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Why you should be delighted by Dak and concerned by Cowboys' backup QB
By David Moore
DMN Staff Writer
Twitter
DavidMooreDMN
ARLINGTON -- Dak Prescott was sharp, decisive and in complete control of the Cowboys' offense Saturday evening.
Kellen Moore wasn't.
If there's any doubt about where you fall on the glass-half-empty or half-full debate as a Cowboys fan, this should settle it. Did you come out of the team's 24-19 win over Indianapolis ecstatic about what you saw from the starting quarterback in his preseason debut, or did your gnawing concerns about Moore's ability to back him up push that to the background?
Are you optimistic for what this season holds with Prescott in charge of the offense, or scared to death of what will happen if he goes down for a game or two?
One last question: Is Aug. 19 at AT&T Stadium when the Cooper Rush bandwagon began to roll, and will it roll over Moore?
Let's start with Prescott. The quarterback who turned heads with a spectacular preseason performance one year ago and built on that foundation to fashion one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history picked up where he left off.
The Cowboys opened the game on their own 5-yard line, where Prescott immediately hit Dez Bryant for a 23-yard gain. A nice deep ball to Bryant for a 32-yard touchdown ended the drive less than three minutes later.
"That first drive was great," Prescott said of the seven-play, 95-yard excursion. "We were all on the same page, communicating well. It felt good being out there with those guys again in a game situation."
Prescott marched the Cowboys down the field on his next possession only to have that drive end in the shadow of the Colts' end zone with a Darren McFadden fumble. He ended the evening completing 7 of 8 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown with a quarterback rating of 158.3. His only incompletion was a pass knocked down at the line of scrimmage.
"Tonight was just an extension of training camp, of what we've been doing the whole offense together, just getting better," Prescott said. "I feel great. I feel good behind that offensive line, throwing to those guys and letting them do what they do best."
Moore had a tough act to follow when he took the field late in the first quarter. He failed to rise to the occasion.
Moore found himself in the shotgun on his second snap of the game. He was sacked, fumbled and watched former Cowboys linebacker Lavar Edwards return the ball 15 yards for an Indianapolis touchdown.
"I felt like there were some good things out there," Moore said. "Obviously, the turnover isn't something we want, no matter what. I've got to hold onto the ball there."
The offense gained 166 yards in 18 plays and held the ball for 9:21 with Prescott at quarterback. That production dropped to 91 yards on 21 plays the remainder of the half with Moore on the field.
When Moore departed the game in the third quarter, he had completed 9 of 20 passes for 107 yards. The Cowboys scored three points on his watch.
It's not the sort of performance that inspires confidence, especially when you consider Moore was 8 of 17 for 69 yards in the previous week's loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Fairness dictates it be pointed out that Moore didn't have the weapons at his disposal that Prescott did. He was throwing to rookie Noah Brown, not Bryant. He didn't have Jason Witten at tight end or Cole Beasley in the slot. The offensive line in front of Moore to start the second half featured Byron Bell, Jonathan Cooper, Kadeem Edwards, Emmett Cleary and Ross Burbank.
But here's the problem for Moore. Rush came in after him and led a collection of down-the-depth-chart backups on touchdown drives of 76 and 74 yards. He did this one week after completing 9 of 11 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown against the Rams.
"I've been one of Cooper's biggest fans since the moment he got here," Prescott said. "You can ask Orlando Scandrick. He told Coop I was handing out applications for his fan club.
"He's a guy who does everything right in the film room. He is asking questions and he takes it and does it on the practice field. You can see that focus pregame. He's itching to play.
"Me and him are talking on the sideline (Saturday) and he's like 'I'm just ready to go in,' and the moment he goes in he shows what he's been preparing to do."
Moore needs to answer. If he doesn't, Rush may do more than just make this team.
He may take Moore's job.
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If this were a true meritocracy Cooper Rush would be ahead of Moore on the depth chart.
Hopefully this coaching staff pulls their head out of their ass and rewards young players who are actually playing well rather than blindly sticking with "their guys". I'd like to see Rush play with the primary backups next week vs. Oakland.
You can't sell players on this notion that nothing is given and everything must be earned, then turn around and completely discount actual performance and production just because one player is a vet and the other is a rookie. Doing so sends the wrong message and frankly isn't conducive to building a deep, talent rich roster.
Garrett cannot continue to ignore what's staring him in the face. Doing so diminishes the little respect that I and many others have for him.
By David Moore
DMN Staff Writer
DavidMooreDMNARLINGTON -- Dak Prescott was sharp, decisive and in complete control of the Cowboys' offense Saturday evening.
Kellen Moore wasn't.
If there's any doubt about where you fall on the glass-half-empty or half-full debate as a Cowboys fan, this should settle it. Did you come out of the team's 24-19 win over Indianapolis ecstatic about what you saw from the starting quarterback in his preseason debut, or did your gnawing concerns about Moore's ability to back him up push that to the background?
Are you optimistic for what this season holds with Prescott in charge of the offense, or scared to death of what will happen if he goes down for a game or two?
One last question: Is Aug. 19 at AT&T Stadium when the Cooper Rush bandwagon began to roll, and will it roll over Moore?
Let's start with Prescott. The quarterback who turned heads with a spectacular preseason performance one year ago and built on that foundation to fashion one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history picked up where he left off.
The Cowboys opened the game on their own 5-yard line, where Prescott immediately hit Dez Bryant for a 23-yard gain. A nice deep ball to Bryant for a 32-yard touchdown ended the drive less than three minutes later.
"That first drive was great," Prescott said of the seven-play, 95-yard excursion. "We were all on the same page, communicating well. It felt good being out there with those guys again in a game situation."
Prescott marched the Cowboys down the field on his next possession only to have that drive end in the shadow of the Colts' end zone with a Darren McFadden fumble. He ended the evening completing 7 of 8 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown with a quarterback rating of 158.3. His only incompletion was a pass knocked down at the line of scrimmage.
"Tonight was just an extension of training camp, of what we've been doing the whole offense together, just getting better," Prescott said. "I feel great. I feel good behind that offensive line, throwing to those guys and letting them do what they do best."
Moore had a tough act to follow when he took the field late in the first quarter. He failed to rise to the occasion.
Moore found himself in the shotgun on his second snap of the game. He was sacked, fumbled and watched former Cowboys linebacker Lavar Edwards return the ball 15 yards for an Indianapolis touchdown.
"I felt like there were some good things out there," Moore said. "Obviously, the turnover isn't something we want, no matter what. I've got to hold onto the ball there."
The offense gained 166 yards in 18 plays and held the ball for 9:21 with Prescott at quarterback. That production dropped to 91 yards on 21 plays the remainder of the half with Moore on the field.
When Moore departed the game in the third quarter, he had completed 9 of 20 passes for 107 yards. The Cowboys scored three points on his watch.
It's not the sort of performance that inspires confidence, especially when you consider Moore was 8 of 17 for 69 yards in the previous week's loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Fairness dictates it be pointed out that Moore didn't have the weapons at his disposal that Prescott did. He was throwing to rookie Noah Brown, not Bryant. He didn't have Jason Witten at tight end or Cole Beasley in the slot. The offensive line in front of Moore to start the second half featured Byron Bell, Jonathan Cooper, Kadeem Edwards, Emmett Cleary and Ross Burbank.
But here's the problem for Moore. Rush came in after him and led a collection of down-the-depth-chart backups on touchdown drives of 76 and 74 yards. He did this one week after completing 9 of 11 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown against the Rams.
"I've been one of Cooper's biggest fans since the moment he got here," Prescott said. "You can ask Orlando Scandrick. He told Coop I was handing out applications for his fan club.
"He's a guy who does everything right in the film room. He is asking questions and he takes it and does it on the practice field. You can see that focus pregame. He's itching to play.
"Me and him are talking on the sideline (Saturday) and he's like 'I'm just ready to go in,' and the moment he goes in he shows what he's been preparing to do."
Moore needs to answer. If he doesn't, Rush may do more than just make this team.
He may take Moore's job.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If this were a true meritocracy Cooper Rush would be ahead of Moore on the depth chart.
Hopefully this coaching staff pulls their head out of their ass and rewards young players who are actually playing well rather than blindly sticking with "their guys". I'd like to see Rush play with the primary backups next week vs. Oakland.
You can't sell players on this notion that nothing is given and everything must be earned, then turn around and completely discount actual performance and production just because one player is a vet and the other is a rookie. Doing so sends the wrong message and frankly isn't conducive to building a deep, talent rich roster.
Garrett cannot continue to ignore what's staring him in the face. Doing so diminishes the little respect that I and many others have for him.
