Cowboys paid tribute to Tom Landry with victory formation shift

The Dallas Cowboys paid tribute to the late Tom Landry as the final seconds ticked away during their blowout win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night. As they set up for their first snap in the victory formation, the Cowboys shifted in unison before getting into their three-point stances.

Landry, who coached the Cowboys for 29 years and won two Super Bowls, was known for having his offenses shift from one formation to another before snapping the ball to confuse opposing defenses. One of the “shifts” he came up with was similar to the one you see above, where the offensive linemen would briefly stand upright to shield the defense’s view from what was going on in the backfield.

“That’s one of the signature things of the Coach Landry teams, was the offensive line coming to the line of scrimmage and doing that when Roger said ‘Shift,’ and the backs would shift behind him,” Jason Garrett said Monday, via the Cowboys official website. “That’s an image that we all have. It’s an iconic image in football.”

Garrett said the Cowboys have worked on the shift during practice but he was surprised to see the players execute it during a game.

The Cowboys are riding high at the moment, and rightfully so. They’re currently 3-1 after most people picked them to finish last in the NFC East.

H/T Eye on Football