Notable Landry-vs-Shula games

[74_75_78_79_]

Of course...Super Bowl VI is the most notable. Plenty to be said about it on this thread and, perhaps, should be said considering that it doesn't get quite the historic attention.

As we all know, it's not just Cowboys/Dolphins games to look at, but Cowboys/Colts games as well. And I'll start there. I thought there would have been more than just the two of them. The first of the two, in '67, was the much more eventful one with the other, quite less-eventful one, taking place at the Cotton Bowl, penultimate week, two years later in Shula's final year in Baltimore - Craig Morton playing a great game, Cowboys winning, 27-10.

As for '67, it was 8-3 Dallas en-route to their second (straight) post-season under Landry going into 9-0-2 Baltimore. A competitive game with the Colts winning, 23-17, but not good QB-play. Meredith threw 4 INTs and Unitas threw 3 with one of those being a pick-6.

Of course both teams did not meet in 1968 when the Colts, of course, finished 13-1 and the Cowboys finished 12-2.

Both Landry and Shula HC'd against each other a total of eight games with Shula getting the nod, 5-3.

[Mark]

The games that stand out to me are 1981 and 1984. In 1984 the Cowboys had a great comeback to win 28-27. 1984 the Dolphins knocked the Cowboys out of the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. That game was great also.

[CSKreager]

1984

In an era when the Monday Night Football schedule was basically cross your fingers and flex scheduling did not exist, that Dallas/Miami game (MIA playing for 1 seed, DAL fighting for their playoff lives) was as significant a Monday Night finale as the NFL had ever seen to that point

[Brian wolf]

1973 and 1978 victories over the Cowboys were big wins for the Dolphins but their win over Dallas in 1993, affected their team. They didn't win another game that season. Shula had never experienced a start and finish like that to his season.

[Mark]

Landry wasn't the Cowboys' coach in 1993 though.

[Brian wolf]

True Mark ... I just wanted to bring up big Cowboys-Dolphins games.

Huge win in 1973 at Texas Stadium for Shula over Landry with Warfield still having his way with another All-Pro in Mel Renfro, scoring a TD. The defense shut down Staubach and the passing game, though the rookie, Drew Pearson had a good game.

[74_75_78_79_]

1984

In an era when the Monday Night Football schedule was basically cross your fingers and flex scheduling did not exist, that Dallas/Miami game (MIA playing for 1 seed, DAL fighting for their playoff lives) was as significant a Monday Night finale as the NFL had ever seen to that point

Even if Dolphins lose, they still would have had to face the winner of Raiders@Seahawks WCG as Steelers@Denver still would have taken place in the divisional round. Now would those very games at Miami & Denver have been scheduled at different times that weekend than the respective Sat 1PM EST and Sun 4PM EST slots, and if any of that would have made a difference in the results, I don't know.

A Dallas win and Giants are out, and it would be they hosting the Rams again, like the year before (and 1980), in the WCG! Cowboys did beat them in the opener, in LA, on MNF. If Big D wins this hypo game then its off to San Fran the following week with Chi@Wash as what actually did take place. If the Rams beat them, then its they at RFK in the divisional round (also as was the case the year before) whilst Bears go to Candlestick - and still get shutout, 20-0??

[sheajets]

1973 and 1978 victories over the Cowboys were big wins for the Dolphins but their win over Dallas in 1993, affected their team. They didn't win another game that season. Shula had never experienced a start and finish like that to his season.

That was Jimmy Johnson...but yea Leon Lett 2.0. I remember how infuriated I was as a Jets fan.

I don't know how the win effected their team negatively though. They tried to piece things together the best they could without Marino...and DeBerg & Mitchell were both adequate when they played.

The last three weeks of the regular season their defense completely fell to pieces