Cowboys hope to build on Cassel’s competitiveness, strong finish

Matt Cassel didn’t lead the Dallas Cowboys to victory in his first start at quarterback in place of the benched Brandon Weeden.

But he provided a glimmer of hope that the Cowboys (2-4) believe they can build on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks (3-4).

Cassel can’t afford to repeat the three-interception meltdown he had in last week’s 27-20 loss to the New York Giants if the Cowboys have any chance of ending their four-losing streak.

But they would like a replay of the competitiveness Cassel showed with a game-tying touchdown pass to Devin Street in the fourth quarter before succumbing on a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

“Absolutely. I thought you saw that within the game,” coach Jason Garrett said. “I thought he did a really good job overcoming some of those mistakes. He played a good football game and made some bad decisions that impacted the game, but the drive that he had at the end of the ballgame I thought was big.

“To lead the one drive to tie the game and then to give us a chance at the end after that, he is a tough guy, a mentally tough guy. I think the guys see that. Just love how he competes. Love his relentless spirit and his fight.”

Cassel was acquired on Sept. 22 in a trade with the Buffalo Bills. Despite his experience and success with New England, Kansas City and Minnesota, the Cowboys had no idea what he was like under fire.

“I don’t know if they know a lot about me, but I’m always going to fight for them,” Cassel said. “I think they saw a little bit of that. No matter what the circumstance is, I’m not going to hang my head and be one of those guys that are going to sit there and mope around and just wait for the game to end.”

That’s what the Cowboys look to as a source of confidence.

“No question,” Garrett said. “This game is about adversity and your ability to come back from adversity. You need to be mentally tough to do that. You don’t play as long in this league as he has if you don’t have that.

“Obviously, you want to eliminate the negative plays, but sometimes they happen. It’s your response to that, your response to the adversity that shows everybody what you are all about. I think we got a good feel for what he is all about going forward.”

Cassel has had three or more interceptions in three of his past eight starts dating to 2013 with the Minnesota Vikings.

Even so, he remains the Cowboys’ best hope to win until starter Tony Romo is expected to return from a fractured collarbone on Nov. 22. Despite the interceptions, he helped open up the offense with the big play. The Cowboys had six plays of 20 yards or more compared with six combined over the previous three games with Weeden at the helm.

“I lost a lot of sleep over it and everything else. I’m just disappointed that it went the way it did because I think offensively, for 90 percent of the game, we played well enough to win,” Cassel said. “And then you have those three interceptions, and it really dictates the outcome of the game. That’s what’s hard to swallow. You learn from it and then you come back the next week and get stronger.”

The Cowboys believe Cassel should be better in his second start because of the added comfort in the offense. The Giants’ game was his first extended playing time since September 2014. He didn’t play the final 13 games of the season. Athough he was credited for the start in the 2015 season opener with Buffalo, he was in for only one play and didn’t throw a pass.

“That may be part of it too,” Cassel said. “Again, I’m not an excuse guy. But at the same time it has been a while since I have taken a few hits. It was great to wake up on Monday morning to feel that soreness and be in the game again. I will be better this week.”

The possibility of having receiver Dez Bryant back for the first time since he suffered a fractured bone in his right foot in the season opener will help Cassel. Bryant practiced on a limited basis Wednesday, giving Cassel his first opportunity to throw to the Pro Bowl receiver and gain some chemistry.

“It was great to see him out there. Everybody’s excited to have him out there. He’s a special player,” Cassel said. “When you have a guy like that, you can give him opportunities down the field and you know that it’s his ball or nobody’s.”

This story was originally published October 28, 2015 at 9:34 PM with the headline "Cowboys hope to build on Cassel’s competitiveness, strong finish."