A Tale of Two Quarterbacks

by TaylorTRoom on Jan 13, 2026 10:19 AM CST in Texas Longhorns and Other Football

So, the established head coach wasn’t totally sold on his QB. The QB had been successful, and been a major part of the team’s successful climb from the cellar, but the coach felt he should play better. The QB didn’t put in the film study the coach wanted, seemed to miss too many games due to nagging injuries, and could be more consistent throwing the ball. The coach said all the right things in support, but displayed his real feelings with his willingness to pull his QB for his backup.

Link1

Link2

Link3

Isn’t Google News Archives great?

Don Meredith was one of the first installed in the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor, and spent years in front of the nation talking on Monday Night Football. That colors our perception of past events, and guides our interpretation. Here’s what really happened-

Don Meredith was the first player signed by the Cowboys, and spent only one year learning on the sidelines before being thrown into the fray as a starter on the expansion team. The Cowboys took six years to build into a competitive team. He was a natural leader, laid back under pressure and committed to winning. This was an era when the QB was expected to be the leader, as coaches (with the exception of Paul Brown) had not yet taken full control of playcalling duties away. There were clashes for control of the locker room between Landry and Meredith. Landry wanted less joking and tomfoolery (Meredith would break into song in the huddle sometimes. By all accounts, he had a nice voice.). Meredith wanted more freedom. They worked well enough together, and each brought enough talent, to build the Cowboys into a contender for the NFL championship, second only to Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers.

In the mid-60s, the Cowboys drafted another good QB, Craig Morton. Landry had no qualms about playing Morton, who was a real talent (he would lead the Denver Broncos to the Superbowl years later). Landry preferred Dandy Don, but wanted Meredith to understand that he could be replaced.

An injured Meredith played poorly in a playoff loss in 1969. It was another disappointing end to a season, and Meredith was roundly panned by the media for his play (his teammates, aware of his injuries, were more forgiving). After the game, he talked of retiring. He admitted years later that he really wasn’t wanting to quit football at that time; he just wanted his team to commit to him. Instead, Landry announced a full QB competition between Meredith, Morton and, to be fair, Roger Staubach. When July came, Meredith retired.

The Cowboys would lose a Superbowl with Morton as QB, and win one with Staubach, finally losing the title of "Next Year’s Champion". Meredith stayed retired- he saw no point in signing with a bad team, and the good teams had QBs. Landry would admit later that he handled Meredith wrong and claimed to learn from the experience. You know, he was not a Hall of Fame QB; he needed a NFL Championship for that. His career passing stats are unimpressive, but passing statistics are notoriously dependent upon the era of play. He was considered one of the stars of the 60s, probably on a level with Fran Tarkenton and John Brodie, below Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas.

When Meredith died recently, his old teammates pointedly mentioned his hard work in their reminiscing.

The obvious question- is there anything to learn here with respect to Vince Young’s situation? Probably. For one, Jeff Fisher is no Tom Landry. When Landry had the same tenure as Fisher, he had coached four Superbowl teams and won two of them (with another to come the next year). He had revolutionized football with his motion offense and 4 - 3 defense.

Vince Young is no Don Meredith. Meredith was close to the local media, with a similar upbringing and common cultural views. Vince scares most sportswriters, his presence a reflection of the mean streets he grew up on. The country songs Meredith loved were all known by the Dallas sports media. The music Vince Young dances to is strange and scary to the Tennessee writers. There will never be confidences shared nor commiseration between the writers and Young. They are worlds apart.

I wanted to revisit the story to answer many of the commenters who like to claim Vince can never be successful because his coach says he doesn’t work hard enough, or that he’s too dumb (on the latter point, I’ve got a googled news story on 5^th year pro Terry Bradshaw not knowing what plays to call on a two minute drill, and wasting a drive).

Successful athletes come in all forms, and frankly it’s a total copout for coaches to argue they need a Manning or Brady to be successful. Many successful quarterbacks had notable flaws in their makeup. Some (Stabler) had weak arms. Others (Bradshaw) were not the brightest. Others (Namath) had significant off-field distractions. Then there were guys like Joe Montana who managed to fall to the third round despite being an AA, MNC-winning QB from Notre Dame (too small, average arm, and not the sharpest were the reasons given). These guys all found success when paired with coaches that appreciated them for what they could do rather than blame them for what they couldn’t.

There is no guarantee Vince will find that situation. Meredith never did. Lombardi was a noteworthy fan, but he had a QB already at Green Bay, and the Cowboys were never letting Meredith go to Washington. Having flaws is not a sign of greatness, obviously. Overcoming flaws is. I hope Vince can succeed. I like watching the guy play.

Tweet Comment 20 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Nice post and interesting comparison I hadn’t thought about. It’s funny, when I read

“The coach said all the right things in support, but displayed his real feelings with his willingness to pull his QB for his backup.”

in the first paragraph I immediately thought this was a story about VY. When I clicked on the first link I was surprised to find a story about Meredith. As I read on I thought this was just a nice article on Meredith’s relationship with Landry. Just as I settled in on that as the premise you turned the table on me again and bought in the comparison with VY.

I just hope someone that really understands whay VY can do and how to work with him ends up picking him up. I still believe he can make someone a very successful coach if they don’t try to fit him into some preconceived template.

by Nunna Yo Bizness on Jan 13, 2026 11:17 AM CST reply actions

Excellent article and perspective.
Hookem

by drborange on Jan 13, 2026 11:22 AM CST reply actions

“These guys all found success when paired with coaches that appreciated them for what they could do rather than blame them for what they couldn’t.”

Appreciating a person’s strengths and looking past their weaknesses doesn’t come naturally to many of us, but it’s virtually always beneficial for both parties.

by texasengr on Jan 13, 2026 12:20 PM CST reply actions

it’s hard to overemphasize just how crucial it is for a player’s success to be in the right place at the right time…

Montana would have been a career backup if he’d gone to a team/system which required him to throw deep outs consistently - in other words, every single other team in the league at that time. And would we regard Archie Manning as much, much more than just a QB sire if he’d had the chance to play for a competent team? Len Dawson washed out with two teams before Hank Stram welcomed him aboard.

There are hundreds of examples both of guys who did not find the perfect place, like Manning and Meredith, and those who did, like Montana and Dawson. I’m hoping we add Vince to the latter list in the next year or so.

And I hope every one of his many successes and achievements diminishes Jeff Fisher’s image a little more…

by The Bobs on Jan 13, 2026 12:27 PM CST reply actions

I don’t know what you guys want from Fish. I mean, it’s like you expect him to stop admiring his mustache in the mirror long enough to actually think about how to coach and communicate with a kid who didn’t grow up with Ozzy and Harriet or go to a private prep school.

I mean, that’s something that you can only expect from a psychological genius, like the manager of your local MacDonald’s franchise, not an NFL coach.

by Yellow Dog on Jan 13, 2026 12:47 PM CST reply actions

Comparing Jeff Fischer to a McDonald’s manager is an insult to McDonald’s managers everywhere.

by New Braunfels Horn on Jan 13, 2026 1:45 PM CST reply actions

Boy, Donovan McNabb has gotten to see both sides of this coaching spectrum.

by BatesHorn on Jan 13, 2026 2:41 PM CST reply actions

Great take. It goes without saying that VY has to find a place that will embrace his strengths. Here’s hoping he does.

by TexanNick on Jan 13, 2026 6:19 PM CST reply actions

Great read TTR, you are the defining writer of the Vince Young-Tennessee saga for me.

I was frustrated enough with the situation once to refute Fisher’s offseason comment that last year’s success with Vince came only because the running game kick-started after Kerry Collins came out as a result of something unrelated.

The BC, pro-Vince account is badly needed in the national media because there have been numerous incidents in which very obviously inane arguments have been presented against our hero.

by Nickel Rover on Jan 13, 2026 8:08 PM CST reply actions

Thanks, Nickel. No doubt, Vince has flaws and could have handled things better, but I’m convinced it’s personal for Fisher. I have a theory. Fisher was the DC in Philadelphia in ‘89 - 90, and saw firsthand how a self-centered and egotistic Randall Cunningham sabotaged a great team and helped get their beloved coach fired with his comments in ’91 (after Fisher left). He is determined, I believe, to never let a QB do it again. I think he’s wrong with Vince. Vince is an egotist, but he is far more concerned with winning than personal acclaim. Vince is also a much better locker room buddy than Cunningham was.

Vince has been sabotaged before by his handpicked management team’s hamfisted decisions (it was his personal manager, Mike Mu, that decided to call Fisher in 2008 after Vince stormed out of the house upset. If he had done nothing, there is no “suicide” story. Vince is getting good advice now (although I believe Mu is still on the Young payroll). Fisher tried like hell to get Young to explode, calling him a pussy for texting him and bitching about him not coming to games after being kicked out of the facility. Young kept quiet, and Fisher ended up looking like the bitch.

Last week, Bud Adams admitted what we all suspected about the driving factor in his decision to keep Fisher and get rid of Young- stinginess. He has to pay Fisher in 2011 anyway, even if there is a lockout, or he fires him. He can release Young and not owe him a cent. That’s how a guy owns a team for 50 years and doesn’t win a championship for the last 49.

by TaylorTRoom on Jan 13, 2026 8:35 PM CST reply actions

but I’m convinced it’s personal for Fisher

I believe this as well though I’ve always thought it was because Bud Adams forced Vince on Fisher in the draft when Fisher wanted a different QB. Since then I’m convinced Fisher has been on a vendetta to make Vince a failure so he can claim he was right along. It’s only become more personal and bitter for Fisher with Vince continuing to succeed. When Vince wasn’t going to fail on the field it became a matter of making him seem to be a failure attitude wise.

I think his ego has been so great that he’s allowed this to become personal even to the point of having risked his job. It’s not uncommon though to see people in position of power allow their ego to let them do things that actually put their power at risk.

by Nunna Yo Bizness on Jan 13, 2026 9:04 PM CST reply actions

I think it became personal when Fisher realized:

1. He can’t/won’t work with Vince…
and
2. If Vince succeeds on another team, he (Fisher) will look like a boob, like Chuck Fairbanks giving up on Jim Plunkett. He doesn’t need Vince to leave looking like a talented guy needing a change of scenery. He needs him to be known around the league as trouble.

by TaylorTRoom on Jan 13, 2026 9:10 PM CST reply actions

So your saying VY will end up in the Monday Night Football booth?

by D. Miller on Jan 14, 2026 12:48 AM CST reply actions

No, VY will never end up in the MNF booth. Again, the difference in the situations (and it’s key that these be removed from the evaluation) is that Meredith was folksy and charming to a large part of the coaching, reporting, and spectating demographic. Young is a different cat to those same groups.

Look, imagine a situation where the ESPN Around The Horn guys are talking to a group of NFL guys- say, Vince Young, Kerry Collins, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Jeff Fisher, and Scott Pioli. Odds are, one guy in that group has never seen Star Wars, and all the rest have. Do you know who it is? Odds are, one guy in that group can quote Ludicrus lyrics. Do you know who it is? That has nothing to do with onfield performance, and should have nothing to do with player evaluation. As fans, can you discern?

by TaylorTRoom on Jan 14, 2026 5:54 AM CST reply actions

I am still much less interested VY than I am in GG and Harsin. Lets please see some really relevant stuff soonest.

by 50 Years Watching on Jan 14, 2026 7:54 AM CST reply actions

Um, not exactly where I was going there, chief. But thanks for the earnest effort at explanation.

Tis all good, my brother.

by Den S. Miller on Jan 14, 2026 11:47 AM CST reply actions

If you saw the Lombardi documentary on HBO, you saw how in Lombardi’s first year with the Packers he chewed out Bart Starr in front of the whole team.

Starr then goes to Lombardi and says you can chew me out any time because I can take it, but you cant do it in front of the team or I cant lead them. Lombardi never chewed Starr out in front of the team again and Starr led them to 5 championships in 7 years and ended up in the Hall of Fame.

Vince is a winner. All fucking day. Fisher had no interest in trying to get the best out of Vince by re-examining his methods.

Fisher is no Lombardi. He is a fucking loser, which is validated by his record.

That said, Vince needs to make the All Film Room Team from now on. Prove them all wrong.

by bullzak on Jan 14, 2026 2:45 PM CST reply actions

Than any other situation in the NFL at QB. You typically deal with micro-managing, ultra-conservative despots as coaches. Especially the guys who spent their playing days and assistant gigs on the defensive side of the ball.

Young would have had the same experience with more than half the coaches in the NFL. Rarely do QBs get lucky enough to find coaches who will adjust a lifetime of football success to fit the unique talents of their QB. Which, in my opinion, is Reason #1, #2, and #3 so few coach/QB combos experience real success at that level.

Maybe you can’t get a full season out of a guy like Joe Webb, but the fact a guy like that can beat the Eagles in Philly with an interim offensive staff should tell you something.

It’s the main reason I just can’t get fired up for NBA or the NFL, while I can’t get enough college hoops or football. The pro league coaches leave little to chance — which makes far too much game action boring and predictable.

by Not much different on Jan 14, 2026 5:15 PM CST reply actions

A-freakin-men

by Nunna Yo Bizness on Jan 14, 2026 6:49 PM CST reply actions

A little more- from a 1966 book, “The Pro Quarterback”, by Murray Olderman…

“Tom’s (Landry) confidence in Don Meredith has not always been that positive. He could be accused of fickleness. Landry was an original meredith fan…

…But Tom is a grimly devoted football tactician, with controlled emotions, and he found in Meredith an opposite personality. Don is glib, outwardly cocky, fun-loving. (TTR Notes- pay attention to this part, NFL media) He didn’t apply himself to the job of mastering the nuances of quarterbacking."

by TaylorTRoom on Jan 15, 2026 1:17 PM CST reply actions