News: DS: Cowboys QB Search: 1-on-1 With Dustin Vaughan

[CCBoy]

Mar 01, 2015 | 11:13 am
Cowboys QB Search: 1-on-1 With Dustin Vaughan

Jordan RossCowboysHQ.com
http://dal.scout.com/story/1522392-cowboys-qb-search-1-on-1-with-dustin-vaughan?s=112


When Dustin Vaughan made the 53-man roster before the start of the 2014 regular season, it had many fans scratching their heads. Now more decisions loom for the club as the search for QB help is, justifiably, never-ending. Where does Vaughan fit? We analyze, and go 1-on-1 with him, inside:



When Dustin Vaughan made the 53-man roster before the start of the regular season, it had many fans scratching their heads. Why put this guy on the roster if he's not going to play a single snap? The Cowboys clearly liked Vaughan enough that they weren't willing to risk waiving him and having another team scoop him up. They saw some serious potential in the 6-5, 235-pound undrafted rookie quarterback from West Texas A&M.

With the 2015 draft quickly approaching, Vaughan, 24, reflects back at what it was like being a rookie and how different the NFL is from college.

"Honestly, you don't even realize until you get into the NFL how much more preparation goes into it," Vaughan told **click-bait** in an exclusive interview. "No longer is it something you do on the side along with your academics in college. This is your job."

Since Vaughan never played a regular-season snap, fans never got a chance to see him improve throughout the season. However, that doesn't mean that Vaughan didn't make serious improvements.

"I've improved on the mental aspect of the game more than anything," Vaughan said. "Coming from a Division II school, I knew it would be a big jump. There were a lot of specific things I needed to work on as far as accuracy. I learned that ball placement is huge in the NFL. It's not just about whether you can complete the passes, it's all about where you hit the receiver in his body."

While Vaughan did most of his learning on the practice field and meeting rooms at Valley Ranch, he learned a thing or two standing on the sideline during games, watching fellow undrafted quarterback Tony Romo.

"It was awesome to be able to watch him and see how he handled the season," Vaughan said. "With the run game and O-line we had, I got to see Tony really utilize the run game as a weapon to open up the passing game. No longer was he having to throw 40 or 50 passes in a game, it was 20 or 30. What impressed me the most about Tony was that he was so accurate. He went 18-for-20 in one game, which is something you don't see often."

Tony Romo wasn't the only undrafted quarterback who made an impression on Dustin Vaughan. Head coach Jason Garrett caught his attention as well.

"There are two things I like about Jason Garrett that I think allowed him to be in running for Coach of the Year," Vaughan said. "One, he taught us that we could do all of these things right, but to be in the running to win a Super Bowl, you have to be able to fight hard and fight for each other. He pressed that into us. I think that's one big reason we were so successful this year. And two, he holds himself well. He's very professional. Everyone buys into the way he carries himself. He teaches us to be a good professional. It's a job - a high-profile job. The media and TV is on top of you and we're responsible to understand how vulnerable that is and to act like professionals in every aspect of the game, both on and off the field."

As much as he learned in 2014 from the practice field, Tony Romo and his head coach, Vaughan understands that he has much more room to grow and that he is still in the beginning of his NFL journey.

"I just want to continue to learn as much as I can," Vaughan says. "I've learned so much but there's still a whole lot I can learn. I want to be able to kick it up a notch in my second season. I hope I can take what I've learned and apply it in practice and games so the coaches can see that I have improved drastically.''

Considering the success the Dallas Cowboys have had with other undrafted quarterbacks, Vaughan has a pretty good shot. But this is a "Talent-Upgrade Business.'' The Cowboys will eventually need to replace Romo, will eventually wish to upgrade from Weeden, will ponder cheap ways to get better (can you blame the Cowboys Crunchtime Podcast for examining a washed-out Manziel?) ... may even use the draft this year or next to do so. Romo won't play forever. Nor, says the smart money, will he last 16 games a year.

"My hope going into every season from now,'' Vaughan said, "is to be able to play and be prepared when and if that time comes."

 

[Bullflop]

Vaughn sounds like an intelligent kid -- a valuable commodity for any QB vying for a backup spot or otherwise. You can't help but admire his size and arm strength as well. It'd be quite an accomplishment if he followed in Tony's footsteps as a pleasant surprise, free agent QB. No doubt, we'll all be looking forward to following his progress in training camp and beyond. Could be like striking gold in a grand manner, not just once but twice.

 

[Dave_in-NC]

Who's listed as number two this season will speak to where he is. That is if Weeden is still here and we don't sign a journeyman.

 

[iceberg]

Good read.

 

[Big D]

We need to invest a few years into this kid the way we did with Romo. He's better than Weeden right now. I feel like we got lucky with Romo and the real reason he's done so well was the time he was afforded to learn the system before he had to play. We should learn from that.

 

[Dave_in-NC]

We need to invest a few years into this kid the way we did with Romo. He's better than Weeden right now. I feel like we got lucky with Romo and the real reason he's done so well was the time he was afforded to learn the system before he had to play. We should learn from that.

And most hated Parcells for it.

 

[Sportsbabe]

Mar 01, 2015 | 11:13 am
Cowboys QB Search: 1-on-1 With Dustin Vaughan

Jordan RossCowboysHQ.com
http://dal.scout.com/story/1522392-cowboys-qb-search-1-on-1-with-dustin-vaughan?s=112


When Dustin Vaughan made the 53-man roster before the start of the 2014 regular season, it had many fans scratching their heads. Now more decisions loom for the club as the search for QB help is, justifiably, never-ending. Where does Vaughan fit? We analyze, and go 1-on-1 with him, inside:



When Dustin Vaughan made the 53-man roster before the start of the regular season, it had many fans scratching their heads. Why put this guy on the roster if he's not going to play a single snap? The Cowboys clearly liked Vaughan enough that they weren't willing to risk waiving him and having another team scoop him up. They saw some serious potential in the 6-5, 235-pound undrafted rookie quarterback from West Texas A&M.

With the 2015 draft quickly approaching, Vaughan, 24, reflects back at what it was like being a rookie and how different the NFL is from college.

"Honestly, you don't even realize until you get into the NFL how much more preparation goes into it," Vaughan told **click-bait** in an exclusive interview. "No longer is it something you do on the side along with your academics in college. This is your job."

Since Vaughan never played a regular-season snap, fans never got a chance to see him improve throughout the season. However, that doesn't mean that Vaughan didn't make serious improvements.

"I've improved on the mental aspect of the game more than anything," Vaughan said. "Coming from a Division II school, I knew it would be a big jump. There were a lot of specific things I needed to work on as far as accuracy. I learned that ball placement is huge in the NFL. It's not just about whether you can complete the passes, it's all about where you hit the receiver in his body."

While Vaughan did most of his learning on the practice field and meeting rooms at Valley Ranch, he learned a thing or two standing on the sideline during games, watching fellow undrafted quarterback Tony Romo.

"It was awesome to be able to watch him and see how he handled the season," Vaughan said. "With the run game and O-line we had, I got to see Tony really utilize the run game as a weapon to open up the passing game. No longer was he having to throw 40 or 50 passes in a game, it was 20 or 30. What impressed me the most about Tony was that he was so accurate. He went 18-for-20 in one game, which is something you don't see often."

Tony Romo wasn't the only undrafted quarterback who made an impression on Dustin Vaughan. Head coach Jason Garrett caught his attention as well.

"There are two things I like about Jason Garrett that I think allowed him to be in running for Coach of the Year," Vaughan said. "One, he taught us that we could do all of these things right, but to be in the running to win a Super Bowl, you have to be able to fight hard and fight for each other. He pressed that into us. I think that's one big reason we were so successful this year. And two, he holds himself well. He's very professional. Everyone buys into the way he carries himself. He teaches us to be a good professional. It's a job - a high-profile job. The media and TV is on top of you and we're responsible to understand how vulnerable that is and to act like professionals in every aspect of the game, both on and off the field."

As much as he learned in 2014 from the practice field, Tony Romo and his head coach, Vaughan understands that he has much more room to grow and that he is still in the beginning of his NFL journey.

"I just want to continue to learn as much as I can," Vaughan says. "I've learned so much but there's still a whole lot I can learn. I want to be able to kick it up a notch in my second season. I hope I can take what I've learned and apply it in practice and games so the coaches can see that I have improved drastically.''

Considering the success the Dallas Cowboys have had with other undrafted quarterbacks, Vaughan has a pretty good shot. But this is a "Talent-Upgrade Business.'' The Cowboys will eventually need to replace Romo, will eventually wish to upgrade from Weeden, will ponder cheap ways to get better (can you blame the Cowboys Crunchtime Podcast for examining a washed-out Manziel?) ... may even use the draft this year or next to do so. Romo won't play forever. Nor, says the smart money, will he last 16 games a year.

"My hope going into every season from now,'' Vaughan said, "is to be able to play and be prepared when and if that time comes."

Excellent read.

 

[Big D]

And most hated Parcells for it.

What's crazy is that if Quincy doesn't think he's Bob Marley none of it happens. It's a very fine line.

 

[Sportsbabe]

Vaughn sounds like an intelligent kid -- a valuable commodity for any QB vying for a backup spot or otherwise. You can't help but admire his size and arm strength as well. It'd be quite an accomplishment if he followed in Tony's footsteps as a pleasant surprise, free agent QB. No doubt, we'll all be looking forward to following his progress in training camp and beyond. Could be like striking gold in a grand manner, not just once but twice.

His size is what I covet. When is the last time we've had a big strong QB in the pocket? His desire & smarts makes it perfect.

 

[Sportsbabe]

We need to invest a few years into this kid the way we did with Romo. He's better than Weeden right now. I feel like we got lucky with Romo and the real reason he's done so well was the time he was afforded to learn the system before he had to play. We should learn from that.

9 likes

 

[StarBoyz83]

I think dallas might have something with him. Watching his college tapes he looks decent. Id rather give vaughn a shot than winston who will go # 1 this year.

 

[jrumann59]

What's crazy is that if Quincy doesn't think he's Bob Marley none of it happens. It's a very fine line.

Yeah he would be a saint or a bronco

 

[big dog cowboy]

Hopefully we won't have the usual CZ meltdown when the Cowboys sign another QB in a couple of months just so there is an extra arm in training camp. Can't wait to see Vaughan in preseason.

 

[reddyuta]

I think we can cut Weeden if Vaughan has a good TC and pre season.

 

[StarMan2112]

Pulling for the kid, but his accuracy is a concern. I think it was Bill Polian who said you can't teach accuracy; you either have it or you don't.

 

[dogunwo]

Who's listed as number two this season will speak to where he is. That is if Weeden is still here and we don't sign a journeyman.

He is one if the players I am most excited about watching play this preseason. I hope he gets some first team reps, so the team (and us fans) can have a better idea of where he is in his development and find out if he is closer to being a starter one day or is he the Stephen McGee remix.

 

[Dave_in-NC]

He is one if the players I am most excited about watching pay this preseason. I hope he gets some first team reps, so the team (and us fans) can have a better idea of where he is in his development and find out if he is closer to being a starter one day or is he the Stephen McGee remix.

I hope for the Cowboys sake he's awesome. Would be great to have a Romo part two.