ESPN: Does Dallas really have a chance with Dak Prescott?

[Reality]

Cowboys fans with even the shortest memories probably expected Tony Romo to get injured at some point during this 2016 season. They just weren't expecting him to get hurt before September. For the second time in three years, Romo has broken bones in his back, and while he was able to play through the transverse fractures in his back in 2014, he won't be able to play through the compressed vertebrae he suffered against the Seahawks. Early reports suggest Romo will be out for a minimum of six games, leaving the Cowboys in a vulnerable state heading into the regular season.

One saving grace in light of what has been an injury-filled August is fourth-round pick Dak Prescott, who has been one of the breakout players of the 2016 preseason. Among quarterbacks with 25 attempts or more this preseason, Prescott leads the league in passer rating (137.8). He's third in completion percentage (78.0 percent), fifth in yards per attempt (9.1 yards per throw) and has thrown for five touchdowns without an interception. Toss in two rushing touchdowns and Prescott has arguably been the offensive MVP of the preseason.

Still, the questions for the Cowboys are everywhere.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/pag...t-dak-prescott-playing-much-tony-romo-injured

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

That's the beauty of it. Nobody really knows.

 

[Tabascocat]

I'm just glad to hear that the coaches are installing new schemes. That is half the battle right there for success

 

[ConstantReboot]

What a long and winded article which can easily be summed as " we don't know yet."

 

[Longboysfan]

What a long and winded article which can easily be summed as " we don't know yet."

They get paid by the word.

 

[gimmesix]

What a long and winded article which can easily be summed as " we don't know yet."

Well, really, what else can any of us say? I think we can look at what he has done the preseason and be hopeful about it while also realizing he's a fourth-round rookie who can't really be expected to play like a seasoned pro.

 

[CooterBrown]

This was the problem last season:

Romo goes out injured and the team's focus was: "just win a game or two, maybe three, and then when he gets back we'll march on into the playoffs." Garrett should have told the public, the coaches, and the team, "We will assume Tony is not coming back this year. The name of the game is winning. We have a quarterback. He is not a stand-in. He is the quarterback until further notice. I expect him to lead, and I expect the team to follow. We are not in the "win a few mode," and we will not hold our breath waiting for an injured teammate to save us. We will run our offense and defense and leave nothing on the field. We will win or lose with who we have and not worry about who we don't have."

And, it starts again this year: "We should get Tony back in 6-10 weeks."

It sounds like more fretting and hand wringing than leading going on here. They should forget Tony coming back. If he does, then you decide where you are and where to go from there. But if you just try to hang on until he does come back, it will be too late to change the focus and effort of the team.

Since I'm voicing my opinion here, I also think they should not scale back the offense. In fact, I think they need to expand it to maximize Dak's athleticism. Going into a "safe" mode on offense is a sure way to lose. (see last season). Make Dak study, work hard, and overcome his mistakes. But, accept the fact that there will be mistakes and bad days. If he is the future, it will make him better and stronger. If he folds, he isn't the future.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

This was the problem last season:

Romo goes out injured and the team's focus was: "just win a game or two, maybe three, and then when he gets back we'll march on into the playoffs." Garrett should have told the public, the coaches, and the team, "We will assume Tony is not coming back this year. The name of the game is winning. We have a quarterback. He is not a stand-in. He is the quarterback until further notice. I expect him to lead, and I expect the team to follow. We are not in the "win a few mode," and we will not hold our breath waiting for an injured teammate to save us. We will run our offense and defense and leave nothing on the field. We will win or lose with who we have and not worry about who we don't have."

And, it starts again this year: "We should get Tony back in 6-10 weeks."

It sounds like more fretting and hand wringing than leading going on here. They should forget Tony coming back. If he does, then you decide where you are and where to go from there. But if you just try to hang on until he does come back, it will be too late to change the focus and effort of the team.

Since I'm voicing my opinion here, I also think they should not scale back the offense. In fact, I think they need to expand it to maximize Dak's athleticism. Going into a "safe" mode on offense is a sure way to lose. (see last season). Make Dak study, work hard, and overcome his mistakes. But, accept the fact that there will be mistakes and bad days. If he is the future, it will make him better and stronger. If he folds, he isn't the future.

Tony cannot be the savior of this franchise anymore. If he comes back then he comes back but we can't play this game every year.

 

[Reality]

My favorite part ..

as distressing as the idea of turning things over to a rookie fourth-rounder might be, the idea of Prescott getting injured and the Cowboys being stuck with Kellen Moore and Jameill Showers under center is far, far worse.

I guess no one told him Kellen broke his leg.

 

[Super_Kazuya]

The Sam Bradford line is pretty funny too. Preseason will always be preseason.

This actually is a fairly sobering article that emphasizes the historical reality that it will be an enormous challenge getting even league average play out of Prescott.

 

[okstateCowboy]

The Sam Bradford line is pretty funny too. Preseason will always be preseason.

This actually is a fairly sobering article that emphasizes the historical reality that it will be an enormous challenge getting even league average play out of Prescott.

The part on Romo's cap situation is really sobering too..

 

[EGTuna]

Barnwell is mostly terrific, but he's not always right. He crushed the Cowboys for the Bailey deal when it first happened, and now it's widely considered one of the better contracts for an elite K in the league. Not to mention the obvious Kellen Moore gaffe in the article. Oh yeah, he also fails to mention that Zeke ran plenty of times out of the shotgun at OSU; particularly in zone-read plays/formations, and that in 2014, Murray ran a lot of times out of the shotgun (S11 personnel) and had success. He also always seems to think the cap numbers exist in a vacuum vs. the current cap. The cap goes up, and so the dead $ becomes less of a % of the total cap. People have been saying this about Dallas forever, and they've NEVER had trouble signing someone they wanted, so until it happens, I don't buy it.

So, yeah. His data-backed up point about there's no historical precedent for Dak being successful is valid, and concerning, but his article is not well researched and mostly fluff (especially compared to other articles of his).

 

[jobberone]

Last year's performance was NO ROMO and no capable backups not coaching. I don't think Dak can keep up the pace of preseason once he starts getting blitzed over and over but I strongly believe you will see more performance from Dak than you did from any of the other QBs last year. They just couldn't play. We'll see soon if Dak is real or not but I suspect he will do better than the average rookie.

I won't hold my breath we can score 30+PPG with Dak though. It's still difficult for rookie QBs to get their teams to the playoffs esp with defenses as mediocre as ours. It will be impossible if they don't generate some turnovers. We'll likely need a TO Diff of 10+.

 

[John813]

I'm just glad to hear that the coaches are installing new schemes. That is half the battle right there for success

Run the ball on first down and only throw check down passes.

jk

 

[ActualCowboysFan]

One, they're often playing against the opposing team's backups with the second and third strings.


This meme needs to die. Dak has played against the ones for the vast majority of his snaps.

 

[George]

I just worry about ints with Dak. Otherwise, he'll be good for years to come.

 

[DakotaReign]

My favorite part ..

I guess no one told him Kellen broke his leg.

How much longer is he out for? Will he be back before Tony?

 

[65fastback2plus2]

My favorite part ..

I guess no one told him Kellen broke his leg.

they figured kellen good leg and kellen broke leg were equivalent in capability lol

 

[Reality]

How much longer is he out for? Will he be back before Tony?

Last I heard it was speculated he was out 3-4 months. He most likely had ligament damage which required surgery. If he had pins or plates inserted, he may have to have a second surgery to remove them depending on where they were positioned.

I fully expect the Cowboys to put Kellen on IR by final cuts if they haven't already.

 

[KJJ]

How much longer is he out for? Will he be back before Tony?

It was reported he'll be out 3-4 months when he broke it.