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Tag: Tom Landry

  • Mount Rushmore of Detroit Lions Quarterbacks

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    The Detroit Lions have been around since 1930, and while quarterback stability has often been elusive, a handful of signal-callers stand above the rest when it comes to shaping the franchise’s identity. A true Mount Rushmore isn’t just about talent — it’s about impact, longevity, era-defining moments, and statistical dominance.

    Using career production and legacy through the 2025 season, these are the four quarterbacks who deserve to be carved into stone.

    1. Matthew Stafford

    No quarterback in Detroit history combined elite arm talent, durability, and long-term production like Matthew Stafford.

    From 2009–2020, Stafford carried the Lions through multiple coaching staffs, roster overhauls, and rebuilds, yet still rewrote the franchise record book:

    • 45,109 passing yards (1st all-time in Lions history)
    • 282 passing touchdowns (1st all-time)
    • Multiple 4,000-yard seasons
    • Led Detroit to three playoff appearances
    • Famous for countless fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives

    Stafford’s era wasn’t defined by championships, but by credibility. He made the Lions relevant in prime-time games, Thanksgiving showcases, and playoff races. Every major passing record in franchise history runs through him. No Mount Rushmore can exist without Stafford as the centerpiece.

    2. Bobby Layne

    Bobby Layne represents the golden age of Lions football.

    Playing in Detroit from 1950–1958, Layne quarterbacked the Lions to:

    • Three NFL Championships (1952, 1953, 1957)
    • Four Pro Bowl selections with Detroit
    • Over 118 touchdown passes in a run-heavy era

    Layne wasn’t just productive — he was a winner. His toughness, leadership, and swagger defined a championship culture that the franchise has chased for decades. Even the infamous “curse” mythology surrounding his departure only reinforces how central he was to the Lions’ identity. When it comes to winning at the highest level in Detroit, no quarterback compares.

    3. Jared Goff

    Jared Goff earns his place by transforming the modern Lions from hopeful rebuild to legitimate contender.

    Since arriving in 2021, Goff has:

    • Thrown for over 21,000 yards and 149 touchdowns in Detroit colors
    • Led the Lions to division titles, deep playoff runs, and sustained national relevance
    • Operated one of the NFL’s most efficient offenses
    • Earned Pro Bowl recognition while posting career-best efficiency numbers

    More than stats, Goff stabilized the franchise. For the first time in decades, Detroit entered seasons expecting to win, not hoping to surprise. He became the quarterback who changed the perception of the Lions across the league — from rebuilding project to Super Bowl window.

    4. Greg Landry

    Greg Landry represents longevity and consistency across a full era.

    Serving as Detroit’s primary quarterback from 1968–1978, Landry:

    • Threw for 12,451 passing yards and 80 touchdowns
    • Ranks top five in franchise history in career passing
    • Was one of the earliest dual-threat quarterbacks, adding rushing value before it was common
    • Led the Lions to multiple winning seasons and playoff contention

    Landry may not have the statistical explosion of Stafford or the championships of Layne, but he anchored the franchise for over a decade. His blend of durability, leadership, and production earns him the final spot on the mountain.

    Final Mount Rushmore

    Quarterback Era Why He’s On the Mountain
    Matthew Stafford 2009–2020 All-time franchise leader in yards and touchdowns
    Bobby Layne 1950–1958 Championship quarterback and historical icon
    Jared Goff 2021–2026 Architect of the modern Lions’ resurgence
    Greg Landry 1968–1978 Longest-tenured elite starter of his era

    Bottom Line

    Detroit’s quarterback history is a story of eras:

    • Layne brought championships.
    • Stafford brought records.
    • Goff brought belief.
    • Landry brought stability.

    Together, they form the true Mount Rushmore of Detroit Lions quarterbacks — a monument to how the position has evolved in Motown from leather helmets to Super Bowl contention.

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    Don Drysdale

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  • How many times have the Dallas Cowboys had back-to-back losing seasons? Not many

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    The Dallas Cowboys completed their second losing season in a row with Sunday’s 34-17 defeat at the New York Giants to finish 7-9-1.

    That’s a rare feat for America’s Team. Despite a lack of playoff success since the Cowboys claimed their last Super Bowl title in the 1995 season, they haven’t had two losing seasons in a row since three straight 5-11 campaigns in 2000-02.

    The Cowboys’ runs of multiseason futility break down into three periods:

    — The early 2000s under head coach Dave Campo after the “Triplets” Super Bowl era.

    — The sad end of head coach Tom Landry’s legendary tenure, along with the start of Jimmy Johnson’s run in Dallas

    — The first five years of the franchise in the early 1960s.

    In all, the Cowboys have had back-to-back losing seasons 11 times, including five straight losing seasons twice.

    Here are the details, with numbers from Pro Football Reference:

    2024-25

    After finishing 7-10 in the final year under head coach Mike McCarthy in 2024, the Cowboys went 7-9-1 this season.

    2000-02 (two times with consecutive losing seasons)

    Technically, the Cowboys also had a losing season in 1999 in the final campaign of head coach Chan Gailey, but that 8-9 mark came after an 8-8 regular season and loss in the wild-card playoffs. Only the regular season counts for this exercise.

    Campo, a loyal assistant who came with Johnson to the Cowboys from Miami in 1989, got his first and only head coaching gig when he was promoted from defensive coordinator following Gailey’s firing.

    The Cowboys went 5-11 in all three seasons under Campo, whose tenure was mostly defined by instability at quarterback. Hall of Famer and three-time Super Bowl champion Troy Aikman played 11 games in 2000 but retired at the end of the season.

    Campo sent out four starting quarterbacks in 2001 — Quincy Carter (eight games), Ryan Leaf (three), Anthony Wright (three) and Clint Stoerner (two) — then essentially split the 2002 season between Chad Hutchinson (nine starts) and Carter (seven).

    However, any sympathy Cowboys fans might have had for Campo’s situation went away when two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Parcells took over in 2003 and promptly led the Cowboys to a 10-6 record and a playoff trip with Carter starting all 16 games under center.

    1986-1990 (four times)

    Like a lot of pro sports careers, the end wasn’t pretty for Landry.

    After a remarkable run of 20 straight winning seasons, Landry’s Cowboys slipped to 7-9 in 1986 and never recovered. They went 7-8 in the 1987 strike season then fell all the way to 3-13 in 1988.

    New Cowboys owner Jerry Jones unceremoniously fired Landry when he took over after that season in a move that upset many longtime fans.

    Those fans seemed vindicated when the brash Johnson came in and guided the Cowboys to their most losses ever in a 1-15 debut.

    But Johnson didn’t stay down for long. The team improved to 7-9 in 1990, then 1991 began the last Cowboys golden age with six straight 10-win seasons, six straight playoff berths and three Super Bowl titles.

    1960-64 (four times)

    The Cowboys’ first seasons as a franchise were inauspicious.

    Landry and Dallas debuted with an 0-11-1 season in 1960, still the only winless campaign in Cowboys history. The team stayed mired in mediocrity for the next four seasons, going 4-9-1, then 5-8-1, 4-10 and 5-8-1 again.

    Finally, 1965 brought the Cowboys’ first non-losing season at 7-7.

    In 1966, Landry began his run of 20 straight winning seasons, and the rest is history.

    Jim Barnes

    Fort Worth Star-Telegram

    Jim Barnes is the Star-Telegram’s sports editor. A Fort Worth native and graduate of Castleberry High School, he returned to Texas after 13 years at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He previously was sports editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald and a freelance high school sports reporter for The Dallas Morning News.

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    Jim Barnes

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