Matt Cassel was as advertised

[Rogerthat12]

If you go back to the first half of the Atlanta game that was the best the Cowboys have looked all season offensively and Weeden checked down and played it safe on most of his throws. Randle gashed the Falcons for 91 yards in the first half and on 3 different occasions the Cowboys held 14 point leads. The offense proceeded to sputter out in the second half leaving the defense on the field too long. Prior to McFadden taking over today the combination of Randle, Whitehead and Michael only produced 77 rushing yards. We were seeing pretty much what we had been seeing from the running game until McFadden became the workhorse. He was running hard and pushing piles. He pushed the pile for 8-9 yards on one play and 4 yards on another where it appeared he would come up short of the first down on a 3rd and short.

No question the Cowboys have to continue taking some shots down the field but Cassel's history hasn't been to be judicious with his throws which is why he's thrown a number INT's over his career. It's basically pick your poison with the backups the Cowboys are stuck with. If Cassel suffers several turnovers next week it wouldn't totally surprise me if the Cowboys give Kellen Moore a try. He has no regular season experience but if Cassel doesn't show some improvement and continues throwing picks the Cowboys may have no choice but to see what Moore can do. If the losses keep mounting the Cowboys may not be mathematically out of the playoff race when Romo returns but they'll be realistically out of it unless 7-8 wins takes the division.

That was Weeden's first start and once defenses figured out he was not a threat in the passing game it became easy to stop the run.

Randle was running well before he left the game as well.

DMac had a great game but he had some holes to run in accordingly.

Everyone knows that by having a passing attack, it opens up the running lanes, sure the OL and backs contributed but so did passing more than 10 yards.

I doubt they go to Moore even if Cassel continues to sputter but you never know with this team.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Danny White said it was Williams fault on whatever radio broadcast I was forced to listen to in the car.

He might have been talking about the pick 6. That wasn't a good route by Williams, but I didn't care for the throw either.

But the pick that was thrown and caught at the Giants 1-yard line was all Cassel. Williams got open and Cassel was late and threw an awful pass.




YR

 

[Rogerthat12]

He might have been talking about the pick 6. That wasn't a good route by Williams, but I didn't care for the throw either.

But the pick that was thrown and caught at the Giants 1-yard line was all Cassel. Williams got open and Cassel was late and threw an awful pass.




YR

I disliked both passes as well, TWill contributed to the pick 6 but the Cassel bomb was a duck.

 

[Idgit]

Cassel was almost exactly what I expected him to be, though I'm not sure why he's getting a pass from everybody. Three second half picks are not made up for because he also completed some nice passes downfield. You don't win a lot of football games with a 1:3 TD to INT ratio.

I know everybody wants us to be able to win with one of our backup QBs, but if we're going to do it, we need to be playing better football everywhere else.

 

[DallasCowboys2080]

Cassel was almost exactly what I expected him to be, though I'm not sure why he's getting a pass from everybody. Three second half picks are not made up for because he also completed some nice passes downfield. You don't win a lot of football games with a 1:3 TD to INT ratio.

I know everybody wants us to be able to win with one of our backup QBs, but if we're going to do it, we need to be playing better football everywhere else.

he doesnt get a pass. but he helps move our offense better than weeden. i know thats not saying much in favor of Cassel but unfortunately he is the best option we have at this point.

with weeden we are probably just stuck with FGs if we are lucky.

 

[Idgit]

he doesnt get a pass. but he helps move our offense better than weeden. i know thats not saying much in favor of Cassel but unfortunately he is the best option we have at this point.

with weeden we are probably just stuck with FGs if we are lucky.

He is really the only option we've got at this point. And he's not going to throw three picks every week, I hope. But the moving the ball doesn't mean squat if it comes at the expense of three turnovers. Especially when your defense can't take the ball away from anybody. That gets you beat, every time. It's slim consolation that we looked more competitive while beating ourselves.

 

[Wizarus]

Weeden isn't an option. Him as QB when everyone has him figured out by now means you have absolutely no chance of winning the football game. Cassel is still pretty medicore but the choice between slightly below average QB and a useless one isn't really a choice at all.

 

[DallasCowboys2080]

He is really the only option we've got at this point. And he's not going to throw three picks every week, I hope. But the moving the ball doesn't mean squat if it comes at the expense of three turnovers. Especially when your defense can't take the ball away from anybody. That gets you beat, every time. It's slim consolation that we looked more competitive while beating ourselves.

pretty much nailed it. its a horrible position to be in. all we can do is just ride it and hope the TOs are limited and somehow the positives outweigh the negatives. but not holding out hope for it. my hope is wearing thin.

this team's players morale just seems very low right now. i don't blame them. i blame the FO and the coaching staff.

 

[DallasCowboys2080]

Weeden isn't an option. Him as QB when everyone has him figured out by now means you have absolutely no chance of winning the football game. Cassel is still pretty medicore but the choice between slightly below average QB and a useless one isn't really a choice at all.

yup. with Weeden you just might as well forfeit and don't waste any space on the football field.

 

[Idgit]

pretty much nailed it. its a horrible position to be in. all we can do is just ride it and hope the TOs are limited and somehow the positives outweigh the negatives. but not holding out hope for it. my hope is wearing thin.

this team's players morale just seems very low right now. i don't blame them. i blame the FO and the coaching staff.

Thing is, we ought to expect some up and down play from the backup QBs. It's the ST mistakes, the defensive softness and absolute lack of takeaways, and, until this week, the up and down play of the OL and RBs that have made it so tough. I want to see the team step up around the QBs and pick up some slack. It shouldn't be Matt Cassel coming in and picking up the slack that Romo normally picks up. Even if Beasley didn't turnover the last possession, it's asking too much to have the backup QB make that drive with no turnovers just to keep us in the game. If we're really a playoff caliber team behind Romo, we shouldn't be making the mistakes we made today outside the QB position.

 

[plasticman]

I can never figure out why a group of fans will just pile on a particular player and then staunchly defend another that performs worse.

Yes, Weeden was being careful, trying to play it safe, trying not to be the one that lost the game. Yes, his abilities were limited as a result. But he was new to this team, had not practiced much with the starters, just needed more practice to get in sync with them. But he was going to get better. The more quarterbacks become familiar with the system and their teammates, the more he trusts them, the more he can anticipate their moves.

But the bottom line is this:

Backup quarterbacks aren't supposed to be the guy that will win the game for you, that's the guy they replaced. If they could win the game for you then they would be starters in this league. Their job is to play within their abilities, determined by skill set and familiarity with their team. Their job is to manage the offense and not be the guy that loses the game, let the other starters step up and do their jobs. Play safe.

Do you think maybe there was a reason he didn't throw much to Terrance Williams?

Cassel flat out lost this game for the Cowboys. Three consecutive drives ending in a INT.

 

[StarBoyz83]

He at least went downfield more. But we can't really expect a guy who couldn't keep a backup job in kc, buffalo and Minnesota to save the season.

 

[jjktkk]

It is difficult for me to fully evaluate Cassel. On one hand he did orchestrate some nice drives yesterday. I liked his moxy and pocket awareness. But the 3 picks were bad. He easily could of had a couple of more picks as well, if not for the Gaint defenders dropping them. I do think with more familiarity with the receiving corps, Cassel will improve, starting next week.

 

[sweetness0986]

I can never figure out why a group of fans will just pile on a particular player and then staunchly defend another that performs worse.

Yes, Weeden was being careful, trying to play it safe, trying not to be the one that lost the game. Yes, his abilities were limited as a result. But he was new to this team, had not practiced much with the starters, just needed more practice to get in sync with them. But he was going to get better. The more quarterbacks become familiar with the system and their teammates, the more he trusts them, the more he can anticipate their moves.

But the bottom line is this:

Backup quarterbacks aren't supposed to be the guy that will win the game for you, that's the guy they replaced. If they could win the game for you then they would be starters in this league. Their job is to play within their abilities, determined by skill set and familiarity with their team. Their job is to manage the offense and not be the guy that loses the game, let the other starters step up and do their jobs. Play safe.

Do you think maybe there was a reason he didn't throw much to Terrance Williams?

Cassel flat out lost this game for the Cowboys. Three consecutive drives ending in a INT.

Weeden had reps with the first team once a week all last year when Romo wasn't practicing Wednesdays. More than any other backup. Plus 4 full games with the starters. He was not going to "mesh", period.

 

[BotchedLobotomy]

He was an upgrade from weeden and our only option at this pt

It's like upgrading from a Yugo to an AMC Pacer, technically it's still an upgrade.

 

[Zimmy Lives]

He is who we thought he was. He did not win the game but he did not lose it. He did enough to win.

 

[Mr Cowboy]

unfortunately this team has become reliant on the QB position for wins, and to blame for losses. Whether it's Romo or his back ups, for whatever reason, the team goes as the QB goes. Yesterday Cassel moved the offense pretty well, made some very nice throws, but ultimately made some costly picks. But what about the other facets of the team. One of those interceptions put the Giants at the 1. The defense let them off the hook pretty easily. This defense, isn't living up to their advertisement of sacks, pressures, turn overs and Ro and Lee finally playing together. There is nothing that says the defense can't make a timely stop, create a turnover, or God forbid, score. But they don't and they didn't, making it even harder for the 3rd QB to play for this team this year. Same with special teams, and Garrett has much to blame for this, because he wants his returners to be safe in handling the ball. Yesterday they didn't get much in the punt return game, except a fumble. They also got a kick off return that was the ultimate game winner.

Gone are the days where Joe Montana had Steve Young waiting on the bench, when Roger had Danny White sitting on the bench. That doesn't happen in today's NFL. There are not enough quality quarterbacks to go around, much less to have one sitting on the bench. You have to do with what you have, and try to win. I think the coaching staff has to do better in preparing the team to win in other way, other aspects of the game, and not put it all on the shoulders of the QB. Maybe next year Jerry and company can go out and acquire Big Ben or Drew Brees to back up Romo in case he gets injured!

 

[65fastback2plus2]

the fact the o-line and running game took off after 3 crap games and the main change was from weedone to Cassel is no coincidence at all. Period.

 

[Wrangler87]

He was pretty mobile and accurate when he got his feet underneath him. He had some pretty decent passes.The problem is that he is too prone to throwing it while out of position, on the run, or off his back foot. He tries to throw into too many tight windows, but doesn't have the arm strength to do it anymore. All 3 of his passes were picked because of his lack of arm strength.

That lame duck throw to Williams was inexcusable. It looked like a punt.

The success of the running game was mainly due to having a guy capable of passing in the NFL, but there is a reason why he was a 3rd string QB in Buffalo. He tends to stare down receivers. His mistakes directly cost us the game, there is no doubt about it. You don't win many games in the NFL giving it up 3 times.

The first interception was on Terrance Williams. He rounded off his route because he probably wasn't the first option. A great example as to why you should always play full speed. He probably was used to Weeden and never figured the ball would come his way. At best, Williams learned his lesson and will run his routes full speed no matter what number option he is.

The second interception was Cassel's fault, but the ball came out of his hand funny. He double clutched before he threw it and I wonder if he simply didn't re-establish the proper grip before he threw it. Ultimately, it was no worse than a great punt inside the one. Not the best result but certainly didn't cost the Cowboys the game directly.

The third interception was Cassel's fault. Like Aikman said, he threw it late and inside and he was undercut by the CB. That's going to happen in the NFL from time to time. It has happened to Tony Romo, Troy Aikman,Bret Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Terry Bradshaw, John Elway, Brady Quinn, Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson, Vince Ferragamo, Jim Zorn, Wade Wilson, Vince Evans, Paul McDonald, Doug Flutie, Tony Banks, Tim Tebow, Neil Lomax, Cordell Stewart, Bert Jones, Ken Anderson, Cliff Stout, Jim Everett...the list goes on. In other words, he's an NFL quarterback.

At the end of the day, it would have been great if Cassel would have thrown 0 interceptions but I think we all knew that probably wouldn't be the case, especially in his first game. What I did see was a few dead on accurate passes that resulted in large gains the likes of which we have not see for some time. A great pocket awareness and the ability to be accurate while sliding in the pocket. He's a bit of a gunslinger, but the type of QB that could go off for 350 yards and 4 TD's just as easily. At the very least, he gives us a chance and I expect improvement from week to week.

 

[65fastback2plus2]

Cassel was almost exactly what I expected him to be, though I'm not sure why he's getting a pass from everybody. Three second half picks are not made up for because he also completed some nice passes downfield. You don't win a lot of football games with a 1:3 TD to INT ratio.

I know everybody wants us to be able to win with one of our backup QBs, but if we're going to do it, we need to be playing better football everywhere else.

I give him a pass because its his first game with new WR's and new scheme and playbook.

If he is playing like that after 10 games, then ya, he's the problem. But first game? Nah, too early.