Bell: Prescott, not Goff, looks like No. 1 pick

BipolarFuk

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LOS ANGELES – Two rookie quarterbacks had their opening acts under the bright lights.

Dak Prescott sizzled. Jared Goff fizzled.

What a first impression.

Goff was the one drafted No. 1 overall by the Los Angeles Rams, and he pretty much lived up to some of the uninspiring reviews of his training camp practices.

After coming off the bench in the second quarter, Goff was rocked and picked – on his first series. It set the tone for his uneventful debut, because the big hit left him with the stiff left, non-throwing shoulder that prompted Rams coach Jeff Fisher to pull him at halftime.

Fisher and Goff both downplayed the seriousness of the injury, and the coach maintained that it shouldn’t cost any practice time. But it’s a hard knock nonetheless.

Just don’t blame the injury on faulty protection. Goff never saw linebacker Derek Akunne, who slipped inside on a blitz that wasn’t picked up. He’ll need to recognize that quicker if he is going to thrive, if not just simply survive in the NFL. He settled down on the next drive, but was set back by a crucial third-down drop.

Prescott, meanwhile, started for the Dallas Cowboys, who rested Tony Romo, and completed 10 of his 12 passes – and the two icompletions were drops – with two TDs and zero picks. His passer rating of 154.5 was nearly perfect. He led Dallas to three scoring drives in building a big halftime lead at the Coliseum.

He looked sharp and in control. Like he belonged.

While it is way too early to draw definitive conclusions – Prescott has had reps with the starters, while Goff is working with the twos – the contrasting experiences of the quarterbacks suggested much about how these guys are progressing.

That Prescott was a fourth-round pick was another head-scratcher.

He sure outplayed the Cal product who was taken at the top of the draft.

Interestingly, the dress rehearsals before an announced crowd of 89,140 fans were reminiscent of what I witnessed from the quarterbacks last week in glimpses of their practices.

Goff, whom the Rams maintain they won’t rush while rolling with Case Keenum, struck me as a bit timid in practice. He had the worst interception I’ve seen this summer with a short, soft, lazy-looking pass that was deflected into a pop-up over the middle.

Can he really press Keenum for the starting job? That may take a long time. Right now, just getting some reps with the first string would be a marker.

Prescott, out of Mississippi State, had a different presence in Dallas’ practices, where he has picked up extra reps with Romo’s typical weekly off-days and then with projected No. 2 quarterback Kellen Moore knocked out with a fractured ankle. He seemed decisive in team drills, and didn’t appear fazed by the environment.

With the Cowboys are still in a holding pattern for landing a veteran quarterback, coach Jason Garrett said last week that he won’t rule out the possibility that Prescott (or pro Jameill Showers, for that matter) can claim the No. 2 spot as Romo’s top backup.

On Saturday night, he had a good start, fortified by the poise he’s demonstrated on the practice field. And the Cowboys’ fast-tracked, aggressive approach in developing Prescott showed, too. He was drafted as a potential long-term successor to Romo, and showed why with his mobility – including a 14-yard scramble on third-and-26 that set up a field goal – and strong-armed passing.

Fisher had hoped to play Goff into the third quarter, but went with his gut as a precautionary measure. Sean Mannion, the third-stringer, played the entire second half and triggered the big rally that gave the Rams a feel-good opening win upon their return to LA.

Goff may eventually wind up as the face of the franchise, given that he was the first pick in the draft. On opening night, though, he was the second-best rookie quarterback on the field – and it wasn’t close.

Follow Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.
 

Cotton

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Well, this is good news.
 

L.T. Fan

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Well, this is good news.
This is the reason I advocated Prescott getting reps with the starters and max preseason time. There is absolutely no better system for training a rookie QB.
 

shane

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He will definitely have the weapons he needs to succeed here with the o-line, RB and Dez/Witten. Good spot for a young mid-round QB to be.
 

dallen

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Assuming Romo plays Friday night it will be interesting to see how Dak does with the 2nd team instead.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Prescott outplayed Wentz at the Senior Bowl too.
Yeah Dak was actually the MVP. I remember down playing his performance at the time but maybe there is just something about this guy. He gets the job done on game day.
 

Jiggyfly

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I saw some real Steve Mcnair glimpses in Dak in that game Saturday.

His accuracy and footwork were the real surprise.

 

dallen

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Anyone have footage of Prescott's 15 yd scramble?
 
D

Deuce

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Assuming Romo plays Friday night it will be interesting to see how Dak does with the 2nd team instead.
I think he'll still get time with the first team. Romo will play a series, maybe two at most and then Dak will get at least 1 with the first team before scrubs come in.
 

Cowboysrock55

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I think he'll still get time with the first team. Romo will play a series, maybe two at most and then Dak will get at least 1 with the first team before scrubs come in.
It will be a bit of a combination of starters and backups. I'm sure some starters will get pulled with Romo. Witten and Dez for example. But we may leave the O-line out there for a bit for Dak and things like that. I don't think anyone would cry if Terrance Williams or Cole Beasley got a little extra time out there. Elliott is coming back from an injury so if he plays I can't imagine they work him too much. But the backup RBs are pretty damn good too.
 

Cowboysrock55

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I saw some real Steve Mcnair glimpses in Dak in that game Saturday.

His accuracy and footwork were the real surprise.

I can see that. Their bodies and physical abilities definitely look similar. Before the preseason game I would have said McNair had way more accuracy with his arm but Dak is starting to change my opinion on that subject.
 

boozeman

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I hope it doesn't happen but WTF happens if Prescott just lays a giant turd against Miami?

His debut was unquestionably one of the better ones I have ever seen.

It is just down from here.
 

Cowboysrock55

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I hope it doesn't happen but WTF happens if Prescott just lays a giant turd against Miami?

His debut was unquestionably one of the better ones I have ever seen.

It is just down from here.
Yeah he was nearly perfect in his first start as a rookie. He is going to have lot of performances that are worse then that. I just hope he continues to play well even with some mistakes.
 

Genghis Khan

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I think it was Nick eatman who put out the caveat that Quincy was fantastic his first preseason game (a performance that prompted us to cut Tony Banks), and then completely shit the bed after that.

The good news is I'm guessing Prescott has a much better head on his shoulders than Quincy. The bad news is we don't know that for sure yet.
 

DLK150

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One preseason game is waaaay too early to anoint anyone, regardless of their draft status. Countless teams have fallen into that trap.
 

L.T. Fan

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One preseason game is waaaay too early to anoint anyone, regardless of their draft status. Countless teams have fallen into that trap.
So true. There are a lot of hurdles to jump before the trends will start to emerge.
 
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UncleMilti

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I agree with not annointing the guy...but surely to God he's not as fucking retarded as the Quinthy.
 
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