Which Cowboys Quarterback threw the ball Hardest

[Bizwah]

yeah all those long tds to Irvin, Harper, Ismail etc etc never happened I guess

Aikman threw a nice deep ball. How many times did we see him drop a 35 to40 yard pass on the sideline right into Irvin's mitts?

Aikman really struggled with a wet ball. He gripped the ball oddly...off the laces, IIRC. He also gripped it tightly. That's why the ball seemed to get away from him in cold or rainy weather.

I think most of us look at the replays of the 92 Championship and we see him underthrown Harper. Unfortunately that's the memory most of us have of Aikman's deep passes. Most of us also forget that was a wet field.

I remember him hitting Harper in stride for 80 yards against Wash, for 90+ against GB in the playoffs. Who can forget the beautiful throw to Harper in SB 27? He had two beautiful tosses to Rocket in 99...one a game winner vs Washington.

Aikman threw a nice deep ball. Remember, most of them went to Irvin. Irvin wasn't really a burner....so Troy's passes to Mike needed to be high where Mike could use his size to go up and get the ball.

 

[Aikmaniac]

Aikman had zip maybe,.....but he couldn't throw the deepball to save his life! That was the only throw he couldn't make...it drove me nuts!

Where in the blue hell do people get this idea that Troy couldn't throw a deep pass?

Yeah, maybe he wasn't Warren Moon on the deep throws but I think you're completely over-exaggerating.

If you need to win a game, I'll take Troy Aikman every day.

 

[speedkilz88]

Where in the blue hell do people get this idea that Troy couldn't throw a deep pass?

Yeah, maybe he wasn't Warren Moon on the deep throws but I think you're completely over-exaggerating.

If you need to win a game, I'll take Troy Aikman every day.

The big reason is that he never had a reliable deep receiver until Rocket Ismail. When he had rocket and even in college when he had Flipper Anderson he threw them fine. Harper had decent speed but wasn't that type that blew by people consistently and of course Alexander Wright drove Aikman batty.

 

[dbair1967]

Aikman threw a nice deep ball. How many times did we see him drop a 35 to40 yard pass on the sideline right into Irvin's mitts?

I cant even remember, it happened a ton though. He also threw the deep post well, and nobody ever threw the 20-30 yd post/skinny post better than Aikman did.

Aikman really struggled with a wet ball. He gripped the ball oddly...off the laces, IIRC. He also gripped it tightly. That's why the ball seemed to get away from him in cold or rainy weather.

I dont know any QB that would saying throwing a wet ball was better than throwing a dry one though. Still, I dont remember many games where he "struggled" because of a wet ball. I think people heard him say he didnt like throwing a wet ball that much and really ran with it more than anything else.

I think most of us look at the replays of the 92 Championship and we see him underthrown Harper. Unfortunately that's the memory most of us have of Aikman's deep passes. Most of us also forget that was a wet field.

Dude was 24/34 that day. And that had to be some of the worst field conditions ever. Rain off and on, awful field with slick mud everywhere.

As for underthrowing Harper, he admitted that ball slipped and he thought it might even be picked off.

I remember him hitting Harper in stride for 80 yards against Wash, for 90+ against GB in the playoffs. Who can forget the beautiful throw to Harper in SB 27? He had two beautiful tosses to Rocket in 99...one a game winner vs Washington.

He had alot of them, for some reason our fans dont want to remember or never saw him play. Or maybe they saw him his last season and thought that was representative of his career, when it clearly wasnt. Back and knee injuries ruined him. Especially the back.

Aikman threw a nice deep ball. Remember, most of them went to Irvin. Irvin wasn't really a burner....so Troy's passes to Mike needed to be high where Mike could use his size to go up and get the ball.

Most people dont remember but Irvin got open deep alot. he was a tremendous route runner. He caught his fair share of flys and deep posts. He absolutely torched Green Bay over the years. Also creamed those "elite" CB's whenever he faced them 1 on 1. Nobody could cover this guy.

 

[Bizwah]

I cant even remember, it happened a ton though. He also threw the deep post well, and nobody ever threw the 20-30 yd post/skinny post better than Aikman did.



I dont know any QB that would saying throwing a wet ball was better than throwing a dry one though. Still, I dont remember many games where he "struggled" because of a wet ball. I think people heard him say he didnt like throwing a wet ball that much and really ran with it more than anything else.



Dude was 24/34 that day. And that had to be some of the worst field conditions ever. Rain off and on, awful field with slick mud everywhere.

As for underthrowing Harper, he admitted that ball slipped and he thought it might even be picked off.



He had alot of them, for some reason our fans dont want to remember or never saw him play. Or maybe they saw him his last season and thought that was representative of his career, when it clearly wasnt. Back and knee injuries ruined him. Especially the back.



Most people dont remember but Irvin got open deep alot. he was a tremendous route runner. He caught his fair share of flys and deep posts. He absolutely torched Green Bay over the years. Also creamed those "elite" CB's whenever he faced them 1 on 1. Nobody could cover this guy.

Nice post

 

[CF74]

Non-Cowboy: John Elway...

 

[bbgun]

Still, I dont remember many games where he "struggled" because of a wet ball.

He was comically bad in the "Emmitt Halloween" game at Philly in 1993. It's not a crime to note that Troy wasn't perfect in every phase of the game. Every QB has shortcomings.

 

[jobberone]

I don't know if Aikman threw the hardest but of our starters he and Bledsoe have to be up there. I think Cunningham could zip it as well.

Gravity affects each ball the same and as soon as the ball leaves the hand it falls at the same rate. Wind does affect it and there can even be some lift. To zip it st8 at a receiver 20-35 yds down field without it falling much means it got there fast. As in velocity. The physics are not difficult. Aikman was superb at it.

And to think he couldn't throw deep accurately is a myth and a poor one. I will say that he was king of the deep pass to the one yard line. I've never seen a QB so snake bit with receivers getting drug down at the one.

How else do you think he could thread the needle like he did? The ball got there super quick and Irvin was a master at catching his ball with the briefest of looks.

People so overlook Aikman as a great QB chalking it up to the great OL and the rest.

 

[RoadRunner]

Randall Cunninham could heave it 80 yards in the air.

He never ever threw it that far. Only Testaverde threw it 80, and that was a world record.

As far as proof of how hard Aikman threw the ball look no further than Alvin Harper who had the webbing in his fingers torn by the zip on an Aikman pass. Aikman threw it the hardest of Cowboys QBs (not counting Vinny who was then far too old to heave balls 80 yards).

 

[dbair1967]

He was comically bad in the "Emmitt Halloween" game at Philly in 1993. It's not a crime to note that Troy wasn't perfect in every phase of the game. Every QB has shortcomings.

comically bad?

dude, it was a freaking monsoon

 

[Established1971]

We all know that some NFL QBs were known for being able to put fire behind the ball.

Sidebar: In the MLB they can calculate the speed of the ball from the Pitchers hand to the Catcher's glove (sometimes at speeds up to 100 mph)

Which Cowboy QB(s) was/were known for their "zip" on the ball; and approximately how fast would you say the ball travels from QB to receiver.

Things to take into consideration ...

- maximum speed could only be determined in short passes; long passes are too distant to determine optimum speed reached)

- probably better assessed from passes to receivers running routes across the middle

Optional Question #1: Is there such a thing as a QB who throws too hard to his own receivers?

Optional Question #2: Who throws the ball hardest in the NFL (qualify your answer)?
PT

Aikman used to throw too hard, I used to say that during his heyday. I saw many a time where he needed a soft toss to an open receiver 3-5 yards down and he winged one of the passes that leave indentations in peoples chests and the receivers dropped it. He was great of course, need I even say that? But he often threw too hard. He also was awful at the long ball which needed a softer rainbow trajectory so it can come down into the receivers arms. He threw more rope-like passes which sailed too high.

 

[Established1971]

Where in the blue hell do people get this idea that Troy couldn't throw a deep pass?

Yeah, maybe he wasn't Warren Moon on the deep throws but I think you're completely over-exaggerating.

If you need to win a game, I'll take Troy Aikman every day.

um..from watching the games

 

[Bizwah]

um..from watching the games

You must've been watching different games than me.

Aikman threw a nice deep ball. I never saw him, even early in his career, throw too hard at WRs.

Balls were dropped due to sucky WRs. We had no one for Aikman.

 

[dadymat]

Landslide winner.

He said throws the hardest..not hardest to watch throw

 

[ringmaster]

The big reason is that he never had a reliable deep receiver until Rocket Ismail. When he had rocket and even in college when he had Flipper Anderson he threw them fine. Harper had decent speed but wasn't that type that blew by people consistently and of course Alexander Wright drove Aikman batty.

Yeah I remember watching a game on ESPN classic, when Aikman, was at UCLA, playing against Nebraska and he threw a beautiful 59 yd pass to Willie "Flipper" Anderson.

And that deep pass was on a rope so I don't know where these people get the notion that Aikman, couldn't throw a deep pass.

 

[AdamJT13]

Gary Hogeboom..

I would have thought this would be the second post, and the thread would end.

 

[EveryoneElse]

Not throwing the deep ball well has always been a popular knock on Aikman. That doesn't mean that he never completed a deep ball.....just that it was his weakest part of his game.

 

[thechosen1n2]

Yeah, Aikman was more about accuracy then speed which is what I'll take in a QB 10 out of 10 times. I'm a big Penn St fan, Anthony Morelli could fire a football with anyone including the jugs machine but had no instincts and horrible accuracy.

Sad as it is to say, in recent memory Ryan Leaf would probably top that list.

nah man aikman threw hard...really hard. when i was in highschool the some cowboys played my highschool team in a game of basketball for a fund raiser event. Alvin Harper played, and while talking to him i notice his hands. Dude had splits in the webs of his fingers from catching aikmans balls. (and i aint talkin paper cutss, im talking pink meat) i was like

 

[McCordsville Cowboy]

Definitely not the stroodle.

 

[Pokes12]

For the record the quarterback with the strongest throwing arm was none other than Craig Morton. He regularly would throw the ball 70 yards off of his knees in practice. Wasn't worth a lot as a winner of the big ones but ole Craig could throw the ball, no doubt about it.