Dak’s Path to Becoming an Elite QB

[Nav22]

Love him or hate him, Dak’s our guy. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

He’s certainly not an elite QB yet, but he’s 25 years old with all the intangibles you’d want. He works his butt off and should look to improve each offseason. Tony Romo got better every offseason (or tried to) and Dak will need to mirror that approach.

So let’s figure out how he can become the QB we all (well, most of us) want him to become.

1) Work with the WRs all freaking offseason to iron out the chemistry issues.

People forget that it’s a brand new WR corps he’s working with this season. There’s a reason many QBs spend offseason after offseason working on routes with their WRs. Those reps matter. Chemistry matters. Timing matters.

2) Learn to better protect the ball when you’re in the pocket.

Dak’s fumbling is a big problem. I believe he leads the league with 12 of them now.

The good news: it’s correctable.

Look at Tony Romo. He had 32 fumbles over his first 3 seasons as a starter (including 13 in 13 games in 2008)... and just 33 fumbles over the rest of his career. Romo learned to keep 2 hands on the ball anytime he felt the pocket start to collapse. That’s the key.

3) Clean up the mechanics.

The 2nd INT to Gallup was just an awful throw. Clean it up.

I’m not a QB guru (insert snarky “then why’d you create this thread” replies) so I can’t get into specifics there, but it’s nothing that isn’t correctable. Just keep working.

The GREAT news is that Dak’s issues are largely physical and not mental. That is MUCH more encouraging than if the issues were mental and not physical.

He’s reading the field like a stud. He’s not scared at all out there, even with a leaky OL or late in the game after Philly grabbed all the momentum. When it’s time for him to GO WIN THE GAME, he’s proven time and time again that he can do it. He’s built for this.

We complain about the overthrows - as we should - but it’s encouraging that he’s taking these shots when they’re there (remember early in the season when he practically refused to go deep?). He’s finding the open man time and time again.

I am not AT ALL worried about the mental side with Dak. He’s got what it takes upstairs and he has the perfect demeanor for this job. Again, he’s built for this.

It’s the physical side that needs to be cleaned up. And with Dak’s work ethic, I’m betting on him. He’ll keep getting better and keep making his detractors eat crow... just like Tony Romo did.

 

[StarBoyz83]

Dont see any chance he ever gets to elite status. I'm just hoping for top 12 some day.

 

[Nav22]

Dont see any chance he ever gets to elite status. I'm just hoping for top 12 some day.

I probably should’ve been more specific.

To me, “elite” is top 10 or so, and I think he has a great shot to get there.

 

[817Gill]

Dont see any chance he ever gets to elite status. I'm just hoping for top 12 some day.

Top 12 is extremely attainable with the Brees/Brady/Ben/Rivers era being over soon too. As long as he doesn’t take a ridiculous contract and we get him a coach I bet on it happening

 

[Fan_from_Germany]

I would say, offer him a contract 3 years with 48 to 54 millions.
Give him a new OC and a new QB Coach. Then we will see how good he is. If he's not, he will be a good backup.

 

[ConstantReboot]

Dak needs better coaching. All of his issues are correctable. Your right that he needs more work in the off season working with the receivers. He needs to focus on accuracy and being able to move in the pocket. Those are the two issues that he has.

But the coaching staff needs to dump our playbook. It totally sucks and doesn't play to Dak's strength. Dak can certainly wing it. He has a good arm. He needs better touch and accuracy. And needs to learn how to move in the pocket.

 

[csirl]

After 3 years as a starter, the chances of any significant improvement are slim. He's already gone through the steep learning curve - now has extensive starting experience. What you have today is the best he'll ever be.

 

[Nav22]

After 3 years as a starter, the chances of any significant improvement are slim. He's already gone through the steep learning curve - now has extensive starting experience. What you have today is the best he'll ever be.

Did Troy Aikman peak in 1991? Nope.

Did Tony Romo peak in 2008? Nope.

 

[beware_d-ware]

I was really encouraged to see Dak stand in the pocket today - he's still not stepping up, but he didn't do that panic spin that gets him killed probably 75% of the time.

IMO, from easiest to hardest, my Dak coaching checklist would be:

-Step up in the pocket (already seems to be progressing towards this)

-Throw the ball away if the pocket's getting tight or nothing's there (requires a fundamental change in his aggressiveness/how he makes his reads - not impossible but not likely to happen)

-Throw from a steady platform, set feet before you throw (again, requires fundamental changes in footwork + willingness to scramble, and when the pressure's on you tend to fall back on habits)

-Overhaul mechanics to not miss horrible throws (you rarely see guys do this after their first few years)

If he can just step up away from pressure and get rid of the ball without fumbling, I think he'll be a pretty darn good game manager, and tbh, I think the iffy throws are something we'll have to learn to live with. Those kind of things usually don't get fixed.

I think his ceiling is Donovan McNabb if he continues to progress. McNabb was a good game manager who could run when he needed to and had a tendency to flub some easy throws. Given some talented rosters around him, he was still able to make 6 Pro Bowls and go to 5 NFC Championship games plus a Super Bowl. If Dak can lead us on multiple deep playoff runs like that, I'll take it.

 

[csirl]

Did Troy Aikman peak in 1991? Nope.

Did Tony Romo peak in 2008? Nope.

You picked a poor example - Aikman looked all pro in his first season even though he played on one of the weakest teams in NFL history, so yes he was an elite QB in 1991.

 

[Nav22]

You picked a poor example - Aikman looked all pro in his first season even though he played on one of the weakest teams in NFL history, so yes he was an elite QB in 1991.

I never said Aikman wasn’t elite in 1991. I said he didn’t PEAK in 1991, and he didn’t.

YOU said Dak won’t get any better because it’s his 3rd year as a starter. My examples disproved that notion.

(Also, Aikman looked All-Pro as a rookie? You mean when he went 0-11 with 9 TD and 18 INT? Really?)

 

[beware_d-ware]

Dak needs better coaching. All of his issues are correctable. Your right that he needs more work in the off season working with the receivers. He needs to focus on accuracy and being able to move in the pocket. Those are the two issues that he has.

But the coaching staff needs to dump our playbook. It totally sucks and doesn't play to Dak's strength. Dak can certainly wing it. He has a good arm. He needs better touch and accuracy. And needs to learn how to move in the pocket.

Linehan's offense is a joke.

 

[plasticman]

The healthier the O-line and other contributors, the better he will get.

Dak has a great work ethic. He will get continuously better although circumstances will dictate some of the success.

 

[Carson]

Quite simple honestly.

Limit stupid fumble, picks and sacks.

Hit Gallup when he’s wide open.

Elite

 

[csirl]

I never said Aikman wasn’t elite in 1991. I said he didn’t PEAK in 1991, and he didn’t.

YOU said Dak won’t get any better because it’s his 3rd year as a starter. My examples disproved that notion.

That's questionable. Aikman had all the tools fully developed before 1991. Dak is still very rough after 3 years as a starter.

 

[Nav22]

That's questionable. Aikman had all the tools fully developed before 1991. Dak is still very rough after 3 years as a starter.

Aikman was a beast, wasn’t he?

Still don’t think he stopped improving after his 3rd season. He won Super Bowls in 3 of his next 4 seasons, so something tells me his improvement had to play at least a tiny role in that.

 

[DanA]

I think there is a fair bit on the mental side that Dak can improve too.

For one setting the line and making pre-snap reads, he's been extremely susceptible to the blitz this season. I also think he's got to have a better understanding of where his hot read is and could improve his ability to find a target he's not staring down. I heard Bryan Broaddus say (and I agree with it) that one of Dak's weaknesses is that he doesn't seem to have a good feel for where a teammate is. The best QB's find their man a bit quicker when coming off play action, evading a pass rusher or just holding a safety with their eyes.

 

[waving monkey]

He’s reading the field like a stud.

I agree with your thinking mostly however, reading he field I think is a problem still for Dak but he is improving
Dak like most Qb doesnt handle pressure. Fix that and he'll move into the next level.Think 2016 but with three years of experience.

 

[Sevenup3000]

That's questionable. Aikman had all the tools fully developed before 1991. Dak is still very rough after 3 years as a starter.

Your arguments are just...amazingly bad...they are often illogical, contradictory, and just plain inaccurate.
It is almost like you are intentionally trying to be this bad.

You JUST implied that Dak has already peaked because he is in year 3...when confronted with two fairly successful, recent examples of Cowboys QBs that did not peak in year 3...you then start talking about how Aikman had "all the tools fully developed before 1991." You then follow up that irrelevant statement with "Dak is still very rough after 3 seasons as a starter."

Which does nothing to undermine what the poster you are responding asserted...

Just terrible arguing skills on your part.

 

[csirl]

Your arguments are just...amazingly bad...they are often illogical, contradictory, and just plain inaccurate.
It is almost like you are intentionally trying to be this bad.

You JUST implied that Dak has already peaked because he is in year 3...when confronted with two fairly successful, recent examples of Cowboys QBs that did not peak in year 3...you then start talking about how Aikman had "all the tools fully developed before 1991." You then follow up that irrelevant statement with "Dak is still very rough after 3 seasons as a starter."

Which does nothing to undermine what the poster you are responding asserted...

Just terrible arguing skills on your part.

Its very consistent. I fundamentally agree that the steep learning curve happens early and it is unlikely Dak will take a huge step forward in terms of ability from this point on.

I do not agree that Dak is a rough diamond who can be made better. Im saying the rough version we have now is the finished article.