Even if you ignore the fact that well respected coaches like Parcells and Johnson have come out questioning the Cowboys offense, it really is obvious at this point that what the Cowboys have been doing has not been working when in matters .. the playoffs.
I do not blame Moore for all of the offensive problems in the playoffs because the players still have to play the game and Prescott throwing two game-changing interceptions against the 49ers is not Moore’s fault, at least not directly.
That said, I have had some issues with Moore’s playcalling for a while such as ..
- the constant comeback routes, especially when playing against zone defenses.
- the short of the line-to-go throws on third downs.
- the slow developing out routes.
- the quick wide out throws without any misdirection or attempt to hide the play.
- the lack of attacking downfield, especially early in the game to keep the safeties honest.
- the lack of attacking the middle of the field.
- the badly designed trick plays.
- the trick plays called when there is no reason to call them.
- the lack of misdirection plays to keep the defense honest and guessing.
- giving the quarterback too much control over audibles when it’s clear he’s not great at it.
At times, Moore’s play calling can be impressive while other times it looks like he’s spinning a playbook randomizer wheel to select the plays he calls.
I think the biggest reason the Cowboys need to move on from Moore though is the fact that his offense, whether his fault or not, has simply not produced in the playoffs.
When you combine that with the fact that the NFC East teams are quite familiar with the Cowboys play calling as they have been running a similar offense for years, it makes sense to change offensive systems to see if that can improve the team’s performance.
I do not hate Moore and as long as he ends up with an AFC team I hope he does well.
I really think he needs to spend some time under another offensive minded coach because it’s not his fault he was trapped in Jason Garrett’s offense for a lot of his playing and coaching career.
Going forward though, I think the most important part of this move is that the 2023 team will be all on McCarthy and his chosen staff.
That means any failures now will be all on him and since he was with the team when it signed Prescott to his current contract, Prescott’s successes and failures are all on McCarthy as well.
For better or worse, with Moore leaving and Quinn returning, at least Cowboys fans have something to grasp on to for optimism for next season.
