The Athletic: The Dak dilemma - Do teams succeed when they pay Tier 3 quarterbacks top-tier money?

[Smitty]

Eagles got the best of us in 2016 NFL Draft and it's going to haunt us for another 5 years.

Yup.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Oh, I was thinking we were on Prescott again. 29% think he's Tier 2. 71% think he's worse than that. Pretty clear cut.

I forget what the votes were on Stafford.

Yeah no reason to talk about Dak, you and I will never agree. I just can't fathom anyone thinking that highly of Stafford.

 

[L.T. Fan]

The debate wasnt whether we thought he deserved it. It was whether he was going to or not.

I understand that was your position and I even concurred that he would probably get it but my position was he didn’t deserve it.

 

[Genghis Khan]

Who says he's tier 3? I'm not sure that's clear yet, to be honest.

 

[Cotton]

Who says he's tier 3? I'm not sure that's clear yet, to be honest.

I think there have been times he has clearly shown to be a tier 2 QB. There have also been times he has shown he kind of fell off into that tier 3 area. I just think he has shown a lot more tier 2 performances than tier 3.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

I think there have been times he has clearly shown to be a tier 2 QB. There have also been times he has shown he kind of fell off into that tier 3 area. I just think he has shown a lot more tier 2 performances than tier 3.

A poll that Schmitty is looking at. Shit one of the voters put him in the tier 4 category. I don't think anyone is really crazy enough to believe that.

 

[Smitty]

Who says he's tier 3? I'm not sure that's clear yet, to be honest.

The Athletic wrote a story wherein the polled anonymously 55 NFL execs and coaches. 38 rated Prescott as Tier 3. 16 rated him as Tier 2. 1 rated him as Tier 4.

For reference, Tier 1 is defined as "Mastery of the offense and carries your team every week."

Tier 2 is "Carries the team a lot of the time, but there are holes in his game, doesn't carry the team as consistently."

Tier 3 is "Solid starter, but needs help. Needs good run game or good defense to win."

I forget what Tier 4 is defined as, but you get the idea.

So that's 29% of the polled NFL execs and coaches think Prescott is capable of carrying the team a lot, but not consistently, and he has some holes.

71% think he's worse than that.

I think it's pretty clear that he has needed help. Prescott has looked very good with a strong OL, Elliott in the game, a true #1 WR in Bryant or Cooper, and a defense that is at least serviceable if not downright good.

When he didn't have those things, he bombed, frankly. I outline it in my statistical breakdown above.

Well, that's kind of the verbatim definition of what Tier 3 is. The guys who need support, can't do it by themselves. And 71% of coaches and execs agree.

There have been "times" as Iamtdg says, where he has performed like a Tier 2 QB, but those times are the minority. It's been way more Tier 3 thus far in his career.

I would say the only time he's had a stretch where he's looked like a Tier 2 is last year in the last 9 games, where he put up the best stats while doing the most heavy lifting. Yes, his rating was great in 2016, but he clearly wasn't the offensive focus, so he's still in Tier 3 (needing help) in 2016.

In 2018, he was passing for 270+ ypg, the offense was relying on him more. If he keeps that up, he'll vault into Tier 2 solidly.

Until then, it's pretty clear.

And I like how C-rock is like "Oh, it's just some poll Schmitty is looking at. Crazy old Smitty."

As if anywhere but a Cowboys board, or maybe even the handful of homers on THIS board, would fight so vociferously the idea that Prescott hasn't been a top QB thus far in his career. He hasn't. But 55 NFL execs and coaches polling at 71% (a huge majority!) are "just some poll."

But homers gonna home.

 

[Genghis Khan]

The Athletic wrote a story wherein the polled anonymously 55 NFL execs and coaches. 38 rated Prescott as Tier 3. 16 rated him as Tier 2. 1 rated him as Tier 4.

For reference, Tier 1 is defined as "Mastery of the offense and carries your team every week."

Tier 2 is "Carries the team a lot of the time, but there are holes in his game, doesn't carry the team as consistently."

Tier 3 is "Solid starter, but needs help. Needs good run game or good defense to win."

I forget what Tier 4 is defined as, but you get the idea.

So that's 29% of the polled NFL execs and coaches think Prescott is capable of carrying the team a lot, but not consistently, and he has some holes.

71% think he's worse than that.

I think it's pretty clear that he has needed help. Prescott has looked very good with a strong OL, Elliott in the game, a true #1 WR in Bryant or Cooper, and a defense that is at least serviceable if not downright good.

When he didn't have those things, he bombed, frankly. I outline it in my statistical breakdown above.

Well, that's kind of the verbatim definition of what Tier 3 is. The guys who need support, can't do it by themselves. And 71% of coaches and execs agree.

There have been "times" as Iamtdg says, where he has performed like a Tier 2 QB, but those times are the minority. It's been way more Tier 3 thus far in his career.

I would say the only time he's had a stretch where he's looked like a Tier 2 is last year in the last 9 games, where he put up the best stats while doing the most heavy lifting. Yes, his rating was great in 2016, but he clearly wasn't the offensive focus, so he's still in Tier 3 (needing help) in 2016.

In 2018, he was passing for 270+ ypg, the offense was relying on him more. If he keeps that up, he'll vault into Tier 2 solidly.

Until then, it's pretty clear.

And I like how C-rock is like "Oh, it's just some poll Schmitty is looking at. Crazy old Smitty."

As if anywhere but a Cowboys board, or maybe even the handful of homers on THIS board, would fight so vociferously the idea that Prescott hasn't been a top QB thus far in his career. He hasn't. But 55 NFL execs and coaches polling at 71% (a huge majority!) are "just some poll."

But homers gonna home.

I'm just saying his new contract will pay him for future performance. I'm not convinced he's done developing.

 

[Genghis Khan]

By the way, I don't know that I agree with the tier definitions but I agree he's mostly been a tier 3 QB by my own definition of the term.

 

[Smitty]

I'm just saying his new contract will pay him for future performance. I'm not convinced he's done developing.

Oh, I’m not either. I’ve been very clear that if he can replicate or even improve on his last 9 games for a full season, that will vault him into Tier 2 for sure.

 

[L.T. Fan]

By the way, I don't know that I agree with the tier definitions but I agree he's mostly been a tier 3 QB by my own definition of the term.

Mine also. That’s why I say even if he gets Tier 1 money he doesn’t deserve it yet. He is the QB of a team that gets a lot of attention and he is beginning to play the way he needs to for the team to get back to being a formative team but he isn’t there yet and because he happens to fall into a circumstance that might get him tier 1 pay he doesn’t deserve it.

 

[ravidubey]

Opposing coaches and execs don’t fear Dak yet. This comes down to a few throws each game, it really does.

Russell Wilson on his way to his 2nd Superbowl beat Green Bay with some great passes in the 4th quarter and overtime.

But these coaches/execs didn’t forget the stifling defense, 4 Wilson picks, a botched onsides kick fielding, and some questionable Packer play calls along the way.

That over-dependence on other parts of the game dropped him to tier 2 at the time, and I’’d have to agree. But he still went to the Superbowl and like Ben Roethlisberger used his early defense-inspired successes to gain confidence and improve as a passer.

Dak’s still cooking. Anyone who watched the season ender vs. New York could see the improvements in his game over the course of just one season.

These ratings are fluid, Dak’s improving, and he’s right at the top of tier 3.

Here’s to hoping the defense improves in the mean time.