Why are we overrating Kellen Moore's intelligence?

[adbutcher]

His physical limitations make the playbook limited. He can only throw so many passes.

Fans, including myself, tend to fall in love with big arms. But what big arms really do is that they open the playbook up as there are now more throws the QB can make and more plays that can be ran. I also think it helps a little with anticipating throws because if you have a Jeff George type arm, you can be a split second off in your anticipation and still deliver the ball to the receiver.

So with Moore, you have a limited amount of plays he can run based on his lack of arm strength and now he has to anticipate better because if he's off by a millisecond, the ball isn't getting there. And I don't think lack of anticipation has to do with 'smarts' at the QB position either. Many QB's can read a defense with the best of them and know the playbook as well as anybody, but they lack that ability to anticipate throws and they end up out of the league in a hurry.

I'm all for Cooper Rush at the #2 QB anyway. We are screwed if Dak gets hurt and we have Moore or Rush play. Better to take the QB that has legitimate upside and think that a young QB like Dak who is pretty impressive from a physical standpoint, does not get injured.





YR

I agree somewhat but imho, by knowing your shortcomings, a smart QB will know how to compensate. He has had a lot of time to make the adjustments but somehow he looks worse than he did the last two times that I saw him play.

Just off the top of my head, he cannot throw the deep to intermediate outs, square ins, curls or hooks. He also lack the arm to throw the skinny post or any combinations off of those previously mentioned routes. So he is left with slants (WR has to have a clean get-off), hitches with the db playing off, fades, waggles with a trailing db, and swing passes, etc. Now with the aforementioned route bush, he should look at least proficient by looking DBs off and then going were he intended to go with the ball based on his reads. Instead we get slow reaction, slow delivery, and an even slower velocity to the WR.

I am glad that we are finally wising up.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

I agree somewhat but imho, by knowing your shortcomings, a smart QB will know how to compensate.

I don't think anticipation equates to smarts as a QB. Brett Favre had great anticipation, but didn't know what a nickel and dime defense was until he was in the NFL. Probably not the guy I want coaching/assisting a QB.




YR

 

[adbutcher]

I don't think anticipation equates to smarts as a QB. Brett Favre had great anticipation, but didn't know what a nickel and dime defense was until he was in the NFL. Probably not the guy I want coaching/assisting a QB.




YR

I think Favre could out throw good coverage more so than anticipating his throws. He is one of the few QBs that could throw a guy open. I don't recall Favre anticipating anything besides his next beer and percocet. The Detmers, Flynns, and Hoyers of the world are smart QBs with physical limitations that maximized their smarts. I think Kellen's ceiling is those types of QBs. Currently I would take either in their prime over Kellen right now. Brady and Montana are the upper echelon of smart QBs with less than elite arm talent. IMO, Romo was a tier below them but he has an elite level release.Those guys had great anticipation, great recognition, and great eyes. I don't think you could do any of that without being smart football IQ wise. Kellen doesn't use his eyes, he doesn't anticipate his throws, and he looks scared. To me he looks like someone that doesn't know the playbook well. He has been in the same system for a lifetime based on NFL time. How can that be if he is smart? I think low grade nepotism got him in the NFL and that same Linehan love has kept him here. Linehan is living vicariously through Kellen.

 

[Montanalo]

Kellen Moore is not a ******* NFL quarterback. Get him out of here.

• Terrible Footwork
• No Grasp Of Playbook
• Mediocre Ball Security
• Holds Ball Too Long
• Not Athletic
• Weak Arm
• Mouth Breather
• Terrible Body Language

He's basically being given every opportunity because Scott Linehan likes him, which begs the question -- is Scott that good of a coach?

Cut him, cut McCown, and roll with Dak and Coop. Rush might not ever be anything more than a career backup, but he's already AT LEAST as good as Kellen Moore and he's younger and cheaper.

Bottom line -- lets say Dak goes down in the 3rd quarter in a close game -- he'll probably play the next week, but its a road game vs. the Eagles and he can't really go on an ankle or something. Whatever. Who you trusting? I'm throwing Cooper Rush out there and letting him sling it with the first team. You might as well warm up the bus if Moore is the backup in that scenario. He's atrocious.

Mouth breathers of the world unite! I personally feel disrespected by the mouth breather comment.

Otherwise, good summary.

 

[adbutcher]

********, dude LOL

It was the worse kept secret in the NFL. He complained that he should still be able to drink when he was in the drug program. Great QB though. I would take him now over Kellen.

 

[diefree666]

With various farm animals

and dogs and cats and trees

 

[DogFace]

I've just learned I'm happy I'm not a mouth breather.


They catch a lot of flak.


Also, did @Floaty resign from the board and is he a
mouth breather?

 

[adbutcher]

Dak said something interesting about Rush that I never heard him say about Moore. He said Cooper plays the game the right way, from the neck up. That's a helluva compliment coming from Dak because I feel he plays the same way.

 

[SlammedZero]

I get that he is not the perfect physical specimen to be a successful NFL QB, and that a lot of you fans are so quick to judge his success based on your personal expectations, but to start shaming him due to his physical appearance or IQ is pretty shallow.

The guy is a nice/great person, did a lot for the community, and was an excellent college player. No, he won't win anybody a Super Bowl but he gave it his best shot (made it a hell of a lot further in the league than any of you) and I think will actually make a great coach one day.

Want to judge his QB play? That's fair, but to start making fun of his smile or physical attributes, that's pretty lame. Come on Cowboys fans, you're better than that .

 

[Roadtrip635]

Moore is an ugly looking QB, but the must have a great personality.

 

[gimmesix]

I don't think anticipation equates to smarts as a QB. Brett Favre had great anticipation, but didn't know what a nickel and dime defense was until he was in the NFL. Probably not the guy I want coaching/assisting a QB.




YR

Yes, I think the idea that Moore isn't football smart just because there are things he can't do on the field is skewed. It's like saying just because an architect isn't physically able to build a building, he doesn't understand the design or how it should be executed.

Players and coaches have raved about Moore's understanding of the game, so it isn't that that is holding him back. It's simply that he doesn't have the physical ability to succeed. He doesn't have a quick release. There are a lot of passes he can't throw. He certainly can't beat tight coverage. So he has to pick and choose his battles, which limits him and the offense. It's hard to be successful with those type of limitations, so the fact that Moore has been able to have the success that he has had is a credit to his football IQ.

The fact that he is short, slow and weak-armed means that he's never going to be as good on the field as he is in his head, and it's the reason we should move on if we have a better option, which it seems we might in Rush.

 

[adbutcher]

I get that he is not the perfect physical specimen to be a successful NFL QB, and that a lot of you fans are so quick to judge his success based on your personal expectations, but to start shaming him due to his physical appearance or IQ is pretty shallow.

The guy is a nice/great person, did a lot for the community, and was an excellent college player. No, he won't win anybody a Super Bowl but he gave it his best shot (made it a hell of a lot further in the league than any of you) and I think will actually make a great coach one day.

Want to judge his QB play? That's fair, but to start making fun of his smile or physical attributes, that's pretty lame. Come on Cowboys fans, you're better than that .

This is a results oriented business. This is not Pop Warner. There is no kid gloves for beaver teeth mouth breathers, no offense to any beaver teeth mouth breather that post here.

 

[adbutcher]

Yes, I think the idea that Moore isn't football smart just because there are things he can't do on the field is skewed. It's like saying just because an architect isn't physically able to build a building, he doesn't understand the design or how it should be executed.

Players and coaches have raved about Moore's understanding of the game, so it isn't that that is holding him back. It's simply that he doesn't have the physical ability to succeed. He doesn't have a quick release. There are a lot of passes he can't throw. He certainly can't beat tight coverage. So he has to pick and choose his battles, which limits him and the offense. It's hard to be successful with those type of limitations, so the fact that Moore has been able to have the success that he has had is a credit to his football IQ.

The fact that he is short, slow and weak-armed means that he's never going to be as good on the field as he is in his head, and it's the reason we should move on if we have a better option, which it seems we might in Rush.

Unlike an architect, there are pretty clear indications of what separates a smart QB from a dumb one. Looking off WR is the easiest thing to gauge. However, in order to look off a WR, the QB has to know not only the Offensive playbook thoroughly, he has to know the ins and out of the defense he is playing against.

 

[gimmesix]

Dak said something interesting about Rush that I never heard him say about Moore. He said Cooper plays the game the right way, from the neck up. That's a helluva compliment coming from Dak because I feel he plays the same way.

Prescott on Moore:

“(He’s) a genius behind the scenes, who doesn’t get enough credit for what he does helping me out and helping this offense out,” Prescott said via the Dallas Morning News’ Jon Machota. “He’s an offensive coordinator in his own mind. He’s simply a genius when it comes to helping coach Linehan out and early in the week giving looks, helping me out with things the defense does, maybe little keys here and there to tip me off or coverages or blitzes.”

 

[gimmesix]

Unlike an architect, there are pretty clear indications of what separates a smart QB from a dumb one. Looking off WR is the easiest thing to gauge. However, in order to look off a WR, the QB has to know not only the Offensive playbook thoroughly, he has to know the ins and out of the defense he is playing against.

And I think you are mistaken in believing Moore doesn't have the ability to do this, especially when the preseason isn't about knowing the ins and outs of the defense he is playing against. You are mistaking a lack of physical ability for a lack of intelligence.

 

[adbutcher]

Prescott on Moore:

Then he should be a coach and not taking up a valuable roster spot.

 

[jday]

Why are we overrating Kellen Moore's intelligence? His physical limitations have been well documented but for the life of me I cannot find any evidence that Kellen Moore has the necessary football intelligence to play in the NFL. He constantly holds the ball longer than he should and that is usually the sign of a confused QB. He constantly throws into double coverage and I rarely see him look off receivers. Even on his check downs he seems unsure.

His body language is also terrible. He never closes his mouth, which I conclude he is a mouth breather. I think the Cowboys are aware of this and I am confident they will do the right thing by cutting Moore. Rush outplayed him physically and with his mental grasp of the playbook. If the cowboys cut Rush instead of Moore, what message those that send to the other players?

I think the players have voice their opinion on the subject too. I think Witten expressed who he and the locker room favors with his Romo comparison comment. What are you all's thoughts? Can someone other than floaty show me an example of Moore's football IQ?

Keep in mind I'm on your side on this; I've been saying for awhile the competition between Kellen and Rush should be open, considering their first 3 outings. Many were impressed with Kellen in the Hall of Fame Game; I wasn't. Granted, he showed good anticipation with his throws but he was also very fortunate to have receivers on the field with him that could high point the ball.

With that disclaimer aside, I've actually been doing some research trying to determine the connection between Linehan and Moore. I heard on the radio via podcast yesterday (****NOT-AN-OFFICIAL-SOURCE***, I think) that there is a family connection between Linehan and Kellen Moore's dad. I have not found any written evidence of that claim, however, so don't take that as law. What I did find in my subsequent research is that they both Linehan and Kellen were quarterbacks of two different rival schools in Idaho. Linehan was a star for the Vandals between 84 and 86, whereas Kellen won like the second most games of any quarterback in NCAA history for Boise State (I think).

Given his obvious physical limitations, he clearly must have a great command of the game to accomplish that. But in the NFL, I suspect his physical limitations are far too much for him to overcome at this point in his career.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Yes, I think the idea that Moore isn't football smart just because there are things he can't do on the field is skewed. It's like saying just because an architect isn't physically able to build a building, he doesn't understand the design or how it should be executed.

Players and coaches have raved about Moore's understanding of the game, so it isn't that that is holding him back. It's simply that he doesn't have the physical ability to succeed. He doesn't have a quick release. There are a lot of passes he can't throw. He certainly can't beat tight coverage. So he has to pick and choose his battles, which limits him and the offense. It's hard to be successful with those type of limitations, so the fact that Moore has been able to have the success that he has had is a credit to his football IQ.

The fact that he is short, slow and weak-armed means that he's never going to be as good on the field as he is in his head, and it's the reason we should move on if we have a better option, which it seems we might in Rush.

Take football coaches. Bill Parcells was never a QB and never had the physical skillset to be a QB. Nor was he ever a QB coach or O-Coordinator. But for my money he was the best developer of QB's that ever lived.





YR

 

[adbutcher]

And I think you are mistaken in believing Moore doesn't have the ability to do this, especially when the preseason isn't about knowing the ins and outs of the defense he is playing against. You are mistaking a lack of physical ability for a lack of intelligence.

Nah, he makes pretty dumb decisions. It might be a case of him not having good reflexive intelligence compared to strategic intelligence.

 

[gimmesix]

Then he should be a coach and not taking up a valuable roster spot.

I won't argue against that point.

What has happened with Moore is that we had some more physically gifted but downright awful backup quarterbacks in 2015. Moore came in and was better than that, completing 60-plus percent of his passes in two of the three games he played in and throwing for more than 400 yards against Washington, so we kept him as the primary backup for Romo in 2016 with the idea of drafting a QB to develop into at least a better backup. (In Dallas' ideal world, Romo would be healthy and starting and Dallas would be developing Prescott as the primary backup and eventual successor.)

This offseason with Romo retiring, we flirted with signing Matt Moore, but he resigned with Miami, and with Josh McCown, but he signed with the Jets. So it isn't like we've shown that we're completely satisfied with Moore as the backup, only that we're OK with him until we find better.

Now, I'm not sure Dallas is going to feel "he should be a coach and not taking up a valuable roster spot" until it is certain it has found better. The value that Dallas sees in Moore is that it needs to have a backup QB and he was better for various reasons than other options, such as Luke McCown, that did not sign elsewhere.

I hope Cooper Rush keeps playing like he has and makes Moore expendable, but I see little reason to criticize Moore for being what he is, a temporary plug until the team has a better one.