Are we setting Dak Prescott up for a mighty fall?

[stilltheguru88]

It's cute how you guys desperately want to attach Rayne to Wentz. As if they're even remotely similar.

They aren't alike at all. One guy is fragile and the other one isn't

 

[SportsGuru80]

So look at the talent Ben Raplessburger was surrounded by his rookie year.... Marino had good talent around him. If the QB can play,he can play.

 

[Dale]

Of course we are. But this is what we do. Look at Zeke. He entered into a rookie season where anything less than leading the league in rushing and setting the all-time rookie rushing record qualifies as a disappointment.

For Dak, though, I think it'll be a great benefit that he will head back to the bench in a few weeks, which I can only assume he will be doing once Romo is healthy. He'll have 6 or 7 games of real-life NFL experience under his belt, which will have included several tremendous successes, and then can hit the reset button and go back to the laboratory and work on his game.

So even if he "falls" over the coming few weeks, I think he's in a good spot.

 

[gmoney112]

Gmoney, I remember before the 9er game, you said you wanted to see him show up. With all the adversity he was facing heading into that game, all the cards stacked against him.

And he did it. He won. And like you so eloquently put it, did so by 0-14 down. Was this what finally sold you? Was this his statement game for you?

Absolutely. For some reason, people don't want to give him credit, or they want to see "more" from a rookie QB before they realize he's special. These are the people that don't watch any other teams in the NFL, have almost 0 knowledge of how the game is played (routes, coverages, etc). The same guys that like to say Dak is 'dinking and dunking'. How many of those same guys making these random claims have posted any kind of statistic, or any evidence at all, for their claims? Haha. None. Then they say "but but that's not counting RAC yards!!" thinking the Cowboys are the only team to have receivers with legs, or that RAC yards aren't a focus in the Coryell offense, at all. Just point and laugh.

Dak didn't have his starting left tackle, or his starting receiver in a WR corp that's below league average without Dez, on the road against a Niners team that wasn't great, but they're still an NFL team that's at least competitive for the most part. No games are 'easy' in the NFL, and rookie QB's tend to be pretty terrible.

Not only was he missing the most important players on an offense, besides the QB, he was also missing two of the best on the road in Candlestick, down 14-0 early. And he throws for a 115 rating with nearly 8 YPA. That kind of perfomance for a rookie QB is an exception, not the rule, and it'd be one thing if it was a one time performance, but he's doing it consistently.

After 4 games, Dak has helped this offense achieve
#1 in 3rd down conversion percentage
#1 in INT/drive (tied, but has more attempts than the others)
#1 in plays per drive, as well as TOP
#3 in yards per drive
#4 in points per drive
#6 in YPA (if you exclude the giants game, he's #2 by a wide margin)
Top 3 in QB rating over the last 3 games

He's yet to turn the ball over, and is leading the offense to #2 in the league with drive series that end with a first down or touchdown.

If you expect "more" out of a rookie QB at this point, then you should probably just go sit in the corner and let the adults talk. I'm excited to watch him play better teams, and all players have bad games here and there, but I very highly doubt it's going to really be 'that' bad. If it is, it'll probably be him trying to do too much because the defense was getting gashed and he had to take chances to put points up. The defense played well against the Niners after the initial leak, but against teams with better offenses I don't expect them to be doing him any favors.

 

[rpntex]

Honest question in regards to the better play from Tony part. Last year in 4 games against lesser competition, Tony had 5 TDs 7 INTs... QB Rating 20 PTS lower than Dak. Now Tony is a year older, in worse shape and has another injury under his belt. You state it so matter of factly... Where exactly do you get the "better play from Tony" part?

I agree with a lot of your post. Just puzzled by that statement.

First off, you can throw out the Miami and Carolina games. Tony was rushed back before he was ready. He obviously wasn't healthy. Let's look at the 1 & 1/2 games in which he was healthy. His QBR was actually higher than Dak's (100.89). He completed 77% of his passes and averaged 276.5 yards per game, with 3 TDs and 2 INTs (both against the Giants on throws that weren't his fault). It's really disingenuous to use the 2 games where he wasn't healthy as a fair comparison. That's not what a HEALTHY Romo brings to this offense, and we won't see him until he is healthy.

 

[Trouty]

Absolutely. For some reason, people don't want to give him credit, or they want to see "more" from a rookie QB before they realize he's special. These are the people that don't watch any other teams in the NFL, have almost 0 knowledge of how the game is played (routes, coverages, etc). The same guys that like to say Dak is 'dinking and dunking'. How many of those same guys making these random claims have posted any kind of statistic, or any evidence at all, for their claims? Haha. None. Then they say "but but that's not counting RAC yards!!" thinking the Cowboys are the only team to have receivers with legs, or that RAC yards aren't a focus in the Coryell offense, at all. Just point and laugh.

Dak didn't have his starting left tackle, or his starting receiver in a WR corp that's below league average without Dez, on the road against a Niners team that wasn't great, but they're still an NFL team that's at least competitive for the most part. No games are 'easy' in the NFL, and rookie QB's tend to be pretty terrible.

Not only was he missing the most important players on an offense, besides the QB, he was also missing two of the best on the road in Candlestick, down 14-0 early. And he throws for a 115 rating with nearly 8 YPA. That kind of perfomance for a rookie QB is an exception, not the rule, and it'd be one thing if it was a one time performance, but he's doing it consistently.

After 4 games, Dak has helped this offense achieve
#1 in 3rd down conversion percentage
#1 in INT/drive (tied, but has more attempts than the others)
#1 in plays per drive, as well as TOP
#3 in yards per drive
#4 in points per drive
#6 in YPA (if you exclude the giants game, he's #2 by a wide margin)
Top 3 in QB rating over the last 3 games

He's yet to turn the ball over, and is leading the offense to #2 in the league with drive series that end with a first down or touchdown.

If you expect "more" out of a rookie QB at this point, then you should probably just go sit in the corner and let the adults talk. I'm excited to watch him play better teams, and all players have bad games here and there, but I very highly doubt it's going to really be 'that' bad. If it is, it'll probably be him trying to do too much because the defense was getting gashed and he had to take chances to put points up. The defense played well against the Niners after the initial leak, but against teams with better offenses I don't expect them to be doing him any favors.

Thank you for such a well-articulated reply (I would expect nothing but that from you, Gmoney).

I really can't add much more to that wonderful post other than this weekend will be, yet again, Dak's biggest challenge to date. There's a high likelyhood that our D will give up more points to this (somewhat overrated) Bengals O.

The defense is scary, but with the way Linehan is scheming for Dak, we should be alright. The biggest fear (for me) is that of the D letting the game get too far ahead... but as we saw last weekend, down 14-0, Dak stepped up and delivered (and so did our D, which, in my opinion has been largely overlooked).

Atkins and Burfict. Two premier studs (honorable mention to Dunlap and Jones). Those dudes can disrupt an O. Especially one ran by a rook. We have the Oline to mostly contain them, and here's to Tyron making it back (he should be back by all indications).

So, I'm gonna say what you said before the 9er game... if Dak leads Dallas to a win against this (decent) Bengals team, I will scream hallelujah to the heavens (but I'm with you, he's already shown enough to be anointed the heir apparent to Romo).

Thank you for the wonderful reply, Gmoney.

(I'm tired, sorry for the disjointed thought process of this post )

 

[JJHLH1]

I think your sig photo may actually be you

It was taken the day I opened my cosmetic dentistry practice.

 

[Risen Star]

Keep in mind this is the same group who thought Anthony Hitchens was a stud his rookie year.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Jake Plummer
Josh Freeman
Marc Bulger
Byron Leftwich
Vince Young
Nick Foles
RG3
Ryan Tannehill
30 more just like them

A lot of what's being written about Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz have been written about rookies before. They come in, show some veteran poise, win a few games, make some youthful plays, and next thing you know, the fan base is bubbling over and building golden statues.

Too often, too much is expected too soon. Natural growing pains aren't tolerated because it's forgotten how young they are and how much of this game still doesn't register in their minds. The pro game adapts to you and makes you do things you've never done before....or else.

We've seen the fall before. Frustration grows and these young guns become defensive, secluded, aloof, and bitter. It's an all-too-common theme with promising NFL quarterbacks.

We're watching Andrew Luck slowly unravel in Indianapolis. Bortles, Winston, and Mariotta are starting to fray at the seams, too. Bridgewater is still woefully raw. Derek Carr is the only young QB who's holding steady. I believe Matt Stafford would be far better today if he didn't have to start so soon. Same for Alex Smith.

We've been bickering back and forth around here for days over this trumped-up QB controversy. But the absolute best thing that could happen for OUR young quarterback is to watch and learn the game for a while without the pitfalls of failure and expectation raining down upon him.

The best quarterbacks in the NFL sat and watched a while....Brady, Rodgers, Brees, and Romo. It's true, Roethlisberger and Wilson did well as rookies, but that was because they had devastating defenses and tremendous running games to carry the lion's share of the load. Dak has one of those parts, which is good, but not the other.

The best policy is to bring this guy along at a human pace. Don't kill his spirit with challenges he's not yet ready for if it's avoidable. Don't throw him to the wolves if you don't have to. Far bigger animals await him than the lowly teams he's faced so far.

I don't want Prescott charged with trying to lead a team to the playoffs this season. I want him to be fully prepared to do that in 2018 and well beyond. That's the prize we want from him, not the here and now.

He's good. We've been blessed. Now, let's take care of this good fortune and invest it wisely.

Jake Plummer was inaccurate from the beginning.
Josh Freeman has never stopped turning the ball over.
While Marc Bulger had a sophomore slump he still managed 2 pro bowls and a passer rating over 90 his first 5 years. He did tank with his team at age 30.
Byron Leftwich never cracked a 90 passer rating until his 6th year in the league.
Vince Young was never a good passer. He was a 'winner.'
Nick Foles was good his second year starting 10 games for that gimmick offense. He has never been good before or since.
RG3 was good in that gimmick offense and then got hurt and could not expand his game. Dak's game is already more developed as a pocket passer than RG3's ever was.
Ryan Tannehill came into the league with marginal accuracy and prone to throwing picks.

Prescott has been significantly better than all of those guys. If you want to compare him to rookie campaigns you need to look to Ben Roethlisberger and Russell Wilson whose extrapolated passing performances actually are similar.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Keep in mind this is the same group who thought Anthony Hitchens was a stud his rookie year.

I can only speak for myself but I thought he was a promising rookie but limited in ability to carry receivers downfield due to his speed. He did make a ton of tackles and plays in general.

I recall you saying that he was horrible. This would also help your cause if Hitch wasn't coming off his best game of the year this past Sunday.

 

[waving monkey]

Absolutely. For some reason, people don't want to give him credit, or they want to see "more" from a rookie QB before they realize he's special. These are the people that don't watch any other teams in the NFL, have almost 0 knowledge of how the game is played (routes, coverages, etc). The same guys that like to say Dak is 'dinking and dunking'. How many of those same guys making these random claims have posted any kind of statistic, or any evidence at all, for their claims? Haha. None. Then they say "but but that's not counting RAC yards!!" thinking the Cowboys are the only team to have receivers with legs, or that RAC yards aren't a focus in the Coryell offense, at all. Just point and laugh.

Dak didn't have his starting left tackle, or his starting receiver in a WR corp that's below league average without Dez, on the road against a Niners team that wasn't great, but they're still an NFL team that's at least competitive for the most part. No games are 'easy' in the NFL, and rookie QB's tend to be pretty terrible.

Not only was he missing the most important players on an offense, besides the QB, he was also missing two of the best on the road in Candlestick, down 14-0 early. And he throws for a 115 rating with nearly 8 YPA. That kind of perfomance for a rookie QB is an exception, not the rule, and it'd be one thing if it was a one time performance, but he's doing it consistently.

After 4 games, Dak has helped this offense achieve
#1 in 3rd down conversion percentage
#1 in INT/drive (tied, but has more attempts than the others)
#1 in plays per drive, as well as TOP
#3 in yards per drive
#4 in points per drive
#6 in YPA (if you exclude the giants game, he's #2 by a wide margin)
Top 3 in QB rating over the last 3 games

He's yet to turn the ball over, and is leading the offense to #2 in the league with drive series that end with a first down or touchdown.

If you expect "more" out of a rookie QB at this point, then you should probably just go sit in the corner and let the adults talk. I'm excited to watch him play better teams, and all players have bad games here and there, but I very highly doubt it's going to really be 'that' bad. If it is, it'll probably be him trying to do too much because the defense was getting gashed and he had to take chances to put points up. The defense played well against the Niners after the initial leak, but against teams with better offenses I don't expect them to be doing him any favors.

Bravo gmoney

 

[calicowboy54]

Jake Plummer
Josh Freeman
Marc Bulger
Byron Leftwich
Vince Young
Nick Foles
RG3
Ryan Tannehill
30 more just like them

A lot of what's being written about Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz have been written about rookies before. They come in, show some veteran poise, win a few games, make some youthful plays, and next thing you know, the fan base is bubbling over and building golden statues.

Too often, too much is expected too soon. Natural growing pains aren't tolerated because it's forgotten how young they are and how much of this game still doesn't register in their minds. The pro game adapts to you and makes you do things you've never done before....or else.

We've seen the fall before. Frustration grows and these young guns become defensive, secluded, aloof, and bitter. It's an all-too-common theme with promising NFL quarterbacks.

We're watching Andrew Luck slowly unravel in Indianapolis. Bortles, Winston, and Mariotta are starting to fray at the seams, too. Bridgewater is still woefully raw. Derek Carr is the only young QB who's holding steady. I believe Matt Stafford would be far better today if he didn't have to start so soon. Same for Alex Smith.

We've been bickering back and forth around here for days over this trumped-up QB controversy. But the absolute best thing that could happen for OUR young quarterback is to watch and learn the game for a while without the pitfalls of failure and expectation raining down upon him.

The best quarterbacks in the NFL sat and watched a while....Brady, Rodgers, Brees, and Romo. It's true, Roethlisberger and Wilson did well as rookies, but that was because they had devastating defenses and tremendous running games to carry the lion's share of the load. Dak has one of those parts, which is good, but not the other.

The best policy is to bring this guy along at a human pace. Don't kill his spirit with challenges he's not yet ready for if it's avoidable. Don't throw him to the wolves if you don't have to. Far bigger animals await him than the lowly teams he's faced so far.

I don't want Prescott charged with trying to lead a team to the playoffs this season. I want him to be fully prepared to do that in 2018 and well beyond. That's the prize we want from him, not the here and now.

He's good. We've been blessed. Now, let's take care of this good fortune and invest it wisely.

Yes!

 

[Doomsday101]

Like Parcells used to always say, that the true measuring stick of a QB was how he bounced back from adversity. He wanted to see how his QB came to work on Monday morning just after throwing 4 ints and pretty much losing the game all by himself. How does he react to that? He does he react to the fans that are calling him every other name on talk radio? How does he handle the media asking him why he sucks so bad? How does he face his teammates when he practically threw the game away himself?

Parcells would say that how the QB reacts to all of this will tell you way more about the player than looking at the box score.

I agree and would say that about any position. Confidence means a lot. We have seen Claiborne lose his confidence and start playing scared. As for QB that is one things I have loved about Romo he will never back down. He can have a bad half or a bad game and he is not going to shy away from making the throws that he has to make. Thus far what I see in Dak is a kid with a lot of poise and has yet to get rattled by anything teams have thrown at him. I think he will be fine.

 

[gmoney112]

I can only speak for myself but I thought he was a promising rookie but limited in ability to carry receivers downfield due to his speed. He did make a ton of tackles and plays in general.

I recall you saying that he was horrible. This would also help your cause if Hitch wasn't coming off his best game of the year this past Sunday.

I think it's funny. They should have a special forum session entitled "Risen's Version of Forum History". I remember the pick, I remember Risen's aneurysm, and I remember him disappearing from any thread that discussed Hitchens playing well that year. I also remember post draft wjen exactly 0 people were saying he was going to be a stud and were just hoping for a solid contributor, while Risen was busy in every single thread saying he'd never be able to play at this level.

I'm just surprised he's managed to build a mountain of likes trolling, while contributing nothing of real significance over the past 5 years I've been a member. He can be witty though, I've laughed, so he's got that going for him. He'd make a great politician.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I think it's funny. They should have a special forum session entitled "Risen's Version of Forum History". I remember the pick, I remember Risen's aneurysm, and I remember him disappearing from any thread that discussed Hitchens playing well that year. I also remember post draft wjen exactly 0 people were saying he was going to be a stud and were just hoping for a solid contributor, while Risen was busy in every single thread saying he'd never be able to play at this level.

I'm just surprised he's managed to build a mountain of likes trolling, while contributing nothing of real significance over the past 5 years I've been a member. He can be witty though, I've laughed, so he's got that going for him. He'd make a great politician.

He has been used the exact same jokes since the forum opened. every year he either deifies or demonizes a player. Examples include Hitchens, Wentz, Johnson, Prescott. Green, Nagy, Street, AOA, and Coale. When he is wrong he leaves or is silent and if he gets one right we hear about it ad infinitum.

People still think Jeff Foxworthy is funny though.

 

[Trouty]

He has been used the exact same jokes since the forum opened. every year he either deifies or demonizes a player. Examples include Hitchens, Wentz, Johnson, Prescott. Green, Nagy, Street, AOA, and Coale. When he is wrong he leaves or is silent and if he gets one right we hear about it ad infinitum.

People still think Jeff Foxworthy is funny though.

You might be a redneck if... you go to Golden Corral?

...I got nothing.

He does Golden Corral commercials.

<taps mic> this thing on?

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

You might be a redneck if... you go to Golden Corral?

...I got nothing.

He does Golden Corral commercials.

<taps mic> this thing on?

Risen to the forum what Foxworthy is to comedy what Golden Corral is to cuisine.

 

[Trouty]

Risen to the forum what Foxworthy is to comedy what Golden Corral is to cuisine.

So by the process of deduction, Risen is Golden Corral?

 

[dallasdave]

Thank you for such a well-articulated reply (I would expect nothing but that from you, Gmoney).

I really can't add much more to that wonderful post other than this weekend will be, yet again, Dak's biggest challenge to date. There's a high likelyhood that our D will give up more points to this (somewhat overrated) Bengals O.

The defense is scary, but with the way Linehan is scheming for Dak, we should be alright. The biggest fear (for me) is that of the D letting the game get too far ahead... but as we saw last weekend, down 14-0, Dak stepped up and delivered (and so did our D, which, in my opinion has been largely overlooked).

Atkins and Burfict. Two premier studs (honorable mention to Dunlap and Jones). Those dudes can disrupt an O. Especially one ran by a rook. We have the Oline to mostly contain them, and here's to Tyron making it back (he should be back by all indications).

So, I'm gonna say what you said before the 9er game... if Dak leads Dallas to a win against this (decent) Bengals team, I will scream hallelujah to the heavens (but I'm with you, he's already shown enough to be anointed the heir apparent to Romo).

Thank you for the wonderful reply, Gmoney.

(I'm tired, sorry for the disjointed thought process of this post )

 

[erod]

Jake Plummer was inaccurate from the beginning.
Josh Freeman has never stopped turning the ball over.
While Marc Bulger had a sophomore slump he still managed 2 pro bowls and a passer rating over 90 his first 5 years. He did tank with his team at age 30.
Byron Leftwich never cracked a 90 passer rating until his 6th year in the league.
Vince Young was never a good passer. He was a 'winner.'
Nick Foles was good his second year starting 10 games for that gimmick offense. He has never been good before or since.
RG3 was good in that gimmick offense and then got hurt and could not expand his game. Dak's game is already more developed as a pocket passer than RG3's ever was.
Ryan Tannehill came into the league with marginal accuracy and prone to throwing picks.

Prescott has been significantly better than all of those guys. If you want to compare him to rookie campaigns you need to look to Ben Roethlisberger and Russell Wilson whose extrapolated passing performances actually are similar.

Roethlisberger and Wilson had dominant defenses to eliminate their mistakes and allowed them to play very conservatively early on.

My point was, most of those guys might have had more success if they were properly developed like Rodgers, Brady, Romo, and others.