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Alas another week, another set of Kellen Moore watch has come and gone. And now that the Dallas Cowboys dropped another game to go 4-9 on the season, guaranteeing a losing season, that watch may bear some fruit. Games won with Tony Romo? Three. Games won without Romo? One. Games lost in general? Well, enough.
But comedic value? Plenty of that around.
Now you can watch it over and over and over and over and over and over and I'm going to cry and over and over pic.twitter.com/4c58lXCQ72
— Cowboys Nation (@CowboysNation) December 13, 2015
There are plenty of "negatives" to go around about Kellen Moore's attributes that could potentially stop a coach from actually getting him into a game. Too short. Relative "lack" of arm strength. He is not exactly the fastest guy on the field. Pretty far from it.
So there are a lot of questions in so far as to whether or not he is actually an NFL-caliber type quarterback. Can he make the required throws? Is he at least mobile enough to avoid danger? Can he see over the offensive line? Does he have what it takes to win? Is being a lefty in the NFL a death sentence? You know, that whole rotation of the ball thing.
Part of the decline, Christensen is convinced, can be traced to wide receivers, the particular playmakers who like passes to settle into their hands with few complications. Yet lefty quarterbacks deliver a ball that spins differently than most receivers are accustomed to seeing.
Sounds a lot like complaining to me.
Part of the argument that Kellen detractors seem to use with frequency is that we already, probably, know that he is not an NFL-caliber QB. Simply by the fact that he has NOT gotten his chance yet. That if he WERE able to do the "necessary" things to win, he would have had his chance already. Makes sense I suppose. Certainly seems as though coaches go out of their to NOT put him on the field.
But we can learn something from the article above.
Yet with NFL training camps underway, out of the 120 quarterbacks currently under contract, only two (1.7 percent) are left-handers: Kellen Moore, a fourth-year backup with the Lions who has never thrown a regular-season pass
There is already a prejudice against lefties in the league. And only a couple of opportunities to just be around. Not too many seem to be wanted.
But Kellen Moore, at this stage in the season, is still around.
So what is it? Why, given his so-called deficiencies, is he even still collecting a paycheck from an NFL team? Why doesn't the Cowboys just pick up someone, anyone, from waivers to ride the pine behind Cassel? (Note: Not sure about the waiver rules at this stage in the season, and not sure if teams can still add anyone at all. So if it is waiver rules, or something technical like that, that is actually preventing the Cowboys from adding someone, all my points still stand.)
Because Kellen Moore not only provides value, but he also does have some thing that keeps him on a roster. He has the brains and football intelligence that allows him to absorb a playbook and know how to anticipate his teammates. He has the ability to move chains and keep drives alive long enough to get the job done. He's on Scott Linehan's holiday card list.
The guy knows how to win and provides the intangibles that help those around him. He moves protections to pick up blitzes so he does not get clobbered. He has the "sense" to stand in the pocket and know when he is about to get crushed and move accordingly. It is the quick release that he is able to get the ball out of his hand and to his receiver. It is his brain that provides a coach on the field.
All Kellen Moore, really, needs is an opportunity. A chance to show that, while he may not have a rocket arm, he can do the necessary things to just win. To get his time to shine. Coaches are, apparently, afraid that his arm is a prohibitive factor in winning games. One could assume that THAT point has already been proven.
Can't win too many games with throws like that. Us "no-nothings" already know that. Just curious when the Cowboys will catch on.
Your Turn
Kellen Moore will most likely not see the field this year, despite the Cowboys' on-field woes. The sad reality is that he will never have an NFL throw in any regular season game. But to overcome what he has, and get just thisclose to being there, well, it has to account for something. What do you think?