Let’s clarify what passing accuracy really means

CouchCoach

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One throw in particular he made yesterday was that crosser to Gallup and the first comment from Aikman was that it was behind him but after he saw the replay, he saw what Prescott saw, the DB closing on Gallup and if he'd put that ball in front of Gallup, he would have been serving him up to that DB. Some QB's don't care, Cutler didn't, he'd hang WR after WR out there.

One thing that's really not been pointed out about all of this Prescott and his accuracy is that he is "accurate enough". He sees the field better in his 4th season that the other 3 because he's been learning how to be a NFL QB and seeing the field is the tricky part. Some QB's never learn how to see the field, they're just strong arms and try to power the ball to the target.

The best example I can think of with this point Bullet is making was Bernie Kosar. He was unorthodox but he was really good at getting the ball to his receivers and the other thing he didn't do was try to "Favre" them by knocking them down. He knew how to get the ball to where his receiver was going to be.

Touch is another element of a QB's game and a lot of them never learn it and Dak had that at Miss St and the object is not to make a pretty pass or wow people with the speed but to get it to the receiver where he can catch it and preferably be headed downfield and we saw improvement in that yesterday. Comebacks are necessary but the Cowboys ran too many dead end routes making YAC more difficult.

The challenge this forum has is the same one we had with Romo. When it becomes so polarized about a player or a coach, very hard for some to back that down a little and give some credit. For Dak Prescott to be in command of that offense yesterday with a brand new OC and WR was very impressive. From that first drive, I did not get the feeling this was their first date.
 

gimmesix

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Ben Roethelesberger is known to be a very accurate QB and he looked terrible last night. Even great QBs have bad games. Being a top NFL QB is extremely difficult. It’s why they make the big bucks.

All I'm looking for is some level of consistency. I don't think we can ever expect a quarterback to never have a bad game or throw a bad pass. It is the overall picture that we need to see. The overall for Dak yesterday was a franchise-level great game. It's unrealistic to expect that level in every game, but we need him to be the guy he was the last half of last year or in 2016. For some who are seeking perfection that might not be good enough, but I think it is realistically what we should expect from the position.
 

Super_Kazuya

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According to Moore, Dak told him he lost grip on the ball, he kind of double clutched it to try to get a grip and did what he had to so that Jarwin had a chance to make a play on the ball
It’s a good excuse, at any rate...
Yesterday Dak lobbed a terribly thrown pass in the general direction of an open Jarwin, but it made no difference because of a hapless, bumbling Giants defense wasn’t even in the picture.
Nearly a year ago to the day, Dak lobbed a terribly thrown pass in the general direction of an open Jarwin... and Carolina’s defense came to play that day and didn’t let him get away with it. Ended up being a one score loss, too.
Accuracy is only important when you need it, apparently...
 

Pantone282C

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Reminds me of the Jarwin TD yesterday. In the middle of his throw Dak adjusted and slung it downfield to a wide open Jarwin. The mechanics were awful and the pass was behind Jarwin but it got there for a TD.
I saw him get ready to throw, wait until the Dlineman bit on the pass block attempt, and complete the pass before the secondary could close in. It wasn't pretty, but it was what was needed.
 

Doomsday101

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It’s a good excuse, at any rate...
Yesterday Dak lobbed a terribly thrown pass in the general direction of an open Jarwin, but it made no difference because of a hapless, bumbling Giants defense wasn’t even in the picture.
Nearly a year ago to the day, Dak lobbed a terribly thrown pass in the general direction of an open Jarwin... and Carolina’s defense came to play that day and didn’t let him get away with it. Ended up being a one score loss, too.
Accuracy is only important when you need it, apparently...

I did not say it was a great pass but it was 1 pass out of many and he hit 78% of his passes several more than some dink or dunk throws and did so accurately. I know you will never admit that Dak can actually play QB that is your choice.
 

ABQCOWBOY

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I hate to say it but a lot of Dak's critics hold him to different standards, as in perfection. Sadly, I'm not sure most realize it....

I don't think it's fair to characterize folks who critique Dak as "Dak's critics". I realize how that sounds, BTW, but the truth is, as a fan base, as an organization, the starting QB, the Franchise, if you will, is going to be held to a higher standard because in Dallas, that's the way it is. That's the way it was for Don Meredith with Eddie LeBaron, it was that way with Roger Stauback with Dandy Don, was like that for Danny White with Roger, was like that for Troy Aikman with Roger and Danny, was like that for Tony Romo with all of the QBs before him in the organization because it was so long before since we had a good QB at the time, and it will be like that for Dak with Tony. And IMO, it should be that way. Dak, like the great QBs before him in the organization should be tested by fire. The pedestal they will occupy, if successful, is the biggest and brightest in sports in America. That spot light is brighter and it should be hard. It should be the way it is because that guy better be the guy. Is it fair, maybe or maybe not but I don't care. That guy is the guy and he better be able to come out of the otherside strong. I don't think it's a realization thing. I think it's about being the next Great QB for America's Team.
 
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Super_Kazuya

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I did not say it was a great pass but it was 1 pass out of many and he hit 78% of his passes several more than some dink or dunk throws and did so accurately. I know you will never admit that Dak can actually play QB that is your choice.
Completion percentage =/= Accuracy. He looked like the same old Dak to me... will rip a great pass right into the thick of things, then throw 3 or 4 in a row all over the place, causing defenders to have to reach and stop.
As for footwork, I will reserve my judgment to next week to see if the Commanders can actually make him have to move an inch...
 

ryanbabs

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Here’s a simple definition of QB passing accuracy I really like: The QB’s passes are where the receiver can catch them.

I don’t know about you, but the Dak critics that continually point out that his passes don’t look pretty enough or he missed this throw or that throw are either not paying attention or will never accept Dak’s abilities. He may never be a top 5 QB in this league but if your QB helps you win, who cares? Dak will have a bad game at some point this year as he has had in the past. Happens to every QB. But he has had and will have a lot more good ones than bad IMO.

NFL history is littered with QBs who threw beautiful tight spirals in tight windows...and were perennial losers. How about the much ballyhooed (in his day) Jeff George, who had a great arm and an ego to match. He played and lost for multiple NFL teams and will fade from memory quicker than many QBs with less ability. Who could forget the canon arm of JeMarcus Russell? Or our former backup and former Browns #1 pick Brandon Weeden who Jerry said threw the prettiest pass?

What I care about are QBs that can throw the ball accurate enough for our receivers to catch it. I’m not that impressed with how tight the spiral is. That’s cool and all but just get it there so the receivers can catch it. Be a leader and don’t kill us with turnovers.

Remember the Bears’ Jim McMahon? He didn’t throw the prettiest ball but he will show you his super bowl ring if you point that out. And he was a great leader who just won. Or Joe Kapp of the Vikings or Billy Kilmer of the skins who both threw more wounded ducks than anyone I can remember. But somehow they both took teams to SBs.

Accuracy= The receiver can catch it. Dak is an accurate QB by that metric.
If you recall, Peyton Manning hardly ever threw tight spirals. A lot of his passes were ducks that just went where they were supposed to go.
 

Doomsday101

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Completion percentage =/= Accuracy. He looked like the same old Dak to me... will rip a great pass right into the thick of things, then throw 3 or 4 in a row all over the place, causing defenders to have to reach and stop.
As for footwork, I will reserve my judgment to next week to see if the Commanders can actually make him have to move an inch...

That is your opinion, others who watched it within the media even some who are big critics of Dak saw it different. You are entitled to your opinion
 

shabazz

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Completion percentage =/= Accuracy. He looked like the same old Dak to me... will rip a great pass right into the thick of things, then throw 3 or 4 in a row all over the place, causing defenders to have to reach and stop.
As for footwork, I will reserve my judgment to next week to see if the Commanders can actually make him have to move an inch...

Incredible wall of protection and Wide Receivers running wild in the secondary.
 

aikemirv

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Advanced stats like Next Gen can be misleading. However, the one stat I really like is Completion percentage versus expected completion %.

Dak's was bad in the playoff game last year against the Rams (-12). It was tops in the league yesterday against the Giants(+9)

That's why I was unhappy with Daks play in the game against the Rams and criticized him for it. Yesterday he was excellent. I mean, absent the drops he could have been at 88%. They were no catches that were remarkable, they were just catchable. He gets the credit for that. Throw one short deep pass that could have been a TD, that's fine, all the others were great. You can't ask for more than that.
 

Super_Kazuya

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Incredible wall of protection and Wide Receivers running wild in the secondary.
Yep... just read on ESPN.com that Dak had the lowest pressure rate of any week 1 QB. When you combine that with the target on Hamilton’s back and it was a truly disastrous performance by the Gnats.
 

shabazz

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Yep... just read on ESPN.com that Dak had the lowest pressure rate of any week 1 QB. When you combine that with the target on Hamilton’s back and it was a truly disastrous performance by the Gnats.

If we were in Fantasy Land and there wasnt a salary cap I'd say that if Dakota is to be the franchise QB and you want to pay him 40 million, go for it...but the truth is that overpaying for a non-elite player at the expense of signing a supporting cast is bad business
 

Bobhaze

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One throw in particular he made yesterday was that crosser to Gallup and the first comment from Aikman was that it was behind him but after he saw the replay, he saw what Prescott saw, the DB closing on Gallup and if he'd put that ball in front of Gallup, he would have been serving him up to that DB. Some QB's don't care, Cutler didn't, he'd hang WR after WR out there.

One thing that's really not been pointed out about all of this Prescott and his accuracy is that he is "accurate enough". He sees the field better in his 4th season that the other 3 because he's been learning how to be a NFL QB and seeing the field is the tricky part. Some QB's never learn how to see the field, they're just strong arms and try to power the ball to the target.

The best example I can think of with this point Bullet is making was Bernie Kosar. He was unorthodox but he was really good at getting the ball to his receivers and the other thing he didn't do was try to "Favre" them by knocking them down. He knew how to get the ball to where his receiver was going to be.

Touch is another element of a QB's game and a lot of them never learn it and Dak had that at Miss St and the object is not to make a pretty pass or wow people with the speed but to get it to the receiver where he can catch it and preferably be headed downfield and we saw improvement in that yesterday. Comebacks are necessary but the Cowboys ran too many dead end routes making YAC more difficult.

The challenge this forum has is the same one we had with Romo. When it becomes so polarized about a player or a coach, very hard for some to back that down a little and give some credit. For Dak Prescott to be in command of that offense yesterday with a brand new OC and WR was very impressive. From that first drive, I did not get the feeling this was their first date.
Excellent post. I especially like the point made about the importance of putting touch on the ball. That’s an art form many QBs with a cannon arm never master. (Favre for example) It is usually seen on fade passes in the end zone. Mahomes is a guy with a rocket launcher but who also has great touch.

Dak has improved on his accuracy and touch. It’s a long season and I’m sure he will have some bad throws ahead. But I’m not that concerned about us at the QB position this year.
 

Bobhaze

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If we were in Fantasy Land and there wasnt a salary cap I'd say that if Dakota is to be the franchise QB and you want to pay him 40 million, go for it...but the truth is that overpaying for a non-elite player at the expense of signing a supporting cast is bad business
So what do you recommend doing with Dak?
 

Pantone282C

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Why is it considered to be a a different standard when alot of us look at things like QBR . QBR takes into account primary and ancillary measurables to rate a QB's performance. Rayne Dakota ranked #17 last year. Whats so different about that?
Hey, if you bring objective assessment into this, you'll burn at the stake! :muttley:
In truth, I would usually worry about some of the numbers and weak wins of a QBR like that, but this dude has the uncanny ability to make things happen and persevere, even after bad outings.
 
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