Cowboys QB Caleb Hanie benefitting from Kyle Orton’s absence
Tony Romo is injured. Kyle Orton is holding out. So the Cowboys have been down to two quarterbacks, Brandon Weeden and Caleb Hanie. Weeden got most of the attention, as he was the Browns former starter and generated some buzz by moving to Dallas. But Caleb Hanie, who has played in six games over his six-year career, has also benefited hugely from his reps in OTAs. For the time being, he’s the backup quarterback.
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“He knows how to play,” coach Jason Garrett said, via ESPN Dallas. “That’s one of the things we were attracted to when we signed him in the spring. Get a guy in here who can handle the huddle and handle situations at the line of scrimmage. He’s seen defenses in this league. He’s started games. He’s been in playoff games.”
Garrett makes it sound like Hanie has a wealth of experience, but it’s actually a bit surprising that he still has a spot working one of the most competitive jobs in the league. Hanie is 0-4 as a starter. He’s thrown 10 interceptions to his three touchdowns.
“I think it’s gone well,” Hanie said. “Obviously you want to be perfect in everything you do, every check and throw and with 100 percent accuracy, but it’s just not realistic sometimes. You’ve just got to let things go and try to improve every way you can and take as much coaching as you can while you have the opportunity.”
It sounds as if he recognizes that his spot with the team may be dwindling. It’s unlikely that The Cowboys carry four quarterbacks, so he will have to make the case that he’s better than Weeden.