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When things were worst, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott was at his best
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES -- The highlights for Dak Prescott from Saturday’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams are obvious.
The Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback had the two throws to Dez Bryant, including a 10-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. He also had the beautiful throw to Terrance Williams for a 32-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.
But the most impressive part of Prescott’s performance was what he did when he was facing second-and-34 after the Cowboys were called for three penalties in a four-play span in the second quarter.
There aren’t a lot of calls for offensive coordinators in second-and-34 from the opponent’s 48-yard line.
On second down, Prescott smartly checked it underneath to wide receiver Devin Street for an 8-yard pickup. On third down, the Rams brought a blitz, forcing Prescott out of the pocket. He picked up 14 yards on the ground.
The Cowboys went from likely having to punt to seeing Dan Bailey connect on a 44-yard field goal.
“You know, that’s something you can try to emphasize to the quarterback between plays, manage the situation, know where you are on the field, but you certainly got the sense that he knew that already,” Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said. “Really big play making the play with his feet to get us back into field goal range to give us a scoring opportunity there.”
The Cowboys have praised Prescott’s poise and composure since they selected him in the fourth round of this year's draft. But there is a difference between seeing that on a practice field in training camp and seeing that in front of 89,140 fans in the first game -- preseason or not -- of his professional career.
“He was running the show,” Bryant said. “He was leading. It was his huddle. He didn’t play like a rookie. His mindset was not like a rookie. It was like he’d been there before”
The Cowboys lost 28-24, but Prescott was the story for Dallas. He completed 10 of 12 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns, but it was not about sending a message that he could be Tony Romo’s backup.
“It was another opportunity to prove to my teammates and my coaches and this organization the player and person I am,” Prescott said.
Prescott knew Romo would not play and that the starter’s role was his for the preseason opener. His work in practice leading up to the game was sharp. He worked a pair of two-minute drills in back-to-back days in which his only incompletions were to spike the ball to stop the clock.
He showed no nervousness.
“I was kind of waiting on it all day the last couple days, kind of waiting for that nervous feeling,” Prescott said. “I never really got it, and I think that’s because I was prepared.”
Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan had to seek Prescott out in the locker room before the game to go over different alerts and situations. Because Prescott is a rookie, he didn’t dress near Romo or Jameill Showers, so Linehan had to step over and around players and equipment to get to him.
“He gets himself really well prepared for each day,” Linehan said, “and that gets him ready for the game. He puts himself in those positions, he studies his calls, his game sheet, his scouting report. He’s really a mature kid. He’s ahead of his years I think right now when it comes to that kind of stuff.”
When the Cowboys lost backup quarterback Kellen Moore for 3-4 months with a broken right fibula, the immediate thought was they needed to find a veteran to back up Romo. They made overtures to free-agent Nick Foles, who chose the Kansas City Chiefs. They spoke with the Cleveland Browns about Josh McCown, but the asking price was too high.
After that, the Cowboys put their focus back on Prescott and Showers.
Linehan can’t remember a time in which he went into a season with a rookie as the No. 2 quarterback.
“There’s never a day that we don’t feel really good about his development and where he’s coming,” Linehan said. “And we’re not getting carried away. We’re one preseason game into it. We’ve got some really good practices in -- offseason, training camp -- and feel like he’s progressing very, very well and we’re going to strive for making that our goal every day. So that’s really where we’re at right now. We’re real excited about where he’s headed, and he’s shown us a lot of really good things. And I’d be surprised if it doesn’t continue.”
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES -- The highlights for Dak Prescott from Saturday’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams are obvious.
The Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback had the two throws to Dez Bryant, including a 10-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. He also had the beautiful throw to Terrance Williams for a 32-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.
But the most impressive part of Prescott’s performance was what he did when he was facing second-and-34 after the Cowboys were called for three penalties in a four-play span in the second quarter.
There aren’t a lot of calls for offensive coordinators in second-and-34 from the opponent’s 48-yard line.
On second down, Prescott smartly checked it underneath to wide receiver Devin Street for an 8-yard pickup. On third down, the Rams brought a blitz, forcing Prescott out of the pocket. He picked up 14 yards on the ground.
The Cowboys went from likely having to punt to seeing Dan Bailey connect on a 44-yard field goal.
“You know, that’s something you can try to emphasize to the quarterback between plays, manage the situation, know where you are on the field, but you certainly got the sense that he knew that already,” Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said. “Really big play making the play with his feet to get us back into field goal range to give us a scoring opportunity there.”
The Cowboys have praised Prescott’s poise and composure since they selected him in the fourth round of this year's draft. But there is a difference between seeing that on a practice field in training camp and seeing that in front of 89,140 fans in the first game -- preseason or not -- of his professional career.
“He was running the show,” Bryant said. “He was leading. It was his huddle. He didn’t play like a rookie. His mindset was not like a rookie. It was like he’d been there before”
The Cowboys lost 28-24, but Prescott was the story for Dallas. He completed 10 of 12 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns, but it was not about sending a message that he could be Tony Romo’s backup.
“It was another opportunity to prove to my teammates and my coaches and this organization the player and person I am,” Prescott said.
Prescott knew Romo would not play and that the starter’s role was his for the preseason opener. His work in practice leading up to the game was sharp. He worked a pair of two-minute drills in back-to-back days in which his only incompletions were to spike the ball to stop the clock.
He showed no nervousness.
“I was kind of waiting on it all day the last couple days, kind of waiting for that nervous feeling,” Prescott said. “I never really got it, and I think that’s because I was prepared.”
Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan had to seek Prescott out in the locker room before the game to go over different alerts and situations. Because Prescott is a rookie, he didn’t dress near Romo or Jameill Showers, so Linehan had to step over and around players and equipment to get to him.
“He gets himself really well prepared for each day,” Linehan said, “and that gets him ready for the game. He puts himself in those positions, he studies his calls, his game sheet, his scouting report. He’s really a mature kid. He’s ahead of his years I think right now when it comes to that kind of stuff.”
When the Cowboys lost backup quarterback Kellen Moore for 3-4 months with a broken right fibula, the immediate thought was they needed to find a veteran to back up Romo. They made overtures to free-agent Nick Foles, who chose the Kansas City Chiefs. They spoke with the Cleveland Browns about Josh McCown, but the asking price was too high.
After that, the Cowboys put their focus back on Prescott and Showers.
Linehan can’t remember a time in which he went into a season with a rookie as the No. 2 quarterback.
“There’s never a day that we don’t feel really good about his development and where he’s coming,” Linehan said. “And we’re not getting carried away. We’re one preseason game into it. We’ve got some really good practices in -- offseason, training camp -- and feel like he’s progressing very, very well and we’re going to strive for making that our goal every day. So that’s really where we’re at right now. We’re real excited about where he’s headed, and he’s shown us a lot of really good things. And I’d be surprised if it doesn’t continue.”