The Dallas Cowboys have confidence in Brandon Weeden despite the poor performance in the second half against the Atlanta Falcons. With Matt Cassel reportedly picking up the offense quickly, the pressure is on the backup to step up to plate. With Tony Romo not expected back until Week 11, Weeden must hold down the fort and that means utilizing all players on the offense. Terrance Williams is hopeful that includes him.
Williams made it clear he was not thrilled by his catchless performance in Week 3. Weeden never tossed a ball more than 20 yards causing Williams to only pick up a few targets. He expressed his grief on social media and then returned to practice vowing to be a "quarterback friendly" wide receiver for his teammate.
There is no excuse to not be ready when the ball is coming," Williams said, via the Star-Telegram. "I have to stay ready so I don't have to get ready. Last week, it was just a mental lapse of me not paying attention. I have to be a man. I saw it on tape. I have to be ready no matter what the situation is. No matter if it's the last minute or the last second. When Brandon Weeden throws me the ball, I have to catch it period."
Williams was active on 41 of 53 plays in Week 3, but picked up just three targets altogether. Instead, Lance Dunbar and Jason Witten racked up all of the receiving yards on short passes. They combined for 18 targets. Weeden appeared more comfortable relying on short passes instead of taking shots down field. Without Dez Bryant on the field, the quarterback appeared hesitant which hurt Williams value.
"You have to be ready," Williams said. "It's my job to be ready no matter if it's toward the end of the game, the beginning of the game or just the last pass. I have to be ready. There are no excuses for dropping passes or doing stuff like that, so whenever those times do come, I have to cash in on my chances."
According to the Star-Telegram, this week could be when Williams shines. New Orleans currently ranks 29th in total defense while being 22nd against the pass. This is Weeden's time to really let the ball rip, something he is confident that he can do. The Cowboys have a sure thing in Joseph Randle running the ball, but if Weeden cannot get the downfield throws then the team is in trouble. The quarterback stressed that he has no issues tossing the long ball as the Cowboys remain confident the quarterback can get them wins without Romo or Bryant.
"Obviously you guys (media) are beating a dead horse talking about throwing the ball underneath," Weeden said via USA Today Sports. "That was our plan all along. You look back, were there a couple times maybe I could have thrown the ball to outside receivers given the plays that were called? There were maybe one or two that I could have thrown out there."