Wentz or Prescott Article

GForce78NJ

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I cant get enough of the Wentz vs Prescott debate :lol

If you can post this, please do.

Also, LOL at no conversation around Goff
 

Texas Ace

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Speaking of Goff, Jeff Fisher is an idiot.

If it were the Cowboys and I had to hear Jeff Fisher's baseless defense of Case Keenum and his outright refusal to play Goff, I'd be furious.

I mean, Fisher just isn't a very good coach anymore. I was a fan of his, but he proved years ago that the game has passed him by. Because of that, I can't just outright assume that Goff is just terrible.

But if in fact it truly is because Goff just looks like hot garbage in practice, then the Rams have just been set back for another 5 years at least.
 

2233boys

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The NFL network and ESPN are pushing Wentz, you only have to look at the Rookie of the week things and see Wentz up there 3 times to realize that.

Zeke doesn't get any love.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Polling NFL execs: Would you rather have Wentz or Prescott?

Mike Sando

Dak Prescott's early success with the Dallas Cowboys is driving a compelling quarterback controversy as Tony Romo nears his return from injury. Another surprising QB debate takes center stage in Week 8 as Carson Wentz and the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles visit Dallas.

Prescott or Wentz? Which rookie QB would teams rather have, based on what they know now?

No one was posing the question in April when the Eagles traded up to select Wentz with the second pick in the 2016 draft, 133 spots before Dallas took Prescott in the fourth round. But with Prescott ranking among the NFL's top five qualifying QBs in Total QBR, passer rating and completion percentage, an updated assessment is in order.

I asked six NFL evaluators to take their pick between the two. Their thoughts:

No shift on Wentz

Some in the league thought -- and still think -- that Wentz and No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff were over-drafted. Of course, that's easy to say when your team is already set at quarterback.

Most of the evaluators I polled before the draft had Wentz as the top QB prospect. They saw him as a prospect with uncommon athletic ability, training in a pro-style offense, demonstrable toughness, good throwing accuracy and a personality that lends itself to leadership. One GM spoke for others when he said Wentz reminded him of Ben Roethlisberger.

With Dak Prescott pulling the strings, defenses never know quite what to expect, which makes the rookie a nightmare to prepare for.

The Cowboys coaches and staff got an up-close look at Carson Wentz during the Senior Bowl last January and came away impressed.

The Cowboys are winning with QB Dak Prescott. Do they mess with the formula and reinsert Tony Romo? The team has dealt with similar situations before.

"I think Wentz is more of a pure accurate thrower [than Prescott]," a personnel director said. "It will be interesting to see them when Dak really has to win it. Right now, you have seen enough plays with Wentz, who does not have nearly the supporting cast, and I have seen bigger upside."

Wentz started the season quickly before tailing off some as the Eagles fell behind in games and his job became tougher. Wentz's ability to keep his composure under fire after the Eagles lost right tackle Lane Johnson to a 10-game suspension has affirmed what evaluators thought of him coming out of North Dakota State.

"Lane Johnson gets suspended, and then you see [Redskins outside linebacker] Ryan Kerrigan get three sacks in the first half," one evaluator said. "Wentz never bats an eye. He stays back there, and he is going to throw it. He is not scared, he is not nervous, he does not have happy feet. He just stood back there and took it like he was a five-year vet. His technique didn't change."

Prescott gaining ground

Prescott lasted until the fourth round for several reasons. He was transitioning from a dual-threat quarterback to the more polished passer he is becoming. He played in the same college system that produced Tim Tebow, leading evaluators to say they had to do more projecting when determining how he would perform in an NFL offense. A DUI arrest six weeks before the draft did not help Prescott's standing.

"Dak fell because [while] he was a leader who loved the game, he had the DUI, and when he got beat up during spring break in Panama City, his teammates did not help him in the fight," a personnel director said. "Some wondered, 'Hey, if he is such a leader, why did they not help him?'"

Any such concerns seem silly now.

"What did we miss?" a different personnel director asked. "Dak had a Mississippi State team ranked No. 1 in the country. He won a lot of games, he had all the intangibles you wanted, he was a bright kid, and we just ignored it. The accuracy thing, you worry about, but there was enough there. He just needed some polish."

Prescott is looking like the biggest bargain in the draft and a potential franchise savior for the Cowboys, who previously hadn't been able to win without Romo, who is 36 years old and declining physically.

"If you asked me what was the most surprising thing [about Prescott], it is not that he could handle all of it, because he had the personality to deal with a lot of that stuff -- great intangibles and all that," a former GM said. "It is the accuracy. He has thrown the ball much more accurately than I thought he would."

One head coach said accuracy wasn't a concern based on what his scouting department had seen when watching Prescott at Mississippi State. He said the Jacksonville Jaguars' coaches loved Prescott after working with him at the Senior Bowl, and there was never any question about whether Prescott possessed an NFL arm.

"I think people missed on him," the head coach said.

Quarterback is the most important position in the game. It's also the one teams seem to have the hardest time figuring out.

"If teams do not view you as a quarterback who starts right away, then the fourth or fifth round is where you often fall," a personnel director said. "Wentz is more athletic and has a bigger arm, but Dak is very composed, very poised and he doesn't make many mistakes. The way they play him helps that way, with the run game and balance they have. That covers him up a little bit."

Context is key early


Wentz ranks 26th and Prescott ranks 28th in pass attempts per game among 32 players with at least 100 attempts this season. That is by design as both teams manage their young quarterbacks, limiting their exposure to difficult situations. Both players' teams rank among the top seven in points allowed per game, lowering the scoring bar each quarterback must clear to emerge victorious. Prescott also has sensational rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott and the NFL's consensus No. 1 offensive line on his side.

"We all might have underestimated the intangibles on Prescott, but the other factor is the team he is on and how they play and who is around him -- the offensive line, his tight end and receivers and the way they can run the ball," the former GM said. "All those things have made this the perfect spot for him that way. He has a really good group around him, and then he is smart -- he doesn't make many mistakes. That is one thing he didn't do in college. He would miss some throws, but he didn't make a lot of dumb throws. That has showed up in the pros as well and probably was underestimated in the evaluation process."

The verdict


The six league insiders polled here -- the GM, ex-GM, head coach and three personnel directors -- all had Wentz rated higher than Prescott entering the draft. All six said they would still take Wentz over Prescott now, but the gap between the two would be much smaller.

"Don't get me wrong, I'd take either one right now, sign a 10-year contract and go," the GM said. "Dak has done nothing wrong. Just the way Wentz goes about his business, he impresses me a lot. Wentz reminds me of Ben Roethlisberger -- a big guy who can stand back there and throw it."

All agreed that Wentz and Prescott seem driven to excel, which can be pivotal for long-term success as long as the player possesses sufficient talent. All agreed that Wentz is more advanced reading through progressions, an area where Prescott is improving. All agreed that Wentz and Prescott possessed the poise and overall makeup to succeed. Longer term, they want to see how both function as passers when forced to win games with their arms. That is always the ultimate test for quarterbacks.

So, who ya got?

"If you said Wentz for all those draft picks Philly paid or Dak for the fourth-rounder Dallas used, I will take Dak," one personnel director said. "Heads up, I will still take Wentz."
 
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Cowboysrock55

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Posted it from my phone so I apologize for the parts that copied that aren't part of the article.
 

Texas Ace

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Wentz was thought to have the better pedigree coming out and is probably considered the better passer, and when you couple that with the line and running game we've surrounded Dak with, I can't blame people for thinking Dak is benefiting from a better situation.

However, I don't think he gets enough credit for how well he protects the football and his decision making when he's under pressure. Yes, we may not be asking him to throw 50 passes a game and let the ball fly, but we aren't running the 2003 Quincy Carter offense either.

We'll see where both QBs are at this point next year and then we'll really know which guy is better.
 

GForce78NJ

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this is the most interesting part of all of this. If Wentz was our starting QB and we didn't have Zeke, how would our offense be? I love Wentz and still think he's the better quarterback, but if I had Wentz and had to watch McFadden/Morris as our running backs we would not be 5-1. Dak is very close talent level to Wentz right now and I think we are blessed to have the draft unfold the way it did
 

Texas Ace

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this is the most interesting part of all of this. If Wentz was our starting QB and we didn't have Zeke, how would our offense be? I love Wentz and still think he's the better quarterback, but if I had Wentz and had to watch McFadden/Morris as our running backs we would not be 5-1. Dak is very close talent level to Wentz right now and I think we are blessed to have the draft unfold the way it did
I look at it like this:

It's like the Barry/Emmitt thing. If people want to credit the line or the running game or any other factors for Dak's success, fine. All I care about is that he wins and produces just like Emmitt did.

If Dak ends up being Emmitt and Wentz ends up being Barry, I won't care one bit about who the more naturally gifted player is if the one we have is bringing us lots of success.
 

dallen

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"If you said Wentz for all those draft picks Philly paid or Dak for the fourth-rounder Dallas used, I will take Dak," one personnel director said. "Heads up, I will still take Wentz."
I'll buy that for now. Let's see at the end of the season though
 

GForce78NJ

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I look at it like this:

It's like the Barry/Emmitt thing. If people want to credit the line or the running game or any other factors for Dak's success, fine. All I care about is that he wins and produces just like Emmitt did.

If Dak ends up being Emmitt and Wentz ends up being Barry, I won't care one bit about who the more naturally gifted player is if the one we have is bringing us lots of success.
Yep. I think at the end of the day we filled two major holes as opposed to just one. The eagles are a far less complete team than the Cowboys, They did what they had to do, but the Cowboys the past 5 or so years were in a position to wait and take what was given to them. Tyron, Byron, Zach, Zeke, and Dak were all given to us and we didn't have to trade anything to get them
 

Cowboysrock55

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"If you said Wentz for all those draft picks Philly paid or Dak for the fourth-rounder Dallas used, I will take Dak," one personnel director said. "Heads up, I will still take Wentz."
I agree with this conclusion for now. It's early and it's hard to go from thinking Wentz is a number 1 pick candidate and Dak is a fourth round candidate to suddenly saying Dak is the better QB prospect. Things like that don't change over night. It takes years. And frankly the physical tools Wentz has will always draw in scouts. He is bigger then Dak and has a stronger arm.

The part of the article that I laugh at though is the part that claims Wentz is better at reading a defense and getting through his progressions. I don't think that could be further from the truth. Wentz looks like a one read QB back there while I'm watching a polished Dak go through progressions. I think this is just a scouts way of saying "Wentz played in an NFL style offense in college, Dak didn't, so Wentz must be better at this." Honestly I think either guy would look great for us right now though. So I have no complains.
 

ravidubey

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Dallas is strong enough to be able to pick their moments with Dak. Philly needs Wentz to make more plays.

Wentz has a much better defense to limit the other team.

Hard to compare them because you can't isolate their performances from the teams around them.
 

Simpleton

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Dallas is strong enough to be able to pick their moments with Dak. Philly needs Wentz to make more plays.

Wentz has a much better defense to limit the other team.

Hard to compare them because you can't isolate their performances from the teams around them.
This is definitely true.

Prescott has more around him offensively obviously, although he has thrived even without Dez.

With that said, I believe that Prescott is more polished than Wentz as far as going through progressions and pocket awareness. I also think the Cowboys have asked him to run a more complex passing game, of course the running game makes it easier, but I haven't seen Prescott throw as many simple, one read passes as Wentz has.
 

Jiggyfly

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This is definitely true.

Prescott has more around him offensively obviously, although he has thrived even without Dez.

With that said, I believe that Prescott is more polished than Wentz as far as going through progressions and pocket awareness. I also think the Cowboys have asked him to run a more complex passing game, of course the running game makes it easier, but I haven't seen Prescott throw as many simple, one read passes as Wentz has.
This.

Wentz threw some terrible int's last week, I have yet to see Dak throw into coverage because he was fooled.

IMO that has been the most impressive thing about him.
 

ravidubey

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This.

Wentz threw some terrible int's last week, I have yet to see Dak throw into coverage because he was fooled.

IMO that has been the most impressive thing about him.
Dak's not been under consistent pressure. The elite running game, elite OL, and play-calling have protected him. Twice when he's been pressured he's had strip sacks, but it's hard to fault that unless it keeps happening.

Wentz has the pressure of carrying the team, cause it's not going to be Ryan Mathews. Dak is part of a team. It's a major difference.

On the flip side, Wentz has a great DL to get him the ball back.
 

ravidubey

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With that said, I believe that Prescott is more polished than Wentz as far as going through progressions and pocket awareness. I also think the Cowboys have asked him to run a more complex passing game, of course the running game makes it easier, but I haven't seen Prescott throw as many simple, one read passes as Wentz has.
What Dak has done has been outstanding. Credit Dak and Linehan for working at it and making it happen.

But Wentz doesn't have half the tools Dak has in his toolbox.

Carson has half an OL, a decent yet injury-prone RB and OK WR's looking for their first star to emerge.

Dak has perfect protection, a dominant running game, and WR's getting open. With Dez back, the comparison gets even more hilarious.
 
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