Dak: Tony left some big shoes to fill

mcnuttz

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Dak Prescott on Tony Romo: He's left 'some big shoes'



  • By Nick Shook NFL.com
  • Updated: April 16, 2017 at 06:38 p.m.

We've heard plenty to the contrary, but according to Dak Prescott, things are gravy between he and Tony Romo.

The successor to Romo said as much on Saturday.

"Me and Tony, we've always been great throughout this whole situation, before the situation when I came in (as the starter)," Prescott said Saturday in Arlington, per the team's website. "So nothing's ever changed. That's something I'm very thankful were able to manage of keeping our relationship the same throughout everything that was going on.

"I hope he's happy. He made the decision to retire; he's had a great career. He's got some big shoes for me to fill to try to come in and do a good job for the Cowboys."

Prescott didn't just fill them in 2016, he outright stole them and wore them so hard, he needed a new pair. Romo's recent retirement -- when everyone knows he still has enough left to play at a fairly high level for multiple seasons -- should serve as enough of an example that Prescott has the starting job locked down in Dallas.

There was some questions about the Romo/Prescott dynamic recently, though, including Romo reportedly having some uneasy feelings about how his job was taken from him, and Romo creating some distance between he and Jason Garrett. But with Romo now off to the broadcast booth and the issue resolved (barring major injury to an active quarterback), everything seems fine between the two.

Great. End of story, right? Well, that's where we turn to Prescott and his future.

Fresh off that memorable rookie season, Prescott now faces the reality that teams will have a full season on film on the quarterback. He won't get a kid-gloves introduction to the NFL in year two -- not with the expectations now on his shoulders after a 13-3 season.

Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan did a fantastic job of acclimating Prescott to the pro game (he had a lot of help thanks to a great line and fantastic rookie season from Ezekiel Elliott), but the stakes are higher in 2017, because of the 2016 result (a loss in the divisional playoffs), the expectations and yes, even the departure of Romo.

Prescott doesn't simply escape Romo's shadow after one season. It will take multiple seasons of success for Dallas to officially leave Romo in the past -- no matter how good their relationship is, or how amicable they are in public.

 

Cotton

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Dak will be fine.
 

L.T. Fan

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I sincerely hope Prescott has a banner year again but my gut tells me that he will get things thrown at him this season that he hasn't seen before. His level of experience is still limited so I think it will surface more often. Hopefully the coaching staff will alleviate some of the pressure with a ground game strategy that takes advantage of an opponents aggression.
 

Texas Ace

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I sincerely hope Prescott has a banner year again but my gut tells me that he will get things thrown at him this season that he hasn't seen before.
Wasn't that what you were saying last season when he was a rookie?

So what now? This time FOR REAL they are going to throw the book at a QB who now has a full season under his belt?

:skurred
 

Cowboysrock55

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I sincerely hope Prescott has a banner year again but my gut tells me that he will get things thrown at him this season that he hasn't seen before. His level of experience is still limited so I think it will surface more often. Hopefully the coaching staff will alleviate some of the pressure with a ground game strategy that takes advantage of an opponents aggression.
It's a feeling that it's too good to be true. Sort of like when Dak first took over for Romo and played great. The rhetoric from a certain group on this board (Including yourself) was that the wheels will come off any second. That the NFL will catch up to him. That defensive coordinators just needed some film on him and they will figure him out. And since that never happened last year, instead of just admitting that the impulse felt last season was wrong you just move the ball and claim that your gut tells you it will happen in year two. At some point though you'll realize that your gut is just wrong and that Dak isn't too good to be true.
 
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townsend

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Is it just me or are people inventing a whole new type of logic just to assume Dak will come to earth? I dont ever remember anyone saying Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, or Ben Roethlisberger would struggle in their sophomore seasons. The assumption has always been that a passer would have a better advantage from their first offseason, than their opponents "watching tape" of them.

The last two games Dak really played in, against Green Bay and Detroit, they had almost a full seasons of tapes to study, he threw 3 TDs each game.
 

townsend

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It's a feeling that it's too good to be true. Sort of like when Dak first took over for Romo and played great. The rhetoric from a certain group on this board (Including yourself) was that the wheels will come off any second. And since that never happened last year, instead of just admitting that the impulse felt last season was wrong you just move the ball and claim that your gut tells you it will happen in year two. At some point though you'll realize that you gut is just wrong and that Dak isn't too good to be true.
Or he'll have a kind of bad game, and everyone will declare that THAT was proof that the he's struggling, just like they did for a couple weeks after the game in NY.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Or he'll have a kind of bad game, and everyone will declare that THAT was proof that the he's struggling, just like they did for a couple weeks after the game in NY.
Yeah, I think there will always be a certain group of Romo backers on this board that are just eagerly waiting for their chance to say "I told you so" when Dak has a bad game.
 

Cowboysrock55

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The assumption has always been that a passer would have a better advantage from their first offseason, than their opponents "watching tape" of them.
Just having the chance to have a full offseason throwing to guys like Dez Bryant will only build that chemistry and make the combination better. It took a little while for those two to get on the same page. I don't expect that problem in 2017.
 

townsend

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Just having the chance to have a full offseason throwing to guys like Dez Bryant will only build that chemistry and make the combination better. It took a little while for those two to get on the same page. I don't expect that problem in 2017.
If they pick up like they left off last year, and Dez stays healthy, I think he could end up with 17 or 18 TDs.
 

ravidubey

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If they pick up like they left off last year, and Dez stays healthy, I think he could end up with 17 or 18 TDs.
Dak will be the #1 QB in the offseason, so they should develop better chemistry.

17-18 TDs is a lot though for a WR in this kind of balanced offense where Zeke is so strongly featured.

The 2007 offense was seriously pass heavy and TO at his elite best still "just" had 15.

Dez might be great, but he not only lacks the explosive speed TO had in his prime, he'll also likely have fewer opportunities with Zeke, Williams, and Dak's rushing drawing away TDs.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Dak will be the #1 QB in the offseason, so they should develop better chemistry.

17-18 TDs is a lot though for a WR in this kind of balanced offense where Zeke is so strongly featured.

The 2007 offense was seriously pass heavy and TO at his elite best still "just" had 15.

Dez might be great, but he not only lacks the explosive speed TO had in his prime, he'll also likely have fewer opportunities with Zeke, Williams, and Dak's rushing drawing away TDs.
Dez had 16 TDs in 2014. He is a better jump ball receiver than TO which is what makes him a better redzone target. Hell Dez had 8 last year and that was with missing multiple games and struggling with a leg injury. Not to mention the clear lack of chemistry with Dak once he did come back. 17 TDs might be high but if Dez can stay healthy I'd expect something in the 12-15 range easily.
 

townsend

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Dak will be the #1 QB in the offseason, so they should develop better chemistry.

17-18 TDs is a lot though for a WR in this kind of balanced offense where Zeke is so strongly featured.

The 2007 offense was seriously pass heavy and TO at his elite best still "just" had 15.

Dez might be great, but he not only lacks the explosive speed TO had in his prime, he'll also likely have fewer opportunities with Zeke, Williams, and Dak's rushing drawing away TDs.
The 2014 offense featured the run just as (if not more) prominently and Dez had 16 TDs. After the Pittsburgh game Dak and Dez developed a really strong chemistry, Dez had 8 TDs in as many games (excluding the exhibition in Philly and including Dez's Larry Fitzgerald-esque performance against GB.)

If Dak can get good at throwing that fade that was the foundation of the Romo era red zone offense, I could see Dez easily pull down 18 in 2017.
 

L.T. Fan

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Wasn't that what you were saying last season when he was a rookie?

So what now? This time FOR REAL they are going to throw the book at a QB who now has a full season under his belt?

:skurred
What I predicted was that the playoffs were a different set of circumstances and I questioned whether a rookie could navigate it successfully. The outcome speaks for itself.
 

NoDak

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What I predicted was that the playoffs were a different set of circumstances and I questioned whether a rookie could navigate it successfully. The outcome speaks for itself.
You're seriously not trying to put that loss at Prescott's feet, are you? Sure looks like you are.
 

L.T. Fan

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You're seriously not trying to put that loss at Prescott's feet, are you? Sure looks like you are.
No I am not. I am simply saying that he will have a lot more pressure put on him this year than what he experienced last season. I think it will affect him and his game his sophomore year more so than his rookie year.
 

NoDak

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No I am not. I am simply saying that he will have a lot more pressure put on him this year than what he experienced last season. I think it will affect him and his game his sophomore year more so than his rookie year.
Oh. Must have been somebody else that said this, then.

I questioned whether a rookie could navigate it successfully. The outcome speaks for itself.
My mistake.
 

L.T. Fan

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You're seriously not trying to put that loss at Prescott's feet, are you? Sure looks like you are.
I put the loss at the coaches feet because they were too reluctant to turn him loose because he was a rookie. That is a different set of circumstances than the regular season games and nothing to do wih what I am predicting for him this season. I think opponents will be more prepared for him this season and I believe it will have an effect on his game. It's an observation and prediction not a put down of Prescott.
 
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L.T. Fan

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Oh. Must have been somebody else that said this, then.



My mistake.
I said the blame goes to the coaches not using him correctly because he was a rookie. It was still a rookie factor.
 

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"Fresh off that memorable rookie season, Prescott now faces the reality that teams will have a full season on film on the quarterback. He won't get a kid-gloves introduction to the NFL in year two -- not with the expectations now on his shoulders after a 13-3 season. "


My initial comments were directed at this part of the original article. I happen to agree with it.

My second comments were directed at Ace that I didn't predict doom for Prescott or the team for the regular season rather that the playoffs were more complex than the regular season and it could affect the outcome with a rookie starting. In fact it did, not from hiis play but from the coaches reluctantance to turn him loose..
 
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