ARLINGTON, Texas – The Netflix eight-episode docuseries, America's Team: The Gambler And His Cowboys is a nice walk through the Cowboys transitional history from a storied history suddenly down in the dumps pivoting in 1989 when a relatively unknown Jerral Wayne Jones bought the franchise from previous owner Bum Bright.
But more so than that, thanks to Episode 2, documenting the Cowboys rise from five consecutive downtrodden seasons, matching the most consecutive losing seasons since their inception, 1960-64,
this becomes a very pertinent instructional reminder to Jerry, son Stephen, top personnel guy Will McClay and even for first time head coach Brian Schottenheimer, the importance of this.
And very well could have been entitled:
Importance of the Backup Quarterback.
How very timely to today, the 2025 season teeing up, 66th in franchise history, the Cowboys very delicately after an entire training camp and the third preseason game Friday night against the Atlanta Falcons, the Cowboys 31-13 victory finishing the preseason with a 1-2 record.
Now the Cowboys have franchise quarterback Dak Prescott ready to go. But pray tell, just who is the backup? Is it really Joe Milton, who's third preseason start was much, much more encouraging than the previous two. Is it Will Grier, a more experienced quarterback on the basis of time spent in the NFL, not time actually played in games? Or is it someone who comes out of the woodwork with more actual game experienced than the other two combined?
Please allow me to regress to what might as well become a football parable. Thanks to the addition of quarterback Troy Aikman in 1989 and then running back Emmitt Smith in 1990 and the midseason return of wide receiver Michael Irvin from a season-ending 1989 injury – their three consecutive first round draft choices back then – that initial team of the Jerry Jones ownership and Jimmy Johnson coaching era going 1-15, was sitting there 7-7 in 1990 after reeling off a shocking four game winning streak, meaning the Cowboys 3-7 start saddled this new era with a 4-22 record in the first 26 games.
The one-year turnaround was being heralded as largest in NFL history. In fact, the Cowboys were in need of one more victory, and even if they had finished with a 7-9 record after those final two games, to claim the final wildcard playoff spot.
For real.
But in Game 15, course at Philadelphia, Aikman goes down with a dislocated right shoulder less than six minutes into the game thanks to a Clyde Simmons hit in a scoreless game. In comes backup quarterback Babe Laufenberg, described in a wire story as "a six-year journeyman who has somehow survived in the NFL with a weak arm and a strong will." Babe, now Cowboys Radio Network analyst in his 34th season, with only seven NFL starts over 16 games in four seasons – six of those starts over eight games in 1988 with the Chargers, now took over.
Things didn't go well against that stout Eagles defense that had ravaged the Cowboys during their current six-game winning streak over the Cowboys. Laufenberg finished the game 13 of 36, 140 yards and four interceptions in a 17-3 loss. And having to start the final game of the season, the Cowboys still needing a victory to claim that last wildcard spot, on mud-caked rainy day in Georgia (Atlanta), equipped with a mighty poor Dave Shula game plan, the Cowboys went down 26-7, and yet still had a chance to gain that wildcard berth had the Rams beaten the Saints in the NFL's final game of the regular season on a Monday night New Year's Eve.
They didn't, Saints quarterback Steve Walsh, the Cowboys 1989 supplemental draft choice traded to the Saints in 1990 for a draft choice package, led the Saints down field for Morten Andersen's 24-yard game-winning field with five seconds remaining. That close.
But lesson learned. Better have a quality backup quarterback.
And, oh how hard the Cowboys tried the 1991 offseason after having signed Cliff Stout to backup Laufenberg that final game of the 1990 season, retaining him with the idea of being Troy's backup. The 38-year-old veteran though was toast. (Read awful).
Then the week before the start of the 1991 season, on the third attempt to pry Steve Beuerlein away from the Raiders, the QB wasting away in then Al Davis' doghouse, the Raiders finally accepted the Cowboys 1992 conditional fourth round draft choice for Beuerlein, who at the time at least had started 15 of 20 games with the Raiders before nary a one in 1990 in a contract dispute with Davis.
Jimmy, having known Steve from his college days at Miami, and Troy, having known him too while at UCLA, were mighty comfortable bringing in Beuerlein.
Said Johnson of acquiring Beuerlein as the backup "Steve understands the situation. He understands in this league you need more than one quarterback if you want to make a run at a championship."
How perceptive. Because 11 games into the 1991 season, the Cowboys 6-5, after losing three of their last four games, including two consecutive road games, were going into Washington the Sunday before Thanksgiving to face the undefeated Redskins (11-0) and eventual Super Bowl champs that season. Call it intuition or just plain luck to have orchestrated the trade for Beuerlein, with the heavy underdog Cowboys leading Washington, 14-7 at halftime thanks to Aikman completing a half-ending 34-yard Hail Mary to Alvin Harper.
Wouldn't you know it. Early in the third quarterback Aikman goes down. Sprained knee. Out. And likely out another four weeks. And by golly, the Cowboys cashed in on their insurance policy. Beuerlein enters, and ends up completing seven of 12 passes for 109 yards, one touchdown, while Emmitt rushes for 132 yards, and Irvin lights up Pro Bowl corner Darrell Green with nine catches for 130 including basically in the fourth quarter the game-clinching 24-year TD pass from Beuerlein, remember, the backup quarterback to ensure the season-turning around 24-21 victory.
Beuerlein, again for emphasis, the backup, would then lead the Cowboys to four more consecutive wins, including going into Philadelphia in Game 15 after the Eagles had spanked the Cowboys in the third game of the season 24-0, while sacking Aikman an opponent franchise matching record 11 times, to whip the Eagles 25-13 to clinch a wildcard playoff berth and finished second in the NFC East at 11-5. Not to mention the l1 single season wins the most since the Cowboys went 12-4 in 1983.
Not only that, Beuerlein took the Cowboys into Chicago for a first-round playoff game, still heavy underdogs, to beat the Bears, 17-13, their first playoff victory since the strike-shortened 1982 season playoff tournament.
If The Gambler didn't remember, and he did, Episode 2 certainly would have, highlighting Beuerlein's contributions, though the six game losing streak ending with a thud in Detroit the next week, losing 38-6, even Aikman entering taking late in the second quarter couldn't stem the tide of a losing cause.
Consider not minimizing the backup quarterback, though back then there was no salary cap to deter any extravagant spending. The Cowboys kept Beuerlein around for the Super Bowl-winnings 1992 season, before Carolina pried him away. And while starting off 1993 with youngin' Jason Garrett as the backup, the Cowboys didn't waste any time acquiring veteran Bernie Kosar at the first sign of trouble when Aikman went down with a hamstring injury on Nov. 7. While Garrett would start the next game against the Cardinals, taking the Cowboys to a 3-0 lead, Kosar, Johnson's former Hurricanes quarterback his first year as head coach in Miami (1984) with barely three practices under his belt, came in relief to lead the Cowboys to the eventual a 20-15 victory.
Then the next week, in his first Cowboys start, Kosar leads the Cowboys to a 27-14 victory over Atlanta. And the Cowboys didn't need him again until the second half of their NFC Championship game against San Francisco, taking over after Aikman suffered a concussion early in the third quarter of the 38-21 win that Johnson had predicted on local radio earlier in the week. Remember, "The three-inch headline" boast.
Confessed Aikman later, "That (concussion) was the worst one I had, in that game, the third quarter. I don't have any recollection of having played in that game."
Backup quarterback saves the day.
Next year, after Kosar signs a free agent deal with the Dolphins, the Cowboys bring in Rodney Peete. And who will ever forget Aikman out with an injury for the Thanksgiving Day game against the Packers. Peete out with an injury, too, and Garrett lighting up the second half for a 42-31 victory.
The Cowboys in 1995 then turned the job over to veteran Wade Wilson for three years and then Garrett for two before the Giants financially lured him away to be their backup.
Lesson learned that decade:
Don't being, uh, gambling on the backup quarterback position.
Which brings us to today. Because after three preseason games, the Cowboys have on the roster two the potential backups, Milton and Grier. Together they have combined for just three NFL games appearances, Grier two, both back in 2019, and Milton one, the final game of his rookie season last year. Just two starts, both Grier's from 2019.
That's it. Neither is Steve Beuerlein. Or Bernie Kosar. Or Rodeny Peete. Or Jason Garrett. Little to no experience, the quality of essence for a backup in the NFL.
Now Milton did take a step in the right direction Friday night, completing 10 of 18 passes for 132 yards, throwing for one touchdown, running for one touchdown and a QB rating of 97.5, easily his best performance of the preseason. This completed his best week during the month of training camp.
Milton seemed to be more relaxed, or as Schottenheimer said, "He looked a lot more comfortable and settled," and later added, "I thought he played really, really well."
Maybe most impressive was his 29-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Brooks when he actually put some loft into the pass when Brooks beat man coverage instead of firing a fastball as seemingly had been his nature. Next, the few times he actually threw the ball away instead of trying to fit a pass into tight windows. And he wisely used his legs from the one yard when rolling out looking for his tight end who was covered to run into the end zone.
"Joe did some really nice things tonight," Schottenheimer said
But is it enough to convince the Cowboys to put the season's fate in Milton's hands for a series, a game or three if Dak succumbs to injury. History can be instructional, although as Jerry cautioned when asking him during our Countdown To Kickoff pregame show the value of a backup quarterback, "Nowadays the backup quarterback is very much needed, but relative to the salary, cap can you afford the backup quarterback who meets the mix, because there is no question if he's good enough to be on the roster, he's taking up a tackle spot, and might be taking up two tackle spots (in cap space)s and you'll use those tackles for sure
"But the mentality is, I hope we're not using the backup quarterback."
Jerry's right. But know what, you never know.
Stay tuned.
