BTB: Why The Cowboys Backup QB Situation Is Not As Bad As You Think

[ABQCOWBOY]

I think, and this only my opinion but, I think that the Cowboys will be focusing on what Moore can do as the backup. I don't really see Dak as the guy who comes in if Tony goes down, at least initially. Unless we bring somebody else in between now and the final cut down, Kellen Moore is more then likely, our backup Quarterback. whatever package we put together, whatever alterations to the Offense we might consider, they will probably be more in line with Moore's abilities, as opposed to Prescott's. JMO

 

[CowboyRoy]

I would say:
Coach 5 until proven other wise
Offense with Romo: 10
Traditional offense without Romo: 2
Offense using dual threat QB: 6
Defense: 5 - which is a lot better than 2014 D at 3

If Romo stays healthy, a 10 offense and a 5 defense may be good enough to contend.
If Romo goes down, I would say tank the season and get a future QB or some other major piece.
I would play Dak though to see what he has in both traditional role and dual threat mode...

Dak is NOT ready for the NFL by any stretch. He hasnt even played under center in college. Forget about Dak this year. Its ridiculous to think otherwise. Teams will simply stack 10 men in the box and it will be over.

The other things seem pretty much on line.

As far as us being a contender, everyone has their own definition of that. To me we are a possible playoff team, but our chances to win the SB are about 100-1. If you truly believe its possible, go make a bet in vegas.

 

[CowboyRoy]

I think, and this only my opinion but, I think that the Cowboys will be focusing on what Moore can do as the backup. I don't really see Dak as the guy who comes in if Tony goes down, at least initially. Unless we bring somebody else in between now and the final cut down, Kellen Moore is more then likely, our backup Quarterback. whatever package we put together, whatever alterations to the Offense we might consider, they will probably be more in line with Moore's abilities, as opposed to Prescott's. JMO

I totally agree. Why would they go to Dak and completely change everything? Makes no sense.

 

[Doomsday101]

When Jason Garrett had to fill in for an injured Aikman and Pete on Thanksgiving Day, Irvin gave him some advice just hang it up high and I will go get it. If Tony does go down Dallas will need to lean on Zeke and the other RB but Dez is going to have to elevate his game as Mike did and make the plays. I like Dez and have been impressed with him but will not go as far as to say he has reached the level of Michael Irvin.

 

[waldoputty]

Dak is NOT ready for the NFL by any stretch. He hasnt even played under center in college. Forget about Dak this year. Its ridiculous to think otherwise. Teams will simply stack 10 men in the box and it will be over.

The other things seem pretty much on line.

As far as us being a contender, everyone has their own definition of that. To me we are a possible playoff team, but our chances to win the SB are about 100-1. If you truly believe its possible, go make a bet in vegas.

I am not saying playing Dak will get you anything this year except an evaluation.
I would play him in both traditional role for evaluation and let him play like he was in college with superior OL dez and zeke.
May be we get a pleasant surprise...

If he shows something, then we may a good option, though still draft more QBs.
Of course we would not be going anywhere.
I dont think we are allowed to just forfeit the remaining games.

I think of Moore as more of a replacement if Romo gets his bell rung to salvage the game.
Why give him development time when Dak has a 25% chance to be a starter IMO and Moore may only have a 10% chance.

 

[Doomsday101]

I am not saying playing Dak will get you anything this year except an evaluation.
I would play him in both traditional role for evaluation and let him play like he was in college with superior OL dez and zeke.
May be we get a pleasant surprise...

If he shows something, then we may a good option, though still draft more QBs.
Of course we would not be going anywhere.
I dont think we are allowed to just forfeit the remaining games.

I think of Moore as more of a replacement if Romo gets his bell rung to salvage the game.
Why give him development time when Dak has a 25% chance to be a starter IMO and Moore may only have a 10% chance.

I agree. While longterm I do not want to see our QB running to make plays however if forced into action as a rookie I want him to use his own athletic ability to make plays both running and passing. I think it will take some time to develop him so that he is comfortable in the pocket and that is not going to happen over night so for now do what you do best.

 

[tyke1doe]

Didn't we say this last year?

 

[dallasdave]

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2016...ackup-qb-situation-is-not-as-bad-as-you-think

This leads to my preferred method of dealing with a major injury to Tony Romo in 2016. Roll Dak Prescott out there and use a full-on running attack sprinkled in with a package of throws that suit his abilities. The Cowboys offensive line along with Ezekiel Elliott will be asked to do the heavy lifting. But with Prescott you can add in another element. Quarterback draws, sprint rollouts and bootlegs with run/pass options, even zone-reads out of the backfield. Add in short and intermediate throws and try to grind down the clock, turn the ball over as little as possible, and protect the defense sounds like a better recipe than what we saw last year. When things go bad on offense, instead of forcing a throw or taking a sack, Prescott can just use his legs to get what he can.

In a previous thread, I asked the same question and the idea was scoffed. But given the origin of the offensive weapons the Cowboys added and the potential for Romo to be injured, why not try to switch things up? The Seahawks and Panthers, both playoff front-runners the past few seasons, have employed it with fairly decent success in recent years...why not the Cowboys? Granted, both the Panthers and Seahawk feature stifling defenses; that helps. But as long as you move the ball and do so in manner that generates points, why not play to the rookie's strength?

By the way, that was not a rhetorical question. Can anyone provide a plausible reason - outside of Cowboys coaches stubbornness to stick with their current system - why the Cowboys should not consider the option as a viable offense should Romo go down?

Good write up !!! And if DAK is out there, right now we have another running QB in Showers !!

 

[jday]

I think, and this only my opinion but, I think that the Cowboys will be focusing on what Moore can do as the backup. I don't really see Dak as the guy who comes in if Tony goes down, at least initially. Unless we bring somebody else in between now and the final cut down, Kellen Moore is more then likely, our backup Quarterback. whatever package we put together, whatever alterations to the Offense we might consider, they will probably be more in line with Moore's abilities, as opposed to Prescott's. JMO

On this you are probably correct...but if we see more of the same silly interceptions, a change will be made. Hopefully, given that scenario, they switch up the offense to accommodate him, or we are likely to see more silly interceptions from anyone not named Romo.

 

[dallasdave]

 

[jday]

I agree. While longterm I do not want to see our QB running to make plays however if forced into action as a rookie I want him to use his own athletic ability to make plays both running and passing. I think it will take some time to develop him so that he is comfortable in the pocket and that is not going to happen over night so for now do what you do best.

That's all I'm saying...lol

 

[Reverend Conehead]

For one thing: The addition of Zeke means we can be a run-oriented, ball-control team. That lessens the chance of a Romo injury. Second: There's a big difference between Romo going down 1-3 games versus most of the season like last year. 1-3 games with Prescott, Moore, or whoever and you might weather the storm, even winning one or two of those games. Romo out for most of the year and the season is shot. The run game would not be enough to make up for that. Then we get another high draft pick and try again.

Look, if you are thinking team tank should Romo goes down, I can understand that. I do love a high draft pick. But if the Cowboys want to actually try and continue to win games, they may need to switch it up...that's all I'm saying.

You misinterpreted what I wrote. I'm against a team ever tanking. I'm saying if Romo goes down for a long period, it's extremely unlikely the team can be a playoff contender. That's exactly what happened last year. Of course the team still should try to win because you never know for sure what might happen. Prescott or Moore, whoever is backup, could buck the odds and work a miracle.

And about the other post. It's highly likely that Elliot can do as well as Tony Dorsett did in his rookie season and this team can be a ball control one. Even if he doesn't, behind this line, this team should be able to run with McFadden and Morris. If the Cowboys can't establish a quality running game, I'll be very surprised. The running game is as unlikely to be a weakness as in any season I've seen.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

On this you are probably correct...but if we see more of the same silly interceptions, a change will be made. Hopefully, given that scenario, they switch up the offense to accommodate him, or we are likely to see more silly interceptions from anyone not named Romo.

I personally think that a lot of the reason you see some of these TOs are because we don't really try and fit our game plan into these QBs skill sets. We try to dumb down the Offense to the point that we are predictable and then, we make these QBs pass the ball in poor situations where down and distance is not good and the D knows we are going to throw. I am not against tailoring the Offense to the backups skill sets but, I do think it's important to try and get Backups who have similar skill sets. You can't do whole sale changes to the Offense but you can do certain things, within the Offense that fit a Backup's skills to our advantage.

 

[Doomsday101]

You misinterpreted what I wrote. I'm against a team ever tanking. I'm saying if Romo goes down for a long period, it's extremely unlikely the team can be a playoff contender. That's exactly what happened last year. Of course the team still should try to win because you never know for sure what might happen. Prescott or Moore, whoever is backup, could buck the odds and work a miracle.

And about the other post. It's highly likely that Elliot can do as well as Tony Dorsett did in his rookie season and this team can be a ball control one. Even if he doesn't, behind this line, this team should be able to run with McFadden and Morris. If the Cowboys can't establish a quality running game, I'll be very surprised. The running game is as unlikely to be a weakness as in any season I've seen.

Running game will be critical should Romo go down for long period, however I would expect that defense at that point will start stacking the line and it is going to hard making a living on the ground if defense does not fear the passing game which means one of our backups will have to show enough to force defense to back off. One thing hopefully these backups will have that the others did not have last season and that is a healthy Dez Bryant, that can be a big help to any QB

 

[Doomsday101]

I personally think that a lot of the reason you see some of these TOs are because we don't really try and fit our game plan into these QBs skill sets. We try to dumb down the Offense to the point that we are predictable and then, we make these QBs pass the ball in poor situations where down and distance is not good and the D knows we are going to throw. I am not against tailoring the Offense to the backups skill sets but, I do think it's important to try and get Backups who have similar skill sets. You can't do whole sale changes to the Offense but you can do certain things, within the Offense that fit a Backup's skills to our advantage.

True you can't do whole sale changes and expect 10 others to alter their games to fit one. Backups will have to learn and operate the system. Of course within a playbook there should be plays that are better suited for these backups but your basic bread and butter they will have to learn.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

True you can't do whole sale changes and expect 10 others to alter their games to fit one. Backups will have to learn and operate the system. Of course within a playbook there should be plays that are better suited for these backups but your basic bread and butter they will have to learn.

I agree. The problem, or so we are told, is that Tony runs so much of this Offense on the fly that nobody else can do it. I don't really buy that. I mean, yeah, I get that he probably changes plays etc. That I get but, you still should have something called and if you are good enough, you should be able to run those plays at a high efficiency level. You should be able to call a game and keep a Defensive off balance. It's not as if we are getting out physicaled and there simply isn't enough time. You have to be able to execute your Offense and if we can't, with the talent we have, then that's on the Coaching and the Management to me.

 

[Doomsday101]

I agree. The problem, or so we are told, is that Tony runs so much of this Offense on the fly that nobody else can do it. I don't really buy that. I mean, yeah, I get that he probably changes plays etc. That I get but, you still should have something called and if you are good enough, you should be able to run those plays at a high efficiency level. You should be able to call a game and keep a Defensive off balance. It's not as if we are getting out physicaled and there simply isn't enough time. You have to be able to execute your Offense and if we can't, with the talent we have, then that's on the Coaching and the Management to me.

Well I will not disagree that coaches are to blame or credited for failure and success. We seem to have some players who the coaches have been able to teach and the players have produced. Some of it in my view is also on the player and the dedication to the game or lack of, that plays a big part. I watch guys like Sean Lee whom I do not think has as much physical abilities as many others but everything I know about his says he puts in the time and work in practice, film room and when he steps on the field he is mentally and physically ready to go. Again not removing responsibility from the HC but they can't be with you 24/7 players all know there is a lot of time they must dedicate themselves to the game.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Running game will be critical should Romo go down for long period, however I would expect that defense at that point will start stacking the line and it is going to hard making a living on the ground if defense does not fear the passing game which means one of our backups will have to show enough to force defense to back off. One thing hopefully these backups will have that the others did not have last season and that is a healthy Dez Bryant, that can be a big help to any QB

Pretty much what we saw last year. I believe that Elliott will be an upgrade but I don't allow myself to believe that he will be able to carry a one dimensional Offense, should we lose Tony. Our backup QB will have to be prepared much more effectively and Dez will have to show up big. Can't have the whole, QB sucks attitude.

 

[Doomsday101]

Pretty much what we saw last year. I believe that Elliott will be an upgrade but I don't allow myself to believe that he will be able to carry a one dimensional Offense, should we lose Tony. Our backup QB will have to be prepared much more effectively and Dez will have to show up big. Can't have the whole, QB sucks attitude.

I think when you face top defenses in this league you better bring more than a knife to a gun fight. You may get by vs some lesser teams but when facing some of the top defenses being one dimensional is not going to win you the games.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Well I will not disagree that coaches are to blame or credited for failure and success. We seem to have some players who the coaches have been able to teach and the players have produced. Some of it in my view is also on the player and the dedication to the game or lack of, that plays a big part. I watch guys like Sean Lee whom I do not think has as much physical abilities as many others but everything I know about his says he puts in the time and work in practice, film room and when he steps on the field he is mentally and physically ready to go. Again not removing responsibility from the HC but they can't be with you 24/7 players all know there is a lot of time they must dedicate themselves to the game.

I agree. Players need to do their part to be successful. However, the real issue, at least to me, is that you can not just accept that your QB is out and run a basic Vanilla Offense week after week until you reach the end of the season. If it's an unexpected thing, then I can see you being in a position where you just have to play through it but does anybody look at the QB situation in Dallas and think to them selves, "Man, Tony going down was really unexpected." If we are not prepared for that contingency, that's entirely on Coaching and Management because we've seen Tony injured and on the shelf a lot in the past few seasons. I do realize you can't just order up a good QB but that is the same for other teams as well and they managed to win games. We were just embarrassing.