The Cowboys scored a major win last night in Philadelphia and we’re all basking in the glory of a Victory Monday. But even in victory, Quarterback Dak Prescott showed some pretty concerning flaws. Dallas won a battle last night, but do they have a QB who’s going to help them win the war?
If you didn’t watch the game and only looked at Prescott’s stats, you’d probably tell me I’m crazy for writing about this. Dak put up a 102.8 passer rating with 270 yards, one touchdown, zero turnovers, and 72% on his completions.
That rating doesn’t even account for his rushing touchdown, either. Throw in the overall story of leading his team to a must-have win on the road against the defending Super Bowl Champions, and Dak Prescott certainly had a good night overall.
But if you watched, you saw him miss some really easy passes. Ezekiel Elliott was open in the flat with room to make a play, but an errant throw put it the ball out of reach. Cole Beasley was barely past the line of scrimmage, and again Prescott’s inaccuracy killed the play.
Later in the game, Dak failed to read that Michael Gallup was open with a chance at a long touchdown. Instead he went safe, and it went nowhere.
Chris Collinsworth pointed that play out. He also noted, accurately, several times that Prescott was staring down receivers. One time should’ve resulted in a pick-six for the Eagles, but the defender dropped the ball.
I know what you’re probably thinking; “This guy is just a bitter Romo fan who is rooting for Dak to fail.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
I applauded the decision to stick with Prescott in 2016. I’ve been so excited for the prospect of this fouth-round steal becoming the foundation of the next Dallas dynasty. I like Dak immensely as a person and leader.
But in Year 3, I’m not seeing growth from that exciting rookie season. There’s no indication that Dak Prescott has improved at all from 2016.
That would be okay if all other things remained status quo. The Cowboys were good enough to be 14-2 that year, giving away the Week 17 game to rest for the playoffs. The 2016 version of Prescott was more than adequate.
But then defensive coordinators had time to figure him out. And over the same span of time, Dallas’ legendary tight end retired. Plus, it’s stalwart offensive line started wearing down.
These things happen. Few things are constant in sports, and great players have to keep developing to overcome them.
But Prescott is still making poor throws, missing opportunities, and holding the ball too long. He’s making rookie mistakes in his junior year.
This isn’t a young QB who’s been asked to deal with ongoing changes in the coaching staff on a bad team. Even to the chagrin of some, Jerry Jones has kept the staff in tact to give stability to Prescott and the rest of the roster.
Eventually, these weaknesses in Dak’s game can no longer be attributed to age. At some point, they may just be who he is.
About two weeks after the Cowboys took Prescott in the 2016 NFL Draft, I wrote an article titled “Dak Prescott Probably Isn’t the Future.” I discussed the general career outcomes for quarterbacks taken in the fourth round, and how Dak would be a very rare specimen if he turned into a competitive starter.
In about one more year, the Cowboys will have to decide if they want to stay married to Prescott. His rookie contract expires after the 2019 season.
At this point, despite anything coming out of Jerry Jones’ mouth, has Dak really shown enough to deserve a long-term commitment?
It’s easy for the front office to say nice things now. It’s the right thing to do; support your guy while he’s your guy.
But this time next year, and especially in 2020, will Dak Prescott still be their guy?
It’s hard to say right now. Everyone is riding high off that win, but those errant throws and missed big play opportunities will rear the head again this year. And as long as they keep happening, Dallas is going to lose more games than they win.
When everyone sobers up today, they will still see that this is a 4-5 team. They’ll see Carson Wentz in Philly, and the likelihood that the Giants will be picking up a Top 5 talent at QB in the next draft.
Do we really have a quarterback that can keep the Cowboys competitive in the NFC East, let alone the NFL, for seasons to come?
I sure hope so. But unless Prescott starts cutting out the rookie mistakes, then the dark cloud of uncertainty isn’t going away. Last night was fun, but it will be quickly forgotten if we’re headed to another middling finish and missed playoffs.
Throw Jason Garrett, Scott Linehan, and Kellen Moore under the bus all you want. They probably deserve it.
But so far this this year, so does Dak Prescott.
Dare I say he’s not the guy and fear being chased by an angry mob. I too, was a Romo guy and I too respected the fact that they stuck with Dakota. Yet, I didn’t cash in all my chips as Dak had to show me that he could lead this team when everything was going against him.
Fast forward to year three and he’s still inaccurate, holds the ball too long, and in my opinion he’s holding this offense back. Whether it’s the coaching staff not utilizing his skill set, him not evolving, or a mixture of both.
I’m not a fan. Hopefully he can prove me wrong, and make me a convert but we’ll see.
Even in a divisional win. You can still find flaws in a brothers game. Why dont we dwell on Rodgers or Brady when they have a shitty day. Brady looked like a rookie yesterday. And i haven’t heard one damn word about him.So go ahead Jess ride the brother. And i know what you’re thinking. ” Why is it always a black and white thing” Because it is a black and white thing. You dont see Dak as just a QB. You see him as a “BLACK” QB.
You really need to go back and see things I wrote about Tony Romo before you call me a racist.
But then again, Romo’s Hispanic……
*ominous music plays*
Keep the racist shit out of my Cowboys. I don’t care if you’re black, you don’t get a pass here. Shame on you, and tbh fuck you. We’re still “riding” Garrett and Linehan too, but I don’t see anyone crying racism over that. Go away, come back when you’re ready to get real.
We will have no idea what we have in Dak until he is in an offense that fits his talents. Scotty L and Moore need to be gone. . . . interesting, now stories are breaking that Garrett wanted to move away from Scotty L pre-season. We need an OC who understands the run/pass option game and a QB coach who can actually help Dak.
It’s not rocket science. . . .
I agree, Jess haynie you spoke negatively about this guy throughout your entire article. 2 1/2 years he’s been in the league and you stating year 3 as if its completed already. You sound like a full fledged Demonkratts and can only see weaknesses and no strengths in Dak. I’ve learned a few things in life and one of them is, a mind that’s already made up about a person, place, or thing is hard to change. My opinion, I believe I have described your heart towards Dak. Huge article and they got a win and your focus is on his mistakes. I’ve seen Brady, Brees, Rodgers and Ryan miss easy throws to wide open receivers and they’re not finished doing it, its apart of the game. Check your heart sir and write an article that brings balance and that’s not so one sided. A weak mind would go into depression, thank God Daks not that kind of person.
Biggest flaw I’ve seen so far with Dak is he is not being utilized the way he should be. He’s not a pure pocket passer. Never has been. He should be running the RPO more. He’s not the fastest, but he’s a threat running the ball regardless. Make the defense figure out if Zeke is going to run it, Dak is going to run it or throw it. Yes, nobody wants unnecessary hits on the QB, but he’s a lot better utilizing his legs than sitting in the pocket. So you can place even blame on him as well as the coaching staff.
I will not get down on Dak like some. What I see is a qb rushing through his progressions and his throws, he is not stepping into it like he did in his rookie year. Dak seems like he is hesitant on throws and that tells me he does not trust this offense and he will not say it.
Wow, talk about a heated conversation!!! May I say that the topic is an important one and we can all agree to disagree? The team has one more year to determine if it is going to pay Dak north of $120 million to be a franchise QB. So, this is extremely important. The ONLY question that matters: Is Dak “trending” up, is he stuck or is he regressing? His game at present shows far too many holes/weaknesses to be ignored. what we know: he possesses leadership skills. What we ALSO know: he consistently misses wide open receivers, makes too many off-balance poor throws, is not getting his body in the right position. He keeps shuffling his feet until he misses windows to throw into, he can’t throw his receivers open and he is feeling phantom pressure. This team is literally building an offense around him and giving him every single chance to succeed. Maybe he is simply an “average” QB. That is fine for the Jets, Bengals, and Browns…just let’s not anoint him the second coming because of a very misleading rookie season. I for one don’t really care if I offend my other Boys fans when I say that I expect my QB to lead this team to a consistent track record of post season appearances. 25 years of futility…and counting!!!
Garret blew it not giving Romo the start in the playoffs against Packers. The weakness in Dak’s game were coached up by Romo that season. Dak would be much better with better coaching like Payton or Reed or anybody but Garret and Linehan . Right now he is probably over coached by “the process” . Garret and Linehan need to go, Romo would be much better on the sideline than in the booth. DAK has the leadership, skills and tools but “the process” is not helping Dak or the Cowboys. Garret belongs in the office evaluating character.
Yet if we point out said flaws, the Dak-Riders come out in full force how he’s never at fault with his holding on to the balk too long and errant throw….. smh wonder how they’re gonna feel when he’s the reason we could lose to the falcons on Sunday???