Always the horses, seldom the jockey...
Daily Commentary on the Dallas Sports Scene - By Bob Sturm - Sportsradio 1310, The Ticket - The Athletic Dallas - The Athletic - Bob Sturm
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Kellen Moore (17) is pressured by Indianapolis Colts free safety Darius Butler (20) during the first half at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017. (Brad Loper/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS)
There are certain things the Dallas Cowboys do.
They build things that print money for them.
They collect amazing artwork (So, I am told. Repeatedly).
They are not scared of players that scare other organizations off (except, oddly, Randy Moss).
And, they certainly aren't worried about their backup QB ever playing in a real game situation.
As I begin my 20th season of covering the most valuable franchise in the entirety of sports, one cannot help but begin to notice patterns, trends, and habits of the team and how they do business. And, yes, this applies to how they do business in the preseason and how they hire their backup QBs.
That is my lead today, because while the Jaylon Smith moment is clearly one to discuss this week, it will have to wait until I am done pontificating about the Cowboys going with Kellen Moore when it is rather clear that he has an extremely limited ability to bail them out of trouble in the event he needs to actually play.
In 2007, the Cowboys went and acquired Brad Johnson who was 39 years old and coming off a 38-year-old season where he seemed to have almost nothing left with a passer rating of 72. Unfortunately for him, he was forced to play with the Vikings in 2006, which is the only way QBs can prove if they can perform. Standing on the sideline in a baseball hat does not require much besides good posture, so it is best to look convincing over there than to actually enter a game and have to prove it. He only played in a mop-up game in Washington that year, so despite being as done as one can be, he was invited back in 2008.
In 2008, you may recall, he had to play. And he was bad. Incredibly bad. He had to play in 3 games and the Cowboys were horrible offensively in all of them, mostly because the QB was incapable of playing in the NFL. They actually won one of those games, a memorable home game against Tampa Bay that ended 13-9. In fact, records still stand for lowest yards in a Cowboys win of ALL TIME. Look it up. 172 yards of offense and they won. When they talk about records that will never be broken, I might put that one up. 102 yards passing from Johnson and he was so bad that they actually thought Brooks Bollinger was a better idea by halftime of a game in New York one week later. Johnson would end the year with a passer rating of 50 and never play again.
From 2009-2011, they actually had decent backup QB play. I don't know if they changed their strategy or just found a better player, but Jon Kitna was excellent. Kitna was as solid a veteran QB as you would have because he had the arm, the brain, and the desire to actually play and compete. It was not a retirement program (remember Randall Cunningham's stint as backup QB where he opted out of actually playing when called upon?) but a sincere desire to be there when Tony Romo's collarbone did not hold up. He was also near 40 years old and his back claimed his career in 2011. He actually returned for another Romo injury for 1 game in 2013 as well. I have nothing but respect for Kitna's run.
After Kitna, they signed Kyle Orton in free agency to backup Romo on a 3-year, $10.5 million deal that included $5 million in guaranteed money. Orton was 30 years old and had a few options, but in his 2 seasons with the Cowboys played only 1 game of substance, the final play-in game in 2013 where he had to beat the Eagles at home. The Cowboys had the ball at their own 32 with 1:49 to play, down 24-22. A field goal would make that entire signing bonus worthwhile because it would put the Cowboys in the playoffs. Instead, on the first play with everything on the line, Orton fired a slant well behind Miles Austin and Brandon Boykin picked it off and sealed yet another 8-8 campaign.
But, that wasn't how Orton's run ended with the Cowboys. Instead, he faked his intentions to retire to be allowed to get out of his deal (and Dallas out of his contract) to go play his final NFL action in Buffalo in 2014. Orton bizarrely wanted out of Dallas.
So, back to the drawing board in 2014. Brandon Weeden, 30, was called upon and then quickly exposed as largely ineffective when Romo needed a game off against Arizona in November of that dream season. He put up a passer rating that Brad Johnson could relate to - 50 - and Romo hurried back to join the team in London, despite the medical staff wondering about the wisdom behind it. Romo knew the quarterback play behind him, so he was willing to risk his health.
In 2015, the Cowboys were undaunted. Surely Romo's health is fine and Weeden will be fine as his backup --which could only mean they don't think he will have to play (Narrator: He did have to play). Romo was predictably hurt again in Week 2 of 2015, in which point Weeden was inserted and engineered 3 consecutive losses in which the coaching staff clearly asked him to check down repeatedly for mysterious reasons given that he had been in the offense for over a year. They panic-traded for Matt Cassel and then rushed to sign Kellen Moore to the practice squad (and then promoted him when it was clear Weeden and Cassel had no solutions) when the Lions released him on cutdown day. Moore was previously undrafted but grew into the backup role in Detroit under - yes, Scott Linehan.
I will give Moore this, in 2015 after Weeden and Cassel, his willingness to sling the ball all over the field was a breath of fresh air. He was not scared of the moment and he wasn't overly cautious. He had a very limited arm, but he wasn't willing to play like it - for better or for worse.
Then, riding in on a horse, was Dak Prescott to not only save the backup QB position, but to quickly replace Tony Romo as well. Nobody can articulate just how amazing Prescott has been to just about everything that has anything to do with the Cowboys organization. He has already exceeded any normal expectation level for any 4th round draft pick quarterback. Already.
But, with that comes a great problem. No longer are you hoping that he could be the best backup QB Tony Romo has ever had (not a steep mountain). But, now you are trying to find him a backup. The problem? The Cowboys haven't been looking very hard.
They have felt that Kellen Moore will be fine. Like Brad Johnson, Kyle Orton, and Weeden, that could only mean that they assume he won't need to play. And the only thing that can expose the folly is by making him play in actual games. Let's hope that doesn't happen, but even in exhibitions it is clear that Cooper Rush can give him a real run for his money. Nobody is doubting his mental capacity as a future coach, and Jason Garrett may relate and Scott Linehan may consider him a young apprentice and coach-in-waiting.
But, can he do all you can realistically hope a backup QB can do? Go 2-2 or 3-3 over a 4-6 week absence from your QB1? I don't think I can see it. And I don't think he is even in a competition. I think they decided on Kellen Moore long ago and the other's don't have an honest chance. That doesn't mean I am ready for the Cooper Rush show or even Luke McCown. Rush may have something, but I don't think he can be anything beyond a future piece after a year on the back of the roster or practice squad. In fact, much like my Darren McFadden apprehension, it isn't that there is a much better solution on the roster. Rather, it is curious that they have done so little to try to create competition or upgrade a spot that, frankly, seems easy to upgrade. It has led me to believe that if Prescott is gone for 6 weeks, their primary solution will be to speed-dial Romo again. He might laugh at them, but I swear that must be the plan. Otherwise, they are just being reckless.
You know, reckless at backup QB, like they were many other years since I have covered them. It seems the solution has been to hope their QB doesn't get hurt. They aren't the only team in the league to feel that way - many teams take that approach, it seems. But, we don't cover those teams. We cover a team that has been bit by this strategy enough times to suggest you would think they would have a better plan than this by now.
Reports surfaced this weekend that the Cowboys are now officially concerned about QB2. That probably means nothing because asking a QB to join your organization in late August is never easy with everything that a QB has to know to have a chance to compete. But it staggers the mind that they are just discovering that Moore might not inspire confidence throughout the organization.
It certainly seems that navigating through the first week of training camp without losing someone important is a very difficult trick for the Cowboys.
In 2013, Tyrone Crawford was knocked out for the year on one of the first days of camp. It happens and it stinks. Heck, Sean Lee was out for the year in 2014 before camp even started. OTA's got him that year. Orlando Scandrick went in 2015 a little later in camp. It happens and it stinks. But, it is also football.
This season, it will be Kellen Moore. He will be lost "several months" with a broken leg yesterday in a freak moment in camp. This is an issue, but it is likely best described as an issue that is piled on top of another issue.
Just 48 hours ago, I wrote this about the Cowboys QB2 situation: Questions abound. And, for some unknown reason, the Cowboys did not flinch and go target a better solution at backup QB for 2016. They may end up being in fine shape for down the road if Dak Prescott can be developed, but if QB1 drops in 2016, they are still seemingly as screwed as could be. I don't think Kellen Moore can win games in the big leagues, and neither does anyone who was locked in last December. Was he better than Matt Cassel or Brandon Weeden? If so, it is too fractional to get excited about. I don't know why they didn't get short-term Romo insurance, but it never came close to happening.
I realize my tune has changed in the last 10 months on Kellen Moore. At first, I was pretty interested in what the college star could do if he was given a chance. But, his chance gave me quite a bit of indigestion, to be honest. And I planned on writing that up this week with videos showing my issues, but that would likely be piling on right now. Bottom line, I was quite uncomfortable with the Cowboys view of Moore and their spot at backup QB. They seemed to ignore his very generous turnover issues of his 3 games last December (6 INTs in about 10 Quarters of action projects to a 38 INT season). Not sure if he couldn't see the safety or if his arm betrayed him, but those 6 INTs in December got me to cool my jets on his prospects in the likely event Tony Romo needed his understudy to run on to the field for 2-6 games this season.
I can't have a backup QB making rookie mistakes, especially if he supposedly knew Scott Linehan's playbook like the back of his hand.
Well, all of that flew right out the window when he was rolled up on in practice yesterday and lost for quite a while. Obviously, I was anxious to see him play in preseason and put those December concerns behind him, but now those plans have been trashed and now the Cowboys are forced to lock themselves in a room and discuss the next plan.
Let's be clear here - I want Dak Prescott to accomplish great things here. But, based on his college tape and even a few practices in Oxnard, I think it is safe to say we are talking a few years - not a few weeks - before he is prepared to play meaningful snaps around here. He has tons of interesting components to his game, but the adjustments to NFL speeds and sizes will be a hurdle for him, and his accuracy will need to be improved. We knew that. That is why he lasted so long in the draft. He was not picked for 2016.
Jameill Showers is the one who may surprise you a bit. I have been told by a few on the inside of the organization that he may be the 2nd best QB on the team entering camp. But, he also is considered the distant #4th by the coaching staff because of his pedigree. Linehan loved Kellen Moore and the personnel people thought Showers was better. Not suggesting this was the basis for a war at Valley Ranch/Frisco, but that feeling absolutely existed on some level. So now, is this the lifeline for Showers? Is this the Quincy getting cut that saved Tony Romo's career? Way too early to say, but he will get some looks for sure. 5 days ago, Jason Garrett made it sound like Showers was not a priority. Perhaps, that is still true, but at least he will get his turn to be debated today.
And now, we all arrive back at the most obvious fit all off-season. Nick Foles is not a world-beater at QB1. But, it sure seems like he would be the type to be a fine backup who might need to play a bit. He has 35 professional starts and is 27 years old. He can run an offense and take care of the football. I would have called for him in March, April, May, June, and July. Jerry Jones disagreed with me, but now in August with Moore out of the picture, it seems like Foles has leverage when the Cowboys call today.
There are a number of other names out there, but I am pretty sure he has the best chance to really fix something better than it was 48 hours ago. There is no doubt in my mind that Nick Foles is a superior QB to Kellen Moore, Brandon Weeden, and Matt Cassel.
There is also no doubt that he can now ask for twice as much as he would have before Moore broke his leg. And the Cowboys can now spend that cap space that they had earmarked for Dwight Freeney. There lack of interest in him was bizarre, but now the money will be helpful to fix QB2.
This is not a disaster. This was an issue and this forces the Cowboys to fix it. Obviously, we wish Moore the best, but I think the Cowboys needed to put more into QB2, and now, hopefully they will.
Sunday gave us yet another game of offensive frustration for the 2015 season where it seems that nothing has gone according to plan. Now, this one, in which the Cowboys were playing with their 4th starting Quarterback and without their opening day plans at both Running Back and Wide Receiver, it would seem rather predictable that they were not going to light up the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo a few days after Christmas. One might have aspired for 7 points or more, but in a season that has been marked with 4 occasions now where the team has failed to score more than a touchdown (New England, At Tampa Bay, At Green Bay, At Buffalo) it should hardly surprise us at this point.
You have heard all of the facts. This team is now starting its 4thQuarterback in which the one that might have engineered the least hope-inspiring performances of them all - Brandon Weeden - is now enjoying some harmless trash talking of Jerry Jones on his way to the playoffs.
Question: Will it be extra satisfying because of what Jerry [Jones] said to see the Cowboys completely just turn into a dumpster fire if you're in the playoffs?
"I mean, yeah. Absolutely," Weeden said. "We get to play extra football and he'll be watching on his couch. That's what it's all about. We're playing for something and this is a fun time of the year."
I can't really blame the guy. As we said at the time, as uninspiring as watching Weeden was, there should be blame placed on the coaching staff for basically making sure he did nothing but check the ball down. I don't want to belabor the point, but I had it on great authority that part of the reason Weeden was a mess here is because the coaching staff was in his ear with the constant charge of checking the ball down. Over and over again. And he did.
This is Weeden's throw chart against Atlanta. As you can see, all of the blue were the completions from that game. He built up a great QB rating from never throwing the ball down the field.
Then, he followed that up in New Orleans - had that deep shot to Brice Butler:
And Finally, against New England:
So yes, he racked up an impressive completion percentage and QB rating. But, as you can see, over 50 of his 64 completions in his 3 starts were 5 yards or less downfield. He was a check down machine. Now, was this his fault or the coaching staff? I don't know anymore. And honestly, by now, it doesn't matter. But, everyone revising his history on this team pulled me offsides.
Regardless, the Weeden run into the playoffs (I guess that is what we are calling a win against the Titans in Week 16) is one thing that people want to talk about. Hopefully after looking at the charts above, they will refocus their interest on why the Cowboys have issues with their backups.
The curiosity for me is found in Buffalo. Why, if the Cowboys don't really trust their backups to run the offense, is Kellen Moore now slinging the ball all over the field? Also, earlier in the year, why did Matt Cassel look like a check down machine in some games and a gun slinger in others?
It is almost like the above charts with Weeden got everyone in a room to agree that "safe is death" and that the QB (whoever it is) is going to have to throw the ball down the field at some point. Weeden was the victim of the ultraconservatism from Linehan and Garrett and maybe Moore is the beneficiary. In fairness, Moore has been with Linehan for years and that might give him an advantage, but Weeden had 2 years. Somehow, as you look at the 10 longest plays on 3rd down this season, Kellen Moore has 4 of them in just 7 Quarters at QB. That makes no sense (thanks to ProFootballReference):
They can't possibly think Kellen Moore is more able to attack than Weeden, right? Weeden has one of the Top 10 and that was the slant at the end of the Eagles game that Williams broke for a TD. Otherwise, it was check down after check down. But, the more you watch this team, the more you wonder if the offensive coaching this year during a QB crisis was a major part of the issue.
Look at Moore on these 3rd downs on Sunday:
Beautiful fade to Brice Butler converts a long 3rd down.
Stands in against a big blitz and delivers a nice pass to Beasley in stride to kill said blitz.
This is more of a duck, but Williams came back and made a play. Something we were told he was incapable of making earlier in the season when they didn't really try too hard.
It is all very confusing. I think Moore has a very high FBI score (Football Intelligence) and has confident to cut the throw loose.
The bigger question is why Kellen Moore has the most 3rd down successful big plays despite playing just a fraction of Cassel and Weeden?
And why does this matter so much? Because for the next few months, this team is going to be shopping for a young college QB to raise. Do you want this prospect to be raised by a coaching staff that seemed to wander all over the map in 2015 with QBs that were not Tony Romo? In other words, do you trust these guys to develop Goff, Lynch, Wentz, or Cook?
Hmmmm.
WEEKLY DATA - WK 15 - BUFFALO
I just showed you the good plays above, but let's not forget that Moore was just 13 for 31 and that he had some very confusing throws and the receivers were not on the same page way too often. I hope that people don't get the impression that I am ready to set sail on the good ship Kellen Moore. He has something, but I am not sure if we have any idea what that is until we get a long look with more dangerous weapons than what he had on the field on Sunday.
But, if there is anything to admire about the performance on Sunday, it would be the 7 3rd down conversions. In just one game this year, the home OT game against Philadelphia, did the Cowboys get past 7 and finished with 8. What is amazing is that with 7 3rd down conversions, they still only scored 6 points. It is almost impossible to have more 3rd down conversions than points. But, the Cowboys did it, 7-6.
KELLEN MOORE THROW CHART
Here is the throw chart for the first ever start of the Boise State product. Way too much red, but look at all the quadrants of the field he was working. All 3 levels of the defense and both sides. I will continue to say he has something. Probably, just a backup, but he sees the field, sees the blitz, and understands football quite well. Those are all admirable traits.
PERSONNEL GROUPS - BUFFALO
Yet again, if there is a tendency that does nobody any favors, it is the Cowboys run/pass tendencies continuing to match-up every week with the Shotgun/Under Center formations. Under Center, the Cowboys ran the ball on 23 of 26 occasions.
From Shotgun, they passed the ball on 28 of 29 occasions. Gee, do you think the defense has a pretty good idea of what the plans are for the Dallas offense these days?
The only change up is the 2 or 3 times a game they try to sell the play-action over the top. I think to find consistency, which is something they may have given up on in 2015, they would need to run out of pass looks and pass out of run looks more. Because being a linebacker or safety against these Cowboys looks very simple.
BUFFALO PASS RUSHERS
WEEKLY BLITZ PERCENTAGES
SHOTGUN PERCENTAGES
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Soon, I am going to give Darren McFadden and the running game the attention they have deserved these last few weeks. He has done plenty to like this year and with 3 more yards versus the Redskins he will hit 1,000 yards for the 2nd time in his 8-year career.
If I had only had one word to describe the 2015 Dallas Cowboys offensive line, it would be "underappreciated." Thankfully, I have more words than that, so we can get a little more in depth. Just because they underachieved according to their massive preseason expectations does not mean that they are a bad unit. In fact, I'd say they are a really good line that is about to get a thousand yards out of an aging Darren McFadden (who wasn't even that good in his prime). You could take an all-decade offensive line and it would struggle to run the ball with the skill talent with which the Cowboys played this year. I just don't think Dallas' offensive line ever had a real chance to live up to its hype as a potential all-time great unit.
When the running backs are Darren McFadden and Joseph Randle; the quarterbacks are Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel, and Kellen Moore; and the No. 1 receiver is Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, or a not-100-percent Dez Bryant, no offensive line is going to look good. That's not even getting into some of the most conservative play calling seen in the NFL is this year. At the end of the day, so many things were wrong with the Cowboys' offense that no offensive line could have salvaged much. The pieces are still in place, however, for this to go from a really good offensive line in 2015 to a special one in 2016.
Go read the whole piece, but this is where I have been all year. I think the pieces are in place, too, and with an upgrade at QB or RB (or both), I have plenty of faith in the rest of the offense.
Anyway, let's get another look at Kellen Moore - odds are the last one - and 3 more yards for McFadden and call it a year. Then, the question becomes whether the franchise will figure out a new look for their offensive coaching staff or stay with what they have. That is its own conversation for January.
Partly because this is Christmas week and partly because this is a 4-10 team, Decoding Linehan and the Marinelli Report may be slightly shorter this week. Actually, given the periodic complaints about the overall length of a "normal" version, some may actually find this appealing. Either way, here we go.
I thought the highlight of the entire event was the professional debut of the above-pictured Kellen Moore. Now, he was approximately 5 miles from perfect, for sure. But, there were some things that greatly appealed to me.
Let's put it this way. There is an easy way to discard QB prospects in the NFL. Usually, you don't see it in the preseason, but when they get in the regular season, those teams that love to blitz can make a real solid QB look pedestrian with just a few well-timed blitzes. He has never seen anything like it in college (or especially in high school) and it brings him to his knees. The blitz can make Matt Cassel and Brandon Weeden look awful. So, imagine what they do to someone even further down the food chain.
But, Kellen Moore is known for his brain power. He is a smart QB who does his homework and has been trained as the son of a coach to see the game at a higher level. It doesn't always transfer from the film room to the field, but with Moore, he seems to see the game at a pretty wise level.
On Saturday night, Moore made some mistakes. In fact, on his 2nd throw, a blitz caused him to do something he wishes he didn't. But, from there on out, the Jets blitzed him relentlessly, and all things considered, I thought he handled it very, very well.
Fire zone from his left and Moore stands in and waits for Williams to come open across the middle and delivers a toss right in stride and into space. The key is that this is after his horrible interception on his first drive and still, he keeps his eye level up and stays composed. He is not spooked or thrown off his task. This is nice.
7-man blitz! Wow! He knows he doesn't have enough protection. Yet, he knows right where to go and delivers the ball right on time allowing Dez to turn and run it in for a nice Cover 0 burning. This is very impressive and made to look easy. Trust me, the guys playing QB all season are not doing this.
This is his mistake. 5-man pressure and he treats it like it is 6 or 7. The point there is if you have 6 or 7 coming at you, you can know that there is no back-side safety. He miscounted and lost track of the 11th man. You expect this of a rookie, but this is the one time he was wrong in his read and thought Dez was open and this was too easy. Then, he realized he stepped in a trap. Still, look at his eyes and his feet. Calm, cool, and sure of himself. A correctable mistake, but I love the poise.
Here is a throw against a normal rush, but again, I just love how he scans the field and then delivers a perfect throw. This should have been at least a 3rd down conversion if not a touchdown. This is strong QB play here.
One more. Another 4 man rush, but this is 4th and 2. Look at his patience and look at the strike he delivers. He trusts his protection and then puts it right on Beasley to extend the game and get them in field goal range. This is a beautiful throw.
Again, all of the best throws are to the inside and he made several mistakes, but this is at the very least putting him in a spot where we want to see more against Buffalo. I was quite pleased with his play on Saturday all things considered. It is possible that he is not up to par in the NFL and I am just used to seeing substandard QB play this season, but he seems to have certain attributes I am looking for in a QB.
WEEKLY DATA - WK 15 - JETS
As we look at the weekly numbers, we are seeing some of the things that have really haunted this thing down the stretch. Clearly, for yet another week, they are unable to move the chains with even the slightest bit of acceptable success.
So, now you see the 3 things that continue to destroy this thing. No 3rd down efficiency, no red zone efficiency, and 4 Giveaways.
Yet, again, through all of that nonsense, they actually had a real opportunity to win this game.
Also, note the 5 yards per pass attempt. We did not separate the Cassel/Moore numbers, but let's just say that the Cassel camp appreciates us not doing that.
KELLEN MOORE THROW CHART
As you can see here, the debate about Moore and his arm strength and what part of the field he uses can be seen here. I want to wait a week or two, but this does match the eyeball test. He is going to be a guy using the underneath stuff primarily. Now, that is ok if you can throw guys open, anticipate windows, and excel with accuracy.
He has a chance, but it won't be with a big gun and velocity. And, sometimes, that can work for a backup QB. Over 15 yards down field: 0-4 with 2 interceptions.
PERSONNEL GROUPS - WK 15 - JETS
This will show again that the Cowboys actually did run the ball pretty well when you sprinkle in the 2 different 33 yard runs. Both of them came off some use of Lucky Whitehead with a successful end around and then a fake end around with a naked pitch to McFadden.
Also, look at how they were in a predictable rut with run/pass as it pertains to under center and shotgun. They were in shotgun 29 times and ran the ball once - and that was a Moore scramble. So, 100% of the time they passed. Then, under center, they snapped 25 plays and ran it 19 of those 25 times (76%). So, overall, 89% of the time, they ran from under center and passed from shotgun. The other 6 times were almost all variations of play-action passes. You could say they are really selling the ambush of play-action, but you could also say they are really easy to defend when they do this. By the way, almost all of the play-action was with Cassel (5 times).
JETS PASS RUSHERS
The Jets brought some big blitzes as they like to do and really increased it even more when they saw the new guy. Their overall blitz percentage wasn't that crazy, but when they go big, they love to go Cover 0 behind it which some teams will never do. The Jets cranked up the 7 man blitz a few times and that is rare in today's game.
SEASON BLITZ PERCENTAGE
Again, overall, with no Romo, teams have decided to get that blitz number high over 30% on a regular basis. Of course, the schedule has also lined up teams that really enjoy blitzing over the last several weeks, too.
SEASON RUSHERS BY DOWN
With 4 different QBs, this data is clearly difficult to decode, but just so that you can see the big picture, here is how it looks by down. If you are a QB, you are not seeing blitzes on 1st down 81% of the time, 76% on 2nd, 65% on 3rd. That is why we want to stay out of 3rd downs.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Honestly, there is very little we can summarize with all of this QB chaos. Basically, the disaster of 2015 goes something like this: The Dallas Cowboys hold the incredibly dubious distinction of a really bad football team in this fashion - they lead the NFC in most giveaways (27 times they have given the opposition the football via interception or fumble - although they are tied with Philadelphia and Atlanta). In fairness to the Eagles, their 27 giveaways have been with a faster tempo. Sorry, couldn't resist that. Also, the Cowboys lead the NFC in least takeaways with just 9.
That means simply this, they have a giveaway/takeaway number of "-18" that is 32nd out of 32 teams. They have been a very poor team fundamentally and they cannot take care of the football, nor can they take the ball back. This has been an issue throughout and in the interest of fairness (and we cannot count Kellen Moore yet), the QB with the highest interception % is actually Tony Romo. Even when he was healthy, he was not very good this year. That is why there are so many people running around with Brandon Weeden foam fingers. Because, at least he didn't throw interceptions! Which we all could see when he played, he was committed to 5 yard passes to his running backs which seldom move the chains, but at least he didn't throw any to the other team.
If you ask me, they have had awful QB play from all of them this year, and we are really just debating shades of gray. Which, some still have the energy to do. I surrendered to those people (OK State graduates?) yesterday with this tweet:
Regardless, on Thursday in Xs and Os, I will look at a few running plays, but I have made this issue pretty much all about the short QB from Boise State because A) it is enjoyable to watch him play (admittedly, by default) and B) it avoids us from having to discuss this offense from a broader 2015 perspective.
This has been a difficult year from every perspective offensively and this is a team that hasn't had a 400-yard offensive day since November 8th, a 6-yards-per-play day since October 25th, hasn't scored more than 20 points since November 22nd, and hasn't scored over 28 points all year.
In other words, you have almost made the finish line. Happy Holidays!
