Tag: roger staubach

Washington Super Bowl Coach stands alone

As Sean McVay and Zac Taylor look to win their first Super Bowl Sunday, we shall never forget Joe Gibbs won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks.

How is it that one coach stands out in contrast to all Super Bowl champion coaches?

Vince Lombardi won the first two Super Bowls with Bart Starr as the Green Bay Packers starting quarterback. Don Shula and Miami won two with Bob Griese. Tom Landry steered Dallas to two Super Bowl trophies with Roger Staubach at the helm. Chuck Noll and the Pittsburgh Steelers won four Super Bowls in the 1970s with Terry Bradshaw behind center.

Tom Flores and the Raiders won two with Jim Plunkett as the leader of the offense. Bill Walsh was the head coach with Joe Montana the field general for three Super Bowl crowns for the 49ers. The 49ers won two more with head coach George Seifert coaching and Montana and Steve Young as signal-callers.

Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer both coached the Cowboys to Super Bowl rings with Troy Aikman taking the snaps from center. Denver’s Mike Shanahan as head coach and John Elway in the pocket for the Broncos won it all twice.

Tom Coughlin’s NY Giants took the crown twice with Eli Manning the on-field general. Last but certainly not least, New England’s Bill Belichick won six rings with Tom Brady as the quarterback.

Seifert is the only one above to win a second Super Bowl with a second quarterback (Montana and Young).

There is also Marv Levy and the Bills who went to multiple Super Bowls with Jim Kelly under center — and lost. Likewise, Dan Reeves led Elway and the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances — they also lost all three.

Yet, there is one other coach to win more than multiple Super Bowls with more than one quarterback, Joe Gibbs of the Washington Redskins. Gibbs not only won more than one Super Bowl with more than one quarterback, he accomplished the feat three times!

Gibbs led Washington to Super Bowl trophies with Joe Theismann, Doug Williams and Mark Rypien winning Super Bowls XVII, XXII and XXVI.

Starr, Griese, Staubach, Bradshaw, Montana, Young, Aikman and Elway are already in the Hall of Fame. Without question Brady will be in the HOF and Eli Manning a 2-time SB MVP is likely to be elected to the HOF. Only Jim Plunkett is likely to not make the HOF.

By contrast, Theismann was only an All-Pro once (1983), and Williams and Rypien were never All-Pro. Rypien had a great year only in 1991. Williams though never even a pro-bowler, was a veteran leader and had huge moments like the playoff win at Chicago (1987) and a nearly perfect 2nd quarter in Super Bowl XXII, earning the MVP.

Joe Gibbs is distinctive among Super Bowl coaches with multiple wins, doing so with three non-Hall of Fame quarterbacks.  Hats off to Coach Joe, who is remarkably now age 81. The Washington franchise and fans were certainly blessed to have enjoyed Joe Jackson Gibbs as head coach.

ESPN ranks Aikman, Staubach among QBs with multiple Super Bowl wins

Twelve quarterbacks have won multiple Super Bowls. The Cowboys legends rank well on the list, but behind several expected names. | From @ToddBrock24f7

With the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, there’s been a lot of looking back around football this week, trying to determine just the proper spot in the history books for the longtime Steelers quarterback.

He is one of just 12 quarterbacks in league history to have won multiple Super Bowl titles, so he’s already a member of a rather exclusive club. NFL.com writer Adam Rank set out to sort those passers in order of greatness. For Cowboys fans, his list is also an opportunity to see how the two most decorated Dallas signal-callers stack up in an all-time comparison.

Early spoiler alert, and to the surprise of no one: Tom Brady tops the rankings. Joe Montana follows, and then John Elway. Terry Bradshaw is perhaps a bit of a surprise at No. 4 as he’s not often considered a prolific passer, and then Bart Starr comes in fifth (but maybe only because two of his five championships were actual Super Bowls). Peyton Manning places sixth, a testament to just how elite the talent at the top of the list is.

And then come the Cowboys, in back-to-back spots on the countdown. Here’s what Rank had to say about both:

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy left speechless when NFL legend makes appearance

Native Pittsburgher Mike McCarthy needed a moment after a larger-than-life figure from his youth casually walked past his press conference. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Mike McCarthy has been in the NFL for nearly 30 years, hoisted a Lombardi Trophy, and coached some of the greatest players of this generation.

But even he can still get a little starstruck.

The Cowboys coach was in the middle of his Friday morning press conference when a larger-than-life figure casually strolled past the glass-box media room at the Ford Center, catching McCarthy’s eye.

The 57-year-old coach stopped mid-answer and gave an awkward wave before turning back to the assembled reporters.

“Roger Staubach,” the coach pointed out with a grin.

Despite the current crop of superstars he talks to daily- and forget coming to work at a building where five world championship trophies greet you in the front lobby- it’s not every day that Captain Comeback himself interrupts your train of thought with a personal appearance.

“Man, I’m shook,” McCarthy stumbled as the gallery laughed. “Thinking about the old Super Bowls; Steelers and the Cowboys,” the native Pittsburgher remarked as he tried- unsuccessfully- to get himself back on track.

“What the hell were we talking about?”

Staubach was at the facility in advance of the Salute to Service celebration scheduled to take place during Sunday’s game against the Broncos, team owner Jerry Jones said Friday on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan.

“It is all leading up to the recognition of the Medal of Honor recipients that will be noted in a big way at the Denver-Cowboy game,” Jones said.

Here’s hoping McCarthy will get the opportunity to be formally introduced to Staubach before kickoff… assuming the coach can find his words by then.

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Cowboys News: Prescott and Amari back to work, ‘Hard Knocks’ highlights

Dallas welcomed two of its offensive stars back on Tuesday, plus a surprising admission from Roger Staubach about new HoFer Drew Pearson. | From @ToddBrock 24f7

Two of the Cowboys’ A-list superstars are back, just as the team goes primetime on HBO. Those were the lead stories as fans geared up for the season premiere of Hard Knocks Tuesday night. While the reality show’s debut lived up to the hype (and offered several intriguing moments), the club gave its fanbase even more to get excited about in the hours before, with a double whammy of good news: quarterback Dak Prescott is throwing once again in practice… and he’s throwing to Amari Cooper, who was taken off the PUP list.

Elsewhere, Cooper’s wide receiver mates Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb are both eyeing big seasons of their own, new linebacker Michael Gallup looks to employ a strategic gambit to getting up to game speed in his rookie campaign, and kicker Greg Zuerlein is supposedly still on track to resume normal kicking duties… but maybe not until Week 1. Roger Staubach makes a somewhat startling admission about his now-Hall of Fame companion Drew Pearson, there’s depth to discuss along both the offensive and defensive lines, one outlet estimates the cost of acquiring a second-year standout, and a rule change from the COVID season makes a welcome return for 2021. Here’s the News and Notes.

‘The wait is over!’ Cowboys legend Drew Pearson revels in Hall of Fame moment

The legendary wide receiver gave an impassioned acceptance speech, spotlighting teammates and coaches while reminding everyone where he was. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Drew Pearson, the legendary wide receiver for the Cowboys of the 1970s and early ’80s, admitted last week that he’s been mistakenly introduced as a Hall of Famer for years. His stats and place in the league’s history have certainly warranted his place there ever since retiring from the game in 1983.

But now that Pearson can officially be called a member of the club, he was clearly excited to, as he put it, “wear it out.” Pearson said the words “Pro Football Hall of Fame” 15 times (and added the abbreviated “Hall of Fame” another eight times) in just 11 minutes at the mic at Tom Benson Stadium on Sunday evening.

Pearson’s long wait- and near-misses- for making the Hall had been well-documented, making his speech one of the most anticipated of the weekend. And the fiery Pearson didn’t disappoint, shouting, “The wait is over!” to open his remarks; spotlighting his bronze bust for having “the biggest Afro in NFL history;” pulling up his pant legs to show off the skinny legs that carried him all the way to Canton; even taking a friendly dig at fellow Hall of Famer Mike Ditka.

After paying tribute to Cowboys founding fathers like Clint Murchison, Tex Schramm, and Gil Brandt, the original member of the 88 Club honored many of his star teammates and coaches by name for the role they each played in his football journey. Ditka, a former Cowboys standout before going on to become the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl-winning coach, got a special mention.

“Thank you, Mike Ditka, my first receivers coach in the NFL,” Pearson said. “Mike was an All-Pro tight end, which means he taught me nothing about running pass routes as a wide receiver.”

The crowd ate it up.

“But, Mike,” he continued, “you taught me how not to just be a pro, but be a professional. And you did that by the passion you showed and that you brought to the Dallas Cowboys.”

Pearson, as expected, brought plenty of passion to his enshrinement remarks, just as he had to his playing days. He spent considerable time thanking his family members, both those in attendance and those who were, in his words, “gone too soon.”

But he also took the occasion to give a shout-out to a relative unknown named Otto Stowe. Stowe was a wide receiver who played just seven games for the Cowboys in 1973, Pearson’s debut season in the league. Pearson emulated Stowe early that year, and it was Stowe’s season-ending injury that opened the door for Pearson to start as a rookie and never give the job back.

“I learned so much from you, Otto,” Pearson said Sunday. “And I would not be here today without you.”

But the person Pearson is most closely linked to professionally is his longtime quarterback, Roger Staubach. Staubach presented Pearson Sunday night, the culmination of a prolific pairing that’s most famously remembered for the 50-yard touchdown versus Minnesota in the 1975 playoffs that served as the NFL’s original “Hail Mary” pass play.

But Pearson was a key figure in several other Cowboys milestone moments, too. He snagged the opening touchdown in Super Bowl X. He threw the final block that sprang Tony Dorsett on his record-setting 99-yard touchdown run in 1983. He caught the game-winning touchdown from Clint Longley in the team’s famous 1974 Thanksgiving comeback. And were it not for a one-handed horse-collar tackle, Pearson would likely have negated Dwight Clark’s “The Catch” in 1981’s NFC Championship Game with a late catch and run into field goal range.

But it’s the Hail Mary that has largely defined Pearson’s career over the years, the moment most fans want to talk about, the photo that he most often signs. Even though Staubach coined the term, Pearson is the one who personalizes his autographs with “Hail Mary to you.”

And that’s how he signed off his enshrinement speech.

“There’s so many special people in my life, but my time has run out. I don’t have a Hail Mary in my pocket, so I’ve got to wrap this up… Hail Mary blessings to you all.”

Pearson may be best remembered for that one miracle catch, but he racked up 555 others over his 11-year career. The Hail Mary was only one score; there were 55 others. And after 8,927 receiving yards (regular and postseason combined), three Super Bowl appearances, three Pro Bowls, three All-Pro nods, a spot on the NFL’s 1970s All-Decade Team, and a place in the Cowboys Ring of Honor, Pearson can now add “Hall of Famer” to his resume.

Judging by how often he visibly enjoyed saying it Sunday night, that may well be how he signs autographs for the rest of his life.

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Drew Pearson names his presenter for 2021 all of Fame induction

Cowboys legend Drew Pearson will be presented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021 by Cowboys Hall of Famer Roger Staubach.

After a long wait, Cowboys legend Drew Pearson was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2021. The three-time Pro Bowler and First-Team All-Pro wide receiver will be enshrined in August with Cowboys Hall of Famer Roger Staubach being his presenter.

Staubach was a large part of the reveal for Pearson, collaborating with team owner Jerry Jones to trick Pearson into coming to The Star, where David Baker was waiting.

The pair of Staubach and Pearson was known for many heroics during their time together in the 1970s, including the first “Hail Mary” in 1975 against the Vikings in the playoffs. In 1978, the Cowboys won Super Bowl XII, led by the duo and legendary head coach Tom Landry.

On August 8, Staubach will present Pearson as part of the Class of 2021 Enshrinement, welcoming him to the Hall of Fame. The Cowboys will also be playing in the Hall of Fame game that weekend against the Steelers.

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Cowboys News: Rolling over but not playing dead, Quinn’s base defense, new QB/President combo

Also, the Cowboys connection to Philip Rivers on his retirement, grading the Dallas cornerbacks, and searching for the bright spots of 2020.

The coaching carousel keeps spinning around the league, as Kellen Moore has had his chat with the Eagles brass and Cowboys Nation waits to hear what happened. In Dallas, the club has found its defensive line coach, bringing another of Dan Quinn’s former pupils onto the payroll.

In other news, we’re looking for bright spots in the 2020 season, breaking down the Xs and Os of Quinn’s preferred defensive scheme, sizing up the Cowboys cornerbacks about to hit free agency and talking cap space. There’s also big question marks all of a sudden regarding the draft given that there will be no scouting combine; how will that affect the Cowboys’ big board? With news of Philip Rivers retiring, we’ve also got a Cowboys connection to the prolific passer… as well as how the greatest quarterback in Dallas history is now part of the same trivia answer as newly-inaugurated US president Joe Biden. News and Notes, coming right up.

Jared Goff joins Roger Staubach as QB to come off bench and win playoff game

Roger Staubach in 1972 came off the bench to lead a team to a playoff victory, the Dallas Cowboys

The question of who was going to start for the Los Angeles Rams was a mystery. John Wolford got the call but wound up in the hospital with a neck injury after taking a shot from Seattle’s Jamal Adams early.

On came Jared Goff and his surgically repaired thumb from 12 days ago to lead the Rams to a 30-20 victory over the Seahawks in an NFC Wild-Card game on Saturday.

Goff was 9-of-19 for 155 yards with one TD pass in the road triumph.

So, how common is it for a team to lose its starting quarterback in a postseason game and win it via the backup?

It doesn’t seem to happen that often in the Super Bowl era, at least. In fact, the one game that jumped out happened in 1972 when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the San Francisco 49ers.

The game occurred on Dec. 23 at Candlestick Park. Craig Morton was ineffective, going 8-for-21 with two interceptions before Tom Landry pulled him and inserted Roger Staubach, trailing 28-13.

And Staubach led a Dallas comeback. A huge one.

“They were laughing at us. Making fun of us during the game,” Cowboys safety Charlie Waters told ESPN. “They were really enjoying having the upper hand on us. They didn’t think there was any way (we’d come back) — because our offense was sputtering. We were doing absolutely nothing.”

Staubach completed 12-of-20 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns. The Hall of Famer led Dallas to 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter as Dallas won 30-28.

Staubach threw a 20-yard scoring pass to Billy Parks and Dallas needed to recover an onside kick.

“We had this foreign kicker from Australia, Toni Fritsch,” Waters told ESPN. “He used to try all these tricky ways of kicking the ball. And he used to do this thing where he’d run up to the ball and run past it. And he’d kick it behind his back.”

Sure enough, Fritsch fooled the 49ers. He lined up to kick to the left, but Fritsch instead squibbed the ball to the right, bouncing it off the 49ers’ Preston Riley. Mel Renfro recovered the ball for the Cowboys.

“Once we got that onside kick, the momentum definitely turned,” Staubach said.

Staubach delivered the game-winner to Ron Sellers, a 10-yard pass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx3PKijM6Rw&feature=emb_logo

Any other instances jar memories of this happening?

Cowboys News: OL shuffle, Jerry unmuffled, end-of-season bustle

Dallas has a number of questions in the secondary, Dalton is preparing to face his former team, and more. The latest Cowboys news and notes.

The Dallas Cowboys 2020 season continued to fly off the rails, and Dallas grew one step closer to a top-5 pick with their ugly Week 13 loss to the Ravens. The Cowboys have allowed the top two rushing games this year, and it’s hard to imagine Dallas turning it around this season. Jerry Jones opened up about the defensive woes of his club, and Jones was perhaps the most critical that he has been all season.

Andy Dalton is preparing to face his former franchise, the Bengals, Sunday. The Cowboys have a number of question marks health-wise this week, especially in the defensive backfield as Chidobe Awuzie and Donovan Wilson are both questionable for the outing. Tackle Cameron Erving was placed on the IR. Will the Cowboys see Tyler Biadasz or Zack Martin again this season?

Cowboys nominate Jaylon Smith for Walter Payton Man of the Year honor

The linebacker will wear a special helmet decal marking the honor, recognizing his work empowering minority entrepreneurship initiatives.

Cowboys fans have had a love/hate relationship with linebacker Jaylon Smith in 2020, often making him the target of their frustrations with a defense that seems to often lack hustle and the poster boy for an organization that seems to overpay some players before they’ve proven their long-term worth.

Those criticisms deserve to be set aside for a day at least. Smith was honored by the league Thursday for his community service activities off the field when he was named the Cowboys’ nominee for the 2020 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

Always one of the team’s most active participants in local community outreach efforts, Smith has personally spearheaded initiatives to encourage minority entrepreneurship. He founded the Minority Entrepreneurship Institute to help open doors for others to start businesses and succeed financially.

From the Cowboys official website:

“Smith has pledged $2.5 million over 10 years to spur MEI investments and is adding co-investors across the country who share in his beliefs. His hope is that minority entrepreneurs will be the game-changers who can make a changing economy come to life.”

“Jaylon exemplifies every quality that this award celebrates,” Cowboys executive vice president and chief brand officer Charlotte Jones Anderson said in a statement. “He has a light that he wants to share and shine on others that is rare. We are excited to see what more he can accomplish through his work with minority entrepreneurs and the many other endeavors that he supports.”

Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard, and Rico Dowdle were among the first Cowboys players who took to social media to congratulate their teammate.

A player from each team in the league was nominated; notables include Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, Kansas City’s Travis Kelce, Seattle’s Russell Wilson, and Miami’s Byron Jones, the former Cowboys cornerback.

The nominations were announced on Good Morning Football.

Smith and the 31 other nominees will wear a special helmet decal for the rest of the season signifying the honor. All will see their work celebrated during the week leading up to Super Bowl LV and have a $40,000 donation made to the charity of their choosing. The award’s winner will be revealed during the NFL Honors event, with a $250,000 donation made. That winner will also wear a jersey patch for the remainder of his playing career.

Several Cowboys have won the NFL Man of the Year award: Roger Staubach in 1978, Troy Aikman in 1997, and Jason Witten in 2012. The award was re-named for Payton shortly after his death in 1999; the Bears running back had won it himself in 1977.

Nationwide, the award’s corporate sponsor, is encouraging fans to vote for their favorite nominee on Twitter by using the hashtag #WPMOYChallenge followed by the player’s last name. The player tagged most between December 10 and January 17 will receive a $25,000 contribution to their charity of choice; second- and third-place finishers will receive $10,000 and $5,000 donations, respectively.

Congratulations- and a celebratory swipe- to Jaylon Smith on being nominated for the NFL’s most prestigious accolade.

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