Four minutes and 54 seconds that will live forever in Cowboys history

The 49ers sat at their own 10 yard line with 4:54 left on the clock. The Cowboys were ahead 27-21 and all they needed to do was prevent a touchdown and stand tall like they had done so many times before in the 1981 NFC Championship game. A victory over the 49ers would send the Cowboys to Super Bowl XVI to play the Cincinnati Bengals. The Cowboys defense had already forced six 49ers turnovers during the game, which included three interceptions off Joe Montana.

From the start 49ers Coach Bill Walsh saw that the Cowboys were playing their nickel defense, consisting of one linebacker and seven defensive backs. Walsh wanted to take advantage of that by keeping the Cowboys on their heels and guessing. It was Cowboys safety Charlie Waters who confronted Cowboys defensive coordinator Ernie Stautner as to why it was a bad idea to be playing nickel defense with so much time left on the clock. Stautner's response to Waters was...

"Look, we’ll get out of the nickel, but it’s going to be all on you."

...meaning that Waters would have to answer to coach Landry. And Waters responded...

"No thanks"

So the Cowboys stayed in their nickel defense as the 49ers started on their 14 play drive. Over the years some have said that the 49ers called more rushing plays on the drive due to the Cowboys nickel defense, but the fact is that the 49ers actually ran 8 passing plays and 6 running plays on the drive. Of the 14 plays on the drive 11 of them went for positive yardage. The 49ers seemed to move down the field with ease and the 4:54 that was on the clock when the drive started dwindled down to just 58 seconds left when Joe Montana faced 3rd and 3 from the Cowboys six yard line. It was at that point Ernie Stautner removed his nickel defense and replaced it with the Cowboys base 4-3 defense.

I'm sure we have all seen the play more than we have wanted over the years. Joe Montana rolled to his right while being chased down by Ed Jones, Larry Bethea and D.D. Lewis. He then threw into the back of the end zone before being knocked to the ground. Dwight Clark leaped high with Everson Walls covering and came down with the ball for the touchdown. The play became one of the most famous in NFL history. It also became one of the greatest plays in 49ers history and one of the worst in Cowboys history. The score put the 49ers ahead 28-27 with just 51 seconds left in the game.

The Cowboys returned the kickoff to their 25 yard line and the offense took over with just 47 seconds left to play. With two timeouts left and a great kicker in Rafael Septien, the Cowboys knew there was a sense of urgency, but at the same time there were no signs of panic or a need to rush as Danny White and the offense broke the huddle.

On first down Danny White dropped back and fired the ball into triple coverage as Drew Pearson neared midfield. Pearson made the reception and never broke stride as he crossed midfield. If it wasn't for 49ers cornerback Eric Wright dragging Pearson down by the back of the jersey chances are that Pearson would have scored or at the very least gained enough yards to put the Cowboys in field goal range. Pearson gained 31 yards on the play to reach the 49ers 44 yard line and the Cowboys quickly called a timeout with 38 seconds left.

The Cowboys were looking to get as close to the 30 yard line as possible if not past it to give Septien the best chance to kick the game winning field goal. But it wasn't meant to be as the game came to a crashing end on the next play. Danny White dropped back looking for Tony Hill on the left sideline.  49ers defensive lineman Lawrence Pillers bull rushed Cowboys guard Kurt Petersen who never had a chance. Pillars knocked Petersen off his feet and slammed into White. The ball came loose and the 49ers recovered to end the game and to end the hopes of the Cowboys advancing to Super Bowl XVI.

Watching the play over and over again it does look as though Danny White's arm was going forward when he was hit. White can also be seen jumping to his feet after the play and motioning to the official that his arm was going forward, but all the arguing in the world wasn't going to change the call and the 49ers took possession and ran out the clock.

"My arm was going forward, White said after the game. I was throwing the ball. I told Jim (Jim Tunney, who was the referee), but he said no. He said my arm was coming up rather than throwing. Tony (Hill) was open on the sidelines. I knew the rush was closing in, but I didn’t feel any guy in particular. I didn’t want to take a sack. I was in the middle of throwing when I got hit."

A few years back I was able to interview Danny White and I asked him about that particular play.

Q. Watching the 1981 Championship game recently, I’ve always wanted to ask you if you thought your arm was going forward on that last play?

A. Danny White: "It was. However under the rules at that time I think it was the right call. Today it would definitely be an incomplete pass."

I also asked White if he thought the 1981 Cowboys had the best chance of making the Super Bowl and winning it.

Q. Do you think the 1981 team had the best chance to make the Super Bowl and win it?

A. Danny White: "I think 80, 81 and 82 would all have won the Super Bowl if we had played the Championship games at home."

It was 32 seasons ago that the Cowboys left the ball on the field in the 1981 NFC Championship game, along with so many questions. What if the Cowboys had not played in the nickel defense on that last 49ers drive? What if the Cowboys rush had been a second quicker getting to Joe Montana on that touchdown to Clark? What if White's fumble was actually called an incomplete pass? The "what ifs" really mean nothing other than interesting conversations. And even though the game was heart breaking for the Cowboys and their fans and still is to this day, there is no mistaking that it was also one of the greatest football games I have ever watched.

Flashback: What really happened to the Cowboys in the 1980 NFC Championship game?

When it comes to all the great games the Cowboys have played in their history I have no problem writing articles about them and trying to relive them the best I can through words, but what about some of the big losses in their history? People may find it strange that some of the Cowboys big losses intrigue me as well. I'm not talking about recent losses; I'm talking about going back in time to the losses that aren't mentioned that much. I understand that losses aren't something that fans like to talk about, but at the same time the losses are part of Cowboys history just as much as the victories.

I found myself thinking about the 1980 NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles the other day. I kind of remember watching the game, but I was just 12 years old at the time and all that mattered back then was if the Cowboys outscored the other team. I pride myself in knowing as much as I can about the Cowboys history, which means the good and the bad. I wanted to know more about the championship game against the Eagles and how the Cowboys lost. For those who remember the Cowboys lost 20-7, but was it closer than the score showed or was it domination by the Eagles?

Back in the 1970's and into the early 80's the Cowboys had blue jerseys that some thought were bad luck since the Cowboys seemed to lose more then they won when they wore them. The Eagles knew this and decided to wear their white jerseys for the NFC Championship game and force the Cowboys to wear their blue jerseys.

It was a cold January day in Philadelphia as temps would continue dropping to as low as 17 below with the wind during the game. Veterans Stadium was packed full of rabid Eagles fans. This was the Eagles chance to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in their history. The Eagles were led by players like Ron Jaworski, Wilbert Montgomery, Harold Carmichael, Carl Hairston and Herman Edwards. They were NFC East Champions which was why the Cowboys had to travel to Veterans Stadium for the game.

The Cowboys were going to through plenty of changes in 1980. The great Roger Staubach had retired following the 1979 season and Danny White took over as the starting quarterback. The Cowboys also lost All-Pro safety Cliff Harris to retirement. The Cowboys secondary had three new starters going into 1980 as cornerback Aaron Mitchell replaced Aaron Kyle, as well as safety Charlie Waters replacing Randy Hughes and Dennis Thurman moving from cornerback to safety. Even with all the changes the Cowboys finished with a 12-4 record and were one of the best teams in the NFL.

The Cowboys were coming off an incredible 30-27 comeback win on the road against the Falcons in the Divisional Playoff game. Now it was a trip to Philadelphia for the third meeting of the season with the Eagles. They had split the first two meetings during the 1980 season and now the third meeting would be for a trip to Super Bowl XV.

The first quarter consisted of one huge play that came on the Eagles second play of their first possession. Wilbert Montgomery broke into the Cowboys secondary like the defense wasn't even there and scored easily from 42 yards to give the Eagles an early 7-0 lead. On the Eagles second possession they were looking for more points as they lined up for a field goal attempt, but the Cowboys were able to block the attempt to keep the Eagles from increasing their lead to 10-0. The Cowboys offense could not get anything going in the first quarter as they punted on all three of their possessions.

Heading into the second quarter and the Cowboys offense continuing to struggle. It was once again the Cowboys defense that came up with a big play. The Eagles lined up for another field goal attempt, but this time the snap was high and the Cowboys defense tackled the Eagles kicker as he tried to make a play. The Cowboys offense took over on their 31 yard line and quickly went to work. With a long screen pass to Tony Dorsett along with a completion to Drew Pearson and the running of Robert Newhouse, the Cowboys got into scoring position. The capped the drive with a short touchdown run by Dorsett and tied the game at 7-7.

On the ensuing kickoff the Eagles fumbled on their own 28 yard line, but they recovered. The Eagles put together another drive and got to the Cowboys 25 yard line. Ron Jaworski connected with Harold Carmichael on a 25 yard touchdown pass, but a personal foul was called on the Eagles and the touchdown was called back. With the personal foul penalty the Eagles were pushed back to the 40 yard line and ended up punting. It was another break for the Cowboys to go along with the two missed field goals by the Eagles. The Cowboys and Eagles went into halftime tied 7-7.

The first half was mostly about the defenses. The Cowboys defense held their own outside of the long touchdown run at the start of the game. They seemed to bend at times, but they never broke. They harassed Jaworski most of the first half and got a few breaks along the way. Wilbert Montgomery was becoming the focal point of the Eagles offense as he rushed for over 100 yards in the first half. The Eagles defense seemed to smother the Cowboys offense for most of the first half. Danny White could not get into any rhythm and outside of a few good runs by Robert Newhouse the offense only gained 97 yards. 

The Eagles had the advantage in the running game in the first half, but for the most part the stats were close for both teams. It was the passing game for both teams that were struggling. Danny White completed only 6 of 13 passes for 37 yards and Ron Jaworski completed 7 of 17 passes for 54 yards.

The third quarter is where this game was won. After a turnover free first half, there were four in the third quarter and it was the Cowboys who committed three of the four turnovers.

The Cowboys had forced the Eagles to punt on their second possession of the third quarter. Cowboys punt returner James Jones fumbled and the Eagles recovered at the Cowboys 27 yard line. Like in the first half the Cowboys defense made a play and stopped an Eagles scoring threat. Cowboys' linebacker Anthony Dickerson intercepted a Jaworski pass at the Cowboys 19 yard line and the Cowboys offense took over. But as quick as the Cowboys got the ball they gave it right back to the Eagles. Danny White dropped back and was hit hard by the Eagles defense and fumbled the ball at the Cowboys 11 yard line. Even though the Cowboys defense continued to play tough, the Eagles were able to capitalize on the fumble and kicked a 26 yard field goal to take the lead 10-7.

Even with two fumbles early in the third quarter the Cowboys were still in the game. Danny White facing a 3rd and 17 connected with tight end Jay Saldi for a 28 yard gain to the Eagles 40 yard line. But on the very next play the Eagles recovered a Dorsett fumble and returned it to the Cowboys 38 yard line. Once again the Eagles capitalized on the turnover as fullback Leroy Harris scored from the 9 yard line to increase the Eagles lead to 17-7.

After the ensuing kickoff the Cowboys offense took over at the 34 yard line. The first play was a 20 yard pass from White to Butch Johnson who was playing for the injured Tony Hill. The completion put the Cowboys at the Eagles 46 yard line as the third quarter ended and the Cowboys still down 17-7.

On the first play of the fourth quarter the Cowboys faced a 3rd and 8 from the Eagles 44 yard line. White went deep to Butch Johnson who was covered by four Eagles. White's pass was intercepted at the 2 yard line, but the Eagles were called for off-sides. Now the Cowboys had a 3rd and 5 from the 39 yard line. White dropped back and found a wide open Dorsett for a sure first down, but Dorsett dropped the ball and ended any chance of a Cowboys score.

Danny White dropped the fourth down punt at the Eagles 5 yard line. The Cowboys defense was hoping to keep the Eagles pinned against their goal line, but the Eagles running game was too strong. Behind the running of fullback Leroy Harris the Eagles got to the 20 yard line. From there Wilbert Montgomery slashed and cutback on his way to a 55 yard gain to the Cowboys 25 yard line. But just when it looked like the Eagles would increase their lead, it was the Cowboys defense that made another big play. Jaworski threw into the end zone for Carmichael, but Cowboys' cornerback Aaron Mitchell came down with the interception for a touchback.

With over nine minutes still to play in the game the Cowboys offense once again took over looking to get points. White connected with Preston Pearson for a 24 yard gain to the Cowboys 46 yard line. But once again like so many times during the 1980 NFC Championship game the Cowboys offense failed to generate a drive and to score points. The Cowboys punted and the Eagles took over at their own 35 yard line with 8:58 to play.

The Eagles started running the ball again because they knew the Cowboys were unable to stop them. The combination of Montgomery and Harris was just too much for the Cowboys. The Eagles drove to the Cowboys 40 yard line when Jaworski, who had only completed one pass in the second half up to that point, completed his second pass when the Cowboys least expected it. Jaworski threw to the right sideline looking for his tight end Keith Krepfle. Charlie Waters dove for the ball, but missed and Krepfle made the reception and raced to the Cowboys 23 yard line. The Cowboys defense held the Eagles at the 3 yard line, but it was too little too late. The Eagles had eaten up over six minutes on the drive and capped it off with a field goal with just over two minutes to play to increase their lead to 20-7.

The Cowboys had a history of big game comebacks in the 1970's and even though this game looked out of reach the Cowboys offense went down trying when they got the ball back. Danny White got the Cowboys close to midfield and with only 30 seconds left threw deep in hopes of maybe getting a penalty, but ended up throwing an interception and ending the game.

In the end the Cowboys offense gained just 206 yards and could not move the ball consistently. They were also not able to take advantage of the turnovers they got from the defense. The Cowboys defense although it played tough could not stop the Eagles running game that gained 263 yards rushing. Most of that came from Wilbert Montgomery who rushed for 194 yards.

Some people may say the Cowboys were dominated in the 1980 NFC Championship game, but to me the Cowboys had their opportunities many times throughout the game. They just couldn't do anything with those opportunities, but the Eagles were able to capitalize at times and made a few more plays than the Cowboys. Those plays are what doomed the Cowboys and their chance of advancing to Super Bowl XV.

The Top 10 greatest NFL games I have ever watched

The other day I was thinking about some of the greatest NFL games that I have ever seen. Not ones that I've heard about or seen highlights from, but ones I actually remember watching. I didn't want to look up any existing lists of games that others had written about. I just wanted it to be from me, so I started listing games that I remembered watching off the top of my head just to see what I came up with. What I came up with were mostly older games and of course a few Cowboys games made my list. I find it amazing that my memory is so much clearer when it comes to older games and that is why I didn't want any help from lists that others put together.

The ten games I came up with were great in their own way, but there has always been one game that stood out as the greatest of all time. And all these years later that has not changed and I doubt it ever will. To me "greatest" comes from two teams slugging it out like a heavy weight fight. Punch after punch and never going down no matter how beat up and tired they are. But in the end someone has to be declared the winner and both teams shake hands knowing that they had just played in a game that will go down in history.

#10 - 1981 NFC Championship, Cowboys at 49ers. For those Cowboys fans that actually remember watching this game, also remember how heart breaking it was. Dwight Clark's fingertip catch and Danny White's fumble all in the final minute of the game. The Cowboys defense knocked Joe Montana down time after time, only to see him get up and keep coming at them. There were seven lead changes throughout the course of the game and even though the Cowboys came up short 28-27, it was still one of the greatest games of all time.

#9 - 1992 NFC Championship, Cowboys at 49ers. Eleven seasons after losing to the 49ers 28-27 the Cowboys were back in Candlestick Park. The faces were different and so were the results as the Cowboys won 30-20. This was not the type of game that both teams exchanged scores throughout the game, but it was equally exciting. The Cowboys were in control most of the game and when the 49ers did back them into a corner late in the fourth quarter, they responded with a 71 yard pass from Troy Aikman to Alvin Harper to seal the game and get back to the Super Bowl after 14 long seasons.

#8 - 1982, Super Bowl XVII, Dolphins vs. Redskins. In one of the most under rated Super Bowls of all time the Dolphins and Redskins battled as the Dolphins held the lead 17-13 going into the fourth quarter. The Redskins took their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter when John Riggins scored on a 43 yard touchdown run on a 4th and 1 play. The Redskins went on to win the game 27-17.

#7 - 1986, Week 3, Dolphins at Jets. In a game that featured 96 points, 1,066 yards, 10 touchdown passes, four 100 yard receivers and nine lead changes; it also went into overtime where the Jets finally ended it and won 51-45 on a 43 yard touchdown pass from Ken O'Brien to Wesley Walker.

#6 - 1981 Wildcard Playoff, Bills at Jets. It was a cold day at Shea Stadium and it wasn't the cleanest game with a total of nine turnovers. The Bills jumped out to a 24-0 lead and then 31-13, but the Jets fought back to 31-27. With only two seconds left and the Jets sitting at the Bills eleven yard line, Jets quarterback Richard Todd tried to complete the comeback, but was intercepted at the two yard line to end the game.

#5 - 1992 Wildcard Playoff, Oilers at Bills. The Oilers Run and Shoot offense with quarterback Warren Moon jumped out to a 28-3 halftime lead and then increased their lead to 35-3 early in the third quarter with an interception return. From that point on the Bills and backup quarterback Frank Reich, who was playing for the injured Jim Kelly mounted an incredible comeback. They scored the next five touchdowns and took a 38-35 lead. The Oilers were able to tie the game to force overtime, but early in overtime the Bills intercepted Warren Moon and kicked the winning field goal to win 41-38.

#4 - 2012 Divisional Playoff, Ravens at Broncos. This playoff game was a classic from beginning to end. The game featured a punt return, kickoff return and interception return for touchdowns. Every time Peyton Manning got the lead the Ravens would answer back and it was no different with 41 seconds left in the game and the Broncos leading 35-28. Joe Flacco threw a Hail Mary pass that Jacoby Jones came down with and scored from 70 yards to force overtime. The game would go into double overtime before the Ravens kicked with winning field goal and won 38-35.

#3 - 1997, Super Bowl XXXII, Broncos vs. Packers. In what I consider the greatest Super Bowl I have ever watched, John Elway finally came through after losing three Super Bowls in the 1980s. It wasn't a game filled with exciting plays, but it was a game that was beautifully played and was close from beginning to end. The game featured two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in John Elway and Brett Favre. The Broncos sealed the game with just 32 seconds remaining and won 31-24.

#2 - 1980 Divisional Playoff, Cowboys at Falcons. This game was played at the old outside Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. It was only Danny White's second career playoff game since taking over for Roger Staubach. The Falcons had a high powered offense and showed it early and often against the Cowboys. The Falcons took a 24-10 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Cowboys battled back as Danny White threw two late touchdown passes to Drew Pearson and the Cowboys pulled out the victory 30-27.

#1 - 1981 Divisional Playoff, Chargers at Dolphins. This game without a doubt was the greatest game that I have ever watched. It was a game filled with excitement throughout regulation and into overtime. Both the Chargers and Dolphins went toe to toe and battled for almost five quarters. The players were beaten up, exhausted and at times could barely get to their feet. It was that classic heavy weight fight that you hated to see end. And even when you thought it would end something would happen to make the game continue on. The Chargers jumped out to a 24-0 first quarter lead. Then Dolphins Coach Don Shula removed starting quarterback David Woodley and replaced him with veteran backup Don Strock. From that point on Strock brought the Dolphins back and tied the game 24-24 in the third quarter. Then on the first play of the fourth quarter the Dolphins took their first lead of the game 38-31. The Chargers tied the game late in the fourth quarter and the game went into overtime. Even the overtime was filled with excitement as both teams had multiple chances to win the game, but in the end it was the Chargers winning this classic game 41-38 with a field goal late in overtime. It's difficult to put into words just how great this game was. It was nonstop, end to end action that in this fans opinion turned out to be the greatest NFL game ever played.

I actually found the the entire broadcast of the game here.