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Dallas Cowboys: Matt Cassel an improvement over Brandon Weeden

By Stephen Forsha

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Brandon Weeden has lost his past 11 games where he is the starting quarterback for an NFL team.

He’s 0-4 as the starter of the Dallas Cowboys the past two seasons, and after the way he played against the New England Patriots on Sunday, it is time he goes back to wearing a headset and holding a clipboard.

I was kind of excited – as much as I could be – when Weeden took the reins of the offense after Tony Romo suffered his shoulder injury, because at least the Cowboys, if nothing else, had a player taking over who was a former first-round pick a few years ago.

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After watching Weeden regress week after week, I have a couple quick thoughts. (1) anyone who thought Weeden was a first-round talent shouldn’t be in the NFL scouting or coaching departments anymore and (2) how Weeden is still getting a paycheck as a quarterback for the Cowboys makes me wonder if they have any other extra cash lying around they just want to throw away.

Following start one by Weeden, there was still hope, because maybe he was working out the rust. The second start got me wondering… umm, well, maybe the Cowboys are just playing it safe.

Now with a third consecutive loss, and stats that are very underwhelming (not just with Weeden, but the entire offense), some type of change has to be made to give this offense a boost. Something needs to happen with this offense, because with a 2-3 record after five games entering their bye week, the offense without Romo and Dez Bryant stinks of three-day-old roadkill left on the side of the road.

The offense of the Cowboys should never have that type of odor, but this year with Weeden at the helm, and a running game that gains yards in spurts if they are that lucky, is just awful.

Against New England, Weeden was 26-of-39 for 188 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. To go with that, a lot of his passes were short to intermediate ones, with running back Darren McFadden being the leading receiver, playing the role of the injured Lance Dunbar, with nine receptions for 62-yards.

Weeden’s longest completion went for 21 yards, to slot receiver Cole Beasley. I know the Cowboys were facing a Patriots defense that is pretty good, but if Weeden and the Cowboys want to be taken seriously, plus keep pace for a playoff spot, they are going to have to compete better than the six points they scored against the big dogs of the NFL.

In looking closer at the stats compiled by the backup-starting quarterback Weeden, he completed 66.67 percent of his passes against the Patriots, but he averaged just 4.82 yards per attempt (Y/A) and an even worse 3.67 adjusted yards per pass attempt (AY/A).

The past three starts by Weeden have seen just one touchdown throw, Week 4 against the New Orleans Saints, and in no start since taking over as the starter has the Cowboys quarterback passed for at least 250 yards, with his highest yardage output being 246 yards on 16 completions, also against the Saints.

As we continue to dive into the stats of Weeden, they are just average, and when a team is looking to defend their NFC crown, average won’t cut it, injuries or not.

Here is a telling stat for Weeden: his adjusted net yards per attempt index (ANY/A+) is 97, and the average is 100, so that is saying he’s below average on that mark. Let’s compare his ANY/A+ number to the rest of the NFC East quarterbacks:

• Eli Manning (New York Giants): 117
• Kirk Cousins (Washington Redskins): 90
• Sam Bradford (Philadelphia Eagles): 94

Notice the trend here? For the three quarterbacks with a below average ANY/A+ number, their team also has a losing record, with the Cowboys, Eagles and Redskins all being 2-3 overall, while the Giants are 3-2, with a one-game division lead.

Aug 29, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Matt Cassel (16) looks to make a pass during the first half against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Now, since I’d like to see a change at the quarterback spot during this bye week, that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m in the Matt Cassel bandwagon either, but you have to go into battle with the weapons you have, so to speak.

Cassel has been active for games in his career with the Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills with an overall record of 34-38.

Will Cassel be an improvement over Weeden?

I doubt he’ll be the Cassel of 2008, but looking at his advanced passing numbers from 2014, I don’t see there being a lot of change with Cassel or Weeden, but it would be something different, because everyone knows what the Cowboys have with Weeden.

In ’14, in three games with the Vikings, Cassel had a ANY/A+ number of 70 and a completion percentage index number of 85 (100 is average).

With stats provided at pro-football-reference.com, in comparison, Weeden’s completion percentage index for ’15 is 129, but his career average is 86, including a 66 in ’13 with the Browns.

Cassel’s career ANY/A+ number is 94, with a career completion percentage index of  93. Compared to the actual starter of the Cowboys, Romo’s ANY/A+ is 116 for his career, and his season number was 106 before he was injured in Week 2. The completion percentage index for Romo in his career is 115, and for ’15 it is 137.

Numbers aside, Cassel would bring some change – a fresh start to the Cowboys offense – but right now the offense is as stale as two-month old bread and most likely will be until No. 9 returns from his injury.

Weeden isn’t keeping the ship sailing, and I’m not saying Cassel will be a a better skipper either, but he has to be an improvement from what all of us are seeing right now. Weeden has had his good moments, but the more tape there is on the quarterback, the more opponents can find ways to stop what he’s actually good at.

Weeden is not the lone reason, but a part of the reason why they Cowboys have lost three straight games, so some type of change needs to be made before the Cowboys are completely knocked off course, not being able to salvage what is actually a savable season with the team being just one game back in the NFC East standings.

Next: After Further Thought: Week 5 Late Edition

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