For now, Cowboys will stick with Brandon Weeden at quarterback
No one in the Dallas Cowboys’ organization blames Brandon Weeden for Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
While his decision-making and conservative approach at times can be nitpicked, he did what he was asked to do by the coaching staff and played an efficient football game. He completed 22 of 26 passes, largely of the check-down variety.
Weeden didn’t lose the game, but it was his ninth consecutive loss as a starting quarterback dating to 2012, in his year as a draft bust with the Cleveland Browns.
The Cowboys (2-1) believe they can win enough with Weeden for six more games in place of the injured Tony Romo, who is out at least until Nov. 22 with a fractured collarbone.
But the situation will become critical if Weeden doesn’t break through Sunday at the winless New Orleans Saints (0-3).
Asked about the nine-game losing streak, Weeden said, “That’s not good. I was in Cleveland, those days are long gone. Seven of those were in Cleveland.
“I’ve learned a lot from them. And now I’m worrying about what I can do this week to get back on the right track.”
After the Saints game, the Cowboys play the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots (3-0), the New York Giants, the Seattle Seahawks, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before Romo is scheduled to return for the Miami game Nov. 22.
Executive vice president Stephen Jones said he has played the schedule game like everyone else, forecasting how many the Cowboys need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive until Romo comes back. He wouldn’t give a number, but he knows the Cowboys can’t go winless.
“Of course. If we go O-fer while Tony’s out, we’re probably out of it,” Jones said. “But I don’t think we feel like that’s going to happen. I think we can win football games with the team that we have. We’re going to get better. No, we’re not trying to hold on. We’re trying to win games.”
If they don’t win quickly, the Cowboys won’t hesitate to turn to Matt Cassel, acquired Sept. 22 in a trade with Buffalo. Cassel was inactive against the Falcons in the 39-28 defeat, but he should be up to speed enough on the offense to serve as the backup against the Saints.
“It’s different when you’re Tony Romo or Tom Brady or Peyton Manning,” Jones said. “Everybody knows it’s their team.”
Weeden realizes that “Cassel’s in here, if he doesn’t play well then he knows there’s competition there. It gives us an option. We felt like getting a guy like Cassel, who has had success in the league, was a good fit for us.”
For now, the Cowboys remain with Weeden. At the same time, coach Jason Garrett is quizzing Cassel every day, trying to get him up to speed and ready to play.
“I think as a player you always have to come with the mindset that you have to be ready to play at any given time,” Cassel said. “They told me that Brandon is the starter and obviously he has the full support of the organization, the team and everybody else. So with that being said, they said you have to come in and work hard and see what happens.”
Cassel, 33, has more skins on the wall than Weeden. He is a former Pro Bowler with a 33-38 record in 71 career starts.
Weeden, 31, is 5-17 as a starter, including two losses with the Cowboys.
Yet, his confidence remains high. Weeden even laughs at the suggestion that he is a check-down quarterback who is afraid throw it down the field. It’s even funnier that it comes just a week after owner Jerry Jones lauded him for throwing the prettiest ball he had ever seen.
“My strength is throwing the ball on the boundary, throwing the ball in the field and throwing those comebacks,” Weeden said. “I have never been criticized for checking the football down. That is not really me. If you watch me play going back to college or even high school, I’m stretching it.
“I wanted to be efficient and get the ball to the right guy, and I felt like that was my game plan and my mindset going into the game.”
Weeden only threw two passes farther than 15 yards against the Falcons and only four to a wide receiver, all to slot receiver Cole Beasley. Terrance Williams, who has replaced the injured Dez Bryant as the Cowboys’ big-play option on the outside, had no receptions.
It all contributed to the running game going stagnant in the second half when the Falcons played eight men in the box with no fear of getting beat on the outside.
Still, Weeden largely stuck by the game plan.
Stephen Jones went a step further and said Weeden was coached to be conservative against the Falcons.
“You didn’t want to go out and make mistakes that would hand the game to them,” Jones said. “It was to protect the ball and be conservative. It worked well in the first half. Anyway, we will have to adjust and go from there.”
Clarence Hill: 817-390-7760, @clarencehilljr
Saints at Cowboys
7:30 p.m. Sunday, KXAS/5
This story was originally published September 30, 2015 at 7:48 PM with the headline "For now, Cowboys will stick with Brandon Weeden at quarterback."