You sound like a typical casual fan. The key to any offense performing efficiently is having a solid QB. If you think any QB could have produced almost 5000 yards last season with 30 TDs, only 11 INTs and almost a 100.0 passer rating you don’t have a clue about football. Another big reason our offense is productive is Dak’s ability to run the read option and use his legs. He’s had 21 rushing TDs during his four seasons. He’s only thrown 36 INTs in four seasons. Jameis Winston had 30 INTs last season. It’s laughable for anyone to think our offense would be real productive with an average QB, especially with an average defense that doesn’t get takeaways. Can you name a team that’s led the league in offense with an average QB? You would have to go back several decades. If you tell me Dak is an average QB this discussion will be over.
No, i'm not a casual fan.
My response is to your post above.
Do I think pretty much any starting QB in the NFL would have produced similar results to Dak Prescott's individual massaged stats of last season - perhaps not. It could be argued that other quarterbacks would have been more efficient in the redzone (we were pretty much bang in the middle last season around 16th from memory). Further, it's ironic because those blaming special teams solely for team losses last season should actually be thanking special teams for some of the starting positions as it actually gave Prescott more individual yards to massage his figures against prevent/zone defenses.
Do I think pretty much any starting QB in the NFL would have finished 8-8 (at worst) with this roster...yes.
It pains me to go through this all AGAIN but...
Wins
Giants x 2 (picked #4 in the 2020 NFL draft...)
Commanders x 2 (picked #2 in the 2020 NFL draft...)
Dolphins (a point in the season when they were horrific after conceding 103 in their previous two games and had scored ten points and went on to lose to the Chargers by 20 points after the Cowboys turned them over)
Lions (Matt Stafford didn't even play for the Lions)
All of the above teams picked in the top 5 in the 2020 NFL draft
Rams (excellent team win and Prescott played well)
Eagles (game was done before half time thanks to our defense and Eagles special teams).
I would go far as to say that ANY starting QB in the NFL last season would have beaten the Giants and Commanders in all four match ups, the Lions game against their backup QB and the Dolphins at that point in the season. So that's 6 games of the 8 that where it was like taking candy from a baby. We steamrolled the Rams, Garrett had many faults but towards the end he did have a good record in those type of must win home games during the regular season (not at the end obviously). Prescott was fine, he did his job and played well in this game but I again think most starting QB's in the league would have won the same game given the way it unfolded. Prescott didn't really play well against the Eagles - the defense, the Eagles special teams and Zeke did the damage in that game. So for me, pretty much any starting QB in the NFL would have won this game.
Maybe i'm old fashioned but if a QB is to earn $35-45 million a year then he has to be able to perform to a level whereby the team wins a few games regardless of special teams, the defense or whatever else people like to blame. I.e. his individual play is able to overcome adversity. The quarterback can influence the game more than any other player during a game. Obviously I'm not expecting or claiming that a QB should carry a team to victory in every game but yes once or twice during the regular season a franchise QB has to earn his money and deliver the goods. Otherwise there is no point in paying a QB big bucks - spend that money elsewhere and roll with a rookie or cheap vet QB.
Losses
10-12:
Saints and Teddy Bridgewater. A franchise QB in his fourth season simply has to do more regardless of any adversity when facing a backup QB and playing as a QB in an offense that only put up 10 points. Just can't be losing a game like that if we want to be considered as genuine contenders.
24-34: The debacle versus the
Packers. Not all three interceptions were on Prescott but he contributed to the problems which led to the game effectively being done before prevent defense etc resulted in Blake Bortles on steroids type fantasy points being racked up by Prescott.
22-24:
Jets. The Jets entered the game 0-4 and gave up 31 points before and 33 points after this game. Very disappointing that this productive offense could only put up 22 points.
24-28:
Vikings. Prescott's best performance regardless what the stats say. Vikings had a good defense last season and if Prescott played like this on a regular basis then I wouldn't have an issue with him and I would say pay the man. Prescott was excellent and was let down by others in this game yet we still lost.
9-13:
Patriots. A lot of people blamed Prescott for this loss but I didn't at the time. It was played in horrible conditions and Brady didn't play well either. It was a war of attrition and ultimately the better coach won a bad game. On reflection we didn't have to do much more to win this game but despite the low scoring and given it was against a strong defense this loss wasn't on Prescott for me.
15-26:
Buffalo. Many issues in this game again but I personally felt that Josh Allen looked the franchise QB on the day. I do rate Buffalo, they are a good team yet Prescott still didn't play well regardless.
24-31:
Bears. Score was misleading as this was a blowout until garbage time massaging QB stats late on. Many issues again in this game but Prescott threw the ball on 49 occasions and only completed 27 passes. The Bears have a good defense and when they are on it, they are a difficult team to beat at home. I'm not naive to just blame Prescott for the defeat but he didn't play well either.
9-17:
Eagles. This was the game where in my view, most starting QBs in the NFL would have won if playing for the Cowboys. Some have given Prescott a pass because of the shoulder injury. Debatable how much it hindered him given how he looked a week later when balling out against a Commanders team already thinking of who they would be picking at #2 in the draft. The Eagles were just so there for the taking. Yes there were some poor drops but I'm genuinely of the view that we would have won with Cooper Rush as we just needed a few basic, regulation throws to be made against a secondary as open as an 84 year old Bangkok working girl. I suppose this could be blamed on the coaching/front office/doctors - I don't know how it works. If Prescott's shoulder was that bad then given how badly he played, he simply shouldn't have been out there. Garrett could have pulled him at half time as well but perhaps Prescott insisted that he started and carried on playing.
I haven't given Prescott any credit or props for beating the Giants (x2), Commanders (x2), Dolphins (worst team in the NFL at the time by a country mile) or the Lions (Stafford didn't even play and they weren't a good team last season). That's 6 of the 8 wins the Dallas Cowboys won last season. Prescott played his part in the blowout win over the Rams whilst the Eagles game was more about other factors than Prescott's blinding QB play.
Of the eight losses, the Eagles game was an absolute gimme and just an awful loss. A franchise QB has to be winning that game end of story - Prescott didn't even need to play well for the team to win, just not badly. I'm also of the view that a franchise QB should have been able to help the offense put up at least 13 points to beat the Saints with a backup QB. Finally, I would want a franchise QB to be putting in one uplifting performance against either the Jets, Bears or the Bills to secure a win in one of those three games. I don't think that's asking much of a franchise QB, i.e. just do not be a key reason why we lose what should have been a regulation game versus the Eagles, put up 13 points on the Saints against a back up QB and win one of three winnable games which required a QB to inspire the team to victory.
Given the schedule we were around an 11-5 team last season yet ended up 8-8 and missing the play offs altogether. There were other contributory factors which have been discussed until the cows have come home but regardless of all of that, we should have still finished at the very minimum 10-6 yet we didn't. Go figure...
That was a whole lot of writing and a complete waste of time as nobody will be changing their minds whatever side of the fence they sit on regarding Prescott! We have all seen him play for four years and formed our own opinion of where we rank him. For me, he's in the 15-20 quarterback bracket in the league.
