Cowboys: It’s Official, Dallas Decides To Tank

The Dallas Cowboys can say all they want about staying competitive in 2015, but the apparent choice at quarterback for the New York Jets game proves otherwise.

Many have wondered allowed whether or not the Dallas Cowboys should simply tank the rest of the 2015 regular season – frankly, I’m one of them. I’ve even gone so far as to state that the Cowboys are only playing for draft position from this point forward.

However, you won’t get that message from owner and general manager Jerry Jones, who staunchly insists that the season isn’t lost, despite realizing that time is very short for that belief to remain viable in any way. This is a team that’s 4-9 and one that should end up being Jones’ second worst ever.

I understand that any sports franchise that’s struggling mightily isn’t going to simply come out and tell the paying fan base that they’ve essentially quit on the season. Regardless of what their true intentions really are, the appearance of effort and preparation have to remain intact.

Which brings me to the current state of the Dallas franchise.

To start with, I believe that actions almost always speak louder than words. We see this in relationships, business and even sports all the time.

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A classic example is Jones’ refusal to turn to a fourth quarterback during this 2015 NFL regular season that’s been a complete disaster in just about every way conceivable. After repeated failures to win more than just one game in the absence of starting quarterback Tony Romo, one might think that the Dallas brass, which includes aspiring head coach Jason Garrett, I guess, would be tired of the status quo at this position.

The Cowboys did themselves a favor in releasing quarterback Brandon Weeden after three failed starts in 2015. All the guy needed to do was just win a game or two to keep Dallas’ playoff hopes alive, right?

Well, history now shows us that Romo would return from the first collar bone injury for about a game and half before leaving with the same injury once again. So much for winning just a game or two, right?

Weeden, now with the Houston Texans, was shown the door seeing as how the Cowboys had engineered the acquisition of current starting quarterback Matt Cassel back in September. The former USC bench warmer is the most recent attempt to replace Romo and a passer that’s just 1-5 as a starter to this point.

In the wake of that fact, calls have gotten much louder for backup quarterback Kellen Moore of Boise State fame to get a start or two under center. Moore has never played a snap in an NFL regular season game.

– Cowboys Biggest Win Now Is Draft Position –

According to Garrett, Moore simply isn’t the guy who puts the Cowboys in the best position to win a football game, something the Cowboys have no business trying to do at this point of the season. Garrett tells David Moore of the Dallas Morning News the following regarding his decision to stay with Cassel against the New York Jets coming up on Saturday night.

"He’s done some good things for our team over the time that he’s started for us this year. We have won a game with him. He’s contributed to putting us in position to win other games that he’s started for us. Has he played perfectly? Absolutely not, and no one knows that more than he does. No one knows that more than we do. We’ve got to create an environment for him to be successful and really for guys around him to be successful as well."

Now, I’m not going to ask the question of whether or not Garrett is aware of the fact that his Cowboys are just 2-for-20 on 3rd down over the last two games – I assume he is. I do not understand why Cassel, based on the current evidence available, is tabbed as the guy best qualified to lead the Cowboys to a win they really don’t need.

Then again, the joke might very well be on all of us who follow this team, for one reason or the other.
Maybe it’s as simple as this: Dallas knows good and well than they aren’t going to win football games with Cassel and an apparently still-hampered wide receiver in Dez Bryant that’s only good for a couple of touches per game as of late – he caught just a pass against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Maybe the Cowboys are actually afraid that Moore might regain that spark he had with the Broncos in Idaho that made him just about unstoppable in the college ranks for a few seasons.

What if the Cowboys are actually saying – without saying it – that the best way to reach the upper part of the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft is actually stick with Cassel? You telling me that Moore isn’t good for more than just a single third down conversion in a football game?

No, I don’t think Moore is NFL-quality as a starting quarterback, but I’m betting that he’s capable of moving the chains a football game – but doing so might actually win a football game.

Next: Mavericks: Dallas Off To Better Start Than Expected

So, there you have it. The Cowboys are actually tanking the rest of this season, as they should, but have simply found a clever way of not saying it.

Again, actions speak louder than words.