The Brandon Weeden jokes have come easily ever since he signed on with the Dallas Cowboys.
After two shipwrecked seasons in Cleveland, the former first-round pick seemed beyond repair when Jerry Jones and company pulled him aboard -- but Weeden isn't finished yet.
Tony Romo's backup showed signs of life in Thursday night's 27-7 loss to the San Diego Chargers. Playing the entire first half, Weeden hit on 13 of 17 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown, showing unusual patience in the pocket.
What impressed me most about Weeden's evening was the first-quarter ball he delivered under pressure on his 4-yard scoring strike to tight end James Hanna. Weeden was hit hard by a Chargers defensive lineman on the play, but unleashed the pass without flinching.
We rarely saw that in Cleveland.
"There was a huge hole. I knew it was going to close quick, so I had to throw it as hard as I could and I kind of got off the ground," Weeden said after the game, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Anytime you get off the ground, they have a chance to piledrive you. That's what usually gets you. He got me pretty good. But it never hurts as bad when you complete them and dang sure doesn't hurt as bad when they're for touchdowns. I'll take it. It may hurt a little bit tomorrow, but I'll live."
Weeden opened the game with two straight 11-play drives, minus the services of Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and DeMarco Murray. He reaped the benefits of a young and legitimate Dallas offensive line, but Weeden made plays when he had to.
His starting days appear over, but Weeden is off to a promising start as the second man up in Big D.
The latest Around The League Podcast debates which offense will be the NFL's most prolific and dives into the quarterback battles in Cleveland and Minnesota.
