Cowboys try to keep QB peace
Controversies common, but teammates deny one with Bledsoe, Romo
By TODD ARCHER / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING – There's nothing like a quarterback controversy.
Talk radio telephone lines light up from morning to night. Newspaper columnists seize the moment. Little gets done at offices across town while co-workers argue their sides.
Just one game into the regular season, the Cowboys are teetering toward a quarterback controversy.
A loss tonight at Texas Stadium to Washington, whether Drew Bledsoe plays well or not, and the spotlight will glow hotter on football's most important position.
More calls will be made to radio stations. More columns will be written. Less work will be done.
The suggestion is already being made that because the Cowboys have the bye week Sept. 24, thus an extra week of preparation, the ideal scenario would be to play Tony Romo at Tennessee on Oct. 1.
That's how a quarterback controversy can be born even when one doesn't exist.
"I haven't been around any team with a quarterback controversy," 13-year cornerback Aaron Glenn said. "I still don't think I'm on one with a quarterback controversy."
The situation can be awkward for quarterbacks, but it's not with Bledsoe and Romo. On Thursday, they sat at their lockers, talking and joking.
"You're just waiting your turn when or if it comes down the road," Romo said, "and trying to just be ready at all times."
The Cowboys do not hold the patent on quarterback controversies.
"Sid Luckman in 1948 won 10 of 12 games [for Chicago] and in 1949, the third week of the season, they lost, and he was benched in favor of John Lujack," former Cowboys executive Gil Brandt said. "The Rams with Bob Waterfield played for an NFL championship, and the following year Norm Van Brocklin and Waterfield split time, with both throwing over 200 passes. Joe Namath, after winning the Super Bowl several years later, was benched the last three games of the season for first-round pick Richard Todd.
"What I'm saying is this doesn't happen just today."
But the Cowboys' controversies have surrounded some of the game's big-name quarterbacks.
From Don Meredith and Craig Morton to Morton and Roger Staubach to Danny White and Gary Hogeboom to Troy Aikman and Steve Walsh.
A year after leading the Cowboys to Super Bowl V, Morton lost his job to Staubach, who won Super Bowl VI. In 1972, Morton regained the job but lost it for good the following year and was traded to New York in 1974.
"I think it's more generated with the fans and the press," said former Cowboy Calvin Hill, now a consultant for the team. "I remember one game we lost, 38-0, to St. Louis, and they starting chanting for Don Meredith on Monday Night Football."
The Hogeboom-White controversy caused coach Tom Landry to mistakenly announce left tackle Phil Pozderac as his starter at the team's welcome home luncheon.
The Dallas Morning News polled players anonymously about who should be the starter and who they thought Landry would pick.
"The man in the hat dealt with it," Brandt said. "Much like Coach [Bill] Parcells, he was very, very analytical. There's a lot more to winning than completing 60 percent of your passes and so forth. Bill, who I think is great, and Tom, who I think is the best, their decisions are based on facts."
A coach's decision can create friction, but Brandt believes that's mostly about popularity, "who you drink a beer with or golf with," not football.
Washington's Joe Gibbs is the only coach to have won three Super Bowls with three quarterbacks: Joe Theisman, Doug Williams and Mark Rypien. He says he's had many quarterback controversies.
"I think my statement on that was if you've got a quarterback controversy, that's probably good," Gibbs said. "It means you've got at least two good ones.
"People say it may not be good for the football team or the quarterback, but I don't look at it that way. If a player can't handle that, he's not going to handle trying to take a team down the field in front of 90,000 screaming people trying to win the game. You've probably got the wrong person."
Akin Ayodele was in Jacksonville last year when David Garrard, the Jaguars' backup, went 4-1 as the starter after Byron Leftwich went down with an injury. As Jacksonville prepared for a playoff game against New England, some wondered if Garrard was a better fit. Ultimately Leftwich played, but his job was in question again during this summer's training camp.
"For us, it's just more whoever gets the job done," Ayodele said. "Everybody's going to have their bad games, and Drew is a proven vet. He's done a great job. He understands the offense. For him, and I think for everybody who plays this game, it's how you respond after a bad game."
In his 14th year, Bledsoe understands the business. He was involved in a quarterback controversy in 2001 in New England when Tom Brady went 5-2 after Bledsoe suffered a serious chest injury. Coach Bill Belichick stuck with Brady after Bledsoe recovered, and the Patriots won the Super Bowl.
Brady's success has made some fans and NFL observers wonder if Romo, who has not thrown a pass in a regular-season game but excelled this preseason, can have similar success.
Bledsoe, a team captain, tries to keep his teammates focused on the task at hand.
"The one thing they will continue to hear from me and I'll continue to talk to them about is doing everything I can to make sure we go forward and not allow one game to affect the next game," Bledsoe said. "Whether we win or lose, you have to go forward to the next one."
COWBOYS QUARTERBACK CONTROVERSIES
Don Meredith vs. Craig Morton (1967-68)
The situation
Meredith took a lot of heat from the fans in the early years of the franchise. In 1964, he had a nine- touchdown, 16-interception season for the Cowboys, who selected Morton with the first pick in 1965. The Cowboys failed to win more than five games in any of their first five seasons.
The fallout
Meredith withstood the challenge from Morton – and Jerry Rhome – to take the Cowboys to back-to-back championship games in 1966 and '67. Meredith never had another season with more interceptions than touchdowns after '64.
Craig Morton vs. Roger Staubach (1970-73)
The situation
In 1970, Morton led the Cowboys to Super Bowl V but lost to Baltimore, 16-13. In 1971, Morton and Staubach alternated until Tom Landry named Staubach the starter after seven games. The Cowboys ended up winning Super Bowl VI. A year later, Morton was the starter again, and the Cowboys lost the NFC Championship game to Washington.
The fallout
Despite being outplayed by Morton in the 1973 preseason, Staubach was named the starter. Morton threw only 32 passes and was traded to the New York Giants in 1974. In Super Bowl XII on Jan. 15, 1978, the Cowboys beat Morton's Denver Broncos, 27-10.
Danny White vs. Gary Hogeboom (1984-85)
The situation
Despite leading the Cowboys to three straight NFC Championship games, Danny White, who replaced Staubach, had a difficult time winning over fans. Hogeboom was the immediate favorite because he was not White.
The fallout
Hogeboom started 10 games in 1984, and the Cowboys finished 9-7, missing the playoffs for the first time since 1974. He finished with seven touchdown passes and 14 interceptions. White won the job back in 1985, and the Cowboys made the postseason, finishing 10-6, but lost to the Los Angeles Rams, 20-0, in the divisional round.
Troy Aikman vs. Steve Walsh (1989)
The situation
Aikman was the top pick in the 1989 draft, but the Cowboys also took Steve Walsh, who helped Jimmy Johnson win a national title at the University of Miami, in the first round of the supplemental draft. The Cowboys won one game in 1989 with Walsh as their quarterback, while Aikman posted an 0-11 record.
The fallout
Aikman quickly established himself, and the Cowboys traded Walsh to New Orleans on Sept. 25, 1990, for first- and third-round picks in 1991 and a second-rounder in 1992. Aikman became a Hall of Famer, while Walsh bounced around to five other teams.
Quincy Carter vs. Chad Hutchinson (2002)
The situation
Thanks to HBO's Hard Knocks, this became a hot contest. Carter was a surprise second-round pick in 2001, but the Cowboys signed Hutchinson, who had spent time with the St. Louis Cardinals. Carter started seven games but met his downfall with four interceptions vs. Arizona. Hutchinson threw 95 passes before his first pick, and his attempts, completions, yardage and TD totals were second best in team history by a rookie. But the Cowboys were 2-7 with him as the starter.
The fallout
Bill Parcells was named head coach after the season, and Carter won the starting job in training camp, taking the Cowboys to the playoffs. Hutchinson was sent to NFL Europe after the season and was cut before training camp, as the Cowboys embarked on another baseball-turned-football player, Drew Henson.
By TODD ARCHER / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING – There's nothing like a quarterback controversy.
Talk radio telephone lines light up from morning to night. Newspaper columnists seize the moment. Little gets done at offices across town while co-workers argue their sides.
Just one game into the regular season, the Cowboys are teetering toward a quarterback controversy.
A loss tonight at Texas Stadium to Washington, whether Drew Bledsoe plays well or not, and the spotlight will glow hotter on football's most important position.
More calls will be made to radio stations. More columns will be written. Less work will be done.
The suggestion is already being made that because the Cowboys have the bye week Sept. 24, thus an extra week of preparation, the ideal scenario would be to play Tony Romo at Tennessee on Oct. 1.
That's how a quarterback controversy can be born even when one doesn't exist.
"I haven't been around any team with a quarterback controversy," 13-year cornerback Aaron Glenn said. "I still don't think I'm on one with a quarterback controversy."
The situation can be awkward for quarterbacks, but it's not with Bledsoe and Romo. On Thursday, they sat at their lockers, talking and joking.
"You're just waiting your turn when or if it comes down the road," Romo said, "and trying to just be ready at all times."
The Cowboys do not hold the patent on quarterback controversies.
"Sid Luckman in 1948 won 10 of 12 games [for Chicago] and in 1949, the third week of the season, they lost, and he was benched in favor of John Lujack," former Cowboys executive Gil Brandt said. "The Rams with Bob Waterfield played for an NFL championship, and the following year Norm Van Brocklin and Waterfield split time, with both throwing over 200 passes. Joe Namath, after winning the Super Bowl several years later, was benched the last three games of the season for first-round pick Richard Todd.
"What I'm saying is this doesn't happen just today."
But the Cowboys' controversies have surrounded some of the game's big-name quarterbacks.
From Don Meredith and Craig Morton to Morton and Roger Staubach to Danny White and Gary Hogeboom to Troy Aikman and Steve Walsh.
A year after leading the Cowboys to Super Bowl V, Morton lost his job to Staubach, who won Super Bowl VI. In 1972, Morton regained the job but lost it for good the following year and was traded to New York in 1974.
"I think it's more generated with the fans and the press," said former Cowboy Calvin Hill, now a consultant for the team. "I remember one game we lost, 38-0, to St. Louis, and they starting chanting for Don Meredith on Monday Night Football."
The Hogeboom-White controversy caused coach Tom Landry to mistakenly announce left tackle Phil Pozderac as his starter at the team's welcome home luncheon.
The Dallas Morning News polled players anonymously about who should be the starter and who they thought Landry would pick.
"The man in the hat dealt with it," Brandt said. "Much like Coach [Bill] Parcells, he was very, very analytical. There's a lot more to winning than completing 60 percent of your passes and so forth. Bill, who I think is great, and Tom, who I think is the best, their decisions are based on facts."
A coach's decision can create friction, but Brandt believes that's mostly about popularity, "who you drink a beer with or golf with," not football.
Washington's Joe Gibbs is the only coach to have won three Super Bowls with three quarterbacks: Joe Theisman, Doug Williams and Mark Rypien. He says he's had many quarterback controversies.
"I think my statement on that was if you've got a quarterback controversy, that's probably good," Gibbs said. "It means you've got at least two good ones.
"People say it may not be good for the football team or the quarterback, but I don't look at it that way. If a player can't handle that, he's not going to handle trying to take a team down the field in front of 90,000 screaming people trying to win the game. You've probably got the wrong person."
Akin Ayodele was in Jacksonville last year when David Garrard, the Jaguars' backup, went 4-1 as the starter after Byron Leftwich went down with an injury. As Jacksonville prepared for a playoff game against New England, some wondered if Garrard was a better fit. Ultimately Leftwich played, but his job was in question again during this summer's training camp.
"For us, it's just more whoever gets the job done," Ayodele said. "Everybody's going to have their bad games, and Drew is a proven vet. He's done a great job. He understands the offense. For him, and I think for everybody who plays this game, it's how you respond after a bad game."
In his 14th year, Bledsoe understands the business. He was involved in a quarterback controversy in 2001 in New England when Tom Brady went 5-2 after Bledsoe suffered a serious chest injury. Coach Bill Belichick stuck with Brady after Bledsoe recovered, and the Patriots won the Super Bowl.
Brady's success has made some fans and NFL observers wonder if Romo, who has not thrown a pass in a regular-season game but excelled this preseason, can have similar success.
Bledsoe, a team captain, tries to keep his teammates focused on the task at hand.
"The one thing they will continue to hear from me and I'll continue to talk to them about is doing everything I can to make sure we go forward and not allow one game to affect the next game," Bledsoe said. "Whether we win or lose, you have to go forward to the next one."
COWBOYS QUARTERBACK CONTROVERSIES
Don Meredith vs. Craig Morton (1967-68)
The situation
Meredith took a lot of heat from the fans in the early years of the franchise. In 1964, he had a nine- touchdown, 16-interception season for the Cowboys, who selected Morton with the first pick in 1965. The Cowboys failed to win more than five games in any of their first five seasons.
The fallout
Meredith withstood the challenge from Morton – and Jerry Rhome – to take the Cowboys to back-to-back championship games in 1966 and '67. Meredith never had another season with more interceptions than touchdowns after '64.
Craig Morton vs. Roger Staubach (1970-73)
The situation
In 1970, Morton led the Cowboys to Super Bowl V but lost to Baltimore, 16-13. In 1971, Morton and Staubach alternated until Tom Landry named Staubach the starter after seven games. The Cowboys ended up winning Super Bowl VI. A year later, Morton was the starter again, and the Cowboys lost the NFC Championship game to Washington.
The fallout
Despite being outplayed by Morton in the 1973 preseason, Staubach was named the starter. Morton threw only 32 passes and was traded to the New York Giants in 1974. In Super Bowl XII on Jan. 15, 1978, the Cowboys beat Morton's Denver Broncos, 27-10.
Danny White vs. Gary Hogeboom (1984-85)
The situation
Despite leading the Cowboys to three straight NFC Championship games, Danny White, who replaced Staubach, had a difficult time winning over fans. Hogeboom was the immediate favorite because he was not White.
The fallout
Hogeboom started 10 games in 1984, and the Cowboys finished 9-7, missing the playoffs for the first time since 1974. He finished with seven touchdown passes and 14 interceptions. White won the job back in 1985, and the Cowboys made the postseason, finishing 10-6, but lost to the Los Angeles Rams, 20-0, in the divisional round.
Troy Aikman vs. Steve Walsh (1989)
The situation
Aikman was the top pick in the 1989 draft, but the Cowboys also took Steve Walsh, who helped Jimmy Johnson win a national title at the University of Miami, in the first round of the supplemental draft. The Cowboys won one game in 1989 with Walsh as their quarterback, while Aikman posted an 0-11 record.
The fallout
Aikman quickly established himself, and the Cowboys traded Walsh to New Orleans on Sept. 25, 1990, for first- and third-round picks in 1991 and a second-rounder in 1992. Aikman became a Hall of Famer, while Walsh bounced around to five other teams.
Quincy Carter vs. Chad Hutchinson (2002)
The situation
Thanks to HBO's Hard Knocks, this became a hot contest. Carter was a surprise second-round pick in 2001, but the Cowboys signed Hutchinson, who had spent time with the St. Louis Cardinals. Carter started seven games but met his downfall with four interceptions vs. Arizona. Hutchinson threw 95 passes before his first pick, and his attempts, completions, yardage and TD totals were second best in team history by a rookie. But the Cowboys were 2-7 with him as the starter.
The fallout
Bill Parcells was named head coach after the season, and Carter won the starting job in training camp, taking the Cowboys to the playoffs. Hutchinson was sent to NFL Europe after the season and was cut before training camp, as the Cowboys embarked on another baseball-turned-football player, Drew Henson.
posted by The Gryphon at 11:11 AM
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