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For all the wondering and worrying and hand-wringing across Cowboys Nation about the keys to the offense of America’s Team being handed to Kellen Moore, the 30-year-old has a brand-new believer in Hall of Famer and Cowboys legend Michael Irvin. And it took someone in the room to turn Irvin around: the presumed centerpiece of that offense, Ezekiel Elliott.
During a guest-hosting stint on The Rich Eisen Show, Irvin enjoyed a lengthy conversation with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and brought up the subject of Moore’s new high-profile role.
“I scratched my head when it went down,” Irvin told his former boss. “I scratched my head when the hire was made, when you gave Kellen Moore the offensive coordinator’s job.”
Moore was promoted to the role in Dallas after just one season as quarterbacks coach and just two years after he was suiting up on the practice squad.
There’s a lot to be said about being in the room where it happens especially in sports, even more especially with football and maybe most of all with the Dallas Cowboys. Pundits and experts can spout opinions all day long about whether this guy or that guy is right for this job or that situation but from the outside looking in, it’s purely theoretical. No matter how well-founded anyone’s gut feeling is about how any one individual seems to fit within a team environment, there’s always a big fat caveat… Maybe there’s something there that the rest of us just don’t see as we’re not in the room where it happens.
While Moore’s stats as a quarterback at Boise State were record-breaking, his NFL playing career never got off the ground. He went undrafted in 2012, but landed with Detroit as a backup. He never played. The Lions released Moore after the 2015 preseason with the Cowboys signing him the following day. After Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel proved ineffective in relief of an injured Tony Romo, Moore saw action in three games late in the season. He went 61-of-104 for 779 yards and four touchdowns passes over that span while also tossing six interceptions. Moore missed the 2016 season with an injury, and spent the 2017 season on and off the practice squad before making a transition to the coaching staff for the 2018 campaign.
It wouldn’t seem to be the resume of the next great offensive mastermind. But Irvin told Jones he’s willing to believe, after a recent conversation with the defending and two-time league rushing champ.
“After speaking this weekend with Ezekiel Elliott,” Irvin continued, “I kind of did… a 180 on it.” (Irvin and Elliott had appeared at a charity event hosted by Irvin’s former teammate Emmitt Smith.) “One of the things Zeke said, he said, ‘Michael, this kid is smart.’ He said he’s smart, and I think the most important thing he said… ‘He’ll listen to us. What we see on the field, he’ll listen and incorporate it in the game plan.'”
Jones defended Moore, extolling virtues that may not be obvious on a stat sheet.
“In Kellen, we sure have a young coach. I’m not paying for- we’re not getting- experience here. We’re not getting that. So what are you getting if you’re not getting experience? How about that part of the makeup of a man or woman that hasn’t been told ‘no’ all their life? They don’t know that they can’t do it. There is an unbridled enthusiasm.”
“Kellen is very articulate,” Jones continued. “He has a great way of explaining his thoughts and his ideas. Exceptional… He is outstanding. No matter where you turn to, they’ll give you a big grade on him by being a great communicator, very articulate- and that is listening as well as expressing your ideas.”
As for whether Moore will be running the show or simply running Jason Garrett’s offense?
“It’s important to me that Jason Garrett is, if you will, sitting here as a safety net relative to the nuts and bolts of the offense,” Jones went on. “It was a great opportunity, from my perspective, to take an unproven, if you will, a young Kellen Moore, surround him with really fresh ideas, surround him with a team that has worked with him- like, worked in the locker room with him as a fellow player, many of them- and then let them come together with the idea that as a safety net, you’ve got a seasoned offensive mind that can sit there as we go into the season, and as we execute, basically be there in case a wheel comes off.”
Veteran leaders like Sean Lee and Jason Witten are coming back, key pickups have been made in Robert Quinn and Randall Cobb. Promsing depth has been added through the draft. And the roster’s biggest superstars are all locked into a contractual sweet spot for 2019. All signs point to a ‘win-now’ philosophy, with a short window to do it in. Safety nets aren’t going to defend an NFC East crown. And a wheel coming off certainly won’t help a deep playoff run. But Zeke believes. Jerry believes. And now The Playmaker believes. So Cowboys fans are left, once again, with putting their faith in the people in the room where it happens.
You can follow Todd on Twitter @ToddBrock24f7.
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During a guest-hosting stint on The Rich Eisen Show, Irvin enjoyed a lengthy conversation with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and brought up the subject of Moore’s new high-profile role.
“I scratched my head when it went down,” Irvin told his former boss. “I scratched my head when the hire was made, when you gave Kellen Moore the offensive coordinator’s job.”
Moore was promoted to the role in Dallas after just one season as quarterbacks coach and just two years after he was suiting up on the practice squad.
There’s a lot to be said about being in the room where it happens especially in sports, even more especially with football and maybe most of all with the Dallas Cowboys. Pundits and experts can spout opinions all day long about whether this guy or that guy is right for this job or that situation but from the outside looking in, it’s purely theoretical. No matter how well-founded anyone’s gut feeling is about how any one individual seems to fit within a team environment, there’s always a big fat caveat… Maybe there’s something there that the rest of us just don’t see as we’re not in the room where it happens.
While Moore’s stats as a quarterback at Boise State were record-breaking, his NFL playing career never got off the ground. He went undrafted in 2012, but landed with Detroit as a backup. He never played. The Lions released Moore after the 2015 preseason with the Cowboys signing him the following day. After Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel proved ineffective in relief of an injured Tony Romo, Moore saw action in three games late in the season. He went 61-of-104 for 779 yards and four touchdowns passes over that span while also tossing six interceptions. Moore missed the 2016 season with an injury, and spent the 2017 season on and off the practice squad before making a transition to the coaching staff for the 2018 campaign.
It wouldn’t seem to be the resume of the next great offensive mastermind. But Irvin told Jones he’s willing to believe, after a recent conversation with the defending and two-time league rushing champ.
“After speaking this weekend with Ezekiel Elliott,” Irvin continued, “I kind of did… a 180 on it.” (Irvin and Elliott had appeared at a charity event hosted by Irvin’s former teammate Emmitt Smith.) “One of the things Zeke said, he said, ‘Michael, this kid is smart.’ He said he’s smart, and I think the most important thing he said… ‘He’ll listen to us. What we see on the field, he’ll listen and incorporate it in the game plan.'”
Jones defended Moore, extolling virtues that may not be obvious on a stat sheet.
“In Kellen, we sure have a young coach. I’m not paying for- we’re not getting- experience here. We’re not getting that. So what are you getting if you’re not getting experience? How about that part of the makeup of a man or woman that hasn’t been told ‘no’ all their life? They don’t know that they can’t do it. There is an unbridled enthusiasm.”
“Kellen is very articulate,” Jones continued. “He has a great way of explaining his thoughts and his ideas. Exceptional… He is outstanding. No matter where you turn to, they’ll give you a big grade on him by being a great communicator, very articulate- and that is listening as well as expressing your ideas.”
As for whether Moore will be running the show or simply running Jason Garrett’s offense?
“It’s important to me that Jason Garrett is, if you will, sitting here as a safety net relative to the nuts and bolts of the offense,” Jones went on. “It was a great opportunity, from my perspective, to take an unproven, if you will, a young Kellen Moore, surround him with really fresh ideas, surround him with a team that has worked with him- like, worked in the locker room with him as a fellow player, many of them- and then let them come together with the idea that as a safety net, you’ve got a seasoned offensive mind that can sit there as we go into the season, and as we execute, basically be there in case a wheel comes off.”
Veteran leaders like Sean Lee and Jason Witten are coming back, key pickups have been made in Robert Quinn and Randall Cobb. Promsing depth has been added through the draft. And the roster’s biggest superstars are all locked into a contractual sweet spot for 2019. All signs point to a ‘win-now’ philosophy, with a short window to do it in. Safety nets aren’t going to defend an NFC East crown. And a wheel coming off certainly won’t help a deep playoff run. But Zeke believes. Jerry believes. And now The Playmaker believes. So Cowboys fans are left, once again, with putting their faith in the people in the room where it happens.
You can follow Todd on Twitter @ToddBrock24f7.
Gallery
Grading all 8 Cowboys draft picks, one by one
Continue reading...