Fort Worth Star Telegram sportswriter Ray Buck used the occasion of the Dallas Cowboys' bye week Sunday to compile a list of the Top 50 Cowboys of All-time. No surprises (Tony Romo is NOT on the list, which is where he should be) but a few omissions of players who likely would be in the Next 50 list (Robert Newhouse, Butch Johnson, Tony Hill for starters) are notable.
I won't give away the entire list, but you can read it here ...
The Star-Telegram's Top 10 is:
10. Bob Hayes
9. Randy White
8. Rayfield Wright
7. Mel Renfro
6. Don Meredith
5. Emmitt Smith
4. Tony Dorsett
3. Troy Aikman
2. Bob Lilly
1. Roger Staubach
The only quibble I would have would be ranking Dorsett ahead of Emmitt. The romance and nostalgia of the 1970s Cowboy teams led me to refuse to consider that Smith was in fact the better back when he was playing but in hindsight, Emmitt clearly deserves to be ahead of T.D., as good as the latter was.
And was Staubach better than Aikman? Read the stats and probably no, Aikman is better. But those huge intangibles that Staubach possessed -- including being the Face of the Franchise -- will maybe forever put him at the top of any all-time Cowboy list.
Seems odd, too, that Danny Villanueva, a three-year placekicker in the 1960s, is No. 50 on the list.
Looking at the list it is obvious that the 1970s-era Cowboys are the teams by which all others should be measured. Twenty-three of the 50 players on the list enjoyed their best years during the Cowboys' decade of the 1970s. Seven on the list were at the height of their careers during the 1980s and seven more gained their famed during the 1990s.
DeMarcus Ware (No. 22) and Jason Witten (No. 32) are the only current members on the all-time team. Will anyone else ultimately be on the list that is on the current roster? At the rate we're going now, it seems unlikely.
Agree with Emmitt. You can probably make the case he was better than Aikman.
I would have also moved Irvin ahead of Drew Pearson. Take in everything they did in their career and I don't get how Irvin, a hall of famer, isn't better than Pearson, not a hall of famer and not in ring of honor.
I would have also moved Novacek up.
Posted by: Stewart Doreen | Monday, October 19, 2009 at 01:18 PM
Glad to see that Walt Garrison made the list. But, seriously, Danny White?
Posted by: TJ | Monday, October 19, 2009 at 01:30 PM
Danny White QBed the Cowboys to three straight conference title games (a Donovan McNabb like effort). His comeback against the Falcons is one of the great come-from-behind efforts in team history. He's deserving.
Posted by: Stewart Doreen | Monday, October 19, 2009 at 01:58 PM
Danny White's biggest sin was following Roger... but his appearance on the list does mean that Romo has slightly better than a chance in hell in making it.
I waould add that Danny White would never show up at his alma mater wearing a trench coat and backwards baseball cap to accept an award.
Posted by: Jimmy | Monday, October 19, 2009 at 02:51 PM
It seems like an intentional snub to put Jay Novacek one spot ahead of Jason Witten, then in Witten's bio explain that he had as many Pro Bowl appearances and set the team catch record.
I loved Novacek, but his team has three other weapons that defenses had to game plan for, leaving him against pretty weak matchups in most instances. Witten, on the the hand, is always gameplanned for by opposing defenses because for years he has been the Cowboys only reliable target.
Posted by: John Boyd | Monday, October 19, 2009 at 04:01 PM
Good points by Boyd. Of course with so many weapons, it would be nearly impossible for Novacek to catch as many passes. It was also a ground-oriented offense compared to the way Romo slings it around.
But I also remind faithful Cowboy fans. When did the Dallas demise begin (when Novacek retired) and what did Troy Aikman never find for the rest of his time as Dallas' QB (another Novacek). Will Witten become better than Novacek who joined Dallas late in his career? Probably, but that doesn't mean Novacek shouldn't be rated higher.
Posted by: Stewart | Monday, October 19, 2009 at 09:19 PM
Hmmm....can we just flip-flop Tony & Emmitt everyday? Let one be ahead of the other one day, and then flip 'em the next? That one's too tough to call for me.
On the other hand, Emmitt did win "Dancing With the Stars".
Posted by: Tricia | Monday, October 19, 2009 at 10:50 PM
Rayfield Wright lived next door to a woman I was dating in Dallas. Besides being a big honker and a superb player....he was a very nice guy, coming over often to discuss his exploits with the 'Boys.
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