Cowboys: Will Tony Romo Be The Next Danny White?

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has a history similar to former Cowboys signal caller Danny White, whose career ended with no ring.

Back in 1970s, the Dallas Cowboys were truly America’s Team, having appeared in five Super Bowls and winning two Lombardi Trophies. The Cowboys of that decade were loaded with talent that was led by legendary head coach Tom Landry and America’s favorite quarterback, Roger Staubach.

Staubach was a former Heisman Trophy winner out the Naval Academy. Landry and general manager Tex Schramm had the foresight to draft Staubach in the 10th round of the 1964 NFL Draft. Although the athletic quarterback had a five-year military commitment to the Navy following school, the Cowboys drafted Staubach anyway and patiently waited on his availability.

This was one of the shrewdest maneuvers made by Schramm, who was truly a visionary and way ahead of his time as a general manager. Staubach would eventually play behind incumbent quarterback Craig Morton. In Super Bowl V, where the Cowboys lost to the then-Baltimore Colts 16-13, Staubach told Landry on the flight back to Dallas that he wanted to be traded.

Needless to say, Landry assured Staubach he would be the starting quarterback the following season.

The rest is Cowboys history.

The following season, Staubach led the Cowboys to a convincing 24-3 Super Bowl victory over the Miami Dolphins, giving Landry his first Lombardi Trophy after so many heart breaking losses. Finally, Landry shredded the label as the coach “who couldn’t win the big one”.

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Staubach engineered the Cowboys to three more Super Bowls following the first two in the ’70s. During the 1977 season, Staubach and the Doomsday Defense crushed the Denver Broncos 27-10 to give Landry his second Super Bowl win in six years. That team was so deep and talented that rookie running back and Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett scored a touchdown.

Ironically, former Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton was on the losing end that day as the Broncos starting quarterback. This certainly proved that Landry was right in making Staubach the starting quarterback.

Before Staubach retired, he had several monikers: Roger the Dodger, Captain Comeback, and Captain America. Further, Staubach is credited for coining the phrase ‘Hail Mary’ in football.

There wasn’t a more celebrated quarterback in the 197o’s than Staubach. Whoever replaced Staubach had big shoes to fill.

Enter Danny White.

The Cowboys drafted White out of Arizona State in 1974. White was an athletic quarterback with decent arm strength who also served as the Cowboys punter. The multi-purpose White backed up Staubach until he took over the reigns as Dallas signal caller in 1980, the year following Staubach’s retirement.

The Cowboys were so confident in White’s ability that they passed up the opportunity to draft Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana in the 1979 draft. To be fair, Montana was not considered a top notch quarterback, despite all of his college heroics.

Eventually, Montana was drafted in the third round by the San Francsico 49ers. We all know about the Hall of Fame history of Montana.

Since the Cowboys were two years removed from losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII, Dallas was stocked with talent. White inherited players like Dorsett, running backs Preston Pearson, Timmy Newsome, wide receivers Drew Pearson, Tony Hill, and Butch Johnson, fullbacks Robert Newhouse and Ron Springs, tight ends Billy Joe Dupree, Doug Cosbie, and Jay Saldi.

That was just on the offensive side of the ball.

On the defensive side of the ball, the defense was anchored by Super Bowl XII Co-MVP’s Randy White and Harvey Martin, along with Ed “Too Tall” Jones, linebackers D.D. Lewis, Bob Breunig and Mike Hegman, and safeties Charlie Waters and Dennis Thurman. A veteran like defensive back Benny Barnes added depth and experience.

White was handed the keys to a corvette and told to win the race. With a talented team built with perennial Pro Bowlers, White was expected to win right away.

White did exactly that, in the regular and a few times in the playoffs.

In White’s first three years as a starter, he took the Cowboys to three-straight NFC Championship games, only to lose each time in heart-breaking fashion. The most bitter loss came on January 10, 1982 in Candlestick Park against the 49ers. Late in the fourth quarter, Montana threw a high and almost out-of-reach touchdown pass to tight end Dwight Clark to give the 49ers a 28-27 to seal the victory.

It was ironic that the Cowboys lost to Montana, the quarterback they by passed on in the 1979 draft.

White won a total of 46 games in his first four seasons as a full-time starter, including the playoffs. White had 12 fourth-quarter comebacks and 16 game-winning drives in his career. After losing to the Redskins in the 1982 NFC Championship game, White would never led the Cowboys past the first round of the playoffs again.

White finished his career with 62 wins against 30 losses. White was a really good quarterback, one who came close to taking the Cowboys to the Super Bowl on three different occasions. White wasn’t the reason for the Cowboys not reaching the Super Bowl.

Basically, the Cowboys lost to better teams.

In some ways, Tony Romo reminds me of White, not with the physical talent, but with carrying the weight and tradition as a Cowboys quarterback.

When you are the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, you are supposed to win 12 games a year, produce game-winning drives, win the NFC East regularly, win the NFC Championship game, and then win the Super Bowl.

That’s the expectation.

Regardless of the fact that you follow in the footsteps of living-legends like Staubach or Troy Aikman, the reality is that the Cowboys’ quarterback is supposed to deliver the Lombardi Trophy.

Romo is more athletic and has better arm strength than White ever had. In fact, Romo is more mobile and can make the best of them miss, just ask Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt.

Romo’s most talented team was in 2007, when the Cowboys earned 13-3 record and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. Sure as the sky is blue, the Cowboys lost to their NFC East rival New York Giants because of inept coaching and mistakes.

Minus the coaching and miscues, it was similar to how White lost year after year in the NFC Championship game.

Unlike White, Romo doesn’t have Hall of Fame talent at several skill positions, a defense with Super Bowl Co-MVP’s, a legendary coach with 250 wins, and a general manager who had the vision to make the Cowboys America’s Team.

Romo has the exact opposite. First of all, there is mediocre coach named Jason Garrett, whose claim to fame is clapping louder than thunder. Then there is owner and general manager Jerry Jones, the rich oilman from Arkansas who believes he has the Cowboys best interest at heart.

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With egotistical Jones at the helm, and a dark cloud always hanging over the Cowboys organization, Romo might end his career the same way as White, a very talented quarterback who could never get his team over the hump.

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