Last Wednesday the NFL Network was re-airing the Dallas Cowboys epic last-second win in New York from 2014. Giants fans tend to remember this as the “Odell catch” game as opposed to “just another miserable loss,” but hey that’s their prerogative.
If you’ll remember that was a Sunday Night Football game so Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth were on the call. Towards the end of the game Cris is talking about Romo’s influence on the team and how many Cowboys fans used to, incorrectly, announce that it was he (Romo) that was holding the Cowboys back. Collinsworth goes on to say how the Cardinals game that season (which Tony missed due to injury) was a horrific preview of what life without him might be like and how he is now our hero.
If the 2014 Cardinals game was a preview, then the majority of the 2015 season was the main event. Tony Romo missed 12 total games and the Cowboys resorted to the services of a Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel, and Kellen Moore blended cocktail.
Last week I let you guys know that I had recently started watching Survivor. I’m only a couple of seasons in, but so far despite the insane levels of hunger that the contestants have reached no one has been desperate enough to call on Weeden/Cassel/Moore.That’s saying something.
Now I’m not trying to poke at old wounds here, but if Friday Night Lights taught us anything it’s that backup quarterbacks are important (plus Texas Forever, Whataburger rules, and Mrs. Saracen was such a drag). Natural selection has run its course a little bit as Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel have migrated to homes more worthy of their illustrious talent, the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans respectively. Weird how the Titans just love Cowboys leftovers, ain’t that right DeMarco?
The Dallas Cowboys currently employ Kellen Moore and the recently drafted Dak Prescott (4th Round, 135th Overall) to enjoy life drinking Gatorade and man one mean scout team while Tony Romo reaps in all the glory and success for the franchise. In the event that Romo goes down though, and Cowboys Nation is on red alert, our hopes would be seriously tied to one of these strapping young lads. I’ve eloquently dubbed the tandem DakleMoore.
Say that happens in 2016 – CALM DOWN IT’S JUST A HYPOTHETICAL EVERYTHING WILL BE OK I PROMISE – the trials of the season force us to start Kellen Moore or Dak Prescott. What chance do they realistically stand here? What games could they quarterback us to victory?
Here’s my guess.
| Game | Could Kellen Moore Win? | Could Dak Prescott Win? |
| NYG | No | No |
| @ WASH | Yes | Yes |
| CHI | No | Yes |
| @ SF | Yes | Yes |
| CIN | No | No |
| @ GB | No | No |
| PHI | No | No |
| @ CLE | Yes | Yes |
| @ PIT | No | No |
| BAL | No | Yes |
| WASH | Yes | Yes |
| @ MIN | Yes | No |
| @ NYG | No | No |
| TB | Yes | Yes |
| DET | No | No |
| @ PHI | No | No |
Let’s discuss.
The Common Denominators: @WASH, @SF, @CLE, WASH, TB
Something that must be considered in everything from this point forwards is that whether Kellen Moore or Dak Prescott are hypothetically quarterbacking the Dallas Cowboys, they’re doing so with the services of fully healthy versions of Dez Bryant and Ezekiel Elliott at their disposal. Fair? Fair!
It’s quite simple to understand why either Kellen or Dak could beat the Redskins. It’s actually so simple that Matt Cassel did it. With a limited Dez. And no Zeke. I know we’re talking about Kellen and Dak here, but even you have a fighting chance against the Washington Football Club with this team.
What about the 49ers? What about them? At the culmination of the 2015 season they were one of the most disorganized teams in the NFL. They “solved” that problem by bringing in Chip Kelly. I bet they “solve” fires with gasoline, too.
The Browns are the Browns, although Hue Jackson has them looking a bit spicier than usual. Ultimately the Browns Factor will still weigh them down for a while so either Kellen or Dak could fare well in the Factory of Sadness.
I will say that the Buccaneers are starting to scare me. Jameis is for real and their receiving corps would make up a basketball team that might’ve put up a better fight than the Warriors on Sunday. Nevertheless defensively they just aren’t there yet. Remember that Cassel’s Cowboys almost beat Tampa Bay, and a Zeke/100% Dez hybrid would be enough to get it done this time.
Tell Me Moore, Tell Me Moore, Tell Me Moore
The guys and gals wanted Sandy Olsson and Danny Zuko to tell them more, but Cowboys Nation wants to see no more of Kellen Moore. Oh well, oh well, oh well.
What is Kellen Moore good at? Supposedly it’s being accurate with where he throws footballs, but those summer dreams were ripped at the seams in the winter of 2015.
Let’s assume that Kellen can recapture some of the insane accuracy his game boasted back in his Boise State days. What’s the old saying? Hit the guy between the numbers, right? The only numbers I want Kellen focused on if he’s starting for the Cowboys are 2-1, Ezekiel Elliott’s.
Kellen Moore can play a very Minnesota Vikings/Adrian Peterson type game against that very team, don’t you think? Moore is perfectly capable of staying in the pocket, turning around, and handing off to Zeke. Why isn’t Dak?
As a fresh rookie, Dak doesn’t have the pocket presence that would be required in this game. Why is it required? The Vikings have one of the most league’s most ferocious defenses and would keep him there. This game can only be won by Kellen in my estimation. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d type.
Dak, Dak, Dak, Dak, Dak
I have a few rules when it comes to movies, and one of them is that if Emilio Estevez is in it then it’s awesome.
Similar to the Mighty Ducks after they changed rose from the District 5 ashes, Dak Prescott is technically undefeated as a Dallas Cowboy. This is a case of how facts can be misleading, class.
Nevertheless up top I gave Dak exclusive wins over the Bears and Ravens. Why’s that? The dude’s got wheels, man! Dak can fly, not together like the Ducks, out of the pocket and make plays with his feet. Imagine him running a read option with Zeke?!
The Bears are rebuilding (rebearding? Yes? No?) and the Ravens had a similar 2015 to the Cowboys, but these are two defenses that Dak’s skillset lines up well against. Again, the majority of the work here would be done by a Zeke/Dez blend, but Dak is interesting enough to make the rest happen on his own in situations where Kellen couldn’t.
DakleMoore
This, using this world loosely here, dynamic duo could very well be called upon when it matters in 2016. Two and a half months ago I took a look at Tony Romo’s “starting opportunities” relative to nine other quarterbacks and the data was alarming.
Can either half of DakleMoore get it done? As loyal members of Cowboys Nation, we have to hope so.
Which games do YOU think DakleMoore could conceivably win in 2016? Let us know! Comment below, Email me at RJ@RJOchoaShow.com, or Tweet to me at @rjochoa!
RJ Ochoa: You seem to show your bias and lack of understanding of QB play and development in this article. Let me give you my thoughts and opinions. First of all there is little chance Dak Prescott will play in 2016. He is a rookie and has a lot to learn and needs time to adjust and develop. It will take some time unless he is the next T Romo and a future franchise type QB/superstar and who learns quickly, is a natural at QB. He will need to be the next Russell Wilson from day one. Without him being a future superstar, there is no way he is going to beat out Kellen Moore who is in his fifth year in the NFL, has improved each year, knows the Dallas offense/playbook well, has season starting experience in the Dallas offense and has S Linehan’s confidence. Secondly, you are underestimating K Moore because he doesn’t look like an NFL QB and does not appear to have the arm of an NFL QB. You should have more faith in the coaches who are experts. As an example, S Linehan seems to be high on K Moore and S Linehan is an expert on QBs and football. He played QB in college, he has coached QBs, he has been the offense coordinator of more than one NFL team and was a head coach for the Rams. S Linehan can see K Moore’s strengths and also his weaknesses. ( i.e. small size, lack of athleticism, lack of a strong arm). He can see that K Moore’s strengths are so outstanding that he can compensate for his weaknesses to play in the NFL at some level. K Moore actually played fairly well in 2015 if you factor in it was his first time playing against first team defenses and he had limited reps to get ready to play. A few better plays and he could have won one game and even possibly two, and then you would have a different perspective on K Moore. What I believe the coaches can see is that K Moore is likely to improve/correct his deficiencies from 2015 (i.e. too many interceptions, too few touchdown throws and not enough accuracy) because he has excelled at these in the past. In college he had 142 touchdowns to 28 interceptions, almost a new NCAA record. He also had a 73% completion rate in college his last two years, almost another new NCAA record. His lack of a real strong arm did not seem to cause interceptions in college as he almost set a new NCAA record for fewest interceptions in a four year career. I believe if T Romo goes down, K Moore can win some games and have good QB stats. The coaches can see he is very likely to get better with more reps/experience and he is a quick learner/study. A few wins and good pocket passing play, and your attitude and evaluation of K Moore will improve. He will always have a questionable arm and will not be able to make all the throws in the playbook, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play or have a certain level of success.
“It will take some time unless he is the next T Romo and a future franchise type QB/superstar and who learns quickly, is a natural at QB.” — Actually, Romo sat for three full seasons before finally taking over in 2006. He was undrafted, though. Ideally, a guy taken in the fourth will be further along in his development already.
“You are underestimating K Moore because he doesn’t look like an NFL QB and does not appear to have the arm of an NFL QB. You should have more faith in the coaches who are experts.” — You mean the same coaches (all 32 sets of them) who let Moore go undrafted? Or the ones who didn’t even want him as a second-string guy in Detroit? Plenty of “experts” have passed on Kellen Moore already.
“I believe if T Romo goes down, K Moore can win some games and have good QB stats.” — Romo did go down. Moore lost every game he started and threw more picks than touchdowns.
George,
First of all I’d really like to say thanks for reading. I always enjoy interacting with you and your spirited enthusiasm around these parts. The whole idea for this article was a crazy hypothetical evaluating which teams both Kellen Moore and Dak Prescott could each have success against. It was just that, a hypothetical. I not once said that Dak will start or that Kellen will start. All hypothetical here.
You said that I was underestimating Kellen Moore “because he doesn’t look like an NFL QB and does not appear to have the arm of an NFL QB.” I’d like to see where I said that because in re-reading the article I’m 100% certain that the only deficiency I placed on Kellen Moore was his accuracy (which was poor in 2015, that is factual). I even went so far as saying that we could assume that Kellen would recapture some of his excellent accuracy from college, a jump I made for the benefit of Kellen.
You cited a lot of “almost” records that Kellen came close to in college. A friend of mine likes to say that almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Even though Kellen “almost” had quite the collegiate resume he is five years removed from that. It’s illogical to continue to use those as justifications when data from just last season spells out quite the contrary conclusion.
You claim that Kellen Moore actually played well in 2015 “if you factor in it was his first time playing against first team defenses and he had limited reps to get ready to play”. Why are we going to such great lengths to attempt to justify something when the data, indisputable evidence, not only suggests but clearly and concisely proves otherwise? In the world of professional football such concessions and excuses are not tolerable for any quarterback of any team Kellen Moore is no exception. There is no “almost” here.
I have no doubts that Kellen Moore will be the backup quarterback in 2016. I believe, as I stated in this post, that he and not Dak Prescott is capable of beating the Minnesota Vikings (even though he’s shown us nothing to truly justify that assumption on my part). I’m certainly interested and always up to talk and debate things, but you’re pulling them out of left field for the sake of defending Kellen Moore when no one is attacking him.
RJ Ochoa: Sorry, I missed the hypothetical part to the article. In fact I assumed by your comments that you thought Dak Prescott might be able to beat out K Moore for the 2nd team QB position. The underestimating statement about K Moore was an assumption on my part as I perceive a lack of support for K Moore on your part. Based on your comments in response to my comments maybe I am wrong.
I agree that what K Moore did in college is starting to get old and he now is developing an NFL track record and also college is not the same as the NFL. The almost comment about college records was because a lot of people may not realize how outstanding and difficult it is to have 142 touchdowns and only 28 interceptions and 73% completion rate in a four year college career. Almost does count when you are close to a new NCAA college record as they have been playing college football since shortly after the turn of the 20th century. That’s a lot of college teams and college QBs.
When you are playing for the first time in a season game, there may not be any excuses, but I believe coaches will take into consideration the level of experience, circumstances and potential for improvement. I believe it is a fact that most QBs coming into the NFL will get better with more experience and more reps.
It is unfair IMO to judge K Moore like you would another more veteran QB such as Weeden and Cassell. I have followed K Moore his whole career, read everything said about him and seen most of his games. I try to be objective and factual when commenting about K Moore.
Hey George,
I understand that you’re defensive of Kellen. I get it. Like I said I do believe he’ll be the backup in 2016, and I believe there’s some talent there. I also believe that coaches believe in him, and they obviously know a thing or two about quarterbacks.
2016 is going to be career-defining for Kellen. He’s going to have to prove that he is what his collegiate resume says he is. There’s already some doubt which is indicative by the drafting of Dak, but I guess we’ll see what Kellen’s got when it matters the most.
Jess Haynie: A lot of coaches will pass on K Moore because he does not look the part and has physical limitations, until he fully proves himself in the NFL. The 32 teams and their draft experts would all have to admit at this point that K Moore should have been drafted in the later rounds. K Moore had outstanding preseasons in 2013 and 2014 but mostly at 3rd team. He even developed the nickname “Mr August” because of his preseason play. In 2013 he got to sub for Hill at 2nd team against New England and threw two touchdowns, had no interceptions and had a high QB rating as K Moore helped win the game. In 2014 he had a 108 QB rating, threw three touchdowns and had zero interceptions for the preseason. Caldwell the Detroit head coach said he is very accurate and plays with composure, consistency and moxie. M Stafford said he is unbelievable the way he can always find the open receiver. In 2015 K Moore was given a chance to compete against D Orlovsky for the 2nd team QB position. K Moore did not play that well in his first preseason game at 2nd team for over two quarters. He did seem to be under pressure the whole time. In the next preseason game D Orlovsky played really well and K Moore hardly played at all. By the final preseason game, D Orlovsky seemed to have sowed up the 2nd team QB position but K Moore played outstanding in that last game but at 3rd team. Detroit because of other needs decided to only keep two QBs on the 53 man roster but liked K Moore and wanted to sign him to the practice squad but he signed with Dallas instead.
This is absolutely the stupidest story yet, bar none. Prescott is not an NFL QB, that will soon be shown. To say he could win 1 game, having never even taken a snap under center till the SR Bowl, is beyond absurd, it’s mentally challenged. I can’t believe you wasted the time on this tripe. I’m book marking this page so I can return and prove how worthless this article was.
Well Rick, let’s look at all of this objectively here:
1) The article was written in hypothetical. If that wasn’t obvious, my apologies. But we’re just going to decree that Dak Prescott is incapable of winning a single game in the NFL? Dak Prescott, one of the winningest quarterbacks in SEC History? Cool.
2) I’m sorry that you think mental illness is something to joke about. Truly.
3) Tripe is one of my favorite words. So kudos to you.
4) Pumped to be in your bookmarks! I hope I’m next to something neat.
5) Thanks for reading! Go Cowboys.
He hasn’t played yet but you know he can’t be an NFL QB? What would you have said about Romo I wonder? You might want to back off your negativity about Dak Prescott. He can make all the throws and seems to be a quick study. By the way….he didn’t take a snap under center until the Senior Bowl? Incorrect. He went under center many times in college when they were in the red zone so stop reading all the inaccurate stories and watch some film. Also, trivia question for you….who was the MVP of that Senior Bowl game? Yes, Dak Prescott. He beat out that #2 pick in the draft too…the guy that played under center his entire career…go figure.
RJ Ochoa: Here is what I envision for K Moore in 2016. I think he will be riding high and confidently, especially if he is appointed 2nd team QB from day one. As you said this is a big year for K Moore and now is the time to step up. In Detroit when he was given the chance to compete with Orlovsky for the 2nd team QB position, for some reason he could not step up and win this competition.
To start with the best scenario for Dallas is if T Romo plays every game and therefore K Moore does not play at all. However assuming that doesn’t happen here is what I envision for K Moore. K Moore plays better than he practices probably because he can’t make all the throws in the playbook. His coach at Boise State said that he plays better than he practices which is actually a very good sign. My guess is most QBs are just the opposite because of the game pressure, unexpected, etc. in real game situations. To optimize his chances of success I think Dallas needs to use mostly a short to intermediate passing game with lots of curls. With K Moore’s accuracy/anticipation/QB smarts/consistency, he is likely to have unbelievable completion percent in this type of game and very good QB stats and QB rating. I think we got a little taste of this in the Washington game in 2015 when he had 435 yds. passing. I wasn’t overly impressed with K Moore’s performance in this game as it seemed like Washington backed off and used some substitute players which also contributed to his high yds. I also think they need to run the ball approximately 50% of the time with the outstanding lineman and running backs they have. Running the ball opens up the passing attack and will take some of the blitzing type pressure off the QB. They will also need a good defense to hold the other team down some, as K Moore is more of a game manager type QB not a QB who can throw bombs for touchdowns quickly. He is not likely to outscore you in a high scoring game.