Two of the NFL's most storied franchises squared off in the opening round of ESPN.com's Fantasy Super Bowl Tournament.
Thirteen Super Bowl appearances and seven titles were represented between them, but just like this year, the Dolphins will not be represented as the season's final game is played in their stadium.
The second-seeded Dallas Cowboys defeated the seventh-seeded Miami Dolphins in this first-round pairing, claiming nearly twice the votes of their AFC opponent.
These teams met once in Super Bowl history, with Dallas routing Miami 24-3 in Super Bowl VI. It was the first of three consecutive Super Bowl appearances for Miami.
Here's a look at each team's credentials and the lineups we selected for this all-time matchup:
|
| SEED: 2 |
| SUPER BOWL RECORD: 5-3 |
| RESULTS: Lost to Colts 16-13 in 1971; defeated Dolphins 24-3 in 1972; lost to Steelers 21-17 in 1976; defeated Broncos 27-10 in 1978; lost to Steelers 35-31 in 1979; defeated Bills 52-17 in 1993; defeated Bills 30-13 in 1994; defeated Steelers 27-17 in 1996. |
| COACH: Tom Landry, who was the first coach in the history of the franchise and led Dallas to its first five Super Bowl appearances. |
| Offense |
| Pos. |
Player |
Comment |
| QB |
Roger Staubach |
When he retired, his career passer rating of 83.4 was the best in history. A tough call over Troy Aikman. |
| RB |
Emmitt Smith |
Honors include NFL MVP (1993) and Super Bowl MVP (XXVIII). |
| FB |
Robert Newhouse |
Fine runner, durable enough to play 12 seasons. Threw TD pass in Super Bowl XII. |
| WR |
Drew Pearson |
As Roger Wehrli said, "Anything he touched, he caught." |
| WR |
Michael Irvin |
Owns practically every franchise receiving record. |
| TE |
Jay Novacek |
Five-time Pro Bowler, edges Doug Cosbie and Billy Joe DuPree. |
| T |
Rayfield Wright |
Six-time Pro Bowler, played some TE early. |
| G |
John Niland |
Played in six Pro Bowls, started five of them. |
| C |
Mark Stepnoski |
Three-time Pro Bowler, two-time starter. |
| G |
Nate Newton |
A starter in Dallas for 12 seasons, Newton has been selected to five Pro Bowls. |
| T |
Larry Allen |
Perennial Pro Bowler, can play anywhere on line. |
| Defense |
| Pos. |
Player |
Comment |
| DE |
Ed Jones |
He was "Too Tall," and he was almost "too good." |
| DT |
Bob Lilly |
So good, they started calling him "Mr. Cowboy." |
| DT |
Randy White |
Failed as LB, became Hall of Fame tackle. |
| DE |
Harvey Martin |
Big, fast, quick, co-MVP of Super Bowl XII. |
| LB |
Chuck Howley |
MVP of Super Bowl V, and deserving Hall of Fame candidate. |
| ILB |
Lee Roy Jordan |
Hall of Famer manned all-important position in middle of Flex Defense. |
| LB |
Ken Norton Jr. |
Played for three Super Bowl winners, two with the Cowboys and one with the 49ers. |
| CB |
Mel Renfro |
Invited to five Pro Bowls as cornerback, five as safety. |
| CB |
Deion Sanders |
First to play in World Series and Super Bowl. You know the rest. |
| S |
Cliff Harris |
Fine player, but Darren Woodson could have this spot. |
| S |
Cornell Green |
Hoopster at Utah State, became Pro Bowler at both CB and S. |
| Specialists |
| Pos. |
Player |
Comment |
| K |
Eddie Murray |
As a Lion, he made 40 of 42 FG tries in 1988 and '89. |
| P |
Danny White |
He's the one you want on a fake punt. |
|
| SEED: 5 |
| SUPER BOWL RECORD: 2-3 |
| RESULTS: Lost to Cowboys 24-3 in 1972; defeated Redskins 14-7 in 1973; defeated Vikings 24-7 in 1974; lost to Redskins 27-17 in 1983; lost to 49ers 38-16 in 1985. |
| COACH: Don Shula, who guided the Dolphins to all five of their Super Bowls and is the NFL's all-time winningest coach. |
| Offense |
| Pos. |
Player |
Comment |
| QB |
Dan Marino |
Owns all the fun records for NFL quarterbacks. |
| RB |
Mercury Morris |
At 5.14 yards per rush, ranks second all-time to Jim Brown. |
| FB |
Larry Csonka |
Gained 1,000-plus yards three straight years, 1971-73. |
| WR |
Paul Warfield |
Played on running teams, but averaged 20.1 yards per catch. |
| WR |
Mark Clayton |
Hooked up with Marino for 79 TDs. |
| TE |
Jim Mandich |
Played nine years in NFL and had four catches in four Super Bowls. |
| T |
Norm Evans |
Went to Pro Bowl in '72 and '74. |
| G |
Bob Kuechenberg |
In 14 seasons, he went to five Pro Bowls and four Super Bowls. |
| C |
Dwight Stephenson |
Just edges Jim Langer, another Hall of Famer. |
| G |
Larry Little |
With Langer, Little led a fearsome rushing attack in the early '70s. |
G |
Jon Giesler |
Named to Silver Anniversary Team by Miami fans. |
| Defense |
| Pos. |
Player |
Comment |
| DE |
Bill Stanfill |
Named to four straight Pro Bowls, 1971-74. Unofficially credited with 18½ sacks in '73. |
| DT |
Manny Fernandez |
As NT, Fernandez led the Dolphins with eight sacks in 1971. |
| DT |
Bob Baumhower |
Played a decade for the Dolphins, went to five Pro Bowls. |
| DE |
Vern Den Herder |
Led Miami in sacks four times. |
| LB |
Bob Brudzinski |
Dolphins' top LB in 1983 and '84. |
| LB |
Nick Buoniconti |
The biggest (and longest) name among the "No-Name Defense." |
| LB |
A.J. Duhe |
Exceptionally quick, Duhe led Dolphins with seven sacks as rookie in 1977. |
| CB |
William Judson |
With 24 interceptions, Judson ranks No. 4 on Miami list. |
| CB |
Curtis Johnson |
Started at RCB in each of his nine NFL seasons. |
| S |
Dick Anderson |
AP's Defensive Player of the Year in 1973. |
| S |
Jake Scott |
Intercepted 35 passes in six seasons as Dolphin. Named MVP of Super Bowl VII. |
| Specialists |
| Pos. |
Player |
Comment |
| K |
Garo Yepremian |
Led NFL in field-goal percentage three times; just don't ask him to pass. |
| P |
Reggie Roby |
His one-step kick made him nearly impossible to block. |
