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Number Crunching: #12
by Chris Brophy
19/6/2009
Once again Quarterbacks dominate our thoughts as we reach #12, one of the most popular numbers for triggermen in the NFL and therefore, one of the toughest decisions we’ll face in our choice of who to represent each number. For those of you thinking the man to get the nod is still currently playing think again. No currently active players will be picked over the course of this rundown (or is that run-up?) although they will get honourable mentions. Anyway, without further ado, let’s get on with the story of our all time #12. He is a real All-American hero, a war veteran and captain of America’s Team.
FD’s All Time #12: Roger Staubach, Quarterback (Dallas Cowboys)
 In the 1970’s there were two dominant teams the Steelers and the Cowboys. Whilst there is no doubt that ultimately the Steelers are fairly and squarely the team of that decade there is also little doubt the Cowboys were the most entertaining team of the decade as each week it seemed, Roger Staubach would have to prove his ability in the clutch to rescue America’s Team from the savages trying to knock them off their perch.
Staubach is the ultimate hero story. He had decided long before pro football was an option that he wanted to serve his country and so went to university with Navy where he would play football and do his officer training.
At Navy he was an outstanding football player who made the program instantly competitive. As a sophomore he led Navy to an upset over Army and in his junior year (1963) he won the Heisman Trophy, leading his team to a 9-1 record (ranking #2 in the nation) and a victory over Notre Dame. Navy wouldn’t beat the Fighting Irish again until 2007!
Upon graduation in 1964, Staubach went off to do a tour of duty in Vietnam. Had he not had his commitment to the Navy he would likely have been a top five pick in the draft but with his Navy service to consider plus the fact that going to Vietnam wasn’t exactly just an exercise in killing time, no team was going to risk a lot on him. The Dallas Cowboys finally decided to spend a 10th round pick in the ’64 draft to secure his future rights.
Staubach returned from his tour of duty in Vietnam and spent the rest of his naval service in the US where he would play on several football teams to keep in shape. In 1969 he resigned his commission and headed to Dallas to finally try his hand at the NFL. By this time, he was 27 years old, not exactly young for a NFL player and with plenty of catching up to do.
He seemed to have timed his arrival exactly right though. The Cowboys were now a real force in the NFL under Head Coach Tom Landry but they had been stung by the surprise retirement of star quarterback Don Dandy Meredith. However, Staubach was not deemed ready yet and Meredith’s former back-up, Craig Morton would get the nod.
Staubach waited patiently and finally got the chance to start in the 1971 season. He and Morton would then share the job, even to the point when in Week 7 of the season Landry alternated them on a play by play basis. That game resulted in a loss though and the following week Staubach got the nod as the starter. He would go on to lead his team to ten straight victories, the final one being the defeat of the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI. Not a bad start to any pro football career!
The following season Staubach separated his shoulder and Morton got the starting job back, helping to lead Dallas back to post season in an effort to defend their title. In the Divisional play-off game against the 49ers though, the Cowboys found themselves in a hole and Landry called on a fit again Staubach to help them out of it. Down 28-13, Staubach helped his team produce 17 unanswered points including two touchdowns in the last 90 seconds of the game. Captain Comeback was born and he would never lose the starting job again!
 Comebacks, clutch finishes, making something out of nothing these were all the things that endeared Staubach to Cowboy and NFL fans everywhere. No game was ever over against the Cowboys as long as Staubach was on the field and the most famous of these comebacks came in the 1975 play-offs when the term Hail Mary was born.
In a tough defensive battle between the Vikings Purple People Eaters and the Cowboys Doomsday Defense, the Vikings took a 4th quarter lead when our all time #10, Fran Tarkenton, led his Vikings offense down the field to take a 14-10 lead with 1:51 remaining. Surely the Vikings defense could hold against a Cowboys offense that had struggled all day long and was being led by a quarterback who had sore ribs.
Taking over at their own 15 Staubach drove the Cowboys to midfield but had eaten up 80 seconds with 9 plays. They had no time outs left and a completion infield or a sack could well end the game. Staubach lined up in the shotgun, took the snap and looked left, he then pump faked left before coming back to his right and heaving the ball deep towards receiver Drew Pearson who was being tightly covered by Vikings cornerback Nate Wright. As the ball got close Pearson seemingly found separation and made the catch at the 5 yard line and strolled into the end zone. Unbelievable!! The Cowboys took the game 17-14. Staubach was interviewed after the game and told how he had not seen the play as he had been hit as he threw and was on his back when the catch was made. He stated It was just a Hail Mary pass; a very, very lucky play.
The term for a last gasp heave to the end zone was born.
The play was controversial though. Pearson had seemed to interfere with Wright who had tight coverage. Vikings safety Paul Krause went ballistic with field judge Armen Terzian who was closest to the play and could have made the call. Terzian would end up with a bloody head for his non-call as he was struck by an empty whiskey bottle as he left the field. Years later, Drew Pearson admitted to Vikings running back Chuck Foreman that he had indeed intentionally interfered with Nate Wright.
Justice of sorts was served on the Cowboys and Staubach as they fell to the Steelers in Super Bowl X. The Cowboys would return to the big game two years later though when ironically, Staubach would be matched up against his old rival for the starter’s job, Craig Morton, who was quarterbacking the Denver Broncos now. Staubach was nice and efficient on the day, throwing a TD pass but allowing the Doomsday Defense to take care of Morton as the Cowboys and Staubach earned their second world championship with a 27-10 victory.
They would return to the Super Bowl again the following year attempting to defend their title but again they would face the Steelers. The Steelers got on top in the game early but the Cowboys came back furiously behind Staubach’s arm and if not for one of the most infamous drops in Super Bowl history by future Hall of Fame tight end Jackie Smith in the third quarter which meant Dallas had to settle for a field goal instead of a touchdown, things could have been so different. Staubach would throw two late TD passes but came up short and lost by the score of 35-31.
Staubach would play another season in 1979 but by now he was 37 years old and despite career highs for a season in passing yardage and touchdown passes, his off the field interests and a desire to spend more time with his family meant Staubach was set on retiring.
 By the time he was done with the NFL Staubach had thrown for 22700 yards and 153 TD passes whilst rushing for over 2000 yards and another 20 TD’s. He led the NFL in passing four times in his career and his 83.4 passing rating was the highest on record for a career at the time of his retirement. He made six Pro Bowls, is a member of the NFL’s All-Decade teams for the 1970’s and is enshrined in both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fames.
With his scrambling style and comeback ability, Roger The Dodger is widelt regarded as one of the best on the field leaders ever. His ball handling skills were something to behold as he would often succeed in freezing a defense with his many fake hand-offs and play action fakes. He could make the ball appear to be in the possession of a player before pulling it out at the last second whilst hiding it from view so he appear not to be in possession.
One team that doesn’t remember Staubach fondly is the Washington Redskins. Whilst the rivalry between the two teams has more to it than just the fact they are in the same division there is no doubt Staubach and Redskins defensive tackle Diron Talbert’s war of words helped ignite the flames that still burn today. After Staubach won his starting job back in the 1972 play-offs and helped inspire a late comeback over the 49ers he was found to be out of sorts the following week in the NFC Championship as he was kept in check by the Redskins in a 26-3 defeat. Talbert stated how he felt the Cowboys would have been more of a challenge with Morton at quarterback instead of Staubach. Staubach hit back by accusing Talbert of seeking publicity.
Both were team captains and for years afterwards and would never shake hands at the coin toss in games between the two teams. In a match-up in 1976 the Redskins needed a win in the season finale and Talbert tipped a Staubach pass that was then intercepted to seal a Redskins win. Staubach, known as a clean cut character, earned his only unsportsmanlike penalty of his career when he hit Redskins cornerback Pat Fischer out of bounds in the same game. Staubach would have his revenge though in his last ever regular season game as a Cowboy, pulling off another fabulous comeback as down by 13 points in the 4th quarter he hit Ron Springs and Tony Hill with touchdown passes to sneak a 35-34 win that made sure the Cowboys qualified for the post season and the Redskins stayed at home.
With the numbers put up by quarterbacks today, Staubach’s marks have faded well back into the history pages but there is no doubt he is one of the most special talents to ever grace a football field and his achievements will live long in the NFL’s memory.
Honourable Mentions:
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Joe Namath, Quarterback (New York Jets)
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Terry Bradshaw, Quarterback (Pittsburgh Steelers)
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Bob Greise, Quarterback (Miami Dolphins)
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Kenny Stabler, Quarterback (Oakland Raiders, Houston Oilers, New Orleans Saints)
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John Brodie, Quarterback (San Francisco 49ers)
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Jim Kelly, Quarterback (Buffalo Bills)
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Rich Gannon, Quarterback (Patriots, Vikings, Redskins, Chiefs, Raiders)
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Tom Brady, Quarterback (New England Patriots)
 There were plenty of others who had to be considered including four Hall of Fame quarterbacks and a couple of guys who are close calls for the Hall. Joe Namath is famous for his Super Bowl III guarantee but whilst Broadway Joe’s career statistics look a little ugly that win over the Colts gave the AFL the respect it deserved from the NFL and opened the door for a period of AFL/AFC dominance in the big game.
Terry Bradshaw got the better of Roger Staubach in the Super Bowl twice and is nowadays one of the lead analysts on FOX. He teamed up with Lynn Swann and John Stallworth to give the Steelers many a win through the air and was part of four Super Bowl victories, being named MVP twice. Not bad for a guy who couldn’t spell cat if you spotted him the ‘c’ and the ‘a’!
Bob Greise could be considered a game manager in many ways because the Dolphins strong ground game led the way in their glory years of the 70’s but Greise would often make clutch plays when required.
Kenny Stabler has been close to getting into the Hall of Fame a few times but comes up just short. The Snake was the quickest QB to 100 wins managing the mark in 150 games and that has only been bettered since by Joe Montana and Tom Brady.
John Brodie was the 49ers leading passing for many years and set all the marks for Joe Montana to break. 17 seasons with one franchise is an impressive mark and the two time All-Pro was also named NFL MVP in 1970.
 Hall of Famer Jim Kelly came from the Miami University QB production line that also produced Bernie Kosar, Vinny Testaverde and Steve Walsh in the same decade. He started as a pro playing in the run n’ shoot in the USFL with the Houston Gamblers before taking over as the Bills starter in the NFL and calling his own plays in the no huddle offense that would take the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances.
Rich Gannon also wore number 16 for many years but had most of his success wearing number 12 with the Oakland Raiders as he enjoyed an Indian summer when he found his niche in Jon Gruden’s offense, making 4 Pro Bowls and being named 2002 NFL MVP as he helped the Raiders make the Super Bowl.
Currently, Tom Brady is the best number 12 around and the three times Super Bowl Champion who threw a record 50TD’s in 2007 could well be considered the best number 12 who ever played once it is all said and done.
Learn More about past NFL greats in our History Archive
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