Eric Davis: “Dak Prescott leaves so many things on the table”
A former player and current NFL Network analyst believes the Dallas Cowboys offense would run better with Tony Romo under center over Dak Prescott.
Although the Dallas Cowboys bye week came just in the nick of time for many of the team’s injured players, the inactivity spurred even more speculation about their quarterback situation. As of now, all we know is rookie quarterback Dak Prescott will start against the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday night.
But the fact injured veteran quarterback Tony Romo practiced this week for the first time since suffering a compression fracture in his back during the Cowboys third preseason game earlier this year, means a big decision is looming.
Will the Cowboys replace a red hot Prescott, who has led the team to a 5-1 record prior to Sunday’s matchup against the Eagles, with Romo once the veteran is fully healthy?
Although there have been plenty of arguments for and against replacing Prescott with Romo, one thing everyone seems to agree on is the fact the fourth round rookie has played very well. That is everyone except for former cornerback and current NFL Network analyst Eric Davis, who has a different take on the controversy.
"“I like Dak [Prescott]. You’ve heard me say Dak is going to be [the Dallas Cowboys] quarterback down the road. But there are so many things he’s leaving on the table,” former Davis told NFL Network’s Rich Eisen during his podcast last week. “Rich, I can sit you down with the film…and you’ll see plays on there where…you could have gotten a first, you could have gotten a touchdown and he won’t throw the ball. He’ll miss reads. There are times where he’s looking at open receivers and he’ll pull it down and take off running…He’s a young quarterback. And I think you can take advantage of that.”"
What the 13-year veteran is arguing is the fact Prescott is adverse to taking too many risks in this Cowboys offense. It’s a trait the rookie has been praised for, having only thrown one interception in his first 182 passing attempts in the regular season. And those lack of turnovers, combined with a stellar running attack and an overachieving defense has helped make America’s Team relevant again following their devastating 4-12 record from last season.
Clearly, Prescott has been successful being conservative. But he is also been wisely limited by the Cowboys coaching staff, who seem to be opening up more and more of the offensive playbook every game.
Some argue that’s a reason to keep the rookie under center in order to find out how much more he can grow. If Prescott can lead the team on a five-game winning streak with limited knowledge of the playbook and very conservative decision-making, what could the 23-year old possibly do if given more time to get comfortable with the offense?
Davis’ argument is the fact you already have a quarterback that is capable of managing this offense at it’s highest level. And his name is Tony Romo.
"“That’s why I keep saying they will be better off with Tony Romo running that offense,” Davis continued. “You have more options. [Dak] can only do so much. He is still a rookie. And he misses a lot.”"
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If Prescott is truly leaving a lot on the table and missing his reads, the one group who knows it is this Dallas Cowboys coaching staff. If they believe this offense would perform even better with Romo under center, then there is no controversy. You have to sit the rookie.