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And Jerry Jones, Hall of Fame reps get an audience with the Pope.
Dak Prescott hype getting out of control, as shown by NFL top 100 list - Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports
There is a bit of consternation at the high ranking Dak Prescott received on the NFL top 100 list. But ironically, this objection reveals an important truth about the Cowboys and their future.
Prescott had a fine season, and it was a wonderful story for a fourth-round pick, but it’s hard to think he’d have ranked No. 14 playing on the Philadelphia Eagles or Los Angeles Rams last year. The Cowboys were set up perfectly for a rookie quarterback to have success. He played behind perhaps the best offensive line in decades, and maybe ever. Ezekiel Elliott was far more valuable than Prescott (but Prescott won Offensive Rookie of the Year because he’s a quarterback). Dez Bryant was already in place as a No. 1 receiver. The Cowboys’ offense was not built around Prescott. It’s a run-first attack. Prescott did remarkably well in his role. When he had to do more, after the Cowboys fell behind to the Green Bay Packers in a wild-card playoff game, he was great with 302 yards and three touchdowns.
Derek Carr vs. Dak Prescott: Who'll end up with more Super Bowl rings? - NFL.com staff
Meanwhile, Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr is about to get paid. He is one of the few other young QBs seen as having a bright future, and NFL.com started a rather silly debate on whether he or Prescott would win the most Super Bowls. Dave Dameshek was the only participant in their poll to bring some perspective to things.
Wait a second -- has either guy won a SINGLE ring yet?
Who'll end up with MORE rings? Sorry to be a curmudgeon, buzzkill or otherwise, but at this point, either guy oughta be thrilled at the prospect of winning even ONE ring. You see, while it's quite easy for talent evaluators to declare on draft day a QB will win "multiple titles," the inconvenient reality remains this: There's only ONE Super Bowl-winning quarterback each calendar year. (That means at least 31 other QBs finish the season disappointed.) Assuming a high-end NFL QB plays a decade-and-a-half, that ring math says his chances of winning it all figures to be ... problematic.
Dak Prescott ranked higher than Tony Romo ever was in top 100 - Charean Williams, ProFootballTalk
One more argument for how Prescott may be overrated on just one season's performance.
Tony Romo’s supporters have even more ammunition in arguing the former Cowboys quarterback was underrated and underappreciated during his 14-year career.
It took Dak Prescott exactly one season to rate higher in NFL Network’s top 100 than Romo ever did. The poll of 902 NFL players ranked Prescott 14th. Among quarterbacks, only Derek Carr, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan ranked higher.
Dak Prescott has better MVP odds in 2017 than almost every player in the NFL - John Breech, CBSSports.com
The Dak love continues as he is one of the early betting favorites to win the MVP this year - and Ezekiel Elliott is just behind him, tied for number six with Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan.
According to the online sportsbook at Bet365.com, Prescott is one of the top five favorites to win the award in 2017. At 11-to-1 odds, Prescott has been given the same chances of winning MVP as Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
The only three quarterbacks who have better odds than Prescott are Tom Brady (4-to-1), Aaron Rodgers (10-to-1) and Russell Wilson (10-to-1). If you're scoring at home, that means Prescott is behind a guy who has five Super Bowl rings (Brady), a guy who's won two of the past six MVP awards (Rodgers) and a guy who recently led his team to back-to-back Super Bowls (Wilson).
There was a smattering of other Cowboys news to note. One thing that looks like it is going to be a lot of fun and very informative is the mothership’s new series breaking down video of plays with Cowboys players. Here is the first installment.
First up in our #TaleOfTheTape series: Brice Butler. Think y'all will enjoy these. https://t.co/BvMrG4NJow
— Rob Phillips (@robphillips3) June 21, 2017
What Pope Francis told Cowboys owner Jerry Jones - SportsDay staff
So this really happened.
Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2017 member Jones and his wife, Gene, were among a group of seven Hall of Famers to pay a visit to Pope Francis on Wednesday. Also on the trip were Curtis Martin, Chris Doleman, Franco Harris, Jim Taylor, Ronnie Lott and Floyd Little.
The group also included representatives from the hall of fame board of trustees, of which Jones is a member, as well as hall staff and special guests.
Jones and the crew even presented the pope with a gold helmet and uniform.
Mike Freeman's 10-Point Stance: The NFL's Floyd Mayweather Problem - Bleacher Report
One of Freeman's points reflects very well on the Cowboys, or at least on how they are currently perceived.
Does the NFL Have a Parity Problem?
As much as the NFL touts parity, the past 10 to 15 years have seen the league slowly devolve into a collection of superpowers and everyone else.
This USA Today story named five teams that can win the Super Bowl this season. I'd say it's maybe just three: the Patriots, Packers and Cowboys. If Dak Prescott makes a leap forward, the Cowboys will be hard to beat, and you are well-acquainted with what Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers can do.
The NFL has had other moments in its history when it was top-heavy, and it could be argued (though I go back and forth on this) that today's sport has more contenders in teams such as the Falcons, Titans, Raiders and others, but only a handful has the combination of quarterback power and overall team prowess.
Why Cowboys' faithful should already be a fan of Taco Charlton - Patrik Walker, 247 Sports
The full story of how valuable Taco Charlton is for the Cowboys will depend on a lot more than just his sack total.
The Cowboys ranked 31st in the NFL in quarterback pressures last season, which ultimately ended their storybook season prematurely when they went up against quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the NFC Divisional Round. The irony is they fared much better when they actually could get pressure on the opposing QB, converting it into sacks at a strong rate -- landing a 13th-best NFL sack total of 36.
Charlton will help with the former which should push the latter that much higher based on the team's conversion rate, possibly turning the Cowboys into at least a top 10 sack team. This could happen at the expense of the rookie seeing a pile of sacks himself, as his penetration will create opportunities for others, and vice versa.
So when assessing the success of the pick going forward, it's best to not stare at simply one column on his stat line. Pressures, hurries, QB hits etc. will all play a role in just how impactful Charlton is being for the Cowboys. As will any uptick in production by other defensive linemen when Charlton is on the field.
Kellen Moore on talking college days with Dak, how he gets away from football, Matthew Stafford stories - Jon Machota, SportsDay
In a recent interview, Kellen Moore talked about his ace in the hole for making the Cowboys' roster.
On what makes his relationship with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan so strong:
"[Working with him since our time in Detroit,] five years, six years, you spend a lot of time in QB rooms, so you kind of get to understand and think the same way. You're kind of wired that way."
Cowboys HQ 53-Man Roster Projection: The Competition To 'Re-Commit' In 2017 - Joey Ickes, Dallas - Scout
'Tis the season for way-too-early roster projections. Here is one from BTB alum Joey Ickes - and it looks an awful lot like the other ones you will see out there.
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