After spending a handful of days in Carolina interviewing for the Panthers job, Dallas Cowboys Offensive Coordination Kellen Moore was not hired as the new head coach of their football team.
The Panthers hired former Colts Head Coach Frank Reich instead. For now, Moore is still slated as the play caller for the Cowboys, but that could change.
During his press conference yesterday, Head Coach Mike McCarthy said that Moore, like all other coaches, is “being evaluated.” We all understand that most want Moore gone and no longer calling plays for this offense, but why?
I was a fan of Moore early, but his game plan each week has become like the same song you hear on the radio for a month straight, OLD!
In four seasons calling plays for the Cowboys, the offense has had elite-type numbers (outside of Dak Prescott missing 2020). In 2021, they finished as the No. 1 scoring offense, averaging 31.2 points per game, and the No. 1 total offense, averaging over 400 yards a game.
This past season they finished with the No. 4 scoring offense.
A Cowboys front office source says that 'no decisions have been made' today regarding offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
So at least as of yet, no movement one way or the other.
— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) January 27, 2023
What’s the problem?
Once again, in the Divisional round of the playoffs, the offense could only muster 12 points. Granted, it was against the best defense in football, and the problem is, we see the same type of plays run throughout the game.
We see the same curl route to Dalton Schultz and the same first and second down runs for two yards. Yes, Prescott can change things at the line of scrimmage, and honestly, I hear him do it from time to time.
It is hard to find a solid offensive coordinator in this league, and although Moore isn’t ‘hurting’ them, he just isn’t elevating them enough each week. This team becomes inconsistent every other week, which is a huge problem.
Additionally, he has been questionable with his play calling when up big in games. In week ten against the Packers, the Cowboys were up 14 points as they entered the fourth quarter. Tony Pollard averaged over 5 yards a carry, while Malik Davis, the THIRD string, was pumping out over 7 yards. He ran the ball six times and threw it 18 times in the final frame.
Look, I am still determining who I would rather have than him, and until told otherwise, he’s the guy. So who would be better to replace him? Kliff Kingsbury, I’ll pass. The Cardinals finished 4-13 this year under him, and the offense could have been better.
Let’s see how the rest of this offseason shakes out. It’s okay if Moore is the man who is calling the plays again next season. If nothing changes with him, then let’s get another target on the outside, making things easier for CeeDee Lamb, who showed he could be a No. 1 target.
It sounds like the team wants to make changes, but are being smart. With Dan Quinn returning, Moore also might return for one last chance to get this current team to a Super Bowl.
More changes are on the way, we just have to wait and see what they are.
Ultimately, Dak decides when and where to throw the ball. Yup, we’ve all heard him kill the primary call at the line, sometimes with good results, sometimes with bad. We’ve also seen him force it to certain players after either not seeing a different player breaking free or choosing to move on to the next read. He also strongly favors throwing to certain routes, usually ones that stop or come back at him. Why? Because those are the easier throws to make. Defensive players aren’t dummies. They pick up on when Dak is “playing it safe” and start sitting on or jumping certain routes. It’s a chess game, and Dak is falling in love with playing checkers.
There used to be a term for QB’s like this, “coach killers”. They show enough to give the fans and coaches hope, then pull the rug out through inconsistent play. You could hire the best OC in the league, but unless the QB can consistently execute, it’s all for naught.
As for Moore’s play calling getting old, he can only call what he thinks his QB can and is willing to execute. Besides, we’ve all seen the cutesy play calls from Moore trying to shake things up, but more often than not, they blow up in our faces through, you guessed it, poor execution.
Agree lone, their QB1 is LIMITED. He has hit his ceiling and his ceiling is a slightly above average QB. The sooner the FO sees this, the sooner the Cowboys may get back into the SB hunt. A seven-year body of work should be more than enough evidence. IMO, time to start the process, for the long-suffering loyal fans sake.
Then, maybe the adulation of the Cowboy mystique may actually be holding the FO back from making the kind of hard decisions needed. They are wildly popular and are hugely profitable without going to the big show for what, 27 years now. Maybe the status quo is fine enough for them. Just a thought.