Weeden’s job as Cowboys starter hangs in balance after lackluster loss
The Dallas Cowboys know who their starting quarterback is. They also know they won’t have Tony Romo for at least four more games. What they don’t yet know is who will start their next game.
Brandon Weeden lost his 11th consecutive start, dating to 2012, and has a 5-19 record in his career as a starter. Unlike Weeden’s first two starts, the Cowboys weren’t competitive Sunday against the New England Patriots.
The Cowboys failed to score a touchdown for the first time since Sept. 26, 2011, when they beat the Washington Redskins 18-16 with six field goals.
I’m never going to lose confidence in my ability. I wouldn’t be here and put in this position if I couldn’t play this position.
Cowboys quarterback Brandon Weeden
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett did not give Weeden a vote of confidence after the 30-6 loss to New England. In fact, he said the Cowboys will evaluate the position during the bye week.
“Brandon didn’t play well enough; we didn’t play well enough,” Garrett said.
Weeden, 31, hadn’t expected to hear that Matt Cassel might replace him for the Oct. 25 game at the New York Giants.
“It sucks to be honest,” Weeden said, “but you can’t control that. I can only control going out there and executing. I don’t know. It’s frustrating. I feel like I came in against Philly, and I was prepared; I was ready. I thought I played well against Atlanta. We just couldn’t get it done offensively in the second half. New Orleans, I made a drive at the end of the game to give us a chance to win. We never got the ball back.
“Norv Turner told me a long time ago when we were sitting in the [Cleveland Browns] quarterback meeting, and he said, ‘Brandon, I don’t know what you have done to whoever, but you’ve got the worst luck of any player I have been around.’ I have, ever since I was a little kid. I don’t know what I did. But it is what it is.
“I’m never going to lose confidence in my ability. I wouldn’t be here and put in this position if I couldn’t play this position. You’ve just got to clean it up — the little things that maybe I missed today.”
The Cowboys fell to 6-12 without Romo since he became the starter in 2006. He fractured his left collarbone during the Week 2 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Cowboys placed him on short-term injured reserve.
They acquired Cassel in a Sept. 22 trade with Buffalo, and for the first time Cassel served as Weeden’s backup. Kellen Moore had been the No. 2 quarterback the first two weeks of Romo’s absence.
We’ve always said that it takes all 11. Anytime you lose three in a row, the focus goes on the quarterback. But we never would do that. It takes everybody.
Cowboys tight end Jason Witten
Owner Jerry Jones said Cassel knows the offense well enough that he could start, but added that the Cowboys are a “long way” from deciding to bench Weeden.
Cowboys players threw their support behind Weeden.
“They can say whatever they want to say,” receiver Terrance Williams said. “We’re still going to go with Weeden, because he’s our guy. We have all the confidence in him and the coaches do, too.”
Besides Romo, the Cowboys also are missing receiver Dez Bryant and running back Lance Dunbar, which has made it even tougher.
The Cowboys generated just 264 yards against the Patriots. They had two red-zone possessions, one resulting in a field goal and the other ending on downs late in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve always said that it takes all 11,” tight end Jason Witten said. “Anytime you lose three in a row, the focus goes on the quarterback. But we never would do that. It takes everybody.”
Weeden completed 26 of 39 passes for 188 yards with no touchdowns, one interception and a 67.0 passer rating.
“It’s frustrating,” Weeden said. “The whole world was against us today.”
Charean Williams: 817-390-7760, @NFLCharean
This story was originally published October 11, 2015 at 10:17 PM with the headline "Weeden’s job as Cowboys starter hangs in balance after lackluster loss."