The Greatest NFL Starting Job Thefts of All Time

GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 18: (2nd left) Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley of the Arizona Cardinals and (M) head coach Ken Whisenhunt talks with (R) quarterback Kurt Warner #13 as (L) quarterback Matt Leinart #7 stands behind and watches against the Philadelphia Eagles during the NFC championship game on January 18, 2009 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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Dallas Cowboys: Roger Staubach takes over for Craig Morton

This is one of the most enduring quarterback controversies in NFL history. From the moment Staubach returned from Vietnam in 1969, he and Morton battled back and forth for the starting job in Dallas. Morton held it for the first two years, even taking the team to the Super Bowl in 1970 where they lost in controversial fashion to the Baltimore Colts.

The next season it got so confusing that at one point head coach Tom Landry actually alternated series with them in a game against Chicago. After losing that game, Landry was compelled by the team to make a decision and pick a quarterback to go with. After deliberating, the Hall of Fame coach went with Staubach.

It was a fateful decision. The Cowboys swept through the rest of the schedule to win their first Super Bowl. After that, Morton never really recovered.

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