There were so many things for Dallas Cowboys fans to be upset about in Sunday’s Wild Card loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
To begin with, fans that have been around for years dreaded the pregame because they knew well that Dwight Clark‘s infamous catch would be shown at least once.
With the Cowboys and 49ers meeting today, here’s a look back to Clemson’s own Dwight Clark making one of the iconic plays in NFL history, known simply as “The Catch” in the 1982 NFC Championship. pic.twitter.com/kgon2qOA8C
— Austin Pendergist (@apthirteen) January 16, 2022
At last count, it was mentioned or shown a handful of times.
Of course, the frustrating outcome of the game was another big reason to stress out the fans.
Then, there was the inexplicable Tony Romo blunder that capped off a bad day of Cowboys football.
What Romo Said
As the Cowboys were orchestrating a final drive to attempt to win the game, Romo commented about the need for a Hail Mary.
He then went on to wonder aloud if the Cowboys ever won a playoff game with a Hail Mary pass.
Tony Romo – there has never been a playoff hailmary for the Cowboys.
Nance: well, actually, the Cowboys invented the hail Mary in the playoffs
— America's Team (@DallasCowDude) January 17, 2022
Wasn’t Romo a Cowboy before he landed in the broadcast booth?
Shouldn’t he know this?
Roger Staubach was the originator of the Hail Mary pass.
Look up “Hail Mary pass” on Wikipedia and guess whose picture appears?
It is Staubach’s picture of course.
He coined the phrase after throwing up the ball at the end of the 1975 playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Staubach named it that because it was akin to saying a prayer while launching the ball.
On that day, Drew Pearson was the recipient of the first-ever Hail Mary pass, and the rest is Cowboys history.
History that is well documented to fans and everyone else but Romo.
I’m going to say it Because it needs to be said…@tonyromo hates the @dallascowboys after hearing him announce that game 😒@TroyAikman should have been calling the game.
Toby didn’t even know the @dallascowboys created the Hail Mary 🏈 🤦🏾♂️
— B Bowers (@MrBessemerAL) January 17, 2022
The play is so well known that it is ranked 15th in the NFL’s Top 100 plays ever executed.
No. 15: Roger Staubach’s Hail Mary TD pass to Drew Pearson (Dec. 28, 1975) @dallascowboys #NFL100
📺: NFL 100 Greatest Plays on @NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/2kpIZL8hmC
— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2019
Jim Nantz Answered Romo’s Question
Jim Nantz did not pick up on Tony Romo's Hail Mary sarcasm lol
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) January 17, 2022
Nantz quickly answered Romo’s question by explaining Cowboys history to the former Cowboys quarterback.
I wonder what Staubach was thinking when he heard about this.
Not everyone thinks Romo made a blunder.
Some believe he was being sarcastic.
It is not obvious how or why sarcasm would apply in a critical moment of the game when Romo was seemingly asking a question.
One Thing Romo Was Correct About
Romo, who can predict future plays before they are being executed, may not know about the Hail Mary, but he does know something about the current Cowboys roster.
He mentioned on the air last night that the window of opportunity for the Cowboys to win a Super Bowl championship is closing.
Romo alluded to Dak Prescott‘s experience, the rookie and young players on the roster in their prime, and the talented coaching staff.
That is one of the reasons the Cowboys’ last-second loss to the 49ers was so disappointing; it is the best team the Cowboys have fielded in years.
Falling short in the first round of the playoffs is far below the team’s expectations and what it was capable of achieving.
