On paper, 435 yards and three touchdowns looks great.
But if you remember watching the Cowboys’ 34-23 season-ending blowout loss to the Redskins on Jan. 3, you know looks can be deceiving when it came to Kellen Moore’s performance.
The meaningless game had the feel of a pre-season finale. There was absolutely zero on the line. And Moore – a default Plan D starter for Dallas – threw two interceptions, was sacked four times and collected a bulk of his stats after the game was out of hand.
Still, he was better than Dallas disasters named Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel. And, apparently, his cameo was good enough to win a job.
On KRLD-FM this morning owner Jerry Jones was asked directly if Moore would be the team’s No. 2 quarterback behind Tony Romo heading into the season. His answer:
“Yes.”
I had hopes for a proven veteran backup like maybe Colt McCoy or Mike Glennon, but we went down that road last year and it was a mess. Some fans even had fantasy thoughts about Johnny Manziel or Robert Griffin III. But your backup will be Moore, and I think I grow into the thought of it being something other than a nightmare.
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“He gives us a great feeling,” Jones continued.
Let’s not get carried away. Great is an exaggeration for sure.
Let’s face it, like most NFL teams, if the No. 1 quarterback (Romo) goes down for more than a month the season will be a catastrophic failure. Moore and his one start is No. 2. Behind him is this year’s 4th-round draft pick, Dak Prescott. Since Moore is only 26, again it makes me scratch my head at the selection of Prescott. If you believe in Moore, why waste a middle-round pick on a quarterback who will merely hold a clipboard during – and perhaps beyond – Romo’s remaining window?
“Kellen is the backup, yes,” Jones explained. “But don’t think of Dak as a project.”
Sorry, but as a green rookie who in college rarely played under center and is now a No. 3 quarterback buried behind an elite starter and a 26-year-old backup, there’s no other way to look at it.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
