Sports Then and Now

The Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys have been one of the National Football League’s best rivalries for decades. In fact, some pro football pundits might rank the matchup as the second best rivalry in the game behind the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears, who just met for the 183^rd time on Sunday. Regardless of ranking, there is no doubt that the Redskins and Cowboys battle each other harder than any other opponent they play, just like any rivalry. Even when the scoring might not be much to talk about.

Such was the case on Monday when the two teams played each other to

Dallas rookie kicker Dan Bailey boots one of his six field goals in a win over Washington on Monday night (Matthew Emmons/US Presswire).

another dramatic finish, a mark of the longstanding series, especially in recent years. Including Monday, nine of the 13 games since 2005 have been decided by seven points or less. In the process, the games have been decided in the late stages of the fourth quarter and even within the last two minutes.

Monday night was more of the same. With Tony Romo ailing due to a broken rib and rendered ineffective for much of the game, Dallas escaped with an 18-16 win over Washington in its’ home opener at Cowboys Stadium. Rookie kicker Dan Bailey kicked a 40-yard field goal with 1:52 left to provide the final margin. Bailey accounted for all of Dallas’ points on the night by going 6-for-6 which tied a Cowboys’ rookie record for most field games made in a game. Romo finished 22-for-36 for 255 yards and had one interception.

While the game lacked touchdowns and big play offense, it was still a back-and-forth game. Both offenses stalled in the first half as the two teams split six field goals for a 9-9 halftime tie. Romo took several hits in the first half alone which tested his threshold of pain. While his punctured lung from a week ago had mostly healed, he had to take two pain-killing injections for the rib to get through the game. Once again Romo’s toughness and perseverance showed when it mattered most.

In the span of two weeks, Romo has gone from goat on the young season, to a successful clutch performer for America’s Team. After opening the season with a fourth quarter meltdown against the Jets in New York, where his fumble and interception aided the Jets comeback victory, Romo has come nearly full circle.

Romo’s performance in rallying Dallas from a 24-14 fourth-quarter deficit at San Francisco last week with a broken rib and a punctured lung followed by last nights’ gutty performance have cast Romo in a new and better light than in the past. That of a leader who is determined and focused. Up until now, Romo is best known for botching the hold of a snap on a possible game-winning field goal attempt in a playoff loss at Seattle following the 2006 season. Yet, Romo could still use an entire season of success to stake his claim to being an upper-echelon NFL quarterback. The season is still young.

As are the Cowboys, especially on the offensive line. Right tackle Tyron Smith, left guard Bill Nagy, and center Phil Costa are all rookies or second-year players with all three in their first year as starters. That unit is still a work in progress and needs time to become cohesive. Gone from the front wall is five-time pro-bowl center Andre Gurode who was released in training camp. Read the rest of this entry →

Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Emmitt Smith, the National Football League’s all-time leader in rushing, now has company on the same page in the Dallas Cowboys’ history books. The page noting courage and toughness while playing injured. Present day Dallas quarterback Tony Romo is his new neighbor.

Dallas' Tony Romo passes the ball as he is about to be tackled by the 49ers Aldon Smith (99) and Justin Smith (94) last Sunday in San Francisco (AP/Tony Avelar).

Romo’s heroic performance of playing with a fractured rib in leading Dallas to a 27-24 come-from-behind overtime win at San Francisco last Sunday placed Romo in the same conversation as Smith in this category. Along the way, it answered questions about Romo’s toughness, both mentally and physically.

In compiling a legendary 15-year career as an NFL running back – 13 of which were in Dallas – Smith’s epic game of playing with a separated right shoulder while leading the Cowboys to a division-clinching win over the arch rival New York Giants at Giants Stadium on Jan. 2, 1994 is widely recognized as his signature performance. This showed his love, heart, and passion for the game in addition to his courage and toughness. It also demonstrated his commitment to the Cowboys and that he played more than for the money, especially in a year where he saw the Cowboys open 0-2 in his absence due to a contract dispute.

After sustaining the injury following a 46-yard run with two minutes left in the first half, Smith persevered physically by refusing to come out of the regular season finale. The Cowboys needed to win the game to lock up home field advantage in the NFC playoffs.

Running against a defense featuring Lawrence Taylor, who had one sack in the game, Smith resorted to sheer guts and willpower in rushing for 168 yards on 32 carries and adding 61 yards on 10 catches, one which went for a touchdown. Smith did much of this with one arm throughout the second half. Of Smith’s 229 yards from scrimmage in the game, 78 came after the injury. Read the rest of this entry →

Despite not having a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback, the Washington Redskins clearly ranked as the best of the 44 Super Bowl Champions.

Since the first Super Bowl was held in January 1967, 44 teams have hoisted the Vince Lombardi Championship Trophy. But which of these championship teams was really the greatest of the greats?

In part two of our countdown of the Super Bowl Champions, we count down to the number one champion in Super Bowl history. For more details about the categories used to rank the teams, check out part one.

20. 1977 Dallas Cowboys – Record: 15-2 (32 points); Average loss by 11 points (9 points); Average win by 14.6 points (23 points); Opponent winning percentage: .485 (29 points); Wins over +.500 teams: 4 (25 points); Total Points: 118
Arguably the best of Tom Landry’s 29 Dallas Cowboy squads, the 1977 Cowboys combined an explosive offense led by Roger Staubach, Drew Pearson and rookie Tony Dorsett with a dominating defense led by linemen Randy White and Harvey Martin. Dallas finished 12-2 during the regular season with their two losses coming back-to-back after winning their first eight games. In the Playoffs, Dallas out-scored the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings by a combined score of 60-13 to reach the Super Bowl. Facing the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII, the Cowboys were dominant in a 27-10 victory.

19. 1990 New York Giants – Record: 16-3 (26 points); Average loss by 8.7 points (20 points); Average win by 11.4 points (9 points); Opponent winning percentage: .500 (36 points); Wins over +.500 teams: 4 (28 points); Total Points: 119
Because the 1990 New York Giants narrowly won the NFC Championship Game over the San Francisco 49ers and then had to withstand a last second missed field goal to win Super Bowl XXV, the Giants are often overlooked when the best championship teams are discussed. However, the second of Bill Parcell’s Super Bowl teams was a solid team led by a defense that allowed the fewest points in the NFL. After starting quarterback Phil Simms was lost for the season in the 14th week, backup Jeff Hostetler stepped in and did not throw an interception in three playoff wins. Read the rest of this entry →

Roger Staubach

The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month for January was known during his NFL career for leading his team to late-game comebacks and improbable victories.

During his nine seasons as the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, Roger Staubach 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. Read the rest of this entry →

One of the most memorable moments in the 2009 NFL season was the Indianapolis Colts scoring a last-second touchdown to pull out a 35-34 victory against the New England Patriots after the Patriots were stopped on 4th-and-2 at their own 28-yard-line, despite holding a six-point lead  with about two minutes to play.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s decision to go for the first down in this game was reminiscent of former Cowboys head coach Barry Switzer’s gamble to go for a first down in his team’s own territory with the game tied in the final minutes of a December showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The former Oklahoma head coach became head coach of the Cowboys following the departure of Jimmy Johnson after the 1993 season.

Johnson had led the Cowboys from a 1-15 season in his first year in Dallas to two straight Super Bowl titles, behind the famed “Triplets”; quarterback Troy Aikman, wide receiver Michael Irvin, and running back Emmitt Smith.

In Switzer’s first season, the Cowboys finished with a 12-4 record but were knocked off by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.

In 1995, the Cowboys jumped out to an 8-1 start before being humiliated by the 49ers 38-20 in Dallas, leading owner Jerry Jones to come out and say that the team was outcoached.

The Cowboys would win the next two games before dropping another home game, this time against the Washington Redskins, as they entered their late-season showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Under first-year head coach Ray Rhodes, the Eagles had complied a 8-5 record entering this game,  but had gone 7-2 ever since Rhodes had benched starting quarterback Randall Cunningham and replaced with veteran backup Rodney Peete.

Still, Rhodes played the “no respect” card for the Eagles as they hosted the Cowboys on a 13-degree afternoon in Veterans stadium, with a wind chill of minus seven degrees. Read the rest of this entry →

Don Meredith was an original member of the Dallas Cowboys.

Imagine being part of the team that created Microsoft and then later helping launch Google. In a sense, “Dandy” Don Meredith had that kind of career in professional football as he was an important part of the development of two iconic franchises in the Dallas Cowboys and Monday Night Football.

Because Meredith, who passed away on Sunday following a brain hemorrhage, has been out of the spotlight for nearly as long as he was in it, it has taken his death for many to recount just how integral he was to the development of two sports brands that are now taken for granted.

A two-time All-American as a quarterback at Southern Methodist University, Meredith was originally chosen in the third round of the 1960 draft by George Halas and the Chicago Bears. However, he was soon traded back to his native state of Texas and the expansion Dallas Cowboys.

During his first two seasons, Meredith was primarily the backup to quarterback Eddie Lebaron. However, he did play an important role in the first victory in team history as he replaced Lebaron and tossed the game-tying touchdown pass as Dallas rallied to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24 on September 17, 1961.

He finally took over the starting job for good in 1963 and soon the Cowboys began to move from the NFL cellar to the penthouse.

Known for his wit and humor, Meredith was a start contrast to the stoic coach of the Cowboys, Tom Landry. Meredith described Landry as a perfectionist who if he were married to actress and model Rachel Welch would also expect her to be a good cook.

However, though Meredith was known for his joking personality off the field, there was never any doubt that on the field he was all business and one of the toughest players around. Early in his career the Cowboys offensive line had more holes than Swiss cheese, but Meredith took every licking and kept on ticking. Read the rest of this entry →