News: BTB: Cowboys News: Dak Prescott, Ezekiell Elliott Already Hall Of Fame-Bound

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Latest Cowboys headlines: Rookie jerseys en route to Hall Of Fame; Cowboys are playing flashback football; Roger Staubach says Dak Prescott holds real promise.

Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott are already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame - Jared Dubin, CBSSports.com
The Cowboys' star rookies had their jerseys sent to the Hall of Fame after setting a rookie record.

It took only five games, but Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott are headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sort of.

Prescott and Elliott became the first pair of rookie teammates in NFL history to throw for at least 1,000 yards (Prescott) and run for at least 500 yards (Elliott) in the first five games of their rookie seasons, so the Hall grabbed hold of the jerseys Dak and Zeke wore for that record-setting game.
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Sales of Dallas Cowboys jerseys surpass last season's total - Darren Rovell, ESPN
The Cowboys have already sold more jerseys this year than all of last year, thanks to Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott.

Elliott was the most popular NFL player jersey purchased this week, while Prescott was No. 4. Elliott is the fifth-most popular jersey in the league since the season started, behind Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown and Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller. Prescott is No. 8 on the season, according to sales across Fanatics networks.

Selling more jerseys means more financially to the Cowboys than any other team. That's because the Cowboys are the only team in the league that acts as the wholesaler for all their apparel, meaning they get a cut of the sale they make to the retailer. They also earn a royalty from acting as the retailer on their website and at team stores. All merchandise sold on the official NFL online store is split among all teams.
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The Cowboys Are Playing Flashback Football - Micah Peters, The Ringer
With Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas is looking very Dallas this year, Peters writes.

The Cowboys might as well have a one-page playbook: It should be an old, yellowed, dog-eared piece of paper with coffee stains on it, and it should read "FOOTBALL." The Cowboys are playing FOOTBALL-*** football. The Platonic ideal. You can’t much design against it, you can’t really cheat it; you just have to face it down and do your damnedest. And based on what we’ve seen over the first five weeks of the season, that probably won’t be enough.
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5 reasons Dak Prescott and the Cowboys will continue to roll against the Packers - Cameron Da Silva, FOX Sports (Production)
The top reason Dak Prescott and the Cowboys will continue to roll against the Packers? Ezekiel Elliott.

When the Cowboys and Packers line up on Sunday, it will be a clash of powerhouses up front. The Cowboys have the best running game in football (155.2 yards per game), while the Packers boast the best run defense by a wide margin (42.8 yards per game). Something’s gotta give in this situation, and it will likely be Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys’ ground game coming out on top. That’s not to say Green Bay’s defense isn’t legit, but they’ve been lucky to face teams that weren’t at full strength. The Cowboys will be, and it will allow Elliott to take pressure off of Prescott and the aerial attack. They won’t have to press nearly as much as Green Bay’s past opponents have.
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Cowboys great Roger Staubach: Dak Prescott holds real promise - Ian O'Connor, ESPN
Roger Staubach says the future of the quarterback position for the Dallas Cowboys is much more secure with Dak Prescott in the picture, though it remains "all about winning football games."

"You can tell that the players respect the heck out of him, and that he's already a leader," Staubach told ESPN.com by phone. "He is amazing at making decisions when ... there's a difficult situation there and he needs to dump the ball off. He also can throw to lead a receiver. Sometimes he throws the ball a little low and, I don't know if it's intentional, but he's right on the money in allowing his receivers to make tough catches.

"He's got something ticking up there, and you know you've got to get rid of the ball pretty quick in the NFL. He makes good, solid decisions. I think we've got a wonderful quarterback for the future."
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Here's what Dak Prescott said about Tony Romo taking over as Cowboys starting QB - Ryan Wilson, CBSSports.com
The rookie fourth-round pick has played like a grizzled vet during the first five weeks of the season. Still, he understands that for now, he's just a part-timer.

Despite success, Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott staying grounded - Todd Archer, ESPN
On of the traits that most endeared Prescott to Cowboys fans is Prescott's humility.

The world is at his feet as he leads the Cowboys. He is the quarterback of a first-place team in the NFC East. [...] He is also on the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated.

How does a 23-year-old under this spotlight stay grounded? For Prescott, it’s his late mother, Peggy.

"Even though she’s not here, I mean, I know what she’d be saying," Prescott said. "She taught me well the 20 years I was fortunate to spend with her. Definitely her."
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Quarterback controversy? What QB controversy, Cowboys ask? - Charean Williams, The Star-Telegram
Dez Bryant weighs in on the QB situation.

Players downplay what outsiders see as an impending quarterback controversy.

Quarterback controversy? What quarterback controversy?

"Oh man, nobody is worrying about none of that stuff," Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant said. "We’re just playing football. We’re doing what we love to do. We can’t control what’s going on outside this building. Everybody wants to talk. Everybody wants to do all that, say crazy stuff, but you know people need to understand those are people just talking. You’re not hearing that from coach [Jason] Garrett or Mr. [Jerry] Jones or people around this building. It does not matter."
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Dez Bryant offers help in determining what is a catch - Todd Archer, ESPN
As the Cowboys return to the scene of what they consider to be an officiating crime, Dez Bryant says the NFL 'still needs to work on' the catch rule.

"They need to still work on it," Bryant said. "Because I've seen a lot of stuff where how is that a catch and that's not a catch. So, you know, I hope they do a better job. If they need my input, I'm here. Pretty sure lot of guys would want to get involved in that. You know, hopefully they'll get it."
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Practice Update: Tyron Smith Sits Out, Mo Practices; Dez Hoping To Do More - David Helman, Dallas Cowboys
Tyron Smith sat out of practice Thursday morning, and not because he got a veteran's day off.

Smith was limited in Wednesday’s practice, three days after he started in the Cowboys’ win against Cincinnati on Sunday. The issue must have flared up after Wednesday’s workload, as he wasn’t present for the second practice of the week. That has to be concerning for the Cowboys, who were also without Chaz Green at Thursday’s practice. The second-year tackle is still coping with a foot sprain he suffered on Oct. 2 against San Francisco, and his absence puts the team without two of its top three tackles for the time being.
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Anthony Brown standing tall as the slot corner - Charean Williams, The Star-Telegram
Anthony Brown has caught on quickly and has played well as the slot corner in place of Orlando Scandrick in the nickel - a position Brown had never played until the Cowboys drafted him in the sixth round.

Rod Marinelli offers the highest praise for Anthony Brown. The Cowboys defensive coordinator, asked if he had seen a rookie play as well as sixth-round pick from Purdue, compared Brown to Ronde Barber.

"You’ve got run gaps and things like that you’ve got make sure you’re doing a good job of," Marinelli said. "You’re asking him to play the run. He’s got to blitz. He’s got to cover man-to-man on usually a pretty doggone good player in there. And then your zones. So it’s a lot to that position, so we’ve been very impressed with him."
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2017 NFL Mock Draft: A pass rusher for the Cowboys - Rob Rang, CBSSports.com
Feeling in the mood for draft talk yet? Probably not, but it gives you an idea what fans of the Browns (1st overall pick), 49ers (2nd), Dolphins (3rd), and Chargers (4th) are talking about. The Cowboys draft 28th in this mock.

Carl Lawson, DE, Auburn: While all of the focus has been on the Dallas offense with rookie sensations Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, there is concern on the defense, especially given the team's weak pass rush. Lawson has struggled with durability throughout his career but when healthy, the explosive pass rusher is a proven difference-maker.
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