Happy 79th birthday to one of the iconic figures in NFL history, the true “Captain America”, Roger Staubach.
Throughout his nine seasons as the starting quarterback for
the Dallas Cowboys, Staubach was known for leading his team to late-game
comebacks and improbable victories and thus was also often referred to as “Captain
Comeback”.
He seemed to always have the uncanny knack of making the big
play needed to lift his team to victory. He led the Cowboys to 23 fourth
quarter game-winning drives during his career, including 15 times with his team
trailing.
The Cowboys reached the playoffs in eight of his nine
seasons as the starting quarterback and he led the Cowboys to the Super Bowl
four times (they also reached the Super Bowl in 1970 when he was the backup).
He was named MVP of Super Bowl VI and also led Dallas to the
title in Super Bowl XXII.
Staubach was a winner even before joining the Cowboys.
Great drama has always marked the Dallas Cowboys over the
decades. In this, the franchise’s 61st season, the Cowboys have always
stood out for better or for worse. The franchise has always made major
headlines whether it be during the season or in the offseason. In the early
1970’s, legendary head coach Tom Landry went back and forth between Roger
Staubach and Craig Morton as his starting quarterback – going as far as
alternating them on each play during one game – before naming Staubach the
starter. The volatile tendencies of linebacker Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson
surfaced later in the decade over drugs, alcohol, his flamboyant play, and high
visibility lifestyle. Dallas also played in five Super Bowls and won two in the
1970’s when the team became known as “America’s Team” and took on the persona
of the team people love or love to hate which still exists today. The 1980’s
saw good teams unable to get over the hump with three straight losses in NFC
Championship games. There was also another quarterback controversy, this one
between Danny White and Gary Hogeboom between 1983 and 1984. Pressure had
mounted on White after losses in three straight NFC Championship games. While
Landry appointed Hogeboom as the starter during part of the 1984 season, neither
he nor White could lead Dallas to the playoffs that season. The decade ended
with new ownership as Arkansas oilman Jerry Jones bought the franchise and
hired Jimmy Johnson – his old college teammate at Arkansas – as head coach. That
proved fruitful as the Cowboys became the first franchise in NFL history to win
three Super Bowls in a four-year span during the 1990’s when they were the team
of the decade.
Dallas owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jimmy Johnson parted ways shortly after Dallas won back-to-back Super Bowls in the early 1990’s.
Yet change also came about for the franchise in the 1990’s with the shocking and well-documented breakup of Jones and Johnson due to egotistical control issues. During the 2000’s, Dallas made only four playoff trips and won just one playoff game. While the Cowboys rebuilt in the early 2010’s, they were stuck largely in mediocrity with four 8-8 finishes in head coach Jason Garrett’s nine full seasons on the job sparking a yearly discussion about his job security. In more recent years, Dallas came under the microscope with legal issues off the field as star running back Ezekiel Elliott eventually served a six-game suspension during the 2017 season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy based on allegations of domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend dating back to 2016. Drama has always seemed to follow the Cowboys whether it has been good or bad.
It is the start of another new era in Big D for the Dallas
Cowboys in 2020 and the biggest change is at the head coaching spot. Former
Green Bay Packers’ head coach Mike McCarthy replaces Jason Garrett who is now the
New York Giants’ offensive coordinator. McCarthy, the ninth head coach in Cowboys’
history, brings a wealth of NFL coaching experience including a 13-year term as
the Packer’s head coach from 2006-18. McCarthy lead Green Bay to victory in
Super Bowl XLV following the 2010 season at AT&T Stadium, Dallas’ home
facility in Arlington, TX.
Mike McCarthy was named the ninth head coach of the Dallas Cowboys on Jan. 7, 2020.
McCarthy, who was released by the Packers following a 4-7-1
record 12 games into the 2018 season, inherits a team that is in win now mode
under the management of team owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones.
Now in his 32nd year with the Cowboys, Jones has grown the franchise
into a multi-billion dollar enterprise on his shrewd and aggressive business
style. That showed this offseason in making a head-coaching change.
In recognition of the start of football season, we have selected a two-time All-American from the University of Maryland who went on to earn a spot in both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fames as our Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month.
Randy White actually came to the University of Maryland as a
fullback, but as a sophomore new head coach Jerry Claiborne recognized that he
had the skills to be a great defensive lineman and quickly moved him to
defense.
Can Tom Brady and the Patriots make the AFC Championship Game for the 8th straight year?
The Divisional rounds are this weekend so it’s time to start looking at possible AFC & NFC Championships matchups and all of the historical data that comes with it.
Odds are out at the top betting site BetOnline as well as SuperBook and many others. At this point shortly before the Divisional Round plays out, the Kansas City Chiefs lead the pack at +160 to win the AFC. Not surprisingly, the New England Patriots are second at +200. The Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis Colts are +450 and +500 respectively.
A Brief History of Conference Championships
Let’s look at the last four years of NFL Conference Championships and see if we can’t find anything that will point us in the right direction as far as predicting this season’s outcomes.
2018 Jaguars vs. Patriots & Vikings vs. Eagles
Ok. we all remember the amazing Jaguars defense that miraculously got Blake Bortles and a less than stellar Jacksonville offense all the way to the AFC Championship Game. Amazingly enough, Bortles passed for 293 yards and a TD without an interception, but it still wasn’t enough. Brady threw two TDs and the Patriots won 24-20 and went on to the Super Bowl.
Then we had the Vikings and their resurgent Purple People Eater defense playing against an Eagles team that had to throw a Nick Foles who hadn’t seen much action all season into the starting role. So the Vikings were three-point favorites, but Foles came out and dropped three TDs and 352 yards on Minnesota. He embarrassed the Vikings in a 38-7 Eagles win. Read the rest of this entry →
Back in the early 2000s, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones dreamed up a new stadium that would be home to the Cowboys, as well as serving as an entertainment destination. In 2009, that vision became a reality with the opening of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Today, the massive facility hosts college bowl games, concerts and, of course, the Dallas Cowboys.
AT&T Stadium is the largest domed stadium in the world and the biggest NFL venue. It has more than 3 million square feet of space and has a capacity of about 100,000 fans. In total, the overall site covers about 140 acres. The stadium also has more standing-room-only space than any other NFL facility, with 180,000 square feet of free space.
Budget projections initially estimated building the stadium would cost about $650 million, but the actual construction came in at $1.2 billion. That hefty price tag makes it one of the most expensive sports facilities in the world. Read the rest of this entry →
The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month is a former major league baseball player who came into the game as a teenager and stayed until he was in his 40s. In between, Rusty Staub put up a solid career that was primarily spent on expansion or rebuilding teams.
Originally signed by the Colt .45s at age 17, he made his major league debut as a 19-year old rookie and became only the second player in the modern era to play in more than 150 games as a teenager.
Though he hit only .224 splitting time between first base and rightfield, Staub did start building a foundation that would turn him into an All-Star by 1967 when he finished fifth in the league with a .333 batting average.
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