Dak Prescott vs. Tony Romo

[JoeKing]

You sure that's not farting?

I'm sure and coincidentally, you are now talking out of your butt.

 

[G2]

I was a huge fan of Romo, but he's retired and it's past time to move on. Prescott is here and that's who I cheer for. Both were/are extremely entertaining to watch and pretty solid guys.
I don't particularly buy into the theories that Romo never had a good enough team or that anything would have changed "if" he was healthy. That's all silly talk to me. Enjoy the now and lets not over-glorify Romo.

 

[Aviano90]

Welcome back Avian

Thanks, brother. Not really back yet. Sold my house and finally settled into the new house and things are settling down. Will be having surgery next week and I'll be out of commission from a working out and/or doing any physical activity whatsoever for a couple months so I'll have a lot of free time on my hands coming up.

Hope all is well with you!

 

[percyhoward]

Dak had a bad 16 game stretch in the second half of 2017, and the first half of 2018.

He made some bad decisions that caused some costly sacks and fumbles in the first half of 2018, even as his passing improved. As a passer, it was really a bad 11-game stretch, not 16.

Prescott's first 25 games
498 of 755 5769 yd 7.6 ypa 42 td 9 int 102.4

middle 11 games -- 2017 game 9 @Atlanta to 2018 game 3 @Seattle
199 of 319 2004 yd 6.3 ypa 8 td 11 int 74.2

last 15 games
343 of 502 3870 yd 7.7 ypa 22 td 7 int 99.9

And if you break down those middle 11 games even further, the real issue appears to have been the OL injuries. Dak struggled more than he should have when one of the Big Three didn't play at least half the game, then seemed to adjust by week 4 of 2018.

middle 11 games
3 games with Smith, Frederick, and Martin (Zeke didn't play in any of these)
49 of 79 646 yd 8.2 ypa 5 td 2 int 98.4
8 games without at least one of the three (Zeke played in 5 of these)
150 of 240 1358 yd 5.7 ypa 3 td 9 int 66.3

 

[glimmerman]

He made some bad decisions that caused some costly sacks and fumbles in the first half of 2018, even as his passing improved. As a passer, it was really a bad 11-game stretch, not 16.

Prescott's first 25 games
498 of 755 5769 yd 7.6 ypa 42 td 9 int 102.4

middle 11 games -- 2017 game 9 @Atlanta to 2018 game 3 @Seattle
199 of 319 2004 yd 6.3 ypa 8 td 11 int 74.2

last 15 games
343 of 502 3870 yd 7.7 ypa 22 td 7 int 99.9

And if you break down those middle 11 games even further, the real issue appears to have been the OL injuries. Dak struggled more than he should have when one of the Big Three didn't play at least half the game, then seemed to adjust by week 4 of 2018.

middle 11 games
3 games with Smith, Frederick, and Martin (Zeke didn't play in any of these)
49 of 79 646 yd 8.2 ypa 5 td 2 int 98.4
8 games without at least one of the three (Zeke played in 5 of these)
150 of 240 1358 yd 5.7 ypa 3 td 9 int 66.3

The beating he took in the falcons game shortened his internal clock for a while. He admitted it. Plus the egirls game after that I believe he took another 6 sacks.

 

[percyhoward]

The beating he took in the falcons game shortened his internal clock for a while. He admitted it. Plus the egirls game after that I believe he took another 6 sacks.

And Tyron didn't play in either of those games.

Dak's first two seasons were a continuation of his college career, in that he was terrible in games when he was pressured consistently.

2016-17 games, when pressured on ≥ 40% of dropbacks
208 of 354 2091 yd 9 td 15 int 66.5

2016-17 games, when pressured on < 40% of dropbacks
434 of 636 5076 yd 39 td 3 int 110.6

Note that 2016 was almost identical to 2017, the year in which he "temporarily regressed."
2017 games only, when pressured on ≥ 40% of dropbacks
161 of 257 1526 yd 5 td 12 int 66.1

2017 games only, when pressured on < 40% of dropbacks
130 of 203 1619 yd 16 td 1 int 112.9

No mysteries here, he was bad in games when he was pressured consistently. He just had a lot more of that kind of game in 2017 than in 2016. The good news is that he turned that around in 2018.

 

[McKDaddy]

rookie year was no fluke

Agree with much of what you said.

Tony was awesome. Its all factual, no projection is necessary.

Dak has an uneven scorecard as of yet. If Dak has gotten his fundamentals improved so he's more consistently accurate, he will also get his confidence back then all the intangibles we saw in 2016 should follow. When his career is done we can rank them.

 

[eromeopolk]

Since the extremists seem to post more often than others, I just want to say, "There is no conflict in being a fan of BOTH Dak Prescott AND Tony Romo.

Watching Romo magic was the most enjoyable part of watching the Cowboys from 2006 - 2014. It is a shame the team was never as good as him. Watching old videos of him eluding tackles to get off a pass downfield never gets old, just like watching Emmitt Smith highlights never gets old. Tony only really had two opportunities in his career to get to the Super Bowl - 2007 and 2014. Unfortunately, the team came up short both times - in 2007 because of extraordinarily inept coaching by Wade Phillip's, and in 2014 because of a DeMarco Murray fumble, and a missed field goal.

Dak Prescott EXPLODED onto the NFL landscape with the single best rookie QB performance in the 100 year history of the league. It just doesn't get any better than Dak in 2016, as far as being a rookie. And like the gentleman he is, even Tony acknowledged that Dak EARNED the starting QB position. Even in defeat to the Packers, Dak's performance as a rookie in the playoffs was epic. But as with Tony in 2014, the defense in 2016 wasted a great QB performance. Dak has all the intangibles you look for in a QB. And he is still young and improving. He had a bad 16 game stretch in the second half of 2017, and the first half of 2018. But the last half of 2018 shows that his rookie year was no fluke. The Cowboys were 7-1 down the stretch last year, and Dak was a big reason why.

Tony proved that no QB can win a championship on his own. But the front office has done a better job this time surrounding their young QB with talent. The future is promising.

I am a huge fan of Tony Romo, AND a big fan of Dak Prescott. And I honestly believe that most Cowboys fans love both players, and are sick and tired of the verbal snipers who try to force us to choose one or the other. I choose BOTH. I refuse to be drawn into the argument of who is better. Tony's time was great for fans, and now it is Dak's time.

One last comment: More than any other NFL team, the Cowboys have enjoyed an extraordinary succession of talented starting quarterbacks. 1 year with poor talent as an expansion team --> Don Meredith --> Craig Morton --> Roger Staubach --> Danny White --> Troy Aikman --> 5 years in the desert --> Tony Romo --> Dak Prescott. In 60 seasons of play, the team has only suffered through 6 seasons of sub-par talent at the most important position on the field. Instead of griping and complaining, we should be thankful. No other team had enjoyed such a succession of talent.

I am one of those spoiled fans that saw the Cowboys have that stability at QB because they always had competition at QB.

Good post.

Jerry Jones gave Aikman, Romo, and now Dak no competition for the QB job. This is unlike the Landry and Johnson years with Morton, White, Longley, Hogeboom, Carano, Walsh, Stoudt, Beuerlein, etc. Its ironic the years the Cowboys usually drafted competition at QB, they passed on Joe Montana, then could not pull off the Elway trade, and passed on Dan Marino. It cost Landry, Tex, and Brandt their jobs. Without competition at QB you will probably go in the Aikman and Romo deserts. I said the day Dak was drafted that it would be the first time Romo had legit competition at QB. I did not think it would be that soon with injury. But I knew if Dak got on the field, it would be hard to take him off.

I would like to see the Cowboys use a 2nd or 3rd round pick on a QB that could cause competition for Dak. If Meredith, Morton, Staubach and White could survive it. So can Dak. Then you would continue the succession of talent at QB.

 

[staubach24]

It might be revisionist thinking, but the biggest mistake the Cowboys made was mid season 2016 when they could’ve put Tony back in once he was healthy. But Dak was 8-1 and I guess the thought process was “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But it was “breaking” at that point, the league had figured out that Dak, when pressured, didn’t have the poise in the pocket, or the precision with his passing that Tony had. Tony had his best year in 2014, with a healthy Demarco and a younger, stronger Oline. Imagine what he would’ve done with Zeke in his first year.

 

[DFWJC]

I am one of those spoiled fans that saw the Cowboys have that stability at QB because they always had competition at QB.

Good post.

Jerry Jones gave Aikman, Romo, and now Dak no competition for the QB job. This is unlike the Landry and Johnson years with Morton, White, Longley, Hogeboom, Carano, Walsh, Stoudt, Beuerlein, etc. Its ironic the years the Cowboys usually drafted competition at QB, they passed on Joe Montana, then could not pull off the Elway trade, and passed on Dan Marino. It cost Landry, Tex, and Brandt their jobs. Without competition at QB you will probably go in the Aikman and Romo deserts. I said the day Dak was drafted that it would be the first time Romo had legit competition at QB. I did not think it would be that soon with injury. But I knew if Dak got on the field, it would be hard to take him off.

I would like to see the Cowboys use a 2nd or 3rd round pick on a QB that could cause competition for Dak. If Meredith, Morton, Staubach and White could survive it. So can Dak. Then you would continue the succession of talent at QB.

Which currently successful NFL teams have real competition at the QB position?
Is there even one team?

Maybe Tenn and Jacksonville? But that's because their QBs are not good
Are you saying Dak is in that category?

 

[LACowboysFan1]

Cut the kid some slack. He is still younger than Romo, Staubach, or Danny White were when they became starting QB's, and he has 3 years of experience under his belt. I interpret his answer to mean that he wants the best for him AND his teammates. That sentiment will HELP him in the locker room, and the Cowboys brass is smart enough to not take offense. Dak gets paid to play QB, not manager the salary CAP. That is Stephen Jones's job, and he's been doing pretty good for a while now.

Gotta wonder what Dak could have done with Landry as his coach and a couple of Doomsday defenses. The 70's and 90's SB winning teams had both awesome offenses and awesome defenses, Dak hasn't yet had that, and Tony never did, though he did have a couple of pretty good defenses to help him.

Putting the onus on Dak to "bring the level of the team up", or compensate for a poor defense and a lackluster receiving corps is unfair and difficult to do.

You look at quarterbacks like Brees, a sure HOF'er, who has won ONE Super Bowl, and guys like Warren Moon, Dan Marino, etc. who never won one or like Moon never even got there, and it's clear while it's nice to have the Brady or Rodgers or Manning (Peyton) at the helm, having one alone doesn't guarantee SB wins or multiple playoff wins.

Of course having said that, you can't wait forever on a player, as I've said before I feel Dak has to improve this year, regardless of whether or not the rest of the team does, but it doesn't have to be to the level of a Rodgers or Brees or Manning, though that would be nice. You can say don't be afraid to make a change, or use the bird in the hand analogy, either view can work for a championship or two.

Let's see what happens, if Dak signs a multiyear deal, then I'll support him, but will also criticize when needed. Either one doesn't mean I'm a Dak lover or Dak hater, it's not a black or white thing....

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

It might be revisionist thinking, but the biggest mistake the Cowboys made was mid season 2016 when they could’ve put Tony back in once he was healthy. But Dak was 8-1 and I guess the thought process was “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But it was “breaking” at that point, the league had figured out that Dak, when pressured, didn’t have the poise in the pocket, or the precision with his passing that Tony had. Tony had his best year in 2014, with a healthy Demarco and a younger, stronger Oline. Imagine what he would’ve done with Zeke in his first year.

I agree...at that point, you put Romo in, let him get use to the cadence of the offense and get ready for post season. there is a reason no Rookie QB, including Marino and some of the other greats ever make it to the superbowl or go far in the playoffs....the goal shouldn't have been to just win during regular season. the goal should have been to focus on post season and who gives us the best chance to win.

 

[percyhoward]

It might be revisionist thinking, but the biggest mistake the Cowboys made was mid season 2016 when they could’ve put Tony back in once he was healthy. But Dak was 8-1 and I guess the thought process was “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But it was “breaking” at that point, the league had figured out that Dak, when pressured, didn’t have the poise in the pocket, or the precision with his passing that Tony had. Tony had his best year in 2014, with a healthy Demarco and a younger, stronger Oline. Imagine what he would’ve done with Zeke in his first year.

A lot of if's, but if Dak had merely played well enough to keep the team at .500, and Romo had come back, say against the Steelers in Week 10, with the team at 4-4 going into that game instead of 7-1, and we win that game to go 5-4, we almost certainly finish better than the #6 seed Detroit (9-7). That would have sent us to Green Bay in the first round.

I don't see that 2016 defense winning a championship, but I do see Romo winning his second passing title, and that would be a Hall of Fame resume. The biggest "if" is whether Tony could have stayed healthy through all of that.

 

[staubach24]

A lot of if's, but if Dak had merely played well enough to keep the team at .500, and Romo had come back, say against the Steelers in Week 10, with the team at 4-4 going into that game instead of 7-1, and we win that game to go 5-4, we almost certainly finish better than the #6 seed Detroit (9-7). That would have sent us to Green Bay in the first round.

I don't see that 2016 defense winning a championship, but I do see Romo winning his second passing title, and that would be a Hall of Fame resume. The biggest "if" is whether Tony could have stayed healthy through all of that.

Here is the one thing I can’t get past. Tony was making 20+ million that year. Yet here he is, sitting on the bench(healthy) while his rookie replacement, while barely still winning, keeps the starting job, even though his flaws are starting to show. If Tony is healthy and ready to play, why is he sitting. He didn’t lose his job because of poor play. He lost it because of injury.

 

[G2]

A lot of if's, but if Dak had merely played well enough to keep the team at .500, and Romo had come back, say against the Steelers in Week 10, with the team at 4-4 going into that game instead of 7-1, and we win that game to go 5-4, we almost certainly finish better than the #6 seed Detroit (9-7). That would have sent us to Green Bay in the first round.

I don't see that 2016 defense winning a championship, but I do see Romo winning his second passing title, and that would be a Hall of Fame resume. The biggest "if" is whether Tony could have stayed healthy through all of that.

What passing title?

 

[DFWJC]

Gotta wonder what Dak could have done with Landry as his coach and a couple of Doomsday defenses. The 70's and 90's SB winning teams had both awesome offenses and awesome defenses, Dak hasn't yet had that, and Tony never did, though he did have a couple of pretty good defenses to help him.

Putting the onus on Dak to "bring the level of the team up", or compensate for a poor defense and a lackluster receiving corps is unfair and difficult to do.

You look at quarterbacks like Brees, a sure HOF'er, who has won ONE Super Bowl, and guys like Warren Moon, Dan Marino, etc. who never won one or like Moon never even got there, and it's clear while it's nice to have the Brady or Rodgers or Manning (Peyton) at the helm, having one alone doesn't guarantee SB wins or multiple playoff wins.

Of course having said that, you can't wait forever on a player, as I've said before I feel Dak has to improve this year, regardless of whether or not the rest of the team does, but it doesn't have to be to the level of a Rodgers or Brees or Manning, though that would be nice. You can say don't be afraid to make a change, or use the bird in the hand analogy, either view can work for a championship or two.

Let's see what happens, if Dak signs a multiyear deal, then I'll support him, but will also criticize when needed. Either one doesn't mean I'm a Dak lover or Dak hater, it's not a black or white thing....

As far as having a talented, youthful , balanced roster, Dak has it better than possibly any Dallas QB since Aikman.
Aikman and Staubach had better overall rosters in the non-cap era Cowboy days, but the table is really set for Dak , by 2019 standards.

2019 could (should) be exciting

 

[DallasEast]

Here is the one thing I can’t get past. Tony was making 20+ million that year. Yet here he is, sitting on the bench(healthy) while his rookie replacement, while barely still winning, keeps the starting job, even though his flaws are starting to show. If Tony is healthy and ready to play, why is he sitting. He didn’t lose his job because of poor play. He lost it because of injury.

Romo sustained a preseason injury in August that season and was medically cleared to play by the end of October. The injury was not season ending, as evident in his playing in the final game of the season. Romo would have returned to the starting lineup if Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett had permitted him to do so.

Injury did not take Romo's job. Jones and Garrett prevented Romo from reclaiming it.

 

[408Cowboy]

-snip-
Although I may seem to get on Romo, my real gripe is with fans who want to trash our HOF QBs in order to make him look better.
-snip-

^this times 100000000000000

 

[Blackrain]

Yep not sure why you cant be a fan of both guys . You have to like the different talents they both bring to the game . Both have been successful and neither has been quiet as perfect as we would like but we could have done much worse with an UDFA or a 4th rd pick . Have to say we have gotten very good value from both guys .

Tony gave our team everything he had but when he couldn't practice mid week anymore and his body started to fail him we were pretty lucky to have Dak play as well as he did going from 3rd string to starter in his rookie yr .

I can certainly see people being upset for a while because they wanted Tony back but Dak has been our QB for a while now and Tony has not come out of retirement which tells me his back was not up to the rigors of NFL punishment and he was smart enough to know it and not jeopardize his future .

Dak is what we have now and I like his style so Im all in

 

[408Cowboy]

Bloviate, isn't that what dolphins and whales do? Aren't those bloviate holes?

If you're brave enough