Dak passes Danny: What does Cowboys’ QB great think of Prescott, ‘Texas Coast’ offense?
By David Moore
5:00 AM on Sep 23, 2023 CDT
Dak Prescott walked off the field with more victories than all but three quarterbacks in franchise history.
The man he replaced was calling the game from the press box.
What did Danny White think as he witnessed Prescott race past him on the Cowboys all-time victory list?
“Well, what went through my mind,’’ White said, chuckling, “was a long time ago he passed me in the loss record.’’
Prescott will continue to put distance between himself and White on both ledgers. As the color commentator for Cowboys games on the Compass Media Network since 2011, White has watched Prescott’s entire NFL career unfold. He’ll be there again Sunday afternoon when the Cowboys face the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.
White was providing commentary when the Cowboys were careful not to put too much on Prescott’s plate as a rookie. He was offering insight when the coaching staff needed Prescott to carry a defense that too often was a drag on the team’s success.
And now that former teammate/position coach/coordinator Kellen Moore isn’t around for the first time in Prescott’s career? What are White’s observations on what head coach Mike McCarthy is asking of his quarterback in this bastardized version of the West Coast Offense?
“I think Mike’s play calling has been a big difference for them because what I see is Dak, first of all, he’s using everybody,’’ White said. “He’s using every player on the offense. Every player is getting in. There aren’t guys who are just sitting on the bench the whole game. That’s one difference.
“The other difference is the plays are getting in so quick.’’
There are different targets of when McCarthy wants the offense at the line of scrimmage depending on what his intent is on a particular possession. But in general, he likes the players on the line with 27 seconds left on the play clock.
“He has time to look over the defense,’’ White said of Prescott. “He’s not having to rush up there, get everybody set and snap the ball because the play clock is running down.
“As a quarterback, you break the huddle and the first thing you look at is the play clock. He’s looking up there and he’s seeing 20 seconds. He’s got all kinds of time to look at the defense, pre-read the defense, anticipate what it’s going to be. Is it going to be zone, is it going to be man?
“He can move his guys around. He can call audibles. The fact he’s calling the plays so quickly, that’s such an advantage for a quarterback.’’
McCarthy believes getting to the line quickly allows the offense to use a wider scope of attack. The end result, Prescott said, is trying to get more at-bats.
The Cowboys had 83 offensive snaps in the win over the New York Jets when Prescott moved past White. Prescott got the ball out of his hand in 2.1 seconds on average in his 24 pass attempts in the opener, the quickest release average in the league in Week 1.
“When you have that much time at the line of scrimmage, you know where you’re going with the ball before you ever get it,’’ White said. “You can make your read quicker. A lot of quick throws, quick, easy throws.’’
Prescott has yet to throw an interception. White cringed during the offseason when there was so much discussion about how the Cowboys quarterback had to cut down on his interceptions this season.
The reason: There are inherent risks at the position. That doesn’t mean a quarterback is reckless. It means when he has to force a throw into a tight window at a key moment of the game, he doesn’t shy away from that throw to look for a safer play.
White has seen quarterbacks throw the ball away and not risk an interception when the situation demanded a risk be taken. That’s not winning football.
“Anytime you’re thinking about not doing something bad, you’re going to do something bad,’’ White said. “I hope he’s still going to make the tough throws, and I think he will.
“So far, they haven’t really, really been tested. When you’re behind in a game, trying to come back in the fourth quarter, you’ve got to make some throws that you normally wouldn’t make. But you’ve got to make a play because you’re trying to come back.’’
White was 62-30 in his career as the Cowboys starting quarterback.
Prescott is 63-36. And counting.
