We hope everyone is enjoying the Ultimate 53 man roster, in our efforts to celebrate the 53 years of Cowboys football. Anytime you start listing out players from different eras, it's going to draw a healthy debate. And this one was no different.
But when it came to the quarterback position, it always seems to be tricky.
While it's not hard to say Roger Staubach is the starting quarterback for our all-time team, it is hard to put Troy Aikman as the backup. Maybe that sentence doesn't make sense but it should.
I think it's clear what Staubach meant for this team and organization. He was the guy who put the team over the top in 1971 and took the Cowboys from being "Next Year's Champions" to one of the greatest teams of all-time.
He was Captain Comeback and with Staubach under center, the Cowboys were never out of it.
Yeah, all that is true and for that, he has to be the starting quarterback or the first quarterback on any all-time team.
But it still doesn't seem right putting Aikman behind anyone. For everything Staubach did to put the Cowboys over the top in the 1970's, Aikman did that for the Cowboys in the 90's.
He was the steady force that got America's Team back on track again. Sure, he had help with the Triplets and a great offensive line. But you could make the case Staubach had plenty of help, too.
Had it not been for a few TV blackouts during the 1989 season, I could say I've watched every game Troy Aikman ever played, including his last three seasons from the press box.
Just watching him, on and off the field, there was never a doubt who the leader was for those football teams.
Aikman had control of that team for an entire decade. So forgive me if I have a hard time putting him behind Staubach. Sure, it's probably the right thing to do, but if Aikman is a backup, he's the greatest backup of all time.
