Fisher: What Cowboys’ Dak Can Learn From Eagles’ Wentz Injury

Cotton

One-armed Knife Sharpener
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
119,705
What Cowboys’ Dak Can Learn From Eagles’ Wentz Injury
By Mike Fisher
December 13, 2017 at 7:12 am

FRISCO (105.3 THE FAN) – Carson Wentz tore his left ACL on a play that the Philadelphia Eagles wish they could undo, as the season-ending injury might very well change the entire chase for the Super Bowl.

The Dallas Cowboys are paying attention.

“It just reminds you how vulnerable that (quarterback) position is to getting hit,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones tells “Shan & RJ” on 105.3 The Fan. “The position of the quarterback on most runs are vulnerable to injury. So I would say to us or anybody else, look out really building in any type of running game around the quarterback.”

Well, Jerry needs to say it to “us” — that is, his own Cowboys, who use QB Dak Prescott as a running threat with frequency, and just two weeks ago against the Redskins ran an option play that resulted in Prescott sustaining a hand injury that required an in-game X-ray.

Prescott continued in that game, despite some swelling; his hand is fine. But Philly has put on display the risk involved in exposing a QB to extra contact and now, without Wentz and with Nick Foles now taking over, Philly may not be the NFC power is was before the Sunday injury against the Rams.

Jones gets it.

“Now, who am I speaking to?” he asked himself. “I’m speaking to our mirror. So while we want to take advantage of it, it is a part of his game, Dak can be very smart about it. … When that quarterback tucks it up, (defensive players) are taught to unload on him. That’s the opportunity to impact the game. That’s the game we play. Let’s just remember that when we’re running our (QB).”

The fact that Jerry said it on the radio suggests its also been discussed here inside The Star. No, this isn’t the owner “calling plays” for coach Jason Garrett. It’s an investor making sure his assets are protected.
 

Simpleton

DCC 4Life
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
17,414
We're using Prescott perfectly, he's only running about 3-4 times a game, which is exactly where he was last year.

Wentz on the other hand, as many of us have noted before the injury, had been running significantly more than he did last year. Last season he averaged just under 3 rushes per game, similar to Prescott, this season through just 13 games he had ran more times than he did all of last year, and more than Prescott had all of last year, averaging nearly 5 rushes a game.

It might not seem like a huge difference, 3.5 rushes vs. 5 rushes per game, but at the end of the year that comes out to about 25-30 more rushing attempts, which can make a big difference year in, year out.

Long story short, you don't want to take away a weapon in Prescott's arsenal that is significant and effective if used sparingly (the designed TD runs against Arizona and Green Bay were huge plays in those games), and having him run 3-4 times a game is perfectly fine.

It's not like this dude is Cam Newton out here, running 100+ times a season.
 

Chocolate Lab

Mere Commoner
Joined
Oct 2, 2014
Messages
19,846
I think Dak is smart enough to do it like Russell Wilson, who almost never gets hit hard. He always gets out of bounds or slides in time.
 

Simpleton

DCC 4Life
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
17,414
I think Dak is smart enough to do it like Russell Wilson, who almost never gets hit hard. He always gets out of bounds or slides in time.
Yea, Wentz relishes the contact/physical confrontations with defenders, and that's all well and good for a period of time but those hits take their toll over the years and eventually you become a step or two slower, a bit more hesitant, and perhaps injured.
 

Cotton

One-armed Knife Sharpener
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
119,705
Yea, Wentz relishes the contact/physical confrontations with defenders, and that's all well and good for a period of time but those hits take their toll over the years and eventually you become a step or two slower, a bit more hesitant, and perhaps injured.
Hopefully, he doesn't change his ways.
 

1bigfan13

Your favorite player's favorite player
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
27,122
We're using Prescott perfectly, he's only running about 3-4 times a game, which is exactly where he was last year.

Wentz on the other hand, as many of us have noted before the injury, had been running significantly more than he did last year. Last season he averaged just under 3 rushes per game, similar to Prescott, this season through just 13 games he had ran more times than he did all of last year, and more than Prescott had all of last year, averaging nearly 5 rushes a game.

It might not seem like a huge difference, 3.5 rushes vs. 5 rushes per game, but at the end of the year that comes out to about 25-30 more rushing attempts, which can make a big difference year in, year out.

Long story short, you don't want to take away a weapon in Prescott's arsenal that is significant and effective if used sparingly (the designed TD runs against Arizona and Green Bay were huge plays in those games), and having him run 3-4 times a game is perfectly fine.

It's not like this dude is Cam Newton out here, running 100+ times a season.
I wouldn't even focus on the amount of runs. To me the big difference between the two is Dak protects himself. Even though he's about 6'2" 240 lbs, you'll rarely see him purposely expose himself to contact. When he's in the open field he usually gets as much free yardage as possible then gets down immediately.

Wentz on the other tends to lower his shoulder to take on tacklers far more often than he should. I can understand if he were trying to pick up a 1st down on a crucial play, but I've seen him lower his shoulder and take on defenders after he's already picked up the first down. As far as scrambling is concerned, he has way too much RG3 in him and not enough Russell Wilson.
 

ravidubey

DCC 4Life
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
20,162
Dak s built differently, more like a tank. I feel he’s at less of a risk overall, but he still needs to slide.
 

Cowboysrock55

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
52,461
Dak s built differently, more like a tank. I feel he’s at less of a risk overall, but he still needs to slide.
Yeah Dak looks more like a RB out there when he carries the ball. He is a thick built guy.
 

Plan9Misfit

Appreciate The Hate
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
5,836
Here’s another thing to learn from Wentz: his ability to throw the ball downfield.
 
Top Bottom