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Moore: Here's why Cowboys QB Jon Kitna could succeed
11:56 PM CDT on Saturday, October 30, 2010
Column by DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
dmoore@dallasnews.com
David Moore
Archive | E-mail
ARLINGTON – Tony Romo's arm is in a sling, the Cowboys' season is on life support and their game ranks a distant second to another sporting event that takes place down the street.
This is your moment, Jon Kitna.
A quarterback the Cowboys like but hoped would never play gets his first start in more than two years this afternoon against Jacksonville. Nearly three years have passed since Kitna led a team to victory. But owner Jerry Jones believes he's a more viable option than the backup the Cowboys turned to the last time Romo was hurt.
This is not Kitna's first rodeo. The 38-year-old veteran understands he has not been given a clean slate. He inherits a team that is 1-5 and has squandered the opportunity it carried into the season.
Kitna laughs at the suggestion the team's fortunes over these next two months ride on his right arm.
"I don't think that way," he said. "I don't think that's true.
"The older you get in this league, the more you play in this league, the more you understand that this is a game made up of football teams. It's not about one guy, regardless of how important the position is. You just have to go play the game.
"For me, right now, I'm in there and I have to do the job for this football team."
Vintage backups
Troy Aikman was the starting quarterback the first season Jones owned the team. Steve Walsh was the backup.
It's a dynamic you haven't seen since.
The idea of two young bucks battling to establish supremacy sounds good in theory, but it doesn't play well in an NFL locker room. It creates too many divisions.
Once the franchise quarterback is in place, the goal is to solidify his stature, not pick away at it. That's why Jones prefers to go with a vintage backup, a proven quarterback who has had his day in the league and is on the roster to support the starter, not challenge him.
Think Bernie Kosar, the quarterback the Cowboys brought in during the 1993 season to back up Aikman. He turned 30 that season.
Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett started five games for an injured Aikman during the '98 season. He was 32. He's been there and done what Kitna is now asked to do.
"Well, I have done it," Garrett said. "Wade Wilson [quarterbacks coach] has done it, too. Both of us are experienced at that.
"We understand what we went through and the feelings we had, some of the challenges, some of the things that are positive about it."
Kitna is the latest in a long line of vintage backup quarterbacks for the Cowboys. Asked how he knows that Kitna still has what it takes to win in the NFL, Jones conceded no one can know for sure until he gets back on the field.
But the club's optimism is based on Kitna's arm strength and familiarity with the system.
Coach Wade Phillips is convinced the Cowboys can win games with Kitna.
There is one disclaimer. The Cowboys acquired Kitna to get a spot start here and there, maybe fill in for a two- to three-week stretch. Romo is likely out for two months with a fractured collarbone, if he returns at all.
Kitna is poised to start more games this season than Romo.
"This is going to be more than you would like to anticipate or think about from your backup quarterback," Jones said. "He [Kitna] is going to be your quarterback for two-thirds of the season.
"That's a little bit more than I would have expected."
More comfortable?
The last backup the Cowboys were forced to lean on didn't fare well.
Brad Johnson went 1-2 in the starts Romo missed two seasons ago with a fractured pinkie finger on his throwing hand. An offense that averaged 29.1 points in the first six games plummeted to an average of 13.6 points with Johnson in charge.
Do the Cowboys feel more comfortable now than they did with Johnson?
"It's a hard question to answer, to be honest with you," Garrett said. "I felt comfortable then. I certainly feel comfortable now. These guys are experienced veteran guys.
"We have to play well around them. No one has to do more than what their job is."
The difference is arm strength. Kitna has it.
Johnson didn't. The expiration date on his arm had passed by the time he took the field in '08.
Johnson's inability to throw the ball deep compromised the playbook. His constant check downs allowed defenses to crowd the line of scrimmage, making it harder to run or hit intermediate passes.
Kitna's arm keeps more of the playbook operative.
"He can throw the deep ball, and we have guys who can run deep," Phillips said. "We don't have to check down or throw the short pass. I think we're going to be really glad we have him."
Kitna believes Johnson got a bad rap. He points out the quarterback did win a Super Bowl when he was with Tampa Bay. No one on the Cowboys roster can make that claim.
Another point: Romo made a lot of plays in that offense with his improvisational ability. Johnson was much more methodical.
Kitna does appear better suited for what lies ahead. He's been here long enough for the players to understand what he's about and how he approaches his craft.
"We are not going to take a step back because he is our quarterback," said receiver Roy Williams, who had his best season in Detroit when Kitna was the quarterback. "I don't want anybody to think that the Cowboys are done or whatever. I believe in my heart with him at the helm we will be just fine."
In reserve
Jon Kitna is about to get his first start for the injured Tony Romo. He's the latest in a string of vintage quarterbacks (Kitna is 38) to fill in through the years.
Season Quarterback (age) Rec.* Season stats
2008 Brad Johnson (40) 1-2 41-of-78, 427 yds, 2 TD, 5 INT
2000 Randall Cunningham (37) 1-2 74-of-125, 849 yds, 6 TD, 4 INT
1998 Jason Garrett (32) 3-2 91-of-158, 1,206 yds, 5 TD, 3 INT
1993 Bernie Kosar (30) 0-1 36-of-63, 410 yds, 3 TD, 0 INT
*Record as a starter
• • •
11:56 PM CDT on Saturday, October 30, 2010
Column by DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
dmoore@dallasnews.com
David Moore
Archive | E-mail
ARLINGTON – Tony Romo's arm is in a sling, the Cowboys' season is on life support and their game ranks a distant second to another sporting event that takes place down the street.
This is your moment, Jon Kitna.
A quarterback the Cowboys like but hoped would never play gets his first start in more than two years this afternoon against Jacksonville. Nearly three years have passed since Kitna led a team to victory. But owner Jerry Jones believes he's a more viable option than the backup the Cowboys turned to the last time Romo was hurt.
This is not Kitna's first rodeo. The 38-year-old veteran understands he has not been given a clean slate. He inherits a team that is 1-5 and has squandered the opportunity it carried into the season.
Kitna laughs at the suggestion the team's fortunes over these next two months ride on his right arm.
"I don't think that way," he said. "I don't think that's true.
"The older you get in this league, the more you play in this league, the more you understand that this is a game made up of football teams. It's not about one guy, regardless of how important the position is. You just have to go play the game.
"For me, right now, I'm in there and I have to do the job for this football team."
Vintage backups
Troy Aikman was the starting quarterback the first season Jones owned the team. Steve Walsh was the backup.
It's a dynamic you haven't seen since.
The idea of two young bucks battling to establish supremacy sounds good in theory, but it doesn't play well in an NFL locker room. It creates too many divisions.
Once the franchise quarterback is in place, the goal is to solidify his stature, not pick away at it. That's why Jones prefers to go with a vintage backup, a proven quarterback who has had his day in the league and is on the roster to support the starter, not challenge him.
Think Bernie Kosar, the quarterback the Cowboys brought in during the 1993 season to back up Aikman. He turned 30 that season.
Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett started five games for an injured Aikman during the '98 season. He was 32. He's been there and done what Kitna is now asked to do.
"Well, I have done it," Garrett said. "Wade Wilson [quarterbacks coach] has done it, too. Both of us are experienced at that.
"We understand what we went through and the feelings we had, some of the challenges, some of the things that are positive about it."
Kitna is the latest in a long line of vintage backup quarterbacks for the Cowboys. Asked how he knows that Kitna still has what it takes to win in the NFL, Jones conceded no one can know for sure until he gets back on the field.
But the club's optimism is based on Kitna's arm strength and familiarity with the system.
Coach Wade Phillips is convinced the Cowboys can win games with Kitna.
There is one disclaimer. The Cowboys acquired Kitna to get a spot start here and there, maybe fill in for a two- to three-week stretch. Romo is likely out for two months with a fractured collarbone, if he returns at all.
Kitna is poised to start more games this season than Romo.
"This is going to be more than you would like to anticipate or think about from your backup quarterback," Jones said. "He [Kitna] is going to be your quarterback for two-thirds of the season.
"That's a little bit more than I would have expected."
More comfortable?
The last backup the Cowboys were forced to lean on didn't fare well.
Brad Johnson went 1-2 in the starts Romo missed two seasons ago with a fractured pinkie finger on his throwing hand. An offense that averaged 29.1 points in the first six games plummeted to an average of 13.6 points with Johnson in charge.
Do the Cowboys feel more comfortable now than they did with Johnson?
"It's a hard question to answer, to be honest with you," Garrett said. "I felt comfortable then. I certainly feel comfortable now. These guys are experienced veteran guys.
"We have to play well around them. No one has to do more than what their job is."
The difference is arm strength. Kitna has it.
Johnson didn't. The expiration date on his arm had passed by the time he took the field in '08.
Johnson's inability to throw the ball deep compromised the playbook. His constant check downs allowed defenses to crowd the line of scrimmage, making it harder to run or hit intermediate passes.
Kitna's arm keeps more of the playbook operative.
"He can throw the deep ball, and we have guys who can run deep," Phillips said. "We don't have to check down or throw the short pass. I think we're going to be really glad we have him."
Kitna believes Johnson got a bad rap. He points out the quarterback did win a Super Bowl when he was with Tampa Bay. No one on the Cowboys roster can make that claim.
Another point: Romo made a lot of plays in that offense with his improvisational ability. Johnson was much more methodical.
Kitna does appear better suited for what lies ahead. He's been here long enough for the players to understand what he's about and how he approaches his craft.
"We are not going to take a step back because he is our quarterback," said receiver Roy Williams, who had his best season in Detroit when Kitna was the quarterback. "I don't want anybody to think that the Cowboys are done or whatever. I believe in my heart with him at the helm we will be just fine."
In reserve
Jon Kitna is about to get his first start for the injured Tony Romo. He's the latest in a string of vintage quarterbacks (Kitna is 38) to fill in through the years.
Season Quarterback (age) Rec.* Season stats
2008 Brad Johnson (40) 1-2 41-of-78, 427 yds, 2 TD, 5 INT
2000 Randall Cunningham (37) 1-2 74-of-125, 849 yds, 6 TD, 4 INT
1998 Jason Garrett (32) 3-2 91-of-158, 1,206 yds, 5 TD, 3 INT
1993 Bernie Kosar (30) 0-1 36-of-63, 410 yds, 3 TD, 0 INT
*Record as a starter
• • •
