Cook’s Top 5: Dallas Cowboys Quarterbacks

Steve Cook graces you with more NFL QB talk, and this time it revolves around the best signal callers for America’s team. Not the Browns–the Dallas Cowboys!

HOW BOUT DEM COWBOYS?

There are few more high profile position in sports than that of the Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback. Something about “America’s Team” makes the Cowboys one of the most discussed teams in the NFL every season, whether they deserve to be or not. Whether people love or hate them, everybody has an opinion.

Today, we look at the five greatest Dallas Cowboy quarterbacks of all time. It wasn’t hard filling this list.

5. Don Meredith

“Dandy” Don was beloved during his high school & college football career in the Dallas area, so it only made sense for the expansion Cowboys to have him on their roster. Sure enough, Meredith was one of the first Cowboys, and after a couple years serving as a backup he became the full-time starter in 1962. He had a couple of rough seasons, but broke out in the late 1960s and was selected to the Pro Bowl each of his last three seasons in the NFL. His laid-back style made him popular with his teammates, if not with his coaches.

1966 was his finest season, with 2,805 yards, 24 touchdowns & 12 interceptions. He won the Bert Bell Award, becoming the first Cowboy to win a player of the year award. His retirement after the 1968 season at the age of 30 came as a surprise, as he’d led the Cowboys to an 11-2 record that season and seemed to have a few good seasons left. He had gotten tired of playing though, and found new things to do in television. As it turned out, Meredith would start a long-running tradition of Cowboys quarterbacks announcing games on television after their retirement.

4. Danny White

Being the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys isn’t as easy as some people make it look. There’s a lot of pressure involved with leading America’s Team out there every week. Take Danny White, for instance. By most standards, White had a good, solid career. He led the Cowboys to three straight NFC Championship Games from 1980-82, went to the Pro Bowl in 1982 & had his best season in 1983 with 3,980 passing yards & 29 touchdowns. That wasn’t good enough for Cowboys fans, who had become spoiled by the performance of Roger Staubach during the 1970s.

White’s inability to get over the hump & make a Super Bowl got the fans upset with his performance, and eager to see new faces like Gary Hogeboom get a chance. It didn’t help that White’s teammates were irritated by his siding with the owners during the players’ strike in 1982. White did have a 62-30 quarterback record, and still holds the record for most games played by a Cowboys quarterback, largely due to his stint as punter while he was backing up Staubach.

3. Tony Romo

(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

I have to admit that I was surprised to find out that Romo was the all-time passing yardage (34,183) & touchdown (248) leader for the Cowboys. He was a four-time Pro Bowler, and as people have found out during his time on CBS, a fine spokesperson for the league. Romo went from an undrafted quarterback out of Eastern Illinois to one of the league’s biggest stars.

Much like White, Romo’s career with the Cowboys had one major flaw: He never made a Super Bowl, in fact, he never got past the Divisional round. There are high standards in Dallas, set by a couple of eras of dominance that they haven’t been able to replicate since. During his career, Romo’s playoff shortcomings & love life were the main topics of conversation. I think hindsight will be kinder to his actual play on the field.

2. Troy Aikman

The Cowboys had reached a low point when they took Aikman with the first overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft. They had lower to go, as they went 1-15 during Troy’s first season with the team. Jimmy Johnson & Jerry Jones had plans though, and they had a lot of draft picks, many of which became focal points of an early 1990s run where the Cowboys won three Super Bowls in four seasons. Aikman was selected to six straight Pro Bowls & was MVP of Super Bowl XXVII.

Aikman’s career numbers are comparable to the likes of Mark Brunell, Alex Smith, Ken Stabler, Carson Palmer & Jay Cutler. Yet, Aikman was a first ballot Hall of Famer while none of these men would be considered in that class. Winning the biggest games in the biggest moments is what separated Aikman’s perception from that of other men that might compare to him in statistical categories. Aikman also had better players around him, but he wasn’t in control of all that. What he could control, he handled very well. He played more games than any other Cowboys quarterback, won more games and is second in career passing yards and touchdowns for the franchise.

Honorable Mention: Dak Prescott

Dak is well on his way to joining this list, and with his recent contract extension will have plenty of time to do so. He’s on a pace that would give him most of the franchise records should he stick around and stay healthy. The question Cowboys fans have: Will he be able to win the big one like the top two on this list, or will he come up short like the two behind them? He’s 1-2 so far in playoff games.

1. Roger Staubach

The man that became known as Captain Comeback first gained attention as the quarterback for the Naval Academy, where he won the 1963 Heisman Trophy. After serving in Vietnam, Staubach joined the Cowboys & was the quarterback throughout most of the 1970s. He led the Cowboys to a 10-0 record and a victory in Super Bowl VI in his first season as starting quarterback, also winning the game’s MVP award. He missed most of 1972 due to a separated shoulder, but won his job back in a playoff game and never gave it up for the rest of his career.

He added a victory in Super Bowl XII & led the team to a 85-29 record before retiring after the 1979 season. 1979 was his best statistical season, with 3,586 passing yards & 27 touchdowns as career highs. The Cowboys won less than ten games one season during his time as quarterback. Staubach is the yardstick against which all Cowboys quarterbacks are measured on & off the field.

Thanks for reading! Join me next time when we look at the Denver Broncos!