Hageland: Hey Dak-Haters, Once Extension Gets Done … Will You Fully Root For Cowboys?

Cotton

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Hey Dak-Haters, Once Extension Gets Done … Will You Fully Root For Cowboys?



KEVIN HAGELAND
MAY 23, 2019 - 9:21 AM


USA Today

You see the news (or lack thereof every day).

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will get paid $30 million per year, Dak is going to get more than $30 million per year, Cowboys give contract proposal to Dak, Dak’s agents give counter-proposal to Cowboys and on and on it goes each day.

Bottom line, the deal is going to get done.

Like it or not!

And, for the purposes of this column, I want to focus on the people who don’t like it and I’m aware there are plenty of Cowboys fans who don’t think Dak is even an average quarterback and the idea of him getting $30-plus million is infuriating.

But when the deal is done, you are stuck with Dak.

And when that happens, will you stick with the Cowboys??

I’m serious with that question because over the last three years I’ve seen so many Cowboys fans who almost seem guilty rooting the team on to two division titles or come up with nonsensical things to complain about when the team is rolling because they feel like they are betraying Tony Romo.

And I get it, so many Cowboys fans loved Romo – but he never got the team a Super Bowl ring.

Never happened, never will.

The arguments will surely come flowing in (many of them valid) that many different factors led to Romo not winning a Super Bowl, getting to a Super Bowl or even advancing to an NFC Championship game. I’m well aware of those arguments because they were the same ones used against Dak when he was one win away from making it to where Romo never did (not a criticism, just a fact) in 2016 and 2018.

I understand, you love Romo and are loyal to him.

But are these fans more loyal to Romo than the franchise?!

I just assumed everyone would support Dak cause he is the quarterback for the team we all love, but that has certainly not been the case. Plenty do, but it seems just as many do not. Maybe they don’t like Dak because he replaced Romo in 2016. But what about after that? What about after Romo read his retirement poem (or whatever that was)? Do they still badmouth and root against Dak because they want him to fail and for the Cowboys get a new quarterback? Will those fans (maybe you as a fan) still be that way after Dak signs a deal that I’m guessing will reach around 6 years/$180 million with $100 million guaranteed?

And if so, why?

WHY???

At that point, for better or worse, you are stuck with Dak. He isn’t going anywhere, Romo is never coming back to this team and your fandom for the franchise should probably take precedent over either one of those individual players anyway.

Look, I know this is going to be tough, but take a deep breath and prepare yourself … you ready … this contract extension IS going to get done and Dak IS going to be this team’s starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. Like it, don’t like it, doesn’t matter – because you love this team and Dak is heading up this team, so it’s OK to support Dak with all your heart. No betrayal in that.

I love the Cowboys more than any individual player and if this team ever makes it back to the Super Bowl (yeah, I know, it’s been 24 years) … I want all Cowboys fans to be able to enjoy the ride and not just sit back waiting for failure so they can point to Dak and say, “I told you so.”
 

mcnuttz

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That was a USA Today article?
 

ravidubey

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What the Hell? 2016 called and wants its topic back.

Its 2019, a football eternity later.
 

Smitty

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Sure I'll root for them, but dumb moves like a massive Dak extension just propel this team further and further from relevance all the time, slowly sapping my enthusiasm.
 

Cowboysrock55

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What the Hell? 2016 called and wants its topic back.

Its 2019, a football eternity later.
I mean there are clearly a number of fans who still can't let Romo go but a contract won't change that. Only a Superbowl will.
 

DLK150

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Well, there goes two minutess of my life I'll never get back. Where did USA Today find this schmuck? A HS paper?
 

Rev

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I mean there are clearly a number of fans who still can't let Romo go but a contract won't change that. Only a Superbowl will.
Or 3 playoff wins.
 

deadrise

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I wasn't aware that skepticism concerning Dak was rooted in some fond nostalgia for Romo. I echo the opinions of others. The writing sounds like a 7th-grade fanboy.
 

Cowboysrock55

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I wasn't aware that skepticism concerning Dak was rooted in some fond nostalgia for Romo. I echo the opinions of others. The writing sounds like a 7th-grade fanboy.
A lot of it is. If we went through the Quincy Carter and Chad Hutchison years and then Dak came in the fan base would be in love with Dak. But anytime you replace a well loved productive QB you get compared to that QB.
 

ravidubey

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There's no sign Dak is not improving. In fact had the Dallas defense ever shown up he might have dropped an L on Jared Goff in his home stadium.

We have yet to see Dak's ceiling and at this point we can only have benefited from his extensive game experience-- as in every single game the last three seasons and two post seasons.

Sure he'll get a ridiculous extension with a crap ton of guaranteed money but it can't be helped. He earned it. What more could he have done besides beaten the Rams all by himself?

You aren't going to find a HOF QB on the street bagging groceries in the local market ever again.

Be grateful we have one at all.
 

1bigfan13

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Sure I'll root for them, but dumb moves like a massive Dak extension just propel this team further and further from relevance all the time, slowly sapping my enthusiasm.
What's the alternative? Tanking for Tua or Lawrence in 2020 or 2021?

The Redskins were in this situation with Cousins, who I consider similarly talented to Prescott, and the best they could come up with after Cousins' departure was Alex Smith. They were fortunate that a potential franchise QB with a 1st round grade fell into their laps this year at 16, but they're still in wait and see mode with Haskins.
 

deadrise

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Thirty-two teams in the NFL. There are maybe, MAYBE, two or three legitimate QB candidates in each draft. They usually get drafted by crappy teams. So even the legitimate QB candidates flame out after playing for a crappy team.

With rare exceptions (Mahomes) most teams wind up with mediocre or journeyman QBs. Seattle lucked out with Wilson. Rothlisberger, Rodgers, guys like that, may be on the downhill slope. (Brady's the exception?).

The fact is that the college game doesn't produce anywhere near enough QBs to stock NFL rosters with first-rate QB talent. Either that, or NFL coaches aren't capable of grooming QB talent.

So in that sense, Dak may be the best the team can do. Which, for a 4th round pick, may not be such a bad deal.
 

L.T. Fan

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Sure I'll root for them, but dumb moves like a massive Dak extension just propel this team further and further from relevance all the time, slowly sapping my enthusiasm.
I have reservations about him as well. I hope the shuffle in the coaching ranks can put him in a better production position I guess it’s a waiting game.
 
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