The very notion of Dak Prescott starting at quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys was laughable when the Mississippi State signal-caller was drafted in April.
Then Prescott gathered some steam. Prescott was 17-of-23 for 116 yards and a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night, 12-of-15 for 199 yards and two touchdowns against the Dolphins last week, and 10-of-12 for 139 yards and two touchdowns against the Los Angeles Rams in the preseason opener. Prescott has played the majority of the snaps thus far, and why not? He’s proven himself to be the clear number-two to Tony Romo.
Then Tony went down. Down and out. On the bench for six to ten weeks with a broken bone in his back. Enter Dak Prescott.
There’s something excitingly different about Prescott. He’s shown he isn’t all about running quarterback draws for 60 minutes, though he certainly has the ability to do so. Prescott will also stay home and make things happen for you, firing from the pocket with laser-like precision, if his stats to this point are any indication. He’s still going to rush for the touchdowns, but his pocket presence is really reassuring. He’s also going to benefit from the best offensive line in football, which will protect Prescott as he continues to adjust to facing NFL secondaries.
Romo is 36. His string of seemingly endless postseason failure seems to be reaching its end, not because Romo will be leading the ‘Boys to the Lombardi Trophy anytime soon, but rather because he won’t have the opportunity. Dak Prescott is going to take the Dallas quarterback job Tom Brady-style, showing Jerry Jones and management that they made the right choice on draft night four months ago.
Let me be clear–Tony Romo still has an important role on this team. He’s a veteran that younger players–Prescott included–can go to for guidance. Just look at history: Drew Bledsoe (who Tony Romo ironically backed up at the beginning of his career) was a crucial piece in New England in 2001, as Brady took his job and led the Patriots to the Super Bowl. But it’s becoming clearer every day that this isn’t his team anymore. He’s too injury prone. He’s too risky when the games really matter. He’s too much of a liability.
The Cowboys are a dynamic franchise. They shake things up when they have to. However, there’s one area of the game that hasn’t allowed them to reach that elusive next level over the last 13 seasons, and that area wears a #9 on the back of its jersey. When Tony Romo leaves the inactive list, whenever that may be, he’ll be on the sidelines holding a clipboard. Romo has piled on the yards and touchdowns over the years, but also with no rings to show for it. In fact, the Cowboys haven’t even been to an NFC Championship Game since Romo entered the league in 2003. The Cowboys haven’t been to the Super Bowl in 21 years, and if they want to get to one anytime soon, they’ve got to change their own course of history, before history repeats itself in gut-wrenching fashion.
It’s time for a new sheriff in Dallas, where God can watch his favorite team play through that hole in the roof. That sheriff’s name is Dak Prescott, and he’s patrolling as we speak.
Photo #1 courtesy of New York Daily News
Photo #2 courtesy of Bleacher Report
