The 2019 season is proving to be a breakout season for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. The oft-criticized signal caller has been consistently called out for being inaccurate, overrated, and a product of his supporting cast. Further fuelled in the offseason by the fact that the former 4th round draft pick is due for a huge contract extension, many of his detractors have insisted that he is not worth the money he is about to get paid. That narrative is starting to change thanks in part to a red hot start for the Cowboys gunslinger over the first 3 games of the season. Level of competition notwithstanding, Dak Prescott has looked impressive so far and many of things that he has been criticized for in the past, such as being inaccurate, holding onto the ball too long, and not throwing the ball downfield, appear to have been corrected. This may be attributed in part to a great number of changes such as weapons around him and coaching but what is the single biggest reason for Dak Prescott’s early season success?
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | No. | G | GS | QBrec | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | TD% | Int | Int% | 1D | Lng | Y/A | AY/A | Y/C | Y/G | Rate | QBR | Sk | Yds | NY/A | ANY/A | Sk% | 4QC | GWD | AV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 26 | DAL | QB | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3-0-0 | 70 | 94 | 74.5 | 920 | 9 | 9.6 | 2 | 2.1 | 30 | 62 | 9.8 | 10.7 | 13.1 | 306.7 | 128.0 | 94.0 | 2 | 13 | 9.45 | 10.39 | 2.1 |
Dak Prescott 2019 stats: Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/24/2019.
Receiving the lions share of the credit for Dak’s transformation is the switch at offensive co-ordinator from Scott Linehan to Kellen Moore. Many believed that the 30 year old pupil of the recently fired Linehan would much have much of an impact but so far those doubters have been proven wrong. Kellen Moore has been aggressive, introduced a ton of pre snap motion and play action, and has bucked a previous trend in that the offense has performed markedly better in the second half (evidence that Moore is successfully implementing in game adjustments). This is exactly the type of creative play calling that Cowboys fans were yearning for after enduring years of predictable and stagnant offensive strategies under Scott Linehan. Kellen Moore has obviously been a major factor for Dak Prescott’s success but he is not the only reason for it.
The far less conspicuous hire for the Dallas Cowboys was that of new QB coach Jon Kitna. The former Cowboy has proven to be a brilliant hire for Jerry Jones and company thanks to his impact on Dak Prescott. There was a lot of praise within the organisation heaped upon Jon Kitna during the offseason and training camp on how he had helped Dak Prescott improve on his delivery, thought process, and preparation but this was largely dismissed as the usual optimism that all teams seem to have in the offseason. However, Dak’s work in the preseason and his impressive start to the season are proof that Jon Kitna has really been a positive influence for him.
Not to be forgotten in this discussion is the impact of the supporting cast. Most notably the addition of Amari Cooper. This season, Cowboy fans have seen the impact of the return of Travis Frederick, the emergence of Michael Gallup, and the additions of Randall Cobb, Jason Witten, and Tony Pollard. But, Dak Prescott’s recent improvement can be traced back to last season coinciding with the Amari Cooper trade This is what Dak Prescott’s numbers looked like in the 12 games he has played since the Dallas Cowboys acquired Amari Cooper: Completion % = 72%, Yards/Game = 282.34, TD’s =23, INT’s = 6, Rushing TD’s = 5, AVG Passer Rating = 107.97 In addition to those impressive numbers the Dallas Cowboys record in those 12 games is 10-2. Dak Prescott also performed well in the playoffs last year outplaying both Russell Wilson and Jared Goff while earning his first career playoff victory. Clearly the acquisition of Amari Cooper has had a tremendous positive impact on Dak Prescott.
There are several reasons why Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has been so impressive this season. The biggest reason for his success can be credited to….Dak Prescott. Has improved coaching helped him? Yes, that is without question but the same can be said about Jared Goff when Sean McVay was hired. The same can be said about most great quarterbacks today and throughout history. Joe Montana had Bill Walsh, Tom Brady has Bill Belichick, Patrick Mahomes has Andy Reid, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Does Dak Prescott have a great supporting cast around him? Yes he does, but the same can be said about any other quarterback that has had success in the NFL. Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman, Joe Montana, and Tom Brady all had great teams around them. What separated those players from their peers was their ability to take advantage of good situations and achieve greatness. In the case of Dak Prescott he has been receptive to good coaching. Dak Prescott has put in time during the offseason to work on his mechanics and to work on building rapport with his receivers. He has reported to training camp and stayed focused on the season despite the distraction presented by his ongoing contract negotiations. Dak Prescott has proven to be a great leader and he continues to do whatever it takes to help his team win. Even if that means diving head first to get that first down, risking injury despite not yet securing his long term contract. In a day and age where self preservation reigns supreme. Where players sit out games to renegotiate contracts and college players refuse to play in bowl games in order to avoid injuries that would impact their draft status, the actions of Dak Prescott speak volumes.
All statistics and data obtained and verified from https://www.pro-football-reference.com/
*Photo by Kieth Allison(c);https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode