Have The Cowboys Done Anything Right At QB?
Follow 1053TheFan.COM: Facebook | Twitter
IRVING (105.3 The Fan) - After a 2014 season in which the Cowboys' quarterback position was among the highest-performing spots in NFL history, the 2015 Cowboys have botched the position -- and fate has helped it be botched -- in almost every way imaginable.
Chronologically ...
*The club retained Brandan Weeden as the backup to All-Pro Tony Romo but at the same time pitted him in a training-camp competition with Dustin Vaughan. That may show how little faith Dallas truly had in Weeden (who did not play well in the preseason), as Vaughan has never really shown himself to be a true prospect and at at 24 is presently out of football.
*Dallas brought Detroit backup Kellen Moore to Dallas, mostly so the Scott Linehan protege could participate on the practice squad.
*The Cowboys saw Romo go down in Week 2 to a broken collarbone, an accident that is absolutely to blame for triggering the 2-0 team's fall to seven straight losses.
*Dallas reacted quickly, providing tryouts to a trio of young journeymen, including DFW native Christian Ponder, a former Vikings starter. But the tryouts did not go well, causing the Cowboys to sacrifice a ... pick to Buffalo in a trade for long-time NFL quarterback Matt Cassel.
*Cassel has some skins on the wall, unlike Weeden (who was a first-round pick of the Browns but otherwise unsuccessful). Yet it took Cassel an excruciatingly long time to finally get elevated above Weeden. ... and when it finally happened?
*When it finally happened, Cassel actually proved to be worse than Weeden. Tucked in the middle of this late-season skid was a Romo comeback attempt that led to nothing but false hope and another break to his collarbone.
And heck, any Cowboys fan who wants to argue that Dallas brought Romo back too quickly, before he was safety healed? Argue away.
And double-heck, any Cowboys fan who always wants to argue that yet another practice-squad Cowboys QB, Jameill Showers, couldn't be any worse than all the slappies who've been given a chance? Argue away.
*Weeden eventually got picked up by Houston, where on Sunday he helped the Texas win and stay in playoff contention. Moore eventually got to play, satisfying the "Kellen Moore-ons'' (joke!) by looking semi-competent in relief of Cassel in Saturday's 19-6 home loss to the Jets.
*Romo will now move to IR, the official playoff elimination making that the only move. Moore will now move to first-team for the 4-10 Cowboys as they close the season against the Bills and Redskins. The only error with Moore would be for the organization to be artificially soothed into thinking that his competence means Dallas shouldn't place a high priority on finding a Romo heir in this draft. I don't think that mistake will happen ... But so many other mistakes have occurred at this position alone, the final coal in the stocking being Cassel's mindlessly inept backpedal/stumble/intentional-grounding/interception-lollipop that finally ended his chance with the Cowboys.
"I was trying to throw it out of bounds,'' Cassel explained. "I slipped. Couldn't get enough on it. It was really the ultimate no-no that we'll probably be watching for years and years, (so) quarterbacks will be taught what not to do.''
Matt, you are in good company here. Everything the Dallas Cowboys have done at your position in 2015 is everything that quarterbacking should not be. An entire season of "ultimate no-no's.''
(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)