Jerry Jones on Cowboys following Dak Prescott injury: 'We should adjust expectations'

p1_

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Published: Oct 16, 2020 at 03:21 PM



Dak Prescott was on a torrid pace not only to blast past Dallas Cowboys records but also reset NFL annals. Sunday's devastating ankle injury ended that threat to the record books and thrust Andy Dalton into the spotlight.

The Prescott injury has owner Jerry Jones recalibrating forecasts for American's Team.

"We should adjust expectations. (It's) different than optimism. But we should adjust our expectations. Dak is a very incremental part of the potential success to this football team," Jones said Friday on the K&C Masterpiece on 105.3 The Fan. "On the other hand, if we don't reach where we want to go ... and the ultimate success is to win the championship ... it will not be because of Andy Dalton. It will not be because of our play at quarterback. He's capable of stepping in and playing at that level."

Dalton is no Dak. He's not as mobile, as lively, as explosive, nor does he have as many reps with the Cowboys play-makers.

The 32-year-old, however, was signed just for this specific emergency situation. To keep the playoff hopes alive if Prescott suffered a catastrophic injury.

The "Break Glass in Case of Emergency" pane was broken.

Dalton might not be Prescott, but he's not some JV walk-on either. Having 133 starts over nine seasons in Cincinnati is nothing to sneeze at. The three-time Pro Bowler proved that he can distribute the ball when the pieces are in place around him. His best years in Cincy, he was buffered by play-makers like A.J. Green, Marvin Jones, Jermaine Gresham, Mohamed Sanu and later Tyler Boyd.

Dalton might not be a shoot-the-three type QB, but he can be an assist machine with the type of weapons the Cowboys boast. What better to get the most out of a limited passer than Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup and just ask him to hit the open target.

In Sunday's win, Dalton showed he could make plays down the stretch to swipe a victory, albeit against a lifeless opponent. The Cowboys are fortunate enough to play in the dumpster fire that is the NFC East keeping the postseason door open despite the QB downgrade.

Perhaps the torrid pace the passing game was on under Prescott will need to be readjusted, and expectations tampered slightly. But they still lead the division at 2-3 and have the best prospects of making the playoffs if the defense can find some semblance of a backbone.
 

boozeman

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Is this code for the D sucks and we aren't going to do a damn thing about it?
 

p1_

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Is this code for the D sucks and we aren't going to do a damn thing about it?
Have you ever heard Jer say anything but ‘we can compete for a SuperBowl’?
 

Cowboysrock55

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I'll wait and see how Dalton looks in a full game whtih first team reps against a defense prepared for him.
 

DontCryWolfe

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I'll wait and see how Dalton looks in a full game whtih first team reps against a defense prepared for him.
I don’t think enough can be said about what he had to contend with in Cincy in terms of (lack of) money spent, and resources allocated as a whole in terms of the organization. His playoff showings are something to be concerned about, but he’s not the first good QB to struggle in his first few postseason appearances.

I’ll eat crow when i’m wrong, but I don’t expect to see a considerable offensive drop off with him behind center.
 

jsmith6919

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I don’t think enough can be said about what he had to contend with in Cincy in terms of (lack of) money spent, and resources allocated as a whole in terms of the organization. His playoff showings are something to be concerned about, but he’s not the first good QB to struggle in his first few postseason appearances.

I’ll eat crow when i’m wrong, but I don’t expect to see a considerable offensive drop off with him behind center.
I think one has to consider he was saddled with the black Jason Garrett in Lewis for his run in Cincy too
 

DontCryWolfe

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I think one has to consider he was saddled with the black Jason Garrett in Lewis for his run in Cincy too
This very much as well. Not to mention he played in a division where Baltimore has seemingly always been at least competent, and Pittsburgh has always been pretty competitive.
 

Cotton

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I don’t think enough can be said about what he had to contend with in Cincy in terms of (lack of) money spent, and resources allocated as a whole in terms of the organization. His playoff showings are something to be concerned about, but he’s not the first good QB to struggle in his first few postseason appearances.

I’ll eat crow when i’m wrong, but I don’t expect to see a considerable offensive drop off with him behind center.
I'm a big fan of Dak, but I agree. I don't think there will be a huge drop off on offense with Dalton. I was extremely happy when we signed him... for this very reason.
 

Cowboysrock55

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I'm a big fan of Dak, but I agree. I don't think there will be a huge drop off on offense with Dalton. I was extremely happy when we signed him... for this very reason.
It's a big opportunity for Dalton to cash in after this year.
 
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ravidubey

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Dalton is no Dak. He's not as mobile, as lively, as explosive, nor does he have as many reps with the Cowboys play-makers
"Lively", now there's some hard-hitting analysis. Reps I'll buy, but two amazing passes to Gallup say that might be overrated.

All that matters is how well a QB passes the football and keeps plays alive in support of doing so. You don't have to be mobile to keep plays alive, you just need a pocket presence and to not fumble the ball when you are sacked.

Dalton is a ten year vet who now has a WR corps in a league with Carter/Moss/Reed or Holt/Bruce/Hakim. He also has some decent RBs, despite Zeke having lost a step and one all-pro lineman.
 
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