Dallas Cowboys: Jason Garrett shows a lack of trust in Dak Prescott
Dallas Cowboys‘ Jason Garrett said Dak Prescott needs to improve in every facet, then drafted Mike White. Has the head coach lost confidence in his QB1?
The latest controversy surrounding Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is his lack of touchdowns during training camp. It became an issue because reporters and other observers are used to seeing former quarterback Tony Romo routinely toss 45-yard touchdowns during practices.
In stark contrast, Prescott’s 45 yard passes travel five yards through the air and then running back Ezekiel Elliott runs for 40 yards. It all looks good on the stat sheet, but not to the naked eye.
Head coach Jason Garrett was asked about Prescott’s lack of touchdowns during a press conference. It’s not a surprising performance by Prescott. During the off-season, Garrett mentioned that Prescott needed to improve in every facet of the game. In an additional show of confidence in Prescott, the Cowboys front office drafted quarterback Mike White from Western Kentucky University.
Members of Cowboy Nation that became die-hard Dak-Riders will support Prescott and ignore his flaws want to scream it’s only practice like NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson.
I’ll agree that preseason records don’t matter but you play how you practice. For a coaching staff that might be on the “hot seat”, they want confidence entering the season. That confidence starts in practice.
I will never believe that Garrett is happy about coaching a run first team. He’s a former quarterback and offensive coordinator, who loves the aerial attack. In fact, running first is against Garrett’s “Air Coryell” offensive philosophy, which is described as “a high-flying, breathtaking offense that utilizes the width of the field and shreds defenses vertically.”
Being a run-first team is what happens when you lose faith in your quarterback’s ability to throw the football accurately.
During the 2014 NFL season, the great Tony Romo threw for 34 touchdowns, 3,705 yards, and 9 interceptions in a mere 15 games. Don’t forget that the Cowboys also had the NFL’s leading rusher with DeMarco Murray.
Yet, on 4th and 2 with the season on the line, the Cowboys lined up with an empty backfield and Romo threw a perfect pass to former wide receiver Dez Bryant in typhoon-type wind conditions that sailed 38 yards through the air.
That’s not a run-first team, but a team with confidence in its quarterback.
While it may not seem to be a major concern, this is a moment to ignore what the front office and coaching staff says. It will be more important to watch what they do.
In a meaningless game against the Philadelphia Eagles at the end of the 2017 NFL season, the Cowboys did the unexpected. The coaches kept Prescott on the field for the entire game. It was a perfect opportunity to see more of backup quarterback Cooper Rush.
In the first preseason game, Romo might play one drive and go 6 for 6 with 225 yards and a touchdown. Let’s see how much playing time Prescott gets during each preseason game.
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The front office definitely wants to be impressed before they open up the checkbook for Prescott’s next contract. It starts now.
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