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Scott Linehan wants Matt Cassel to cut it loose
4:45 PM ET
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas – For Matt Cassel to be at his best, Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said those around the veteran quarterback have to play better.
But Linehan said Cassel can help himself.
“I think he’s got to trust himself,” Linehan said. “He’s a really good player. Trust that, ‘I’m not trying to be perfect’ exactly the way I say to do it or Coach [Jason] Garrett or Coach [Wade] Wilson. Everybody’s got their impact on players. He’s got to go out here once it starts and he’s on the stage and we’re not out there, just go out there and cut it loose. I think there’s some freedom in the fact that if you just … you’re here for a reason and he is. Just trust your abilities and your instincts and sometimes that frees a player up."
The Cowboys are 1-5 with Matt Cassel starting, and he has surpassed 200 passing yards only thrice in those six starts. AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth
The Cowboys are 1-5 in Cassel’s six starts, and he has thrown for fewer than 200 yards in three of those games with four touchdown passes and six interceptions. In last week’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, he completed a season-low 44.4 percent of his passes and threw for just 114 yards with one completion of more than 10 yards.
Cassel, however, does not feel like he has played conservatively.
“I feel like I have played within the offense and played within the boundaries of the offense,” Cassel said. “At the same time if there's opportunities that are there I've taken my shots when I'm supposed to take the shots. Like I said, if something needs to be communicated or something is ever said to me, I always try to do what's best for the team and I also do what I'm being coached.”
Linehan said the coaches did not spend much time debating on whether Cassel or Kellen Moore would start Saturday against the New York Jets. Garrett, however, would not discuss whether Moore was getting first-team snaps in practice this week.
The Cowboys have not scored more than 28 points in a game this season. In their last five games they have scored just six touchdowns. They are averaging 17.7 points per game, which is 30th in the NFL.
“Everyone has to rally around Matt and know if I do my job better and each individual coach and player does their job better Matt is going to perform better and hang with it,” Linehan said. “… After Tony [Romo] was down with Brandon [Weeden], I said it at that time, there were some good things Brandon did. We could have stepped up to the plate a little bit better in every phase, coaching and playing, and made his job easier. The bottom line in this business is you have to play winning football and put points on the board and the first thing you’re always going to talk about is how we’re doing at the quarterback position and he’s not the only one.
“But they’re not playing as good as we need to play to get it done consistently. But I also know there are other factors involved, so we need to step up at every position coach and player and help the quarterback position out.”
4:45 PM ET
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas – For Matt Cassel to be at his best, Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said those around the veteran quarterback have to play better.
But Linehan said Cassel can help himself.
“I think he’s got to trust himself,” Linehan said. “He’s a really good player. Trust that, ‘I’m not trying to be perfect’ exactly the way I say to do it or Coach [Jason] Garrett or Coach [Wade] Wilson. Everybody’s got their impact on players. He’s got to go out here once it starts and he’s on the stage and we’re not out there, just go out there and cut it loose. I think there’s some freedom in the fact that if you just … you’re here for a reason and he is. Just trust your abilities and your instincts and sometimes that frees a player up."
The Cowboys are 1-5 with Matt Cassel starting, and he has surpassed 200 passing yards only thrice in those six starts. AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth
The Cowboys are 1-5 in Cassel’s six starts, and he has thrown for fewer than 200 yards in three of those games with four touchdown passes and six interceptions. In last week’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, he completed a season-low 44.4 percent of his passes and threw for just 114 yards with one completion of more than 10 yards.
Cassel, however, does not feel like he has played conservatively.
“I feel like I have played within the offense and played within the boundaries of the offense,” Cassel said. “At the same time if there's opportunities that are there I've taken my shots when I'm supposed to take the shots. Like I said, if something needs to be communicated or something is ever said to me, I always try to do what's best for the team and I also do what I'm being coached.”
Linehan said the coaches did not spend much time debating on whether Cassel or Kellen Moore would start Saturday against the New York Jets. Garrett, however, would not discuss whether Moore was getting first-team snaps in practice this week.
The Cowboys have not scored more than 28 points in a game this season. In their last five games they have scored just six touchdowns. They are averaging 17.7 points per game, which is 30th in the NFL.
“Everyone has to rally around Matt and know if I do my job better and each individual coach and player does their job better Matt is going to perform better and hang with it,” Linehan said. “… After Tony [Romo] was down with Brandon [Weeden], I said it at that time, there were some good things Brandon did. We could have stepped up to the plate a little bit better in every phase, coaching and playing, and made his job easier. The bottom line in this business is you have to play winning football and put points on the board and the first thing you’re always going to talk about is how we’re doing at the quarterback position and he’s not the only one.
“But they’re not playing as good as we need to play to get it done consistently. But I also know there are other factors involved, so we need to step up at every position coach and player and help the quarterback position out.”
