Question for Cowboys fans who watched Danny White Play in the early 80's

[DanTanna]

I watched every play Roger and Danny ever played. Danny was sort of screwed over because Roger was legendary even while still playing. Following that was extremely hard. However, Danny had mega talent all around him which aided him greatly. I never recall Danny leading the Cowboys to a lead 3 times in the same fourth quarter to only have the defense lose the game. I really liked Danny, but I do not think he was at the level of Tony. He was better than Flacco and Ryan Tannehill, but not to the level of Tony.

Tony suffered through some of the worst defenses we've ever had. He also suffered through very bad OL for years! And no WRs and very little help from the RB position. Like another poster stated: Add up all the times Romo gained us the lead in the 4th quarter, regardless if we won or not, and I bet he's tops in the league. He was required to take extraordinary risks to try to gain that lead "one more time" in the 4th quarter. IMO, Breeze, Brady and Manning would have retired years ago if they were surrounded by the garbage Tony had to endure.

 

[LatinMind]

How does he compare to Tony Romo?

They couldn't be compared IMO. White played in a era where the qb got obliterated at least once a game. Teams were allowed to hit and hit hard. Room and the majority on the qbs in the NFL wouldn't handle it. When the NFL minimized what defenses could do to get Peyton a Superbowl it changed the NFL. And had started before that.

 

[Tristan]

White played in an era where db's could do more to stop receivers from catching the ball. He also played in a run heavy era.

Romo has played in an era where receivers are protected more. He has also played in an era where passing is done more frequently and the game is tailored more for higher scoring.

So it's hard to make a pure comparison. One thing that altered Whites success was a wrist injury that many say he never really recovered from.

Ironically one of Romo's best seasons was when he had Murray to lean on despite all his passing stats...

I remember the injury, thought it was the elbow but he was never the same

 

[Tristan]

White's final year was 85, IIRC.

Landry tried to replace him in 83 with Hogeboom.

Pelleur sucked but by then the entire roster was in bad shape.

Kevin Sweeny too

 

[JoeKing]

Somebody asked this same exact question here this off-season.

I watched all NFL games played by both players.

People will claim that White was better than you think or something like that; however, in reality he couldn't carry Romo's jock.

If you think QBs like Romo and Farve threw INTs at inopportune times, they were nothing compared to Danny White. He made some of the dumbest decisions that I've even seen an NFL QB make.

Even to this day, I want to throw up when I see or hear Danny White.

On a positive note, he was a good punter when he was the backup QB which saved a roster spot.

LOL, how old were you then? I'm not listening to that kid.

 

[DandyDon1722]

I think Romo would have won as much or more if had had the all around teams that White had...especially the defenses.
I'll never understand how otherwise decent football knowledge people (or seemingly so) act like QBs play in a vacuum.
And I think Danny White was good, btw.
But he played with a ton of HOFers on both sides of the ball.
He threw nearly as many ints in his career as TDs. I realize it was harder back then,but co e on.
The devenses had Too Tall Jones, Harvey Martin, Walls, Jeffcoat....good grief.

Amen.

 

[Brooksey]

White's final year was 85, IIRC.

Landry tried to replace him in 83 with Hogeboom.

Pelleur sucked but by then the entire roster was in bad shape.

You had to bring up Hogeboom and Pelleur right? Tough times man

 

[noyatta21]

How does he compare to Tony Romo?

Danny White played on better Cowboy teams then Romo. Pls remember that Danny went to 3 straight NFC Championship games and he had to replace my favorite QB of all time Roger The Doger!!!

I would give Danny the slight edge!!!

 

[Clove]

Danny was not in a throw first offense.
Danny did not live in a "can't touch the receiver " era.
Danny could literally be murdered after throwing a pass or while scrambling.
Danny took his team's to 3 consecutive NFC championships.

Meanwhile,
Romo played with a future HOF receiver in Owens who is a top 5 receiver ever. He played with a future HOF TE, and numerous great runners in a league where u can't touch the receiver.

Danny White by 10 miles over Chokemo and his two measly playoff wins.

 

[fredp22]

It's a very strange phenomenon that pressure only builds in games that the Cowboys lose... in fact, it's so strange that it likely only exists between your ears.

ok give me a time when the pressure mounted and Romo came thru(and not a regular season nothing game please)
all the games I mentioned (except vs. Payton) would have lead to a playoff game. Romo was great in regular season games. He choked when the games counted.

 

[BrassCowboy]

If individual accomplishment is your thing then Romo is your guy but if the question is which one did more for the team then the answer is Danny White. I was a huge Danny White fan and I've always thought his treatment by fans after he retired was an injustice.

yep this is pretty much my reply as well. well said

 

[Plankton]

Completely different players, who had completely different things asked of them.

White was the classic dropback passer - completely immobile, unable to dodge a pass rush. He could get brain lock at the worst possible times (see the 1983 Commander game - No! Danny No!, the 1983 Wild Card game against the Rams), and also had small hands that hampered him in cold weather (see the 1980 NFC championship game). He was much more of a by the book QB, unlike Staubach, who did change plays in the huddle. White also did not have the full support of the locker room, as evidenced by the DMN poll that showed the locker room wanted Gary Hogeboom to be the starter in 1984. White unfortunately followed the gold standard for Cowboy quarterbacks, and unless he won a Super Bowl, and did so spectacularly, he was never going to measure up. White's teams also got progressively worse around him, and he took a beating over the last part of his career. His best season may have been in 1986 until he got injured - how he was able to work with a barren roster and the merging of Landry's and Hackett's offensive systems, and have the team sitting at 6-2 in the middle of the season was amazing.

Romo was much more of a risk taker as a player, but, despite common perception, took better care of the football. Romo would modify plays as he saw fit, and played with some poor rosters as well, though not nearly as bad as the 1986-1988 Cowboy teams. Romo took some time to develop as a leader, but never split the locker room the way White did in 1983 (White took ownership's side during the 1982 strike, which ticked off a lot of players), despite the TO issues in 2008. Romo could function better than White without a running game, was more mobile and more accurate. White was able to get his teams deeper in the playoffs, but never had home field advantage in a championship game, which likely cost him a Super Bowl berth. Romo played decently in the playoffs, but didn't lift the level of his team in those games, though he was outstanding against the Lions and Green Bay in 2014. Romo also had the fortune of following the worst run of Cowboy quarterbacking in the team's history, as opposed to following Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. If he followed either of them, and had the same playoff results, I shudder to hear what people would say about him.

Both were somewhat cursed, and will be thought of more fondly when there is some distance between them and the end of their Cowboy careers.

 

[Floatyworm]

Danny White...and it's not even close.

No way....Romo would ever do this in a playoff game. Down 2 TDs..That game is over.

 

[gimmesix]

White's final year was 85, IIRC.

Landry tried to replace him in 83 with Hogeboom.

Pelleur sucked but by then the entire roster was in bad shape.

Yes. Landry figured out that White was not the answer. He just was the best option he had. If White had been on a poor team, he would have been kicked to the curb because his flaws would not have been masked by the talent around him.

That talent was far from perfect, but there were some really good players on that team still in the early '80s. We wasted opportunities under White that Romo didn't even have a chance at.

 

[mrmojo]

Danny White...and it's not even close.

No way....Romo would ever do this in a playoff game. Down 2 TDs..That game is over.

That was an epic game, up there with the Staubach playoff combacks in 72 and 75.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Can't really answer this question, IMO. The wrist injury Danny suffered, made him a different player. Danny, IMO, didn't have as many good years before that happened. If Danny doesn't sustain that injury, I think the Cowboys are a much different team. There were passes that Danny could through, prior to the injury and after, not so much.

JMO

 

[Sandyf]

Overall White had better talent around him but I don't believe he ever had the team. Seem to be always something between him and other players. Both good QBs though.

 

[TheHerd]

Lazy is a bad habit..

From 2006-2014, Tony Romo led all NFL QBs in 4th Quarter Comebacks (23) and Game-Winning Drives (27).
Of the past decade (2007-2016), Tony Romo lead all of 71 qualifying QBs in 4th Quarter and Overtime Passer Rating.

Romo 'Not being clutch' is a fallacy

I'm starting to believe that Stephen A Smith is posting on this site.

If you add in the 4th qtr comebacks Tony led to have the defense give the win away, those numbers go WAY up.

 

[Vinnie2u]

I wonder if there is a correlation between age and Romo vs. White debate . 30 below. Romo. 40 plus White. In the middle mix

 

[dfense]

He stayed in on 4th down.