979. They swept the Eagles in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978. They swept the Cardinals in 1971, 1972, 1973, 1978, and 1979. The Commanders had won earlier in the year, so a win would give them the sweep to end the decade of the 70's.
A win by the Cowboys would mean that they had the most wins in the NFL for the decade of the 70's with 105 wins. The win would put them one win ahead of the Miami Dolphins for the decade. An amazing feat for a team that only has 6 Hall of Famers for that entire decade. 5 Super Bowl appearances and 105 wins just aren't what they are cracked up to be.
Perhaps the most important information of all was that prior to the game an all black funeral wreath was delivered to Harvey Martin. It simply said, "from the Commanders."
Early on it seemed like the wreath was an omen. On Dallas' first 2 possessions they fumbled the ball and Washington recovered both times. On their next two series they were forced to punt. Washington capitalized on these chances and quickly took a 17-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter.
Realizing their backs were against the wall Roger Staubach did what he did best. He engineered drives. After Dallas scored it's second touchdown, just before the half, Roger had whittled the Commanders lead to 17-14.
Momentum had clearly swung the way of the Dallas Cowboys. They scored a third touchdown to start the second half and Dallas took a 21-17 lead.
The game would prove to be one of swings and unanswered points. The Commanders scored the first 17 points. Dallas scored the next 21 points. The Commanders would seize the momentum back and score the next 14 points to take a 34-21 lead deep into the 4th quarter. On their last score John Riggins rumbled 66 yards for a score and the Commanders bench rushed the endzone to celebrate. In today's NFL it certainly would have drawn a flag.
A lot of fans left at that point thinking the game was over, that they could get out of the cold and perhaps beat the traffic. Idiots. That was Captain Comeback behind Center in Dallas.
Dallas needed to score twice and prevent the Commanders from any more scoring drives. However, the next time Dallas got the ball, they were forced to punt. Time was running out.
Washington needed to run the clock. This meant heavy doses of Riggins, Clarence Harmon, and Ike Forte were likely. None of the three were known as fumblers, so Dallas desperately needed a three and out. Then the unthinkable happened. Riggins fumbled the ball (today it would not be considered a fumble) when he landed hard on his back. Captain Crash, Cliff Harris bent to scoop up the ball and try to run with it, didn't get it secured and was himself stripped of the ball. A second Dallas Cowboy had it briefly in his hands, then a third, but in the scrum that ensued the Commanders got it back. A golden opportunity was gone.
On the very next play Clarence Harmon was stripped of the ball and it bounced right to Randy White. He covered the ball and Dallas took over. They were 13 points down and there was 3:49 left on the game clock.
Roger was briliant. Working the middle of the field he connected three times. The third one was to Ron Springs who pushed three defenders the final two yards into the endzone for the score. Washington's lead was now 34-28.
There was 2:28 left in the game and Dallas had all their timeouts left. They elected to eschew the onsides kick and kick it deep. A first down by Washington would pretty much cement the win. Everyone and their Uncle knew they were going to run the ball. Two straight runs left them third and not quite two yards to go for the first down. Dallas used one of their timeouts and the clock was stopped at the 2 minute warning.
The critical third down was a handoff to John Riggins who was setting up a sweep to the right and had blockers in front of him. The final remaining member of the Zero Club, Larry Cole knifed through the line of scrimmage, dove at Riggins ankles, and dropped him for a three yard loss to force the punt. Dallas used their 2nd timeout.
Roger Staubach and company got the ball back with less than 2 minutes and 70 yards to go. Just like the previous series they began to work the middle of the field. At one very crucial point it was third down and Roger went back to pass. The pocket collapsed and Commanders pass rush artist Joe Jones had a running start right at Roger's chest. Somehow Roger ducked and Jones went right by him. Roger stepped up into the pocket and found the ever reliable Preston Pearson who earlier in the game had scored the touchdown right before halftime. It was classic Roger the Dodger. Just about any other quarterback would have been sacked and their team would face a crucial 4th down.
Dallas methodically moved the ball down the field eventually to the 8 yard line. There with just over a minute left to play Roger Staubach hit Tony Hill who raced right past CB Lemar Parrish. It was Dallas turn to empty the bench into and endzone to celebrate. The extra point put Dallas ahead 35-34.
There was a lot of time left on the clock for the Commanders. They simply needed to get within field goal range of Mark Moseley, one of the most dangerous deep kickers in NFL History. Harvey Martin wasn't having any of it. On every play, he and the Dallas D-line were in the face of Joe Theisman. Despite this the Commanders kept moving the ball down the field. One final pass was completed that would have made it a 57 or 58 yard field goal attempt but the clock ran out. Or did it?
For just over a minute with players form both teams surrounding them the Officials huddled to determine if there was 1 second left on the clock or if it had run out before the final timeout was called. The fans were alerted to the Official's decision by a jubilant Bruce Thornton.
The game was over, Dallas the winner of the NFC East in an improbable 13 point comeback with only 3:49 to play. It would turn out to be Roger Staubach's final regular season game. A fitting way for the man Tom Landry described as the greatest clutch player of all time to end his illustrious regular season career. During the game Tom Brookshier had said that 1979 was Staubach's greatest year as a Quarterback. You can't argue that it was a great way to end the season, three straight wins over Division foes.
Beautiful Harvey Martin was not through with the Commanders though. Upon returning to the Dallas locker room he grabbed the funeral wreath that the Commanders had sent him and stormed to the Commanders locker room. He ripped open the door. The Commanders were kneeling in team prayer as Harvey, with some rather colorful language, hurled the wreath back to the Commanders and hit kicker Mark Moseley right in the melon.
Kind of fitting the way Harvey handled that.
