Yahoo: Who was driving force that brought Dak Prescott to Cowboys and why did it take so long?

[Ken]

You're fooling yourself if you think he's behind our recent draft success. The scouting department has excelled in spite of the roll Jerry Jone's plays.

And you're assuming he wins it this year. Keep assuming. He didn't want Dak Prescott. He wanted Paxton Lynch. Jerry wanted Manziel not Zack Martin. Jerry wanted Randy Gregoy. Jerry wanted Greg Hardy. Jerry traded a 1st for Roy Williams. Jerry let Demarcus Ware walk away with 4-5 good years left with no compensation in return. Jerry signed Marion Barber to a 50 million dollar contract.

And you're fooling yourself if you don't think he gets full credit for the decisions that were ultimately made.

Who put that staff in place that is advising him?

This is the exact same wrong mindset that is also applied to if he gets credit for the 3 super bowl wins. Of course he does...he made the decisions to put those people in place.

 

[yimyammer]

If Dallas had drafted him in the first round, it would have still gotten lucky ... that it reached for him and he turned out to be better than anyone could have predicted. Of course, then writers would be trying to figure out how Dallas was the only team that knew he'd be that good.

Personally, I feel that would have given the Cowboys front office a lot of credibility.

Imagine how the perception of the front office would change if Dallas had drafted Dak with their 2nd round pick and Jaylon with the compensatory pick they used on Dak?

Same overall draft class, just a different cost per player that initially might have raised eyebrows but would now make them look pretty smart and not just lucky.

 

[dallasfan4lizife]

And you're fooling yourself if you don't think he gets full credit for the decisions that were ultimately made.

Who put that staff in place that is advising him?

This is the exact same wrong mindset that is also applied to if he gets credit for the 3 super bowl wins. Of course he does...he made the decisions to put those people in place.

The question wasn't who brought the staff here. It was who brought Dak Prescott here. And its already been confirmed Jerry wasn't the brains behind that decision. The coaching staff was.

 

[gimmesix]

Personally, I feel that would have given the Cowboys front office a lot of credibility.

Imagine how the perception of the front office would change if Dallas had drafted Dak with their 2nd round pick and Jaylon with the compensatory pick they used on Dak?

Same overall draft class, just a different cost per player that initially might have raised eyebrows but would now make them look pretty smart and not just lucky.

Others would have said Jones is a risk-taker and rolled the dice just like he did with Quincy Carter, only this time it worked out.

 

[yimyammer]

Others would have said Jones is a risk-taker and rolled the dice just like he did with Quincy Carter, only this time it worked out.

Sure, some would have, there's virtually never 100% consensus on anything in this world, even the time of day

regardless, jeri is a risk taker and as far as I can tell, the only attribute he brings to the table and its debatable as to whether that's even beneficial in the salary cap & free agency era

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Great read, thanks. And to think we nearly went with Kellen Moore as our starting QB.

 

[Ken]

The question wasn't who brought the staff here. It was who brought Dak Prescott here. And its already been confirmed Jerry wasn't the brains behind that decision. The coaching staff was.

But Jerry makes the ultimate decision to draft the players.

Same with Zack Martin....same with all of them.

He gets the blame when they strike out with guys like Gregory but doesn't get the credit for all the hits.

Ridiculous.

 

[gimmesix]

Sure, some would have, there's virtually never 100% consensus on anything in this world, even the time of day

regardless, jeri is a risk taker and as far as I can tell, the only attribute he brings to the table and its debatable as to whether that's even beneficial in the salary cap & free agency era

I usually don't try to get too high or too low about any pick made because we just don't know how they will turn out. Obviously, there's a lot of preparation that goes into trying to make the right choice, but the high-failure rate should tell us that it's mostly luck of the draw.

I go back to Emmitt Smith and the scout (Walt Yaworsky) standing on the table to select him. Fantastic selection. That scout really did his work. Well, if Cincinnati had not taken Baylor linebacker James Francis with the 12th pick, Jimmy Johnson was set to trade up to 13 for him.

Then, I think of Travis Frederick a few years ago and how fans were jumping off bridges for Dallas selecting a third-round value in the first round.

Picks like that (and Dak) make me realize the combination of luck and preparation needed to succeed in drafting, and that most of us couch scouts don't know what we think we know.

I'm not sure what this tangent has to do exactly with what we were discussing, but it's just my philosophy on draft picks. Success depends a lot on how the draft falls and whether the players meet or exceed expectations. We pan the pick of a Stephen McGee because he failed and laud Dak because he's succeeding. Both players went around where they were projected (in the fourth round), so it isn't like the Cowboys reached for either player. They just got lucky that one is more than he was envisioned to be and unlucky that the other was less.

 

[Dodger12]

There were some on here (I don't keep tabs on specifically who says what, just what is being said, in general) who were saying that the coaching staff had no ability to coach up a QB (any QB). They completely discounted the level of talent (or lack, thereof) of the material that the coaching staff had to work with. Dak is all the proof one needs to see that this staff can do their jobs quite well if given something to work with. Garrett, Wilson, and Linehan have all had a significant hand in his progress. As far as Garrett having his job because of having a good QB, I think you could say that of just about every coach in the NFL. Teams without good QB's tend to be losing teams. Coaches with losing teams generally get fired. You probably won't agree with me, but I believe JG has played his cards about as masterfully as possible given the hands he has been dealt. Has he made mistakes? Yes. But he's not the goober some here make him out to be and he never has been. JMO.

Please. How many years does the staff need to evaluate and decide that these QB's didn't have it? If the talent level wasn't there, then they should have kept looking....I mean, they built every other facet of the team according to some here. And the person who should get credit for Dak is whoever broke Kellen Moore's leg. That person completely changed the fotunes of this franchise. Otherwise, this staff would have had Dak carrying a clip board.

 

[dallasfan4lizife]

But Jerry makes the ultimate decision to draft the players.

Same with Zack Martin....same with all of them.

He gets the blame when they strike out with guys like Gregory but doesn't get the credit for all the hits.

Ridiculous.

No. Stephen Jones and Will Mcclay make the ultimate decision.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

You're fooling yourself if you think he's behind our recent draft success. The scouting department has excelled in spite of the roll Jerry Jone's plays.

And you're assuming he wins it this year. Keep assuming. He didn't want Dak Prescott. He wanted Paxton Lynch. Jerry wanted Manziel not Zack Martin. Jerry wanted Randy Gregoy. Jerry wanted Greg Hardy. Jerry traded a 1st for Roy Williams. Jerry let Demarcus Ware walk away with 4-5 good years left with no compensation in return. Jerry signed Marion Barber to a 50 million dollar contract.

That's a valid criticism.

But one key part of being a good NFL executive (and I'm not saying Jerry deserves the title this year) is that you put the folks in place that make the difference and you empower them. And there's certainly been some of that.

 

[Ken]

That's a valid criticism.

But one key part of being a good NFL executive (and I'm not saying Jerry deserves the title this year) is that you put the folks in place that make the difference and you empower them. And there's certainly been some of that.

This is for any 'leadership' position. There may be people on your staff who know more, but ultimately it is taking all of the information and making a decision with it. He could have easily been a stubborn idiot like has in the past and just taken Manziel or gave up the farm for Lynch this past draft.

He didn't. He learned and relied on his experts. Just like any other GM would do in the league.

 

[Wood]

I have thought about this issue and my explanation for why Dak slipped to 4th round will not be popular. First lets back up to before the Draft. We heard Dak name associated with Cowboys (probably due to him at senior bowl with cowboys coaches). At that time NOBODY really gave a good reason why Dak was projecting to be drafted anywhere from 3rd-6th round. All we heard was that he was leader who somehow took Mississippi state to #1 college ranking & was first QB in their history to guide them to consecutive 9-win seasons. Conversely we heard more about Cook going to Dallas in 2nd round. I have no idea why because Dak college career was just as good at Cook. So what gives? was it the dui? Maybe that drops him a little but it wasn't the more serious drug offense. Then we heard how he didn't take snaps over center and it would take years and years to develop him. But why? the guy showed nothing but a fast ability to learn. He adjusted his game from 2014 where he mostly scrabbled MSST to #1 college rank to 2015 where he was primarily a pocket passer.

Now to my own opinion to what I think was happening. Teams saw Dak as another black QB who scrabbled too much and didn't have football intelligence to be long term starter in NFL. Yes he was stereotyped on draft day. 5 White QBs were drafted ahead of Dak and 2 of them were gawd awful (Cook & Hackenberg).

 

[Doomsday101]

I never felt it was pure luck, selecting Dak where they did was based on a grade the Cowboys assigned to Dak but Cowboys like what they saw in him and when the selection was to be made they did so. Sure a lot of things could have happened that would have altered the selection but at the end of the day it was still a pick that the staff put a lot of time and effort in looking at Dak.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I have thought about this issue and my explanation for why Dak slipped to 4th round will not be popular. First lets back up to before the Draft. We heard Dak name associated with Cowboys (probably due to him at senior bowl with cowboys coaches). At that time NOBODY really gave a good reason why Dak was projecting to be drafted anywhere from 3rd-6th round. All we heard was that he was leader who somehow took Mississippi state to #1 college ranking & was first QB in their history to guide them to consecutive 9-win seasons. Conversely we heard more about Cook going to Dallas in 2nd round. I have no idea why because Dak college career was just as good at Cook. So what gives? was it the dui? Maybe that drops him a little but it wasn't the more serious drug offense. Then we heard how he didn't take snaps over center and it would take years and years to develop him. But why? the guy showed nothing but a fast ability to learn. He adjusted his game from 2014 where he mostly scrabbled MSST to #1 college rank to 2015 where he was primarily a pocket passer.

Now to my own opinion to what I think was happening. Teams saw Dak as another black QB who scrabbled too much and didn't have football intelligence to be long term starter in NFL. Yes he was stereotyped on draft day. 5 White QBs were drafted ahead of Dak and 2 of them were gawd awful (Cook & Hackenberg).

You're right.

Not a popular point of view but I think you hit the nail on the head.

There's still a perception out there when it comes to color & QB's unfortunately.

 

[Dodger12]

Now to my own opinion to what I think was happening. Teams saw Dak as another black QB who scrabbled too much and didn't have football intelligence to be long term starter in NFL. Yes he was stereotyped on draft day. 5 White QBs were drafted ahead of Dak and 2 of them were gawd awful (Cook & Hackenberg).

You're right.

Not a popular point of view but I think you hit the nail on the head.

There's still a perception out there when it comes to color & QB's unfortunately.

I'm sorry but I couldn't disagree more. The NFL will always draft the tangibles, regardless of color because green is the only color that matters. You're also forgetting that guys like Jameis Winston, Bridgewater, EJ Manuel, Gino Smith, RGIII, Cam Newton, Kapernick, Josh Freeman, Pat White, JaMarcus Russell, Vince Young, Tavaris Jackson, Jason Campbell, Byron Leftwich, Michael Vick, Shaun King, Charlie Batch, QC, Steve Mcnair, Tony Banks, Kordell Stewart and Andre Ware were drafted in either the 1st or 2nd round going back to the 90's. A few of those guys were drafted #1 or #2 overall. And how many black QB's were drafted after the second round in that time frame? Russell Wilson anyone? In addition, McNabb, Culpepper and Akili Smith were all taken in round 1 of the 1999 draft.

It's just a convenient excuse for a lot of folks and it has no merrit. Prescott doesn't have the arm and the tangibles of a lot of the guys drafted before him. But he's a winner. He has the intangibles that folks just can't seem to measure and evaluate. Russell Wilson was drafted in the 3rd because he was short, not because he was black. The QB position is the hardest one to evaluate and it's not based on color.

 

[KJJ]

It appears "luck" brought Dak here, he was the Cowboys third or fourth QB choice.

 

[Irvin88_4life]

But Jerry makes the ultimate decision to draft the players.

Same with Zack Martin....same with all of them.

He gets the blame when they strike out with guys like Gregory but doesn't get the credit for all the hits.

Ridiculous.

I remember reading that Dallas was taking Dak even if they got Lynch. They knew Romo didn't have long do they were looking for 2 QBs. I agree jerry deserves more credit then he gets

 

[ThreeandOut]

You're right.

Not a popular point of view but I think you hit the nail on the head.

There's still a perception out there when it comes to color & QB's unfortunately.

The thing that hurt Dak the most was scouts comparing him to a white QB...Tim Tebow.

 

[percyhoward]

And to think we nearly went with Kellen Moore as our starting QB.

Until Dak took the job away from him or Romo got healthy, whichever came first. Probably the latter, because Dak isn't a great practice player.