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Curious George: How patient will Cowboys be with Dak Prescott; is Jason Witten due for contract extension?
By Brandon George , Staff Writer
I'm back with an all-new season of Curious George.
This will be a regular blog throughout the 2016 season that will appear every Tuesday morning, when I'll wonder out loud about five things that I'm curious about ...
Basically, it's like the old Arsenio Hall skit of five things that make you say, "Hmmm."
Play along with me, either commenting on my thoughts or give me some that you might have about this year's Dallas Cowboys.
* I wonder how patient the Cowboys will be with rookie QB Dak Prescott if he struggles early: Everyone in the Cowboys' organization raved about what they saw from rookie quarterback Dak Prescott in the preseason. Good luck finding a quarterback who performed better than Prescott this preseason. But, alas, it was the preseason, when teams don't game plan for an opponent or a quarterback and don't make many in-game adjustments. Things will change big-time for Prescott on Sunday when he begins the season as the Cowboys' starter against the Giants. And, it will only get tougher each week after that once teams start to build more of a scouting report on him. That brings me to this: How patient will Cowboys coaches be with Prescott if he struggles early in the season? If Prescott looks akin to most rookie quarterbacks in the NFL and loses a game or two, will the Cowboys be quick to pull him? They have a veteran backup now in Mark Sanchez. They'd like to get a few weeks under his belt to learn the offense before he even gets close to seeing the field. No one in the Cowboys organization figured Prescott would play in a game coming into training camp. They wanted to give him a year to develop. Injuries have forced him into action much quicker than anyone wanted at The Star. The Cowboys can't afford to be too patient. Otherwise, not much will be left to play for once Tony Romo is healthy enough to return.
* I wonder how close the Cowboys came to moving on from TE Gavin Escobar and S J.J. Wilcox: Escobar and Wilcox haven't developed like the Cowboys had hoped when they were drafted. Escobar was a second-round pick in 2013 and Wilcox was a third-round pick that year. Escobar isn't a strong blocker and hasn't done enough in the passing game to justify his draft spot. Wilcox loves to hit, but sometimes takes bad angles and misses tackles because of his aggressiveness. Both players were able to make the final roster Saturday. But I wonder how close the Cowboys came to releasing one or both or trying to trade them. Both need big seasons in the final years of their deals. Both are fortunate to still get one last chance with the Cowboys.
* I wonder if the Cowboys will try to sign TE Jason Witten to a contract extension this week: Witten has made it clear he wants to play his entire career with the Cowboys. He has two more years left on his contract heading into 2016. His play hasn't diminished much, if at all, so you have to figure he's got more than two good years left in him. And remember, five years ago Witten had two years left on his contract going into the first week of the season in 2011. The Cowboys opened 2011 at the Giants, the same team the Cowboys play to open this season. Witten and the Cowboys hammered out a five-year contract extension late on Saturday night, Sept. 10, finishing the negotiations at the team hotel in Newark, N.J. Could I be déjà vu for Witten and the Cowboys again this week? Heading into Game 1, against the Giants, with two years left on Witten's contract, could he again sign another extension to ensure he does indeed retire a Cowboy?
* I wonder how many teams, if any, seriously considered trading for RB Darren McFadden: Darren McFadden didn't take over as the Cowboys' starting running back until midway through last year, but he still finished with his second career 1,000-yard season. McFadden certainly exceeded expectations in his first year with Dallas. But he slipped near a pool back over Memorial Day weekend and fractured his right elbow. McFadden said Thursday he felt like he'd be ready to practice to start this week after spending the entire preseason working on the side. Instead, the Cowboys placed McFadden on the non-football injury list Saturday, meaning he'll miss the first six games. McFadden revealed Monday that he can't fully extend his right arm yet and may never be able to because of the fracture. That makes me wonder if teams really were interested in trading for him over the last few weeks. Was it just something the Cowboys manufactured to perhaps get a team to bite? How many teams would be interested in a 29-year-old running back who can't fully extend his right arm and has struggled to stay healthy for most of his career?
* I'm curious if Tony Romo is going to trust his back once he returns to the field: Tony Romo went on and on in the offseason about how he felt better than he had in the last five years. Then 16 plays into the preseason, poof, he's gone for several weeks with a fractured bone in his back. The hit Romo took from Seattle's Cliff Avril wasn't even a typical hard hit on a quarterback. Romo has been injured so much of late, I wonder how the latest injury will affect his play once he gets back on the field. Will he try to force passes in by getting rid of the football too soon in an effort to avoid a big hit? Will he start to go down quickly in the pocket when he sees a shadow, similar to the way he did after a previous back injury? Will he trust that his back and collarbone will hold up enough to take a hit in the pocket? We won't find out these answers, however, until at least mid-October.
By Brandon George , Staff Writer
I'm back with an all-new season of Curious George.
This will be a regular blog throughout the 2016 season that will appear every Tuesday morning, when I'll wonder out loud about five things that I'm curious about ...
Basically, it's like the old Arsenio Hall skit of five things that make you say, "Hmmm."
Play along with me, either commenting on my thoughts or give me some that you might have about this year's Dallas Cowboys.
* I wonder how patient the Cowboys will be with rookie QB Dak Prescott if he struggles early: Everyone in the Cowboys' organization raved about what they saw from rookie quarterback Dak Prescott in the preseason. Good luck finding a quarterback who performed better than Prescott this preseason. But, alas, it was the preseason, when teams don't game plan for an opponent or a quarterback and don't make many in-game adjustments. Things will change big-time for Prescott on Sunday when he begins the season as the Cowboys' starter against the Giants. And, it will only get tougher each week after that once teams start to build more of a scouting report on him. That brings me to this: How patient will Cowboys coaches be with Prescott if he struggles early in the season? If Prescott looks akin to most rookie quarterbacks in the NFL and loses a game or two, will the Cowboys be quick to pull him? They have a veteran backup now in Mark Sanchez. They'd like to get a few weeks under his belt to learn the offense before he even gets close to seeing the field. No one in the Cowboys organization figured Prescott would play in a game coming into training camp. They wanted to give him a year to develop. Injuries have forced him into action much quicker than anyone wanted at The Star. The Cowboys can't afford to be too patient. Otherwise, not much will be left to play for once Tony Romo is healthy enough to return.
* I wonder how close the Cowboys came to moving on from TE Gavin Escobar and S J.J. Wilcox: Escobar and Wilcox haven't developed like the Cowboys had hoped when they were drafted. Escobar was a second-round pick in 2013 and Wilcox was a third-round pick that year. Escobar isn't a strong blocker and hasn't done enough in the passing game to justify his draft spot. Wilcox loves to hit, but sometimes takes bad angles and misses tackles because of his aggressiveness. Both players were able to make the final roster Saturday. But I wonder how close the Cowboys came to releasing one or both or trying to trade them. Both need big seasons in the final years of their deals. Both are fortunate to still get one last chance with the Cowboys.
* I wonder if the Cowboys will try to sign TE Jason Witten to a contract extension this week: Witten has made it clear he wants to play his entire career with the Cowboys. He has two more years left on his contract heading into 2016. His play hasn't diminished much, if at all, so you have to figure he's got more than two good years left in him. And remember, five years ago Witten had two years left on his contract going into the first week of the season in 2011. The Cowboys opened 2011 at the Giants, the same team the Cowboys play to open this season. Witten and the Cowboys hammered out a five-year contract extension late on Saturday night, Sept. 10, finishing the negotiations at the team hotel in Newark, N.J. Could I be déjà vu for Witten and the Cowboys again this week? Heading into Game 1, against the Giants, with two years left on Witten's contract, could he again sign another extension to ensure he does indeed retire a Cowboy?
* I wonder how many teams, if any, seriously considered trading for RB Darren McFadden: Darren McFadden didn't take over as the Cowboys' starting running back until midway through last year, but he still finished with his second career 1,000-yard season. McFadden certainly exceeded expectations in his first year with Dallas. But he slipped near a pool back over Memorial Day weekend and fractured his right elbow. McFadden said Thursday he felt like he'd be ready to practice to start this week after spending the entire preseason working on the side. Instead, the Cowboys placed McFadden on the non-football injury list Saturday, meaning he'll miss the first six games. McFadden revealed Monday that he can't fully extend his right arm yet and may never be able to because of the fracture. That makes me wonder if teams really were interested in trading for him over the last few weeks. Was it just something the Cowboys manufactured to perhaps get a team to bite? How many teams would be interested in a 29-year-old running back who can't fully extend his right arm and has struggled to stay healthy for most of his career?
* I'm curious if Tony Romo is going to trust his back once he returns to the field: Tony Romo went on and on in the offseason about how he felt better than he had in the last five years. Then 16 plays into the preseason, poof, he's gone for several weeks with a fractured bone in his back. The hit Romo took from Seattle's Cliff Avril wasn't even a typical hard hit on a quarterback. Romo has been injured so much of late, I wonder how the latest injury will affect his play once he gets back on the field. Will he try to force passes in by getting rid of the football too soon in an effort to avoid a big hit? Will he start to go down quickly in the pocket when he sees a shadow, similar to the way he did after a previous back injury? Will he trust that his back and collarbone will hold up enough to take a hit in the pocket? We won't find out these answers, however, until at least mid-October.
