Now that Tony Romo is out with a broken pinkie finger for up to four weeks, much of the focus is now on backup Brad Johnson, who at least brings experience if not arm strength to the table. If history is on the team’s side at all, having a backup may not be the worst thing in the world.

In the 48-year history of the Dallas Cowboys, the team has had five franchise quarterbacks, meaning quarterbacks that the team was build around. For simplicity sake, I would identify these as:

Don Meredith

Roger Staubach

Danny White

Troy Aikman

Tony Romo

[No offense to Eddie LeBaron, Craig Morton, Gary Hogeboom, Steve Pelleur, Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson, or Vinny Testaverde, but I don't think they fall in this category]

With each of these quarterbacks, the team had quality backups who were able to step in and win games when the starters went out. Here is a look at these backups:

Starter: Don Meredith

Meredith became the principal starter in 1962 and had several backups during that time.

Backup #1: Eddie LeBaron

Having the former starter as the key backup can be good and bad. LeBaron served that role in 1962 and 1963.

Backup #2: John Roach

Roach started four games during the 1965 season and lost all four. His modern passer rating that year: 30.8.

Backup #3: Jerry Rhome

Rhome started three games in 1965 and 1966, earning a 1-2 record.

Backup #4: Craig Morton

Before Morton became the regular starter in 1969, he had started several games in place of Meredith. In 1967, Morton recorded a 2-1 record as a starter, including a 24-21 win over Pittsburgh in a game when Morton threw three touchdown passes. The following year, Morton won his lone start against the Giants in the season finale.

Starter: Roger Staubach

Staubach was at one time an effective backup for Craig Morton, but the roles were reversed in 1971.

Backup #1: Morton

Staubach was injured in training camp in 1972, meaning that Morton took over the starting job for most of the season. Dallas went 10-4 under Morton that year and made the playoffs.

Backup #2: Clint Longley

You might have heard this story about a backup on Thanksgiving Day throwing some touchdown passes against the Redskins. That backup was Clint Longley.

Backup #3: Danny White

Before becoming a starter in 1980, White made more of a name for himself for serving dual duties as a punter and a backup quarterback. When he was called upon, though, he proved to be effective. In the divisional playoff game against Atlanta in 1978, White replaced an injured Staubach and led a comeback. His game-tying touchdown pass went to backup tight end Jackie Smith, who later dropped… well, you know.

Starter: Danny White

The quarterback on this list with the least effective backups was Danny White.

Backup #1: Glenn Carano

For a guy who spent six years as a quarterback with the Cowboys, not very many people probably remember him. He started one game during his career– and the Cowboys won, 37-13 over a bad Baltimore Colts team.

Backup #2: Gary Hogeboom

Hogeboom infamously took over for White to start the 1984 season (and actually had a better winning percentage as a starter). In two games where he started in replacement of White in 1985, Hogeboom went 0-2.

Backup #3: Steve Pelleur

Pelleur eventually became the starter by default on the mediocre 1987 team and the bad 1988 team. When he replaced White in 1986 due to White’s broken wrist, the results were just plain bad: the Cowboys finished 1-6 in their final seven games.

Starter: Troy Aikman

Backup #1: Steve Walsh

Walsh and Aikman were both rookies in 1989, and some thought that Walsh was the better quarterback. He managed a 1-4 record in relief of an injured Aikman in 1989.

Backup #2: Babe Laufenberg

Laufenberg filled in for Aikman during the final two games of the 1990 season. Needing one win to make the playoffs, Dallas fell completely flat in both contests.

IRONY ALERT: Laufenberg is the Cowboys’ radio color commentator.

Backup #3: Steve Beuerlein

If we hope that Johnson is most similar to any one quarterback, it is Beuerlein. Beuerlein replaced an injured Aikman in a tight contest between the Cowboys (then 6-5) and Redskins (then 11-0). From the time that Beuerlein came in until the divisional round of the playoffs against Detroit, the Cowboys did not lose a game. More on Beuerlein later.

Backup #4: Bernie Kosar

Dallas acquired Bernie Kosar during the 1993 season as a backup. Though he saw limited action, he helped to seal the Cowboys’ 38-21 win over San Francisco in the NFC Championship Game.

Backup #5: Rodney Peete

The commentator who made his rounds through several NFL teams was once a backup for Dallas. He started one game in replacement of Aikman in 1994 and won at Philadelphia.

IRONY ALERT: Peete’s brother, Skip, is the team’s current running backs coach.

Backup #6: Wade Wilson

In three years as the Cowboys’ backup, Wilson only started one game– a 37-10 loss at Washington in the season finale.

IRONY ALERT #1: Wilson is the current quarterbacks coach.

IRONY ALERT #2: Like Brad Johnson, Wilson was a starter with the Vikings and several other teams prior to joining the Cowboys as a backup.

IRONY ALERT #3: The Cowboys in 1996 played their backups against Washington in the season finale, which was also the last game played at RFK Stadium. The following week, the starters returned to face the Vikings in the playoffs when Minnesota was led by Brad Johnson. This is, of course, the last year for Texas Stadium.

Backup #7: Jason Garrett

Garrett famously brought the Cowboys from behind in 1994 on Thanksgiving Day, putting him in a category with Clint Longley. Garrett became the primary backup in 1998 and filled in pretty well when Aikman broke his collarbone. Garrett had a 3-2 record as a starter that season. He was a bit less effective in 1999, though managing only a 1-1 record.

IRONY ALERT: The player calling plays for Brad Johnson will be Jason Garrett.

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Romo has never been replaced due to injury since taking over for Drew Bledsoe in week 7 of the 2006 season. Johnson saw very limited action as the backup in 2007.