Can Dak Prescott be a MVP candidate this year?

There’s been a lot of criticism surrounding Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott recently. But does he have what it takes to be league MVP this season?

Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys had arguably the greatest rookie season by any quarterback in NFL history. One would think a season that saw a fourth round pick complete almost 68% of his passes for 3,667 yards, 23 touchdowns, and four interceptions to go along with another six rushing scores would

Unfortunately, this hasn’t necessarily been the case.

After earning a spot as the 14th overall player in the NFL last season, there has been much debate whether or not he’s deserving of such an astute ranking. However,there should be no debate whether or not Prescott is deserving of such a distinction, despite his talented supporting cast on offense playing a large factor in his early-career success.

In fact, it should be even argued that the second year man should be a front runner for league MVP next season.

One phrase that has been going around regarding Prescott recently is, he’s a “system guy”. Well, you know who else is a system guy? Some dude named Tom Brady who plays for the New England Patriots, who’s completely mastered the offense he was bestowed.

Brady is being debated as the best ever, and while the offense he plays in certainly plays to his strengths, he should be given all the credit in the world for making the Patriots yearly championship contenders.

Brady isn’t the only great quarterback to have a system tailored to his strengths. Peyton Manning was another guy who operated from a certain offense for most of his career, and proved to be an absolute maestro at dictating the shotgun spread offense/no huddle attack. Should his legacy be hurt because he too mastered an offense that suited his strengths?

Anyways, back to Prescott. Don’t forget, the Cowboys went 4-12 the season prior to drafting Dak, with a carousel of underperforming quarterbacks such as Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel, and Kellen Moore. If the system was so friendly to QBs, why were those guys so abysmal?

While it’s clear Prescott had a luxury most rookie quarterbacks dream of, his accomplishments still should not be diminished. He made the plays he needed to win football games, and came up with big throws when it matters. When the Cowboys were behind in the divisional round against Green Bay, Prescott put the team on his back and proved he could play without a lead.

Next: Should the Cowboys sign Johnny Manziel as their backup QB?

With the Dallas Cowboys possessing a much tougher schedule heading in 2017-18, expect Dak Prescott to have more games like the one against the Packers in the postseason. And don’t be surprised if he’s in the discussion for MVP by the time the season ends as well.