Jones Believes Moore Could Be Romo's Backup in 2016

Jerry Jones is right about a lot of things. But when it comes to backup quarterbacks, I dunno. I think I’m fair in not wholly trusting him.

He believed in Brad Johnson. In Stephen McGee. In Kyle Orton. And this year in Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel and …

Kellen Moore. Yes, still.

So even in the wake of a 435-yard, three-touchdown performance in the season-ending loss to the Redskins, I cringe when Jones gives his support of Moore as a Cowboys’ backup.

“His background and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan’s background with him and these games, I think he’s got the potential to be a winning backup,” Jones said Monday at Valley Ranch. “I think he can ultimately win games in the NFL.”

What I saw in Moore was a quarterback who fumbled a snap. Who missed open receivers. Who held the ball way too long. And who locked onto his initial receivers and rarely went through his progressions.

In other words, I didn’t see much more in Moore than I saw in Cassel and Weeden. The three, after all, combined to go 1-11 in Tony Romo’s absence.

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Crazy to downplay Moore’s game against the Redskins. He’s only the 5th Cowboys’ quarterback to throw for 400, and his 435 are the 6th-most passing yards in franchise history. But they were empty yards produced in a 24-0 game to end a 4-12 season.

I’m not saying Moore should be released. He’s still young and signed through 2016 and he should get a shot to be Romo’s backup in training camp. I’m just not certain about Moore. I am, however, certain the Cowboys shouldn’t draft a quarterback with the No. 4 overall pick.

“I think it’s the example that we should make our decisions off of, is the consequences and the impact of losing our starter in Romo,” Jones said. “I think this is a great one to put on the wall and say, ‘Now, burn that in your memory, burn that in your thinking when you start thinking about how important backup quarterback is.’”
 

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.

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