In a recent appearance on Cowboys Cast, I discussed the Dallas Cowboys’ stability at the Wide Receiver position with host Bobby Belt.
Bobby said that he felt the receiving corps. didn’t take as much flack for 2015 as maybe they should have. It’s a fair point when you consider that the Cowboys, entering the season as supposed Super Bowl contenders, fell flat on their faces to the tune of a 4-12 record.
Now to be totally fair to everyone the absence of both Tony Romo and Dez Bryant certainly influenced things in a negative manner. I did agree with Bobby though; We all saw Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel, and Kellen Moore take quite the public beating on Twitter week after week… but what about those receivers?
Terrance Williams, often criticized for his tendency to “body catch” the passes thrown his way, finished the season with 52 catches for 840 yards and 3 touchdowns. This is particularly disappointing considering that at this time a year ago T-Will was getting all the work as the primary receiver when Dez Bryant was absent while working on the contract he’d eventually get.
It was at this moment in the conversation that a thought suddenly dawned on me.
We spent a great deal of time debating whether or not the Cowboys should take a quarterback with the 4th Overall Pick. This was in a world before the Rams and Eagles both tried to completely undo their involvement with Sam Bradford by trading up to #1 and #2 respectively for franchise signal callers. The reason many petitioned for a quarterback was partly due to the future status of Tony Romo’s health and partly due to the lack of talent behind him at the position.
Kellen Moore is, for reasons yet to be understood by the large contingency of Cowboys Nation, the answer in the event that Tony Romo does go down. In two games and some change during the 2015 season, Kellen completed 61 passes for 779 yards with 4 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. This seems excusable because Kellen threw all of those passes left-handed, only until you realize that he actually is left-handed.
To make a long story short, or a really long story less long, while I was answering Bobby’s question I realized that Kellen Moore and Terrance Williams are, in a lot of ways, the same person in terms of what they contribute to the Dallas Cowboys. One way stands out above the rest.
They Are Both The Assumed Backup At Their Position
We already discussed the banter about the Cowboys taking a QB at #4 when it was feasible. They didn’t go that route, but they did draft Dak Prescott in the 4th Round (who now wears #4… I love stuff like that). It’s unlikely that Dak dethrones Kellen as the second quarterback on the depth chart, and Jameill Showers seems destined for the practice squad yet again. There simply isn’t any competition for Kellen and he’s basically being handed the backup job.
The same can almost be said for Terrance Williams. While, yes, Brice Butler is in town and looking to show what he can do while paired up with Tony Romo… this is Terrance’s job to lose. Wide Receivers Coach Derek Dooley recently inferred that Terrance will hold on to this job and that it would take some sort of unforeseen circumstance to change that.
To most fans these moves at such important positions feel like a settlement. How can we be so wishy-washy at points on the roster that plagued us just a year ago? It’s not like they plagued us in general, they plagued us because of the EXACT SAME PLAYERS THAT ARE IN THE SAME POSITIONS.
Come to Hypothetical City with me for a second. What if Tony Romo and Dez Bryant both go down again? Is it unlikely that the football gods hate the Cowboys that much? Probably. Nevertheless, that level of armageddon is at the very least possible.
So alright we’re assuming that’s the case. Who would take over for them? Kellen Moore and Terrance Williams. Well right on! That worked so well last year! We’re doing smart things! Yay!
The portion of the offseason where acquisitions are made (Free Agency and the Draft) have come and gone, with the Cowboys addressing these two positions by simply drafting Dak Prescott. That’s it.
I’ve said before on here and different podcasts (you should listen to my weekly one, the RJOShow) that the Cowboys are approaching the 2016 with a sense of arrogance. The selection of Ezekiel Elliott, as much as well all love it, is a glaring indication of that disposition.
Perhaps the most flagrant sign of pompousness from this Front Office and Coaching Staff is that they are not only willingly but intentionally relying heavily on both Kellen Moore and Terrance Williams as the assumed backups at their respective positions when in the most recent sample size taken they both failed miserably.
Usually when arrogance is displayed it’s because whoever is doing it feels like they can back up their claim. Hopefully the 2016 Dallas Cowboys can… because otherwise it’s going to be pretty embarrassing.
What are your thoughts? Is it arrogant or irresponsible to just hand over the backup jobs to Kellen Moore and/or Terrance Williams? Let me know! Comment below, Email me at RJ@RJOchoaShow.com, or Tweet to me at @rjochoa!
I don't know how much arrogance is involved here. Dallas did try to upgrade both positions at different times. Brice Butler was traded for a 5th round pick. Devon Street was also picked in 2015. Both tried to address the possible difficiencies in the WR corps. Dallas also tried to upgrade the backup QB position by trying to trade up for Paxton Lynch but ended having to settle for Dak Prescott. I think the problem here is the lack of opportunity to upgrade the positions. While people always say to not draft for need, especially giving up to much for need, it's amazing how many fault Dallas for not drafting players to fill needs. Here we are again lamenting how Dallas hasn't been able to fix every single hole on this team. At some point players have to step up. Every team has holes and it's the team that manages to hide those as best as possible or have players step up and turn those weaknesses into strengths that determine how far you go. Health is a huge part of that, no matter how much we wish it wasn't. At this point we just need to watch and wait to see if players step up or if the front office was able to find the right players to help. This may be one of the most exciting times of the year, right after the Playoffs and Draft.
You mentioned that Dallas is being arrogant and you also mentioned K Moore and T Williams failed miserably in 2015. I disagree about K Moore and the coaches decisions concerning him. I think they tried to bring in another QB to compete with K Moore but were not successful. I have followed K Moore his whole career and read everything said about him. I think the coaches can see K Moore is close to being a good QB especially a backup QB. They have said they think he can play in the NFL and be a good backup QB for T Romo. S Linehan has basically said he can make most of the throws required in the Dallas offense and that he makes up for his lack of a strong arm with his accuracy and uncanny anticipation. The coaches have said he is a knowledgeable/smart/instinctive QB who can do things that you can't coach. S linehan has also said he is very experienced because The sports writers and fans don't like him because he does not look like an NFL QB, is not very athletic and does not have a strong arm. I also believe the Dallas coaches don't think he failed miserably in 2015 if you factor in the fact it was his first time playing against first team defenses and he had limited reps getting ready to play. He move the ball well, made some good plays, but also made some mistakes. The coaches are aware the mistakes/deficiencies K Moore had are areas he has always excelled at so is likely to improve in these areas. A few better plays and he could have won one game and possibly even two and then the sports writers and fans would have a better perspective. I would add the really good news concerning K Moore's 2015 play is that his physical deficiencies did not seem to show up much in his play. I think K Moore is likely to play well in the 2016 preseason games, and then the sports writers and fans will have a better perception on K Moore's ability to play.
I know you're both questioning my arrogance comment, but it's something I firmly believe. There's no denying that Zeke helps this team, I'm not here to dispute that. Perhaps I should have elaborated and said that the Zeke pick coupled with the Jaylon pick is what's arrogant. They're assuming that they can just re-channel their 2014 success. What stars have they legitimately ADDED since then? Really just Byron Jones if you think about it. Zeke is better than DeMarco, but the production from that "star" is what they're looking to reclaim.
My point is more than they're walking a thin line rather than they're being arrogant. They're intentionally trying this approach, and hey it worked so why not. What's particularly arrogant/irresponsible is that even though Kellen Moore showed a few nice things and he supposedly has this faith… What he and Terrance Williams did in a large sample size was something that cannot and shout not be counted on.
If either one of them is forced into a similar situation they're going to fold. We saw it happen. And now we're an injury away from having it happen all over again. That's the problem.
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So you are willing to throw in the towel on Moore and condemn his ability to play all the while not considering for one second his lack of playing time, lack of first team snaps and thrown in with hardly any time with the offense? How ARROGANT of you!! I love how you say Prescott helps this team. How do you know that? I am sure the Raiders said the same with Jamarcus Russell, the Chargers said the same with Ryan Leaf and so on…. Critics and armchair quarterbacks love to say, " He can throw the ball 70 yards!" What difference does that make when you miss the target by 5 yards or you don't make the right reads? Jay Cutler has a cannon of an arm. How is his Super Bowl or even playoff resume? Give Moore a chance, a honest chance, before you hate on him.
So you are willing to throw in the towel on Moore and condemn his ability to play all the while not considering for one second his lack of playing time, lack of first team snaps and thrown in with hardly any time with the offense? How ARROGANT of you!! I love how you say Prescott helps this team. How do you know that? I am sure the Raiders said the same with Jamarcus Russell, the Chargers said the same with Ryan Leaf and so on…. Critics and armchair quarterbacks love to say, " He can throw the ball 70 yards!" What difference does that make when you miss the target by 5 yards or you don't make the right reads? Jay Cutler has a cannon of an arm. How is his Super Bowl or even playoff resume? Give Moore a chance, a honest chance, before you hate on him.
We gave Moore a chance. This isn't criticism developed out of thin air. He had his chance in 2015 and failed miserably. So did Terrance Williams. That's the point I'm making. And despite the glaring inefficiencies that they showed we are still relying on them in the exact same capacity as the ones they dwindled in.
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RJ Ochoa: You said, "We gave Moore a chance. This isn't criticism developed out of thin air. He had his chance in 2015 and failed miserably." I don't want to repeat myself but here is where I think you are wrong. I don't think he failed miserably especially if you factor in the circumstances, and neither do the coaches. He actually showed he was close to being an effective NFL QB. He did a lot of positive things but made too many mistakes. If he can improve/correct his mistakes/deficiencies which were mostly uncharacteristic for K Moore based on his past performances, he could win some games and have good QB stats. I do not believe that ten and one half quarters of play is enough to evaluate a QB. I believe it should be more like six games. I would say the coaches are relying on someone who has only partially proved himself plus has not yet demonstrated he can make the improvements in his mistakes/deficiencies. If K Moore does not step up in the preseason, I believe they will look to find a veteran QB to bring in. I am confident he will step up and play well.
I said an honest chance. Under your guidelines there would be many hall of fame, super bowl winning, playoff bound, pro bowl quarterbacks that would of never been. Your "we gave him a chance" comment is ridiculous. And who is "we"?
So Moore had his chance and failed. I wonder how many NFL quarterbacks have thrown for over four hundred yards in their second start. I know, I know, he was playing against unmotivated non-starters. I would think they had plenty of motivation… like trying to keep their jobs. And Kellen likely would have won that game had McFadden not fumbled the cell phone…I mean football…at the goal line, and Beasley wouldn't have stopped running on his crossing route at the goal line. Also, I think the first two starts of most NFL quarterbacks are rough and certainly too small a sample size. Elway and Aikman would likely have been benched according to your idea of a "chance."
I am a Big Fan of Kellen Moore, from his days at BSU. I think one of the things that is not addressed in this converation about his Debut in the last couple of games is that He had few to no reps with the first team receivers. he was on the scout team and mostly played with 2's and 3's, before he came in the last 2 games. He had little to no rythm or trust with those guys. Kellen had new receivers each year at BSU along with some veterans. He and the receivers developed trust and TIMING. His Picks were uncharacteristic of him In Dallas. I would expect to see far fewer if any picks after having worked with the First team receivers in the OTA's and preseason. No, he does not fit the mold of the prototypical NFL QB, but let's judge him this year after having spent many reps with the entire receivers corp. I am looking forward to seeing him play well and march the ball down the field when he does get to play. He has already shown tremendous Team ethic in learning how ROMO does things and he will emulate that so that when he does go in, the transition will be smooth. The receivers won't have to think about how he does it differently than Romo, they can just go do their job, play their position and get to the ball…I am confident it will be there for them. thanks.