Now that Quarterback Cooper Rush is 4-0, lots of conversation is being held around the Dallas Cowboys fanbase. Some people say that Cooper needs to be the new QB while others state that Dak Prescott is still the man to lead the way. So what’s the right decision here?
I think this argument is one of the most difficult subjects to solve. On one hand, you have a quarterback that has seven years’ worth of experience and has great talent and on the other a quarterback that is 4-0 as a starter and seems to be getting the job done for the Cowboys.
To start, one thing I have noticed is that Dak is much more out of focus when he’s on the field. When running and looking for receivers, sometimes Dak seems to freeze up and panic. This is never good for a quarterback.
Meanwhile, Cooper Rush seems very calm and collected when playing. He is focused and always puts his best foot forward on every play. Not saying that Dak doesn’t do that, but Cooper has been doing it more often, and it’s much more noticeable.
One subject that Dak Prescott is superior in is skill. Dak seems to be much more experienced and talented at the QB position. This shows when he scrambles and his ability to launch the ball far down the field with precise accuracy.
Cooper Rush hasn’t shown his skill much when throwing the ball long, he has had a couple of big throws this season of over 25 yards, but Dak seems to do it more often with more success.
Something that every quarterback must have is leadership. Without the ability to lead your offense, you’d be equivalent to forfeiting every game you play.
Both quarterbacks show great leadership qualities, but at the moment, Cooper Rush holds the #1 spot of best leader. Rush is gathering this Cowboys team back on their feet and is having them chase a goal, the Super Bowl.
Last season, Dak Prescott had one of the most explosive offenses of all time with so many yards and impressive stats to brag about. Yet, when it came to playoff time, the Cowboys failed to get past the wild card.
What do Cowboy fans want? A season of impressive yards and stats. Or a season with fewer stats but an actual chance to go deep in a playoff run with a good leader.
Cooper proved in this game that he is capable of leading this offense to a goal. While Ezekiel Elliott only had a game of 49 rushing yards (the fewest this season), Cooper threw for 223 yards and 2 touchdowns, with no interceptions. That’s what a good leader does. When someone isn’t performing like they normally do, they step in and do extra to catch their team up.
Rush also became the first quarterback in NFL history to win his first 4 career starts while having a passer rating of 90 or higher in each of the 4 games.
So, now it’s time to get messy. Time to spill my opinion on everyone. I am team Rush for now. Cooper has the mindset and ability to lead this team to a great season. I know many people would be mad at this statement but let me explain.
Why not try some change? I mean, haven’t Cowboy fans been through enough? The team needs to try different things and take a risk. The Dak Prescott era was impressive in terms of stats and talent, but not in terms of getting to the Super Bowl.
Let’s give Cooper Rush a chance, he has proved he deserves it by starting 4-0. Hopefully, the Cowboys can recognize his leadership talent and keep him there. Change is scary, but change is usually the answer.
Uh, no. Cooper has played well but is very limited in overall talent. Teams will start to scheme more for him and those limitations will start to show more. I’m glad he is playing well but let’s see how he does against the Rams or Eagles.
Well I said that if CR came in and and won games that I would gladly apologize so here goes: I apologize gladly to Cooper Rush for being one of his biggest critics! I also believe that the coaching staff has been putting together schemes that fit his strengths that in turn sets him up to succeed! It’s my opinion that as long as CR is winning he needs to stay in even when Dak gets back ! It’s kinda like when Tony Romo got hurt and Dak came in and we started winning! Now if CR starts falling off then plug ole Dak back in! Bottom line is it’s all about the Wins! One more thing : It’s good to have a defense that can put the fear in opposing offenses!! Our D is whats making this team who we are!!
This article is completely subjective and does not specifically look at any stats or traits. Also, this game could have been very different if the two int’s that Rush threw were not erased due to penalty.
You’re 18, so I will not go too hard. Everyone has a right to their opinion. Good article, but definitely slated toward Cooper from the start.
You fail to mention that last game Cooper had two interceptions overturned by penalties. I think he got lucky there. I wonder how much controversy there would be around the QB spot had he not caught those breaks.
Every QB get breaks at some point, but Dax protects the possessions better than most. And no way Cooper is a better leader AT THIS POINT than Dax. Too many examples to list.
Keep up the good work though young fella. Go Cowboys!
The 2 intecptions overturned by penalty were overturned because the other team cheated on the play by committing a PENALTY. To try and tag him with those is ridiculous. It wasn’t a mulligan or redo, those were penalties. Come on. Rush had zero picks yesterday.
Thank you Matt for your comment. I do agree, Dak very rarely turns the ball over. I didn’t mention it here but I did in another article of mine so I do notice that. Now, those two picks that occurred in the game were from pentlies. I will say, Cooper should have been more careful with throwing those but again, a penalty is a penalty. Now with leadership, both QBs are great at their job but there’s something about Cooper right now that’s making this team win. We’ll see more next week against the Rams. Thank you Matt, GO COWBOYS!
This isn’t happening. Dak gets paid $40 M a year. You will not have a bench QB being paid such amount of money. As soon as that finger is healthy, Dak is back. You may now bring him back with more time for his finger to heal. Don’t get me wrong. I have loved the way Cooper Rush has led the Cowboys. That is what a good #2 QB should be able to do.
I’m not making a choice of the 2 but Rush is better and quicker with progressions. And more accurate. As for your statement about Dak’s downfield accuracy. That has always been less than desired.
I agree, Rush has great accuracy and gets the ball throw quicker.
You beat me to it. Two words that should never be used as praise for Dak…precise or accuracy.
One thing I’ve really enjoyed with Rush at QB is the number of throws where he hits players in stride, even on crossing routes. That’s something Dak has never been very good at.
It would be difficult to bench a $40 million a year player. That said, if one looks at which QB is actually playing better this year RIGHT NOW, it’s not a difficult choice to make, IMO. It’s CR. So, it’s coming down to money ($40 vs $1 million), and not necessarily who is playing better. What I saw that first game was a stinker of a performance by DP. Sure, one can bring up all the usual excuses the DP lovers use for DP; penalties, O-line, play calling, run game, ETC. It’s all basically BS.
CR is playing with the same O-line, the same OC, same run game, penalties, ETC, ETC, ETC. In fact, the Cowboy run game yesterday was, to be nice, SUB-PAR, with just 62 YARDS. Pollard had a similar output to the first game of the season, JUST 6 yards on 8 carries. And speaking of run games, the Cowboys got run on pretty badly.
So, the offense was put squarely on CR shoulders, and he did not disappoint, AGAIN. And if that Wash DB doesn’t make a great play on that up route by CD, the ball was right there for another big gain. Disagree with article, CR can throw the nice deep ball.
In any case it’s on to LA.
Cooper has actually had a worse OL at times than Dak. McGovern got hurt, Farniok wasn’t ready. Peters had to fill in for a while, yet Farniok ended up back in. Then McGovern came back and there were communication issues passing off stunts. Even Zack Martin was dinged up from mid-game on.
However, where Dak holding the ball and the plays they call for him make life harder for the OL, Cooper’s quick reads and decisions, and the way they are calling the offense for him, are all combining to make the OL’s job easier.
If they put Dak back in when he is fully healthy, they need to change how they are calling the offense to get him quick and easy looks, so he can get rid of the ball quicker to keep helping them out. Maybe they can work back up to the longer-developing plays eventually. Or, maybe Dak is the main factor in plays taking longer to develop as he misses guys entering passing windows, makes bad reads, or doesn’t trust himself or his receivers on certain routes. Listening to Kurt Warner and Tony Romo breaking down plays, either after the game or in-game, it’s pretty obvious that Dak struggles to see opportunities and release the ball on time to take advantage of them. Cooper is quite a bit better at it, although still not outstanding.
Same as Romo and Dak.
Stick with the hot hand. Let Rush take himself out, and if he doesn’t, then great.
Meritocracy right?
Exactly! That is a great point. Give Rush a chance and keep feeding him the snaps.