Archer: How different would this be if Kellen Moore was Cowboys' starter?

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How different would this be if Kellen Moore was Cowboys' starter?
Sep 26, 2016
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer

FRISCO, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys are 2-1 and have a chance to get to 3-1 with a win Sunday at the San Francisco 49ers.

I wonder how many people saw that when Tony Romo got hurt in the preseason. I’ve got a few more wonders in this week’s Five Wonders.

Away we go:

1. I wonder how the Cowboys’ season would look if Kellen Moore were the starting quarterback. For all of the praise Dak Prescott has deservedly received, he would not be the starter if Moore did not suffer a broken fibula on Aug. 2 while practicing in Oxnard, California. Moore has favored-nation status with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and was the Cowboys’ No. 2 quarterback entering training camp. His injury changed everything for Prescott, who saw his practice time increase dramatically and his sharpness also increase. Moore doesn’t have Prescott’s size, arm strength or mobility, but his feel for the offense would have helped, as would Linehan’s confidence in him. He threw for 435 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in last year’s season finale that raised the confidence in him of those not named Linehan. But would the Cowboys have been 2-1? Would they not have an interception a fumble? Would the future seem as bright?

2. Let’s stick with the bright future talk. Now that the Cowboys have their first winning streak by a quarterback not named Tony Romo since the first two games of Jason Garrett’s run as interim coach in 2010, I wonder what their record will be at the midway point. The San Francisco 49ers are next up and appear floundering. The Cincinnati Bengals visit AT&T Stadium on Oct. 9 and could be beatable. A trip to Lambeau Field will be a difficult place to win on Oct. 16. Then comes a possible rookie showdown between Prescott and Carson Wentz on Oct. 30. The Cowboys close out the first half at the Cleveland Browns, which would seem to project as a win. The swing game is Cincinnati. Win that and the Cowboys are 5-3 at the break. Lose that and they are looking at 4-4. Ah, who are we kidding? Never assume anything with the Cowboys, even with these last two wins.

3. Sometimes yards per carry can be overrated, but I wonder how concerned the Cowboys are about allowing 4.8 yards per carry through three games. Carlos Hyde is coming off 100 yards last week for the Niners. They Cowboys will face solid running teams as the year goes on, but here’s why the offense’s ability to control the ball and get leads is so important. The Washington Redskins averaged 4.8 yards per carry but ran it only 17 times. The Chicago Bears averaged 4.9 yards per carry but ran it only 15 times. The Cowboys either shut down the run or get gashed. There has not been an in between. The more the offense can help make the opposition one dimensional, the better off the defense will be.

4. With the dreadlocks coming out of the bottom of his helmet, Lucky Whitehead shares something in common with his predecessor, Dwayne Harris. But that’s really about it. Whitehead is 5-9, 180 pounds (ahem). Harris, now with the New York Giants, is 5-10, 202 pounds. I wonder why the Cowboys use Whitehead in a similar manner as Harris as a blocker in the run game. Harris was a dangerous crack back blocker on defensive ends. He was able to sting defensive ends or linebackers in a way Whitehead can’t. Whitehead is certainly willing, but he doesn’t have the same body type. But he can deliver in a way Harris didn’t with his ability on the jet sweeps. I just wonder if by motioning Harris into the formation that they bring an extra defender too often into the box to help stop the run.

5. Dan Bailey’s miss from 47 yards Sunday was surprising. Before that he had missed just one kick between 40-49 yards at AT&T Stadium in his career when Jason Pierre-Paul blocked a 47-yarder in 2011. I wonder when we see Bailey miss again. He has gone back-to-back weeks with misses in the regular season just three times in his career and none last season. Bailey hooked the 47-yarder against Chicago, and the ball was lower than his normal trajectory. There had to have been a mechanical flaw in his approach to lead to the miss. Here’s a bet: He won’t miss another between 40-49 at home this season.
 

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4. With the dreadlocks coming out of the bottom of his helmet, Lucky Whitehead shares something in common with his predecessor, Dwayne Harris. But that’s really about it. Whitehead is 5-9, 180 pounds (ahem). Harris, now with the New York Giants, is 5-10, 202 pounds. I wonder why the Cowboys use Whitehead in a similar manner as Harris as a blocker in the run game. Harris was a dangerous crack back blocker on defensive ends. He was able to sting defensive ends or linebackers in a way Whitehead can’t. Whitehead is certainly willing, but he doesn’t have the same body type. But he can deliver in a way Harris didn’t with his ability on the jet sweeps. I just wonder if by motioning Harris into the formation that they bring an extra defender too often into the box to help stop the run.
Almost guaranteed run when he comes into the game on offense. It is pathetic.
 
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