March Madness tournament: Cowboys top 64 plays of all time, Round 1, Group 7

Your March Madness tournament continues with a new group of plays to vote on. Hopefully, this tournament is helping to keep our minds occupied as we wait through all of the world’s craziness and countdown the days until the NFL draft. Today’s group features a little trickery from Tom Landry, a couple spin moves that leaves the opponent looking silly, and a big time sack from one of the Cowboys’ greatest sackmasters. Let’s get to them, shall we?

The half-back toss that was golden

Super Bowl XII between the Cowboys and Denver Broncos had a lot of different storylines. You had the Doomsday Defense squaring off against the Orange Crush. Tony Dorsett was looking to be the first player ever to win an NCAA Championship followed by a Super Bowl. But probably the biggest story was the matchup between Roger Staubach and the former Cowboys quarterback he replaced, Craig Morton.

In a game riddled with turnovers, the Cowboys defense prevailed. The Broncos only had 156 total yards of offense and Morton had to be replaced after throwing four interceptions. Randy White and Harvey Martin became the first ever co-MVP’s of a Super Bowl. While this game lacked offense, there were a couple big plays. The Cowboys removed any inkling of hope that Denver had to get back in the game when Robert Newhouse connected with Golden Richards on a halfback toss, helping the Cowboys win 27-10.

Emmitt get’s loose

The 1993 season was an interesting one for the Cowboys. The team was coming off a Super Bowl win the year prior, but got off to an 0-2 start after their star running back, Emmitt Smith, held out due to a contract dispute. Once Smith returned, all was forgiven as Dallas went on to win a second straight Super Bowl. Smith even won the rushing title with 1,486 yards despite missing the first two games.

With Smith back in the lineup, the Cowboys went on a surge. They won seven straight, capped off with a home victory against the Phoenix Cardinals. Smith finished that game with 182 total scrimmage yards thanks to dump off pass that he took 86 yards. Five different Cardinals defenders had a shot at him, but thanks to a spin move and some poor tackling, they just fell off of him and Smith was off to the races.

Romo’s spin on Watt

Speaking of spin moves, boy do we got a good one for you. Back in 2014, the Cowboys went on a six-game winning streak after dropping the season opener to the San Francisco 49ers. Right smack in the middle of that streak was an overtime victory against the Houston Texans. The game had some big moments as Jason Witten topped 10,000 career yards receiving and Dez Bryant had a ridiculous snag over the Texans defender to set up the game-winning field goal.

But what people remember the most from this game happened midway through the third quarter. On a 2nd-and-4 play, it looked as if former defensive player of the year J.J. Watt was going to have a blindside sack on Tony Romo. Somehow, Romo sensed the pressure, and activated a spin move that left Watt empty handed. Not only did he escape the pressure, but he launched a 43-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Williams.

Perfect no more

The Cowboys were facing a tumultuous time in 2009 when they were on the brink of missing the playoffs for the second straight year. After two consecutive losses put them at 8-5 late in the season, they then headed off to New Orleans to face the 13-0 Saints.

But the Cowboys brought the fight that day as they stormed out to a 24-3 lead midway through the third quarter. The eventual Super Bowl champ Saints looked as if they were going to complete an epic comeback to remain perfect, but DeMarcus Ware had other plans. For the second time in the game, Ware sacked Drew Brees, causing the ball to come loose and the Cowboys to recover. This one put the game on ice as the Saints bid for a perfect season ended, while the Cowboys finished out the season winning three straight and earning a spot in the playoffs.

If you have yet to cast your vote for the previous six groups, it’s not too late as you can find them right here...

Group 1: Witten helmetless, Lilly sack, Romo scramble, Dorset 75-yard TD

Group 2: Butch Super Bowl TD, Romo over-head snap, Puntisher, Jeffcoat pick-six

Group 3: Sanders punt return, Prescott in Seattle, White TD catch, Irvin Cardinals

Group 4: Larry Allen tackle, Walker’s walk-off, Austin’s leap, Dez on Thanksgiving

Group 5: Washington’s fumble recovery, Longley’s comeback, Folk’s FG, Murray 4th down

Group 6: Walker 84-yard run, Romo to TWilly, Staubach to Sellers, Dak to Beasley