In his eight seasons in Dallas, Kellen Moore was a quarterback, an assistant coach and the offensive coordinator.
When Mike McCarthy became head coach in 2020, he kept Moore as the offensive coordinator. But the sides parted ways in the offseason, with the Cowboys citing philosophical differences.
So, McCarthy is in his first season as the Cowboys’ play caller and Moore is in his first season as the Chargers’ play caller. Their teams meet on Monday Night Football.
“It’s obviously fun,” Moore said Friday, via the team website. “I spent eight years there so there’s a lot of relationships you love and appreciate there, a lot of people you’re close to and you’ll be close to for a long time. It’ll be fun to see all those people.”
After Moore’s departure, McCarthy said, “Kellen wants to light up the scoreboard, but I want to run the damn ball.”
The Cowboys twice ranked first in yards (2019, 2021) and once ranked first in points (2021) in Moore’s four seasons as coordinator. They were sixth in 2022 in rushing attempts and ranked 11th in total offense and fourth in points.
This season, the Cowboys are 17th in offense and eighth in points. The Chargers are fifth in total offense and seventh in points.
Moore insists he has no extra motivation to beat the Cowboys.
“No, obviously we’re at 2-2. We’ve got an awesome game right here against a really good team that’s played some really good football,” Moore said. “Obviously, it’s fun to see people that you spent a lot of time with in Dallas, but after that aspect of it you’ve just got to get to a football game.
“Everyone deals with these. Players and coaches, everyone does.”