Cowboys: Is Matt Cassel the Answer?

The Dallas Cowboys changed their quarterback last week but the result remained the same as the Cowboys collected their fourth straight loss.

The Cowboys slide continues as the defending NFC East champs drop to last place in the division and watch their playoff hopes disappear into the distance. After losing starting QB Tony Romo to injury in week two, the Cowboys have failed to win a single game.

Brandon Weeden got the first crack at the QB position and proceeded to lose three games in a row. His check-down passing style coupled with his inability to deliver passes deep or outside, gave the Cowboys the worst offense in the NFL.

Defenses focused on the Cowboys’ running game and dared the former Oklahoma State QB to beat them in single coverage. Nobody needs reminding about how that worked out.

Over the bye week, the Cowboys made a change and promoted Matt Cassel to starter. The result was the same (a loss) but the journey was quite different (more risks, more rewards, more mistakes). We looked at Cassel’s performance on Wednesday, breaking down his interceptions as well as his pass distribution.

To catch up on that be sure to check out: Breaking Down Matt Cassel (Giants)

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I know what you’re thinking, “If Matt Cassel is the answer – I don’t want to hear the question.” That’s a fair sentiment to have if we’re all being honest. Matt Cassel is just another borderline QB in the NFL. He flashes moments of brilliance but makes too many mistakes to be a reliable winner.

"“You gotta love how he competed,” Jason Garrett said of Matt Cassel. “You know we overcame a lot in that game. Three interceptions, we had a kickoff returned for a touchdown, and we had the muffed punt at the end that [would have] gave us the opportunity to come back one more time. Matt was a big part about leading our team and the energy he provided, I thought, was critical. I thought he made a lot of great plays, particularly late in the game. The touchdown to Street was a bigtime play with a guy in his face. To me it shows you a lot about what he’s all about. I think his teammates see that.”"

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Matt Cassel’s impact on the offense is undeniable. The 460 yards gained by the Cowboys offense was more than the Cowboys achieved all season (including week one with Romo and Bryant). Granted, the you have to take the good with the bad with this as well. The Cowboys can get yards behind Cassel but they have to be willing to put up with his turnovers along the way.

Historically he’s not a three inception a game passer but he’s far from flawless either. Reasonable expectations say Cassel will average more around 1.5 interceptions a game going forward.

This should be perfectly digestible as long as the offense can get points and the defense can create turnovers of their own.

Next: Cowboys: Trade Deadline Rumors

The hard truth is Matt Cassel is the only answer the Cowboys have left. If he can avoid multiple turnover days, he should be more than enough for the Cowboys to win with. Provided of course, everyone else plays up to their abilities.

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