So, here we are…two preseasons games deep. Everything I thought these Cowboys would be is what they have been thus far in two games but for reasons completely different than what I initially thought. Confused yet? You shouldn’t be confused at all…not if you have followed anything I’ve written since the draft. I thought Zeke was a homerun pick in the first round. I thought he would usher in an era similar to 2014 and yet despite all the encouraging signs we as Cowboys fans have seen in the first 2 preseason games, he has contributed to none of it. It’s not his fault. Understandably, the coaching staff is being careful with their fourth overall pick who reported tightness in his leg early in camp.
Despite his absence, we are seeing exactly what I expected to see as a result of him playing. But I wasn’t just hanging my hat on Zeke as the answer to a winning 2016 Cowboys. I also had high hopes for Collins and Tapper, the two rookie additions to the defensive line. I didn’t expect them to earn Pro Bowl honors in their first year; but I do expect them to contribute in a significant way in what is likely to be a rotation of up to 10 players in a given game (probably less, but a few will likely make the team in Lawrence and Gregory’s absence). Based on what I had read of Frazier and Brown, the Safety and Corner (respectively) the Cowboys drafted, I also thought they could help what many would describe as a substandard secondary. Factoring those defensive contributions with what Zeke is capable of doing on offense behind their top tier offensive line, I thought it should be easy for anyone to understand why this team as a whole is going to be really good.
The crazy thing is they have been really good without the help from any of the aforementioned rookies. Did you notice that special italicized inflection I placed on the word “aforementioned?” You did? Good. There was a reason for it. Because one rookie has contributed…in a very big and surprising and shocking and confusing and an I-need-to-reassess-the-laws-of-nature-from-the-ground-up kind of way.
Dak Prescott was not the Cowboys first choice. Let that sink in. He was no one’s first choice. Had he been, he would have been drafted before the Cowboys had a chance and truth be told, had that happened, the draft could have gone a lot differently if one of the other highly-touted QB’s had fallen to Dallas at the fourth overall pick. After all, finding an adequate backup and a future successor to Romo was one of the many stated priorities for the offseason by the front office.
Despite that, to be honest, I did not do my homework on Dak prior to the draft. I looked at QB’s only long enough to see that anyone the Cowboys would take a serious look at would likely be gone by the time the Cowboys were on the clock and so I assumed they might grab some one in the latter rounds if not a UDFA, once again gambling on Romo’s health. I expected that because a good QB (even of backup caliber) is hard to find and the Cowboys had a lot of other starting areas that needed to be addressed. So it didn’t surprise me at all when the Cowboys took Dak with a compensatory fourth round pick.
I recalled him from a previous blog conversation before the draft suggesting that snake-oil-salesman-Jerry Jones might try to take this kid and sell him to the world as the next Cam Newton…this was obviously said in jest at the time. Following the draft, I sat down with the intent of learning all I could about every pick, save Zeke whom I already knew because he was my pet cat. I read articles. I read scouting reports. I watched tape. At the time, I made a few notes. The first thing that jumped out of me was his quick release. Like Romo, once he finds a target, his wind up and release executes in nano-seconds. See for yourself…for the exception of the pseudo-Hail Mary to Butler against Miami last Friday night, from the moment he locks in on his target to the moment of football release is faster than you can say one-one-thousand.
The second thing I noticed was his ability to make plays with his feet. At first, it occurred to me we may have another Tim Tebow. Another guy who is a great leader of men and who is definitely a gamer/competitor, but he may not be a skilled enough passer to get the job done at an NFL level. But as these thoughts poured through my head, simultaneously my head processed highlight after highlight after highlight with Dak being a one-player offense. None of his former offensive line was drafted…nor were his receivers or running backs. He was the only one from that dynamic offense (the little-engine-the-could scourge of the SEC) that was drafted to the NFL…the only one. And we are starting to see why.
The third thing I noticed after watching him for a while is that he was/is not a run-first quarterback. He only ran when it was the best option and given his surroundings it was the best option often. But make no mistake, he could/can still throw the football on a rope. After a while of watching Dak become a legend in Mississippi, I dismissed any premature excitement as I instantly felt the scouts must know something I don’t; surely none of what he was doing in college would translate to the NFL. Surely!!!???
But, once again, two games in you would be hard pressed to find any difference in Dak the legend at Mississippi State and Dak now, potential back up QB for the Dallas Cowboys. The only thing that has changed is the jersey and the vehicle Dak is driving. In response to another thread about Dak I made this analogy: In Mississippi State, Dak was driving a Pinto. Here, he is driving a (enter your favorite fast and exotic vehicle here). The main point to take from this is that Dak is still doing Dak…and what Dak does is take over games, put his foot on the opposing defenses throat, and he keep’s swinging until the final whistle, lopsided scoreboard be damned. He’s a gamer. And as such he lives for competition.
I had read of his character, charisma, maturity, and leadership. These were the bottom lines of every quote of every coach at Mississippi State. And, furthermore, these are the lines we fans read on just about every prospect coming out of college, so you will have to forgive me that my eyes glazed over as I read these same tired expected lines. But once again two games in all of those qualities jump right off the screen. You can feel his command of the huddle. You can feel his troops rallying around him as their leader. You can feel his character shining through as he walks straight to Linehan and Romo for more training following another score. You did not watch either of the first two games and not see that. Admittedly though, none of these intangibles speak to his ability to be Romo’s backup.
No, his play does all the talking you could possibly want in that regard. Regardless of rather or not he is taking a snap directly from center (something that was suggested may take a while for him to grow accustomed to) or taking the snap in the shotgun (his bread & butter) it did not matter; all that mattered is that by the end of his time in Miami, he had conditioned everyone who had watched those first two games to expect something good to happen after he takes the snap. Period. No matter the play, if Dak takes the snap he is going to make something amazing look easy. And that is all he has done since taking the starting job in Mississippi.
Granted, he has had an ill-advised throw that turned into an interception against Miami. However, that same interception was called back due to a late hit on him. Despite being disappointed by his first interception thrown and first poor decision, I was intrigued to see how he would respond. Would it rattle him? Not. At. All.
It was business as usual following that pick…and while officially it never happened…in the physical realm, it was also hard to believe it had happened because he turned right around and churned out another drive that culminated in 7 points.
Now I get it…it is just preseason. Vanilla defenses. The opposition is not playing to win. The coaches are not game planning against him. These games are just for evaluation. But, be honest – if it was your job to evaluate Dak, how would you grade him? Aside from the ill-advised would-be interception, what would you attempt to fix in your own words? What is it that he has done or not done thus far that would find its way on your scorecard for Dak? Is there anything bad that you can say beyond a shadow of a doubt about how Dak has played thus far?
Now, preseason aside, there are certain skills that should remain the same regardless of the conditions. The one thing that Dak does that should translate to the regular season is his ball placement. Perhaps he has just been getting lucky, but on just about every touchdown pass he has thrown he has done so into good coverage. The ball placement has been in a place where only his receiver can make a play on the ball. For a rookie QB to throw with touch and accuracy of that caliber is unheard of…particularly a rookie who was taken in the fourth round.
What we are seeing people is history in the making. I have never seen a rookie come in, take control of a huddle and march down the field and score at will. I have never seen anything like what Dak is doing right now. And it would be amazing if he was doing all of this with his arm alone, but he is also doing it with his feet…in the NFL against NFL caliber defenses…
So, in summation, we Cowboys fans absolutely do have something to be excited about. Rather or not this level of play continues, remains to be seen…but the fact remains what he is doing now has never been done before by a rookie quarterback in the history of preseason. Sure, there have been QB prospects that have showed signs that they can be developed…many QB prospects have proven they belong in the NFL from the outset. Dak, on the other hand, is making every player on the other side of the ball question if they belong…that is uncharted territory for a rookie.
