Staubach Didn't Keep Starting Position After Return From Injury

[plasticman]

It's true. Roger Staubach was injured in a preseason game 8 months after leading the Cowboys to a SB championship with MVP honors for the 1971 season.

He didn''t come back until the 11th game. Prior to that game the Cowboys were 8-2. Although the future Hall of famer was healthy enough to start, Tom Landry stayed with Craig Morton, who led the Cowboys to a 10-4 record despite throwing more INT's than TD's, a practice Morton continued going into the playoffs. In fact Morton turned the ball over 3 times in the first round of the playoffs against the 49ers.

Just before the end of the 3d quarter, down 28-13, Tom Landry benched Morton and put in Staubach. Roger Staubach had thrown a total of 20 passes in the 1972 regular season. He started out cold but began to warm up towards the end of the game. In the 4th quarter. Staubach led the Cowboys on three scoring drives, two of them TD's in the last two minutes of the game, thanks to a successful onside kick from Toni Fritsch. The Cowboys won 30-28.

I mention this for two reason. First, it was the only game I ever gave up on. You see, as soon as Staubach entered the game he got sacked, followed by a fumble. I went outside to play football with my friends to blow off some steam. A short while later, we all heard men screaming in three different homes close to us. That could mean only one thing.We ran into the house just in time to see the Cowboys recover the onside kick before Staubach's final TD.

The second reason I mention this is because I don't think Tony Romo needs a whole lot of game time exposure in the event he might be needed. He is a veteran familiar with his receivers and he practices every day with the team. We have seen three potential playoff teams lose their starters over the past two weeks. We don't like to think about it but it does happen.

This is a great year, an opportunity that must be maximized. The truth is, you never know what might happen from one season to the next, just look at the Vikings. We can't say with complete confidence when the Cowboys will have this opportunity again. I think the possibility of an injury to Tony Romo is greater than to Dak Prescott, who has a more solid frame and is younger and stronger.

This season the Cowboys are built to succeed, the majority of teams would love to have our backup QB and RB. We all hope it isn't necessary but if called upon, Romo and McFadden could perform without a significant drop in productivity. No other team in the NFL can make that claim.

 

[Ultra Warrior]

Good read.

 

[AmericasTeam81]

Be careful. Staubach looked great in a quarter or so if action in the divisional round, but him and the rest of the team looked and played liked crap the following week in the NFC championship game against the Commanders.

 

[conner01]

We've seen romo play rusty. There is absolutely no doubt that if we need a sharp romo in the playoffs, he needs game reps
Hopefully we don't need him, Dak stays healthy and we will every game we play in Texas
But to assume romo can come in and play a game and be sharp without playing all year is a fantasy

 

[CT Dal Fan]

We've seen romo play rusty. There is absolutely no doubt that if we need a sharp romo in the playoffs, he needs game reps
Hopefully we don't need him, Dak stays healthy and we will every game we play in Texas
But to assume romo can come in and play a game and be sharp without playing all year is a fantasy

While I agree with you, the same can be said of most every other backup QB in the league. The media saying that Romo would be rusty since he's only played four games the past two years are forgetting a couple facts- he did have an entire training camp before he got hurt and he has been practicing since the middle of November. Practice reps aren't the same as game reps, but it's not like he's been sitting on the couch all this time.

So to that end, Romo would be no more rusty than, say, Mark Sanchez would be if we had to put him out there.

 

[mrmojo]

Be careful. Staubach looked great in a quarter or so if action in the divisional round, but him and the rest of the team looked and played liked crap the following week in the NFC championship game against the Commanders.

That is true. Roger played terrible against the Commanders the next week 9 for something less than 100 yards. He was rusty, although he balled in the game against the 49ers.

 

[conner01]

While I agree with you, the same can be said of most every other backup QB in the league. The media saying that Romo would be rusty since he's only played four games the past two years are forgetting a couple facts- he did have an entire training camp before he got hurt and he has been practicing since the middle of November. Practice reps aren't the same as game reps, but it's not like he's been sitting on the couch all this time.

So to that end, Romo would be no more rusty than, say, Mark Sanchez would be if we had to put him out there.

Every player is different but we know for a fact romo needs reps. It's not like we haven't seen him miss time a play
Romo is a player who needs reps to be sharp and past history shows that's the player he is

 

[plasticman]

Be careful. Staubach looked great in a quarter or so if action in the divisional round, but him and the rest of the team looked and played liked crap the following week in the NFC championship game against the Commanders.

I have another interesting story about that game which revealed a darker side to Tom Landry. I'll relate the story another day.

 

[CT Dal Fan]

I have another interesting story about that game which revealed a darker side to Tom Landry. I'll relate the story another day.

I'm looking forward to the story! Even though I wasn't born, I always wondered what the logic of benching Craig Morton in that game for Staubach was all about. If I remember the books I've read correctly, Morton had led the Cowboys to a win over the Commanders just a few weeks earlier. Dallas lost 26-3 when Landry gave the still-rusty Staubach the start in the playoffs.

 

[noshame]

You had to be there to understand the Stauback / Morton ordeal.

2nd. Romo is not Rodger.

 

[plasticman]

That is true. Roger played terrible against the Commanders the next week 9 for something less than 100 yards. He was rusty, although he balled in the game against the 49ers.

The Cowboys didn't lose because Staubach was rusty. I'll give you a hint as to why they lost.....Staubach was also the leading rusher in that game....more yardage than Calvin Hill and Walt Garrison combined.

The score was 10-3 going into the 4th quarter. By that time, the Cowboys were down to their 3rd string CB, former 13th round draft pick Mark Washington covering Hall of Famer Charlie Taylor. The 4th quarter was brutal. Taylor ended up with 146 yards receiving and two TD's in the game.

 

[xwalker]

It's true. Roger Staubach was injured in a preseason game 8 months after leading the Cowboys to a SB championship with MVP honors for the 1971 season.

He didn''t come back until the 11th game. Prior to that game the Cowboys were 8-2. Although the future Hall of famer was healthy enough to start, Tom Landry stayed with Craig Morton, who led the Cowboys to a 10-4 record despite throwing more INT's than TD's, a practice Morton continued going into the playoffs. In fact Morton turned the ball over 3 times in the first round of the playoffs against the 49ers.

Just before the end of the 3d quarter, down 28-13, Tom Landry benched Morton and put in Staubach. Roger Staubach had thrown a total of 20 passes in the 1972 regular season. He started out cold but began to warm up towards the end of the game. In the 4th quarter. Staubach led the Cowboys on three scoring drives, two of them TD's in the last two minutes of the game, thanks to a successful onside kick from Toni Fritsch. The Cowboys won 30-28.

I mention this for two reason. First, it was the only game I ever gave up on. You see, as soon as Staubach entered the game he got sacked, followed by a fumble. I went outside to play football with my friends to blow off some steam. A short while later, we all heard men screaming in three different homes close to us. That could mean only one thing.We ran into the house just in time to see the Cowboys recover the onside kick before Staubach's final TD.

The second reason I mention this is because I don't think Tony Romo needs a whole lot of game time exposure in the event he might be needed. He is a veteran familiar with his receivers and he practices every day with the team. We have seen three potential playoff teams lose their starters over the past two weeks. We don't like to think about it but it does happen.

This is a great year, an opportunity that must be maximized. The truth is, you never know what might happen from one season to the next, just look at the Vikings. We can't say with complete confidence when the Cowboys will have this opportunity again. I think the possibility of an injury to Tony Romo is greater than to Dak Prescott, who has a more solid frame and is younger and stronger.

This season the Cowboys are built to succeed, the majority of teams would love to have our backup QB and RB. We all hope it isn't necessary but if called upon, Romo and McFadden could perform without a significant drop in productivity. No other team in the NFL can make that claim.

Cool story bro.

 

[Super_Kazuya]

You had to be there to understand the Stauback / Morton ordeal.

2nd. Romo is not Rodger.

"Rodger" wasn't Roger yet at the time yet either, troll. And Dak was no Craig Morton, unless Craig Morton suffered some kind of brain damage that only allowed him to throw short passes to wide open receivers. You're right in that you had to be there, but unfortunately you weren't even born yet.

 

[plasticman]

Okay, I got the time.....here is the "other' story to this game...

The great coaches of the day were true authoritarians, Landry, Shula, Coryell, Madden...

It was their way or the highway and they were always right, even when they were wrong.. if you have seen the movie U471 there is a scene in which the chief petty officer admonished the new acting captain for appearing uncertain in front of the men. He tells him that he must always appear to know the answer even when he doesn't, the men cannot lose confidence in him and sometime he may have to sacrifice a man to save the rest. it was kind of like that. Landry himself was a former officer during World war II.

Tex Schramm made the decision to trade for some Green Bay Packer players, which Tom Landry resented. They were former Lombardi players for one thing, and that rivalry began long before the Cowboy Packer games, they were both coordinators for the Giants in the late 50's.

The defensive players for the Packers were taught to play their position instinctively, use their talents to make plays. Landry's Flex defense relied on specific "keys" to tell defenders what they should do. Cowboy defenders sometimes had to learn to ignore their instinctive reaction and take a position that best helped the team as a unit.

This was very difficult for former Packer and future Hall of Famer Herb Adderley, a rare talent at CB, he had speed, quickness and could do things that very few players could do in his time at that position. He and Landry tangled often. Once, he prevented a TD in practice by relying on his ability to recover space between him and a receiver instead of passing him off. He made an amazing play to prevent the TD.

Landry got on his butt. Told Adderley that even if it cost the team a TD, never play out of his assigned keys. Landry knew what Adderley was capable of but also knew the young guys on the team couldn't do that if they tried. For them, it would have been a poor habit. Landry saw Adderley as challenging his authority.

Landry was no fool, though, he knew what it meant to have bookend Hall of Fame CB's Renfro and Adderley. It took them to their first two Super Bowls.

However, the next season, the same one in which Staubach was injured and this particular game was played, Landry lowered the boom. When Adderley defied him again, Landry benched him for the remainder of the season.

Now flash forward to this 49er playoff game:

Charlie Waters became the starting CB. Trust me, he was a far better safety, eventually. He had enough trouble covering Taylor but then broke his arm just before the half. Adderley reached for his helmet to go into the game but Landry refused to allow it.

So anyway, a great Hall of Fame CB sat on the bench while a young 13th round draft pick was repeatedly violated by one of the craftiest QB/WR duos in the game at the time, Taylor and Billy Kilmer.. Every big play went right in the direction of Mark Washington.

Tom Landry practically sacrificed an NFC championship game just to show his team who was in charge and how things were going to be done. There was no such thing as free agency at the time. Herb Adderley retired after the season though it was generally agreed he could have played at least two more seasons.

So now you know the rest of the story.....

 

[Kevinicus]

Every player is different but we know for a fact romo needs reps. It's not like we haven't seen him miss time a play
Romo is a player who needs reps to be sharp and past history shows that's the player he is

The sample size and differing situations are not enough to make a strong determination on this.

 

[Elusive6thRing]

Dak was no Craig Morton/QUOTE]

It's true, Dak doesn't throw more INTs than TDs, not even close.

 

[mrmojo]

Okay, I got the time.....here is the "other' story to this game...

The great coaches of the day were true authoritarians, Landry, Shula, Coryell, Madden...

It was their way or the highway and they were always right, even when they were wrong.. if you have seen the movie U471 there is a scene in which the chief petty officer admonished the new acting captain for appearing uncertain in front of the men. He tells him that he must always appear to know the answer even when he doesn't, the men cannot lose confidence in him and sometime he may have to sacrifice a man to save the rest. it was kind of like that. Landry himself was a former officer during World war II.

Tex Schramm made the decision to trade for some Green Bay Packer players, which Tom Landry resented. They were former Lombardi players for one thing, and that rivalry began long before the Cowboy Packer games, they were both coordinators for the Giants in the late 50's.

The defensive players for the Packers were taught to play their position instinctively, use their talents to make plays. Landry's Flex defense relied on specific "keys" to tell defenders what they should do. Cowboy defenders sometimes had to learn to ignore their instinctive reaction and take a position that best helped the team as a unit.

This was very difficult for former Packer and future Hall of Famer Herb Adderley, a rare talent at CB, he had speed, quickness and could do things that very few players could do in his time at that position. He and Landry tangled often. Once, he prevented a TD in practice by relying on his ability to recover space between him and a receiver instead of passing him off. He made an amazing play to prevent the TD.

Landry got on his butt. Told Adderley that even if it cost the team a TD, never play out of his assigned keys. Landry knew what Adderley was capable of but also knew the young guys on the team couldn't do that if they tried. For them, it would have been a poor habit. Landry saw Adderley as challenging his authority.

Landry was no fool, though, he knew what it meant to have bookend Hall of Fame CB's Renfro and Adderley. It took them to their first two Super Bowls.

However, the next season, the same one in which Staubach was injured and this particular game was played, Landry lowered the boom. When Adderley defied him again, Landry benched him for the remainder of the season.

Now flash forward to this 49er playoff game:

Charlie Waters became the starting CB. Trust me, he was a far better safety, eventually. He had enough trouble covering Taylor but then broke his arm just before the half. Adderley reached for his helmet to go into the game but Landry refused to allow it.

So anyway, a great Hall of Fame CB sat on the bench while a young 13th round draft pick was repeatedly violated by one of the craftiest QB/WR duos in the game at the time, Taylor and Billy Kilmer.. Every big play went right in the direction of Mark Washington.

Tom Landry practically sacrificed an NFC championship game just to show his team who was in charge and how things were going to be done. There was no such thing as free agency at the time. Herb Adderley retired after the season though it was generally agreed he could have played at least two more seasons.

So now you know the rest of the story.....

And to this day Herb Adderley will not wear his SB ring with the Cowboys.

 

[noshame]

"Rodger" wasn't Roger yet at the time yet either, troll. And Dak was no Craig Morton, unless Craig Morton suffered some kind of brain damage that only allowed him to throw short passes to wide open receivers. You're right in that you had to be there, but unfortunately you weren't even born yet.

Didn't mean to get you upset mrs. Romo

 

[tyke1doe]

Okay, I got the time.....here is the "other' story to this game...

The great coaches of the day were true authoritarians, Landry, Shula, Coryell, Madden...

It was their way or the highway and they were always right, even when they were wrong.. if you have seen the movie U471 there is a scene in which the chief petty officer admonished the new acting captain for appearing uncertain in front of the men. He tells him that he must always appear to know the answer even when he doesn't, the men cannot lose confidence in him and sometime he may have to sacrifice a man to save the rest. it was kind of like that. Landry himself was a former officer during World war II.

Tex Schramm made the decision to trade for some Green Bay Packer players, which Tom Landry resented. They were former Lombardi players for one thing, and that rivalry began long before the Cowboy Packer games, they were both coordinators for the Giants in the late 50's.

The defensive players for the Packers were taught to play their position instinctively, use their talents to make plays. Landry's Flex defense relied on specific "keys" to tell defenders what they should do. Cowboy defenders sometimes had to learn to ignore their instinctive reaction and take a position that best helped the team as a unit.

This was very difficult for former Packer and future Hall of Famer Herb Adderley, a rare talent at CB, he had speed, quickness and could do things that very few players could do in his time at that position. He and Landry tangled often. Once, he prevented a TD in practice by relying on his ability to recover space between him and a receiver instead of passing him off. He made an amazing play to prevent the TD.

Landry got on his butt. Told Adderley that even if it cost the team a TD, never play out of his assigned keys. Landry knew what Adderley was capable of but also knew the young guys on the team couldn't do that if they tried. For them, it would have been a poor habit. Landry saw Adderley as challenging his authority.

Landry was no fool, though, he knew what it meant to have bookend Hall of Fame CB's Renfro and Adderley. It took them to their first two Super Bowls.

However, the next season, the same one in which Staubach was injured and this particular game was played, Landry lowered the boom. When Adderley defied him again, Landry benched him for the remainder of the season.

Now flash forward to this 49er playoff game:

Charlie Waters became the starting CB. Trust me, he was a far better safety, eventually. He had enough trouble covering Taylor but then broke his arm just before the half. Adderley reached for his helmet to go into the game but Landry refused to allow it.

So anyway, a great Hall of Fame CB sat on the bench while a young 13th round draft pick was repeatedly violated by one of the craftiest QB/WR duos in the game at the time, Taylor and Billy Kilmer.. Every big play went right in the direction of Mark Washington.

Tom Landry practically sacrificed an NFC championship game just to show his team who was in charge and how things were going to be done. There was no such thing as free agency at the time. Herb Adderley retired after the season though it was generally agreed he could have played at least two more seasons.

So now you know the rest of the story.....

Thanks for the story.

I loved me some Landry, but he could be stubborn. And he had feet of clay just like all humans. He refused to use Tony Dorsett full time nor would he give him a full load at running back. The decision not to ride him in Super Bowl 13 led to the Cowboys' defeat to the Steelers.

I remember interviewing Landry a few years after the Cowboys had won two Super Bowls under Jimmy Johnson. I asked him how he felt about the Cowboys and his departure from Dallas. He tried to maintain the high road, but I could tell it really hurt him that he was let go, and I don't think he had good feelings toward Jimmy Johnson or Jerry Jones. Be that as it may, I'm glad I got a chance to interview him before he went on to glory.

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

Romo and McFadden could perform without a significant drop in productivity. No other team in the NFL can make that claim.

We don't know if Romo can perform. No one has seen it yet. Until he can take a hard hit and get up.