Dallas Cowboys Reflections: Rookie phenoms were incredible
By Tyler Harris
Looking to the future, the Dallas Cowboys are in really good shape in the hands of their talented rookie backfield.
I recently went back and watched highlights of the Dallas Cowboys 2016 season that rookie quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott had. Wow! That’s really all anybody can say. To have that type of dominating performance from a rookie is rare from either position, but to have both on your team in one year, that’s winning the lottery.
With Dallas hitting the jackpot with these two studs, their future appears to be very bright. Going forward you’ll have two centerpieces of your team on rookie deals and you can really focus on complimenting them filling the missing pieces to win a championship.
While the future is bright, do yourself a favor and reflect on the season each of those players just had.
Dak arguably had the greatest rookie season for a quarterback in the history of the league. He set multiple records, but most impressively he conducted himself like a ten year veteran and was a leader from day one.
Zeke was a charismatic, steady beast the entire season. He may have always said the right thing, and gave his teammates credit for his success, but the kid is a modest super star. He brought a youthful freshness to the entire team.
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As you review some of the games and highlights of these two, remind yourself they were just rookies. It is truly incredible the way they were able to dominate at the highest level in their first year in the league.
I am going to share my favorite play from last season of each player.
It was obvious that Dak was going to be the man at quarterback for the Cowboys after about six games into the season.
The moment he truly arrived to me was on the road against Green Bay. Dallas got the ball back with under two minutes to go nursing a 10-6 lead. Dak marched the team down the field with ease, and hit Brice Butler for a 20 yard touchdown by dropping a beautiful dime in the corner of the end zone. Dallas went on to dominate the rest of the game, and Dak dominated the rest of the year.
Not many fans will remember that Zeke actually started out the first two games of his career very slowly. He struggled against the Giants in game one, and fumbled twice against the Redskins in game two. Many people were openly questioning if he was a bust and if Dallas had made a huge mistake. The joke is on them.
Following that two game stretch Zeke absolutely dominated the league and never looked back. It was obvious that he had made it and was going to be one of the best backs in the league against Cincinnati.
Early in the 3rd quarter of that game Elliott took a hand off and raced right up the middle – untouched – for a 60 yard touchdown. The speed and vision he showed on that play sent a huge warning shot to the league, and I knew right then the monster had found his comfort zone.
As you go and review the season they had, you’ll likely find multiple plays that you consider to be your favorite. That’s how well these guys executed and how exciting it was to watch them.
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The Cowboys may not have ended their season how they had hoped, but they are in very good hands going forward to win a Super Bowl. Much to the chagrin of the rest of the league, those two studs wont be rookies anymore and will only get better.