I Just Don't See A Huge Gap Between Dak and Rush

[ClintDagger]

When Rush got off to a slow start and the I told you so’s started, I said give it a few games and the noticeable difference between the two will be negligible. People underestimate how much being QB1 all through camp and for several regular season games helps bolster the starter. Now that Rush has had that for a good run of weeks here we are.

 

[G2]

No, Rush gets rid of the ball much quicker. Makes the protection look better, but there's no difference except that they have to hold their blocks longer w/ Dak.

Rush has better protection and the WRs are now getting more separation.

 

[doomsday9084]

Dak is clearly a better QB than Rush, but how about a Baker Mayfield or Geno Smith? You can win with those guys, pay half the price, and lose nothing as far as productivity.

Throw in Sam Darnold and Russel Wilson. Fun stat: Out of the 25 QB's that have a better passer rating than Dak this year, 5 of them were recent unrestricted free agents and 4 of them are rookies this year. Another is Cooper Rush.

QB scarcity is a thing of the past. If you have a good line and good skill position players, there are a lot of QB's in the NFL that are going to look fine. There are only a small number who can make a bad offensive group look good and Dak isn't one of them.

 

[CaptainAmerica12]

Rush has better protection and the WRs are now getting more separation.

Dak holds the ball too long and throws too late. Which is odd, because he only looks at half of the field. Go to a game and sit in the endzone if you want a true sense of how limited Dak truly is.

 

[G2]

C Cooper Beebe's PFF grade by week:
Weeks 1-6: 55.4
Weeks 7-16: 71.6

The team, O line specifically has improved as the season progressed.

Dak holds the ball too long and throws too late. Which is odd, because he only looks at half of the field. Go to a game and sit in the endzone if you want a true sense of how limited Dak truly is.

Not accurate. Some fans will try to suggest the team is no different, just the change at QB. Grossly incorrect.

 

[cowboyec]

dak has a stronger arm.
but the thing rush does better is get the ball out quicker.
dak has gotten better at it...but still has room for improvement there.
when healthy and all things equal...dak is the better qb.
love coop.
glad he's here.
coach mccarthy has done a helluva job having him prepared so the team doesn't go over the cliff.
back up qb's don't usually have a starting record of over .500.
cooper does.
credit him...but also coach mccarthy.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

Isn’t “The REAL issue” what do you want Jerry Jones to do about “Dak vs. Cooper Rush” now? What steps, as the Dallas Cowboys Owner/General Manager, should Jerry take? The contract with Dak Prescott is a real thing. The team has to honor it. Any movement away from Dak can only be what is stipulated in the contract and at a cost, financially, already stipulated in the contract.

Do you have a suggestion? All the “gush for Rush” doesn’t change the reality the Cowboys must deal with. Any ideas?

Pay the cost to move on.

You start to move on AFTER Dak's contract expires? Why do you hate us?

 

[CaptainAmerica12]

C Cooper Beebe's PFF grade by week:
Weeks 1-6: 55.4
Weeks 7-16: 71.6

The team, O line specifically has improved as the season progressed.

Not accurate. Some fans will try to suggest the team is no different, just the change at QB. Grossly incorrect.

"But guys, Cooper Beebe's Madden rating went up between week 8 and 16." It's the same argument. I'm not suggesting the team is no different. I think with limited training camp, if there is significant change in personnel, it takes longer for a team to gel. For the Cowboys, this mostly applies to the Defense due to the change in scheme. I'm suggesting that Dak is a limited QB that is more reliant on everything being perfect for him to succeed. Example 1A, Cooper Rush.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

C Cooper Beebe's PFF grade by week:
Weeks 1-6: 55.4
Weeks 7-16: 71.6

The team, O line specifically has improved as the season progressed.

Not accurate. Some fans will try to suggest the team is no different, just the change at QB. Grossly incorrect.

And others will act like Cooper has done nothing and in fact inhibits the team. "Grossly incorrect".

 

[CaptainAmerica12]

dak has a stronger arm.
but the thing rush does better is get the ball out quicker.
dak has gotten better at it...but still has room for improvement there.
when healthy and all things equal...dak is the better qb.
love coop.
glad he's here.
coach mccarthy has done a helluva job having him prepared so the team doesn't go over the cliff.
back up qb's don't usually have a starting record of over .500.
cooper does.
credit him...but also coach mccarthy.

Dak's issue is between the ears. You're never going to fix it.

 

[beware_d-ware]

It's definitely concerning that Rush is squeezing more juice than Dak out of the same lemon.

 

[SuspectCorner]

Still yet to hear which of those early games Rush was going to be this great difference in. Maybe the Atlanta game, but really people aren't paying attention to the team as a whole and just hating on Dak because it is easy.

Irrelevant. Like the man said, ‘It’s the economy, ******!’

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

According to a lot of experts on this board though, Rush (nor any non Dak human) was likely to win even one game in his absence.

Yet, over multiple years he has far exceeded that. Actually beating some solid competition along the way.

Knowing this, you really don't think he could have gotten us as good a record or padded his stats against the bottom feeders in those years? With the team playing unified like they seem to do when he is in perhaps even a playoff win?

If Rush had been given the same opportunities as Dak, I don't see how anyone can deny that he might very well have.

The mantra was "only Dak". "What choice do we have". Now that the choice has slapped them square in the face, they don't say much, except the "well the rest of the team is (suddenly, magically) playing better".

 

[Staubacher]

Rush would have been a perfect stopgap in between the Dak era and a young QB. Too bad they ruined this opportunity.

Exactly what should have happened. This season is proving that beyond a doubt.

 

[G2]

"But guys, Cooper Beebe's Madden rating went up between week 8 and 16." It's the same argument. I'm not suggesting the team is no different. I think with limited training camp, if there is significant change in personnel, it takes longer for a team to gel. For the Cowboys, this mostly applies to the Defense due to the change in scheme. I'm suggesting that Dak is a limited QB that is more reliant on everything being perfect for him to succeed. Example 1A, Cooper Rush.

When given an example providing facts, you dismiss them. There are plenty of other examples if you chose to look. You don't want the truth, you want your narrative.

 

[G2]

And others will act like Cooper has done nothing and in fact inhibits the team. "Grossly incorrect".

Cool, go whine to them.

 

[KingCorcoran]

Pay the cost to move on.

You start to move on AFTER Dak's contract expires? Why do you hate us?

“Pay the cost to move on.” OK. Now, how about a solution that does not require Jerry Jones pay Dak Prescott for either not playing or to play for another team (like Russell Wilson). Because Jerry Jones is not going to walk away from a deal he agreed to before it even commences.

For better or for worse, Dak Prescott is the Cowboys starting quarterback for the next few years. If Cooper Rush is considered capable of being a starting quarterback in the NFL he’ll have suitors. If not, he’ll be a back up quarterback for Dallas or some other team.

These fantastic scenarios, in deference to Prescott, suggested here are as entertaining as they are stupid.

 

[CowboyoWales]

Isn’t “The REAL issue” what do you want Jerry Jones to do about “Dak vs. Cooper Rush” now? What steps, as the Dallas Cowboys Owner/General Manager, should Jerry take? The contract with Dak Prescott is a real thing. The team has to honor it. Any movement away from Dak can only be what is stipulated in the contract and at a cost, financially, already stipulated in the contract.

Do you have a suggestion? All the “gush for Rush” doesn’t change the reality the Cowboys must deal with. Any ideas?

Take the hit in 2025, restructure CeeDee if extra CAP is needed. Dak obviously starts, and the decision is made after the 2025 season based on whether it's possible to go All-In, behind Dak in 2026, or concede Dak and the roster isn't going to make the SB and he's cut Post-June.
Btw -Jerry's not brave, imaginative, or young enough to cut Dak.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

“Pay the cost to move on.” OK. Now, how about a solution that does not require Jerry Jones pay Dak Prescott for either not playing or to play for another team (like Russell Wilson). Because Jerry Jones is not going to walk away from a deal he agreed to before it even commences.

For better or for worse, Dak Prescott is the Cowboys starting quarterback for the next few years. If Cooper Rush is considered capable of being a starting quarterback in the NFL he’ll have suitors. If not, he’ll be a back up quarterback for Dallas or some other team.

These fantastic scenarios, in deference to Prescott, suggested here are as entertaining as they are stupid.

Just because you think Jerry would never do it, doesn't mean it's "entertaining and stupid". You gave just one example yourself that it's been done before.

The fact that you think Jerry WOULDN'T do it...means it's probably not a bad idea after all.

 

[Landryhat73]

We can restructure that and save $36M on next year's cap.

What will we do with those savings? That's up to Jerry and Stephen.

Speaking of the Joneses, they've been cheap in regards to outside free agents for YEARS (even back when Dak was on a rookie deal), and we still won 12 games each of the last 3 years.

Blaming Dak's contract for their cheapness is silly.

But that $36 million still needs to be paid.