Dak Prescott is losing games that Tony Romo could win
While Dak Prescott is throwing inaccurate six-yard passes to tight ends and running backs, Tony Romo could be winning ball games for the Dallas Cowboys.
For this holiday season, I’ve been thankful that I haven’t had to eat crow and apologize to Dallas Cowboys fans for my evaluation of quarterback Dak Prescott. Earlier this season, Cowboy Nation thought I was crazy when I stated that Prescott’s skills were regressing in his second year.
It turns out that I wasn’t far off on my last prediction about the Cowboys’ future. In that article, I concluded that “unless Prescott starts throwing accurate passes more than 6 yards downfield with anticipation and accuracy, CowboyNation might start talking about our next top 10 draft pick before Thanksgiving.”
I may have been wrong when I stated that Prescott was Robin and Batman was our running back Ezekiel Elliott. After three games of double digit losses and not scoring 10 points, I now believe that Prescott might be Alfred Pennyworth, Batman’s butler.
Has the absence of one player, besides legendary former quarterback Tony Romo, ever made this big of a difference to the Cowboys Win – Loss column?
During Batman’s (Zeke’s) six-game suspension, we just needed Robin – sorry, I meant Alfred (Dak) – to help the team go .500 or better. Unfortunately, Prescott is the player that the Romo-maniacs thought he was and he isn’t off the hook (in my best Dennis Green voice).
Now many of you are starting to understand why there is a growing segment of Cowboy Nation that remains upset at how the idiots in the front office took Romo’s team away because of a winning streak.
It’s not a secret that I miss seeing Romo on the field. You know what else I miss: accurate back shoulder throws to wide receiver Dez Bryant 25 yards downfield; having a wide out with more than 100 receiving yards and multiple touchdowns; seeing someone other than future Hall of Fame tight end Jason Witten lead the team in receptions; having a quarterback average more than 7 yards per pass attempt or exceed 300 passing yards in a game.
** Romo stat alert ** – In 2014, with the NFL’s leading rusher DeMarco Murray in the backfield, Romo still averaged 12.2 yards per pass completion.
Our offense looked horrific against the Los Angeles Chargers, even after the return of left tackle Tyron Smith and kicker Dan Bailey. Without Batman (Elliott) or any threat of a passing attack, both running backs Alfred Morris and Rod Smith averaged more than 4 yards per carry.
I’m not sure what more you can ask of them. It isn’t the running game and now Cowboy Nation wants head coach Jason Garrett fired. I understand why owner/general manager Jerry Jones isn’t putting Garrett on the hot seat.
The Cowboys offense is a finely tuned, asphalt devouring, 850 horsepower NASCAR beast and Tony Romo was Ricky Bobby who threw the football downfield knowing that at the end of 60 minutes – if you weren’t first, you were last.
Garrett’s Air Coryell offensive system was effective last year with Romo and the former quarterback Kellen Moore helping Prescott. Let’s not forget that Prescott called Moore “the genius behind the scenes”. Kellen is also the last Cowboys quarterback to exceed 300 passing yards in a game. By sending Moore to the practice squad, the Cowboys may have accidentally unplugged the sideline computer.
If Romo were playing, he would not be killed by opposing defenses and getting sacked because Romo excelled at reading defenses, adjusting the line protection and receivers routes before the snap.
Let’s not forget that this memorable play was WITH Tyron Smith in the lineup. That is elite level pocket awareness at work and in the words of the realest champ in the room – WWE superstar Enzo Amore – “You can’t teach that!”
The problem isn’t our running game, our defense or the offensive system. Ricky Bobby is in the CBS booth and Batman is still suspended, so Cowboy Nation is stuck watching Prescott throw six yard passes to tight ends and running backs. It’s clearly the quarterback play.
Next: The Cowboys curious release of Darren McFadden
It’s hard to defeat opponents when we’re going 10 quarters without a touchdown. If Tony Romo’s career ended on the field, I might feel bad for Jason Garrett. It has to be frustrating to see his high powered, offensive Batmobile being driven around the “House that Romo Built” by Alfred, the Butler.
#GoCowboys