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Are the Cowboys Coaches culpable for Matt Cassel’s decline?

By Steven Mullenax

Nov 1, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Matt Cassel (16) reacts during the game against the Seattle Seahawks at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 1, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Matt Cassel (16) reacts during the game against the Seattle Seahawks at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Is the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff culpable when it comes to the decline of quarterback Matt Cassel in Dallas?

For a reeling Dallas Cowboys team fresh off a three-game losing streak, their Week Six bye during a crumbling 2015 regular season was a much needed breather in the eye of the storm. With both their starting quarterback, Tony Romo, and their top wide receiver, Dez Bryant, sidelined with injuries; the team was still trying to figure out how to fill their voids. And at that point, the next men up…hadn’t stepped up yet.

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Those next men being back-up quarterback Brandon Weeden and newly crowned number one recevier Terrance Williams. Although efficient in his play, Weeden refusal to look deep stalled the Cowboys offense and as he led the team to three straight losses during his tenure under center as the starter. As for Williams, he recorded a total of five catches for 79 yards and one score in that same span.

The Cowboys coaching staff used their bye week to reassess their strategy. Following the Week Two clavicle injury to Romo, Dallas had traded a future fifth round pick to acquire veteran quarterback Matt Cassel from the Buffalo Bills as insurance behind a shaky Weeden. Now, with a near month under his belt to learn the system in Dallas, the Cowboys coaching staff decided to make the move to Cassel during the bye week to try a simulate a dying offense.

Unfortunately, the move ultimately backfired as the 11-year veteran would lose six out of the next seven games he was named the starter. Ironically, Weeden was released prior to the brief return of Romo in Week 11, and was picked up by the Houston Texans. The Cowboys outcast would go on to lead the Texans to two late season wins, placing them in playoff contention.

Between Cassel’s start in Week Seven and his unceremonious benching in Week 15, the veteran transformed from a confident back-up to a borderline Arena League player before our very eyes. And Dallas Morning News staff columnist Kevin Sherrington believes the Cowboys coaching staff could be to blame.

"“There’s a reason Matt Cassel regressed so terribly this year,” Sherrington responded during a recent chat held on the Dallas news site. “In New York, he made some critical errors, but he also put the Cowboys in a position to win with some terrific downfield passing. Yet, by the end of his run, Cassel looked so bad, so timid, it was hard to recognize him. Was that all on him? Or was it a product of a coaching philosophy that robbed him of any bravado he has left? Jerry needs to be asking those questions, and more.”"

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If this is true, it especially troubling news this offseason as it very likely the Cowboys will be looking to draft a quarterback very high in the upcoming NFL Draft. And, as of right now, it will be the exact same coaches that rang the death knell on Cassel’s career that will be tasked to develop and groom the team’s future at quarterback after Romo retires. This is definitely an area Cowboys owner and general Jerry Jones should look to upgrade that portion of his coaching staff before committing such a high draft selection to position.

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