Brandon Weeden talks back, but not bitter about stint with Cowboys
Brandon Weeden remains as disappointed as anyone that he couldn’t win in Dallas and lead the Cowboys to the playoffs.
But he’s moved on to Houston and done there what he couldn’t do here.
Weeden broke a personal 11-game losing streak last week, leading the Texans to the doorstep of the postseason.
“The way that things have gone, obviously they haven’t been how you would draw them up,” Weeden said in a phone interview. “All the adversity I’ve gone through, sometimes that makes you stronger, and you see how mentally tough you are and if you’re able to kind of move on. I came in and worked hard and was excited about the opportunity and did enough to take full advantage.”
Weeden made headlines last week on his regular appearance on Oklahoma City’s 107.7 The Franchise, finally striking back at Jerry Jones.
“We get to play extra football, and he’ll be watching on his couch,” Weeden said on the radio show. “That’s what it’s all about. We’re playing for something, and this is a fun time of the year.”
It was out of character for Weeden, but understandable because Jones remains Weeden’s toughest critic.
Weeden, though, insists he was joking. He added that he respects Jones, and that he has rooted for the Cowboys since they released him.
“I gave an answer given what he had said about me for the last month,” Weeden said. “Am I mad about it? Look, I respect that guy more than I probably do a lot of guys in this entire league. It hurts. But at the same time, I understand it. I understand the business. There’s not anybody there in Dallas that wanted to come in and play well and win games for that organization more than I did. That was my main goal. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.
“He said what he said. I don’t fault him for it. I’m not bitter about it. My answer was kind of a tongue in cheek, just kind of a joking deal. If you just read the comment, it doesn’t look good. Obviously, that’s not the character of guy I am to take a shot like that.”
Jones, while praising Weeden last week, continued to disparage the backup quarterback on his radio show.
Weeden finished the Week 2 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles after Tony Romo fractured his left collarbone and then made three starts, all losses, before Matt Cassel replaced him during the bye week. Weeden completed 72.4 percent of his passes for 739 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions and a 92.2 rating.
It can be argued that Weeden, who played without receiver Dez Bryant, played better than Cassel, who went 1-6 with a 58.3 completion percentage, five touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 70.6 passer rating before he was benched for Kellen Moore.
But the Cowboys released Weeden on Nov. 17.
“I thought maybe since he was fresh off a pretty serious injury, I thought they might keep three [quarterbacks]around just in case of unfortunately what happened to Tony did happen,” Weeden said. “That wasn’t the case. I had a good conversation with coach [Jason]Garrett. I told him I understood. Obviously, I’m a competitive guy, so I wasn’t excited about it. But he felt like it was the best thing for that team. I’m a pro. I get it. It hurt for a day or so, but fortunately I got an opportunity down here.”
With his third team, Weeden has proved nice guys don’t have to finish last. They can finish first.
Weeden, the fourth quarterback to start for the Texans this season, completed 15 of 24 passes for 200 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 116.7 passer rating in a 34-6 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Though he returns to the bench this week with starter Brian Hoyer returning from a concussion, Weeden has become the toast of Houston.
“I think if you look at a bunch of guys in their careers, it never plays out how you want it to,” Weeden said. “You’ve got to battle injuries. You’ve got to battle change. You’ve got to battle different scenarios. I think the good ones find a way to play through it.
“Are there times I’ve had the cards stacked against me? Yeah, absolutely, but if you ask all 53 guys in this locker room, and all 53 guys in Dallas, they’ll probably say the same thing about themselves. That’s just the way it rolls, and you’ve got to make the best of it.”
My five cents
1. The last time a healthy Peyton Manning served as a backup in a game that counted was Sept. 24, 1994. That was his freshman year at Tennessee when he backed up Todd Helton. Brock Osweiler has earned the job this season. In the 6 1/2 games he has played, Osweiler has nine touchdown passes; Manning had nine in 9 1/2 games. The Broncos average more first downs and points per possession with Osweiler as their quarterback.
2. That celebration heard last week came from Philadelphia. Eagles players did not hide their glee at the team’s firing of coach Chip Kelly. DeMarco Murray called it a “fresh start,” and offensive tackle Lane Johnson couldn’t contain his excitement at the possibility of going back to a “more traditional style of offense.” Owner Jeffrey Lurie said he will consider all candidates, including retired coaches, and the Eagles could try to entice Jon Gruden back into coaching.
3. Drew Brees plans on returning to New Orleans for an 11th season. But do the Saints want him back? Certainly not under his current contract, which calls for a $30 million cap hit in 2016, the final year of his five-year, $100 million deal. Brees turns 37 in January and sports a 13-17 record over the past two seasons with 64 touchdowns and 28 interceptions.
4. Ravens receiver Steve Smith Sr., who announced last week he would return for a 16th season, ranks 11th on the NFL’s all-time receiving list with 13,932 yards. He needs 1,196 yards to rank in the top five behind only Jerry Rice, Terrell Owens, Randy Moss and Isaac Bruce. He could earn Hall of Fame induction one day.
5. Roddy White doesn’t plan on retiring, and despite his frustration over his role in the offense this season, the receiver hopes to return to Atlanta. White, 34, has a salary-cap number of $6.1 million in 2016, though, and likely would need to give the Falcons a “hometown discount” to finish his career with the Falcons.
Who’s hot
Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, with 1,418 yards, has a 64-yard lead over Tampa Bay’s Doug Martin for the rushing title. Peterson, 30, would become the second-oldest running back since the 1970 merger to lead the league in rushing. Curtis Martin was 31 when he did it in 2004 with 1,697 yards.
Who’s not
Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch will miss his seventh consecutive game and ninth of the season. Lynch, who had abdominal surgery in November, continues to rehab in the Bay Area, where he makes his off-season home.
Number game
4,468Passing yards allowed by the Giants. They are within reach of the NFL record of 4,796 allowed by the 2011 Packers.
2016 NFL Draft
Dane Brugler of CBS Sports and NFLDraftScout.com gives his overall top 10:
1. Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss (6-5, 305)
2. Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State (6-5, 275)
3. Jalen Ramsey, DB, Florida St. (6-1, 202)
4. Myles Jack, LB, UCLA (6-1, 245)
5. Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss (6-2, 210)
6. Jaylon Smith, LB, N. Dame (6-3, 240)
7. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio St. (6-0, 225)
8. Jared Goff, QB, Cal (6-4, 210)
9. Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame (6-6, 315)
10. Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis (6-6, 230)
Blitz
Jameis Winston, Tom Brady, Kirk Cousins and Blake Bortles are the only quarterbacks to play every offensive snap this season.
The Cardinals have won nine consecutive games, the second-longest streak in franchise history.
Ryan Fitzpatrick needs one touchdown pass to become the first Jets quarterback to throw for 30 touchdowns in a season. The Bears, Bucs and Texans are the only other teams who have never had a quarterback throw 30 touchdowns in a season.
Baltimore has a league-high 20 players on injured reserve.
Russell Wilson should break the Seahawks’ team record for passing yards in a season. He has 3,827 yards, putting him within 139 of Matt Hasselbeck’s team record set in 2007.
Frank Gore needs 109 yards to reach 1,000 for the season. The Colts have not had a 1,000-yard back since Joseph Addai ran for 1,072 in 2007.
Raiders safety Charles Woodson will finish his career at Arrowhead Stadium, the same place he started it on Sept. 6, 1998.
Tampa Bay’s Doug Martin has lost five fumbles this season, the most of any running back in the NFL.
Information from The Sports Xchange was used in this report.
This story was originally published January 1, 2016 at 12:32 PM with the headline "Brandon Weeden talks back, but not bitter about stint with Cowboys."