The decision to part ways came late Saturday evening.
He had another job by Monday afternoon.
This timeline doesn’t support the perception some hold of Kellen Moore. It certainly doesn’t fit the social media caricature of the recently departed Cowboys coordinator, one where disgruntled fans suggest the offense will be better off without him, that Dak Prescott will now recapture his former glory and all of the team’s offensive ills will suddenly fade away.
If Moore is this clueless, why did the Los Angeles Chargers scoop him up only a few hours after he drove home from The Star that evening? Why was he asked to interview for seven head coaching vacancies in the last two years if he doesn’t know his bubble screen from a hole in the ground?
The building backlash to Moore has always seemed disproportionate. The Cowboys led the NFL in offense twice and never finished lower than No. 11 in his four seasons as offensive coordinator. Dallas was among the highest scoring teams in the league in that period and ranked outside of the top eight in passing only once.
Is Moore the best offensive coordinator in the league? No, but he’s much closer to the top than he is the bottom.
Does his relative inexperience as a play caller show at times? Without question. But at the age of 34 it’s safe to say he’s ahead of the curve.
Moore is creative and collaborative. He’s shown an ability to adapt. In terms of explosive plays — a key indicator to success in the eyes of Mike McCarthy — he’s done a good job. His relationship with and mentoring of Prescott has long been a positive for the franchise.
Philadelphia was the first NFL team to ask Moore to interview to become its head coach. He lost out to Nick Sirianni, who has led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in only his second season as head coach.
Afterward, Prescott spoke to Moore and promised there would be other opportunities for him going forward.
“Let’s focus on this,’’ Prescott told his friend and coordinator. “Let’s focus on getting better, one another, just with our relationship.
“Getting better as a play caller, me as quarterback, so we can help each other.’’
That happened, up until this season when Prescott suffered through a career-high 15 interceptions and an unusually erratic performance. What had been considered a strength was now viewed as Prescott needing a new voice. This hits on another topic.
Moore’s voice.
A big personality? An imposing presence? Neither describes Moore. His command of a room depends on the strength of his idea rather than the force of his personality.
Moore and Prescott started out as teammates before he retired and became No. 4′s position coach. One year later Moore had risen to offensive coordinator, in part, because of Prescott’s lobbying efforts.
This isn’t your typical coach-player dynamic. The two view each other more as peers. In some ways, Moore was indebted to Prescott for his support.
Again, none of this is a bad thing. We’re talking about mutual respect.
But if you started out as Prescott’s teammate and don’t have a commanding presence, are you demanding enough of your quarterback on a daily basis? Are you as forceful as needed?
When progress stops, as it did with Prescott this season, these are questions to explore.
None of this is an indictment of Moore. This isn’t an egregious lapse in coaching protocol.
The quickest way to lose respect and an NFL locker room is pretend to be someone you’re not, to act tough when everyone knows it’s an act. Moore must remain true to his personality.
But it does hit on why Moore won’t be back this season. It explains why you hear the Cowboys talking about how Prescott needs a new voice.
Moore was the right person for the job four years ago. But for him to grow as an offensive coordinator he needs another challenge. He will have a different relationship with Justin Herbert than he had with Prescott.
Prescott will have a different relationship with McCarthy than he did Moore.
As good as Moore and Prescott have been for each other, the time had come for them to be apart.
