We are officially 84 days until the Dallas Cowboys get their revenge against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and before we talk about who’s the Best #84 ever to don the silver and blue, I want to wish all of the dads out there a Happy Fathers Day.
And yes, dad– I’m talking to you too, love you, homie.
If you have been keeping up with my countdown series, you know I have been choosing the best player that corresponds with the number of days left until Week 1, so in today’s post–don’t expect anything different.
With that in mind, after researching the surprisingly short list of players who rocked No.84 and weighing the pros and cons of each player, I chose TE Jay Novacek.
And for those curious who were all the players that got considered, here is the list below:
- Rich Borresen
- Doug Cosbie
- Patrick Crayton
- Jean Fugett
- Joey Galloway
- James Hanna
- Keith Jennings
- Mike Lucky
- Sean McKeon
- Pettis Norman
- Gary Wisener
Before choosing Novacek, I admit I was close to choosing Galloway, Crayton and Cosbie. Galloway and Crayton because of the nostalgia they gave me (and I could have sworn they had much more production), and Cosbie because of the solid stats he produced for the Cowboys during the 80s–but Novacek was too good to pass up.
Jay Novacek’s Dallas Cowboys Career
Before Novacek got signed as a Plan B Free Agent in 1990 by the Dallas Cowboys, Novacek started out his career with St.Louis/Phoenix Cardinals, as he got drafted in the sixth round (158th overall) of the 1985 NFL Draft.
From his Cardinal days to eventually becoming a Cowboy, Novacek had the worst luck. He suffered multiple injuries and got limited playing time at the beginning of his career.
But when the Cardinals left Novacek unprotected under Plan B Free Agency in 1990, which meant he was eligible to sign with any team, the Cowboys quickly jumped toward signing him–and his career would flourish. To this day, some people have said Novacek is arguably the franchise’s best free-agent signing ever.
In his first season with the Boys, Novacek had a breakout season of 59 receptions for 657 yards and 4 TDs, and he quickly became a key contributor for the Cowboys during their Super Bowl run in the 90s.
Novacek’s best career year came in 1995 when he had 62 receptions for 705 yards and 7 TDs, and what makes his best year even more jaw-dropping was that he got arthroscopic surgery to repair a partial tear of his meniscus in his right knee in the last game–and he STILL PLAYED in Super Bowl XXX to help beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Novacek would finish 9th in team history for receptions (339), 11th in receiving yards (3,576), and 16th in TDs (22) after 11 seasons, and he will go down as one of the best TEs ever to play for the Boys.
Be on the lookout for the next post counting down to Week 1, and let us know if you agree or disagree with each player chosen.
