Coddled........
Dak Prescott, 4th round draft pick, was thrown into the starting lineup on week #1 in his rookie season..
Is that "coddled"?
The predictions were not optimistic. Dak wasn't supposed to start. He wasn't even supposed to be the backup. Heck, he wasn't even supposed to be activated....for any game unless there was an injury. As it turns out, there were two injuries before the season even began.
So how bad was it? How quickly did the season disintegrate?
Well, they lost the first game because a veteran starting WR didn't get out of bounds. And then they won 11 straight.
That's right, eleven straight. So they won in spite of starting a rookie 4th round draft pick?
No, they won 11 straight games because they started a rookie 4th round draft pick.
Dak proceeded to break the record for number of pass attempts before throwing his first career INT, a record previously held by Tom Brady. He also set the rookie record for completion percentage and passer rating. In other words, Dak had the best season for a rookie QB in NFL history.
Dak was so good that he was treated as an equal to Pro Bowl QB's like Aaron Rodgers and Russel Williams when it came to playoff expectations. However, when Dak tied the Packer game with 35 seconds left after being behind by 18 points, the season was over. it was the defense that had been coddled all year long.
Dak, a rookie that was going to be "developed" into a serviceable backup, had led the Dallas Cowboys to a 13-3 season
But that's "coddled"............
.