Matt Cassel was worse than advertised

[CyberB0b]

Going into the game, I thought we had a good chance to win the game. I guess I was wrong, because you don't win many games in the NFL by kicking 4 field goals. They were in Seahawks territory most of the game, but couldn't produce.

Let's first dispel the myth teams respect Cassel's deep ball. That is a complete and utter fantasy. He can't throw a deep ball, period. He has a lot of grip issues, and his arm strength has deteriorated. Dez had a step on Richard Sherman a number of times. Cassel nearly threw 3 INTs that I counted, but he was bailed out by his wideouts. The reason for the improved run game is that the team is simply blocking better. That's it.

He stares down the primary read for too long, and then is late delivering the ball to other options. I thought Cassel would be a better game manager at this point in his career, but it is painfully obvious that he is a severely limited quarterback.

I don't see any improvement, spark, or anything intangible from Matt Cassel that Brandon Weeden wasn't giving us. Let me be clear, Brandon Weeden is a terrible NFL QB, but Cassel isn't any better.

 

[EPL0c0]

Cassel is doing exactly what Weeden did: he's going with what the defense is giving him.

It's apparent that the Dallas WRs just cannot get themselves any seperation on any kind of consistant basis. Dez did not look 100% out there, he gets a pass this game. But since Romo went down, TWill has disappeared, even Beasley has disappeared. Street has been AWOL all year, Whitehead...who knows what's happening there.

It's also the tight ends. Escobar? Hanna? Maybe they're being kept in to block, I dunno.

Witten has been the most consistant pass catcher and the guy is playing hurt. He can't do it all. I'd say that guys need to step up but that's been the case for 5 weeks now and it's just not happening.

The QB hasn't mattered. Teams seem content to give up the dumpoffs, then attack the pass catcher to limit their yardage gains.

It also doesn't help that Cassel doesn't seem to have the quick released needed to pull off some of the things they tried yesterday.

This team really could have stuck w/ Weeden and we would have probably seen the same results. The QB change hasn't really mattered. All it's done is cost Dallas a draft pick.

 

[tyke1doe]

How is it that these receivers can't get separation when Cassel and Weeden are the quarterbacks but can when Romo is quarterback?

I don't think it's an issue of the receivers not getting separation.
This offense, like most NFL offenses, are based on timing patterns. You may not get super separation, but you can get a step on a defender. And if that's the case, your quarterback has to get you the ball.

IMO, Cassel and Weeden lack the confidence to fit balls in to tight windows because they don't want to make mistakes. They don't have the overall awareness to scan the field, look off receivers and find guys open. And they don't have the talent Romo has to be able to successfully put the ball where it needs to be so only your man can catch it.

Oh, and they don't have the experience with these receivers Tony has.

Good/Great quarterbacks make average receivers look good and good receivers look great. For goodness sake, look at what Brady has done his entire career. Look at what P. Manning has done all his career.

Tony Romo has made the likes of Patrick Crayton, TWilliams, Cole Beasley and even Dez Bryant (though Dez is a superstar, he's not exactly the best route runner) look better than they are.

Cassel and Weeden are going to make them look average because they're below average in their ability to read defenses, process information quickly and get the ball to the open man in a spot where only their receivers can catch the ball.

The NFL is a game of inches. Tony Romo only needs inches. Cassel and Weeden need yards between the receiver and the defender for them to complete a pass.

And, that, my friend, is the difference.

 

[RS12]

Matt Cassel was worse than advertised

He has been exactly what I expected. A third string QB masquerading as a starter.

 

[BoysfanfromCanada]

Cassel is doing exactly what Weeden did: he's going with what the defense is giving him.

It's apparent that the Dallas WRs just cannot get themselves any seperation on any kind of consistant basis. Dez did not look 100% out there, he gets a pass this game. But since Romo went down, TWill has disappeared, even Beasley has disappeared. Street has been AWOL all year, Whitehead...who knows what's happening there.

It's also the tight ends. Escobar? Hanna? Maybe they're being kept in to block, I dunno.

Witten has been the most consistant pass catcher and the guy is playing hurt. He can't do it all. I'd say that guys need to step up but that's been the case for 5 weeks now and it's just not happening.

The QB hasn't mattered. Teams seem content to give up the dumpoffs, then attack the pass catcher to limit their yardage gains.

It also doesn't help that Cassel doesn't seem to have the quick released needed to pull off some of the things they tried yesterday.

This team really could have stuck w/ Weeden and we would have probably seen the same results. The QB change hasn't really mattered. All it's done is cost Dallas a draft pick.

If you listen to Broaddus on cowboys break, he said receivers were open pretty often. Williams had his best route running game of the year, and Dez was open in the red zone on a couple of those check downs to McFadden. I don't know if Cassels doesn't think he has as much time as he does behind this line, but he needs much, much better vision if we're to have any chance of winning before Romo is back

 

[mugsybows]

i remember a lot of people close to the cowboys, when the switch was made, said he was pretty much the same as weeden. i think us as fans though were looking for somebody,anybody to save the ship. kind of like some of us were saying michael was the answer as well. i think we were looking for that one player to pull a romo and carry this team while he was away but sadly we dont have that it seems.

 

[CATCH17]

Receivers don't get separation with Romo either.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

What was advertised? What we are seeing is what Cassel is. Did you guys think you were getting Andrew Luck?

How is it that these receivers can't get separation when Cassel and Weeden are the quarterbacks but can when Romo is quarterback?

I don't think it's an issue of the receivers not getting separation.
This offense, like most NFL offenses, are based on timing patterns. You may not get super separation, but you can get a step on a defender. And if that's the case, your quarterback has to get you the ball.

IMO, Cassel and Weeden lack the confidence to fit balls in to tight windows because they don't want to make mistakes. They don't have the overall awareness to scan the field, look off receivers and find guys open. And they don't have the talent Romo has to be able to successfully put the ball where it needs to be so only your man can catch it.

Oh, and they don't have the experience with these receivers Tony has.

Good/Great quarterbacks make average receivers look good and good receivers look great. For goodness sake, look at what Brady has done his entire career. Look at what P. Manning has done all his career.

Tony Romo has made the likes of Patrick Crayton, TWilliams, Cole Beasley and even Dez Bryant (though Dez is a superstar, he's not exactly the best route runner) look better than they are.

Cassel and Weeden are going to make them look average because they're below average in their ability to read defenses, process information quickly and get the ball to the open man in a spot where only their receivers can catch the ball.

The NFL is a game of inches. Tony Romo only needs inches. Cassel and Weeden need yards between the receiver and the defender for them to complete a pass.

And, that, my friend, is the difference.

They don't get separation with Romo either. Romo just knows how to improvise with his legs and he trusts his arm enough to try to thread the football in. Cassell is too confident in his arm but Weeden isn't confident enough.

 

[EPL0c0]

How is it that these receivers can't get separation when Cassel and Weeden are the quarterbacks but can when Romo is quarterback?

I don't think it's an issue of the receivers not getting separation.
This offense, like most NFL offenses, are based on timing patterns. You may not get super separation, but you can get a step on a defender. And if that's the case, your quarterback has to get you the ball.

IMO, Cassel and Weeden lack the confidence to fit balls in to tight windows because they don't want to make mistakes. They don't have the overall awareness to scan the field, look off receivers and find guys open. And they don't have the talent Romo has to be able to successfully put the ball where it needs to be so only your man can catch it.

Oh, and they don't have the experience with these receivers Tony has.

Good/Great quarterbacks make average receivers look good and good receivers look great. For goodness sake, look at what Brady has done his entire career. Look at what P. Manning has done all his career.

Tony Romo has made the likes of Patrick Crayton, TWilliams, Cole Beasley and even Dez Bryant (though Dez is a superstar, he's not exactly the best route runner) look better than they are.

Cassel and Weeden are going to make them look average because they're below average in their ability to read defenses, process information quickly and get the ball to the open man in a spot where only their receivers can catch the ball.

The NFL is a game of inches. Tony Romo only needs inches. Cassel and Weeden need yards between the receiver and the defender for them to complete a pass.

And, that, my friend, is the difference.

I think Romo has the ability to extend plays with his mobility (something Weeden has none of and Cassel hasn't shown). Maybe Romo's patience gives the receivers another second or two to get away from a defender.

If the QB is quick to take the dumpoff and not willing to let the Oline protect him or move to make space, I can see the receivers having little/no time to get that needed seperation.

 

[mrmojo]

The play at the end of the game where he took the sack and loss instead of throwing the ball away told me all I needed to know about Matt Cassel... Sigh...

 

[Aven8]

i remember a lot of people close to the cowboys, when the switch was made, said he was pretty much the same as weeden. i think us as fans though were looking for somebody,anybody to save the ship. kind of like some of us were saying michael was the answer as well. i think we were looking for that one player to pull a romo and carry this team while he was away but sadly we dont have that it seems.

Steve Dennis talked to somebody at VR and said Weeds was Brad Johnson, and Cassel was nore of Kitna. However yesterday our great HC and OC made him be Weeds.

 

[tyke1doe]

What was advertised? What we are seeing is what Cassel is. Did you guys think you were getting Andrew Luck?




They don't get separation with Romo either. Romo just knows how to improvise with his legs and he trusts his arm enough to try to thread the football in. Cassell is too confident in his arm but Weeden isn't confident enough.

Separation is a matter of degrees. If you have a step on your defender, you have separation. And if you have a great quarterback, he can get you the ball.

No corner can cover a perfectly thrown ball. Even Deion Sanders - who I consider the greatest cover corner ever - got beat when the ball was thrown perfectly to the receiver.

 

[Bleu Star]

If you listen to Broaddus on cowboys break, he said receivers were open pretty often. Williams had his best route running game of the year, and Dez was open in the red zone on a couple of those check downs to McFadden. I don't know if Cassels doesn't think he has as much time as he does behind this line, but he needs much, much better vision if we're to have any chance of winning before Romo is back

Cassell barely knows our offense and doesn't trust what he sees downfield in it.

We have a better chance in there with Cassel at QB vs the previous field general. Not saying much but true.

Cue the "Cassell just sucks" responses in 3, 2, 1....

 

[mugsybows]

Steve Dennis talked to somebody at VR and said Weeds was Brad Johnson, and Cassel was nore of Kitna. However yesterday our great HC and OC made him be Weeds.

i was hoping cassel would be kitna but sadly i dont see it.

 

[Fletch]

I've jumped on Floaty about his fanboyism of Kellen Moore. Two games was enough for me to see that Cassell is only slightly better than hot garbage.

I think we should at least give Moore a look-see. Would not hurt. Unfortunately, it's not going to happen IMHO.

 

[tyke1doe]

I think Romo has the ability to extend plays with his mobility (something Weeden has none of and Cassel hasn't shown). Maybe Romo's patience gives the receivers another second or two to get away from a defender.

If the QB is quick to take the dumpoff and not willing to let the Oline protect him or move to make space, I can see the receivers having little/no time to get that needed seperation.

I acknowledge your point that Romo has helped our receivers by extending plays with his legs. But we can't make the mistake of thinking he does this EVERY completion. Romo has also stood in the pocket and zipped the ball for completions to Beasley, T Williams and even Escobar and Hannah.
Cassel and Weedon can't seem to find these guys at all. And the reason is they don't see the field and don't have the anticipation and quick twitch Tony Romo does.

You can't wait for guys to get open to throw the ball in this league. You have to know where the receiver is going and throw it to the spot leading him into the catch.

Your receiver - if you and he aren't on the same page - can screw you and get your picked, which is what would happen to Romo early in his career.

But once you develop that chemistry, the quarterback trusts you to be at a certain spot and delivers it to you in that spot.

Romo has the experience, the intellect and the arm to do this.
Cassel and Weedon do not.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

The play at the end of the game where he took the sack and loss instead of throwing the ball away told me all I needed to know about Matt Cassel... Sigh...

One of the dumbest plays I ever saw.

 

[Aven8]

i was hoping cassel would be kitna but sadly i dont see it.

It's hard to judge a guy that has really practiced with the 1st team for what 3 weeks? And then throwing to Dez for what 2 days?

Plus throw in the fact that our WR core is green. Butler, Steet, Williams, and Beas as far as experience is not very strong!

 

[Future]

As advertised...

...except for the fact that people around here who said Cassel was garbage and wouldn't give us anything that Weeden didn't were flamed for either being trolls or not knowing what we were talking about.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Separation is a matter of degrees. If you have a step on your defender, you have separation. And if you have a great quarterback, he can get you the ball.

No corner can cover a perfectly thrown ball. Even Deion Sanders - who I consider the greatest cover corner ever - got beat when the ball was thrown perfectly to the receiver.

Yeah but a quarterback isn't going to throw it perfect overtime either. I've heard the same complaints about Romo on here. People just last season were asking why guys can't get any separation. They didn't get it with Romo either its just Romo has far more confidence in his abilities than Weeden does and Cassel has too much.