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No Urgency To Address Backup QB, As Cowboys Evaluate Dak & Showers David Helman, DallasCowboys.com
With as much coverage as the loss of Kellen Moore has received you would think that the fate of the Dallas Cowboys hinges on who fills the QB2 slot for the squad. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Cowboys are going nowhere without Romo, so the team is taking the approach of using the opportunity to see what they have in their other young passers. Sure they will take advantage of a bargain, but there will be no panic buying in Dallas.
"The best thing for us to do right now is to be pretty deliberate - be not in a big hurry. Let some more things play out around the league" - Jerry Jones
This is a 180 degree reversal from what Stephen Jones implied on Wednesday when he stated the team wanted a veteran presence ASAP. It is also the wise move for the team to make. Barring an early loss of Romo, the Dallas Cowboys offense will be totally geared toward his talents anyhow. The funny thing is, at least to me is that it is Jerry talking sense in this situation.
Fourth-round draft pick Dak Prescott got the first opportunity to shine for Dallas as Thursday was a scheduled rest day for Tony Romo. Dak did not set the world on fire in his first outing, but neither did the Cowboys tone down things for him. He ran the same things the team would have done with the starter at the helm. He is treating the opportunity as the learning experience that it is.
"I think that's good for me to just come in, look those [first-team players] in the eyes in the huddle, get that confidence going. I believe in myself and I know what's going on, so to get those reps was very good." - Dak Prescott
Moving on to more pressing issues, we come to the development of the Cowboys top draft pick, Ezekiel Elliott. On the gridiron, Tony Romo is in charge of the Dallas offense. His responsibility includes making sure that his new running back gets up to speed in short order, and #9 is following through on that duty.
"Believe me, I'm in his ear enough. I think at this point he tries to stay away a little bit. It's good for him to hear about a lot of the little intricate stuff that is going to come up at some point. You don't want to overload him too much right away. At the same time, he's got to hear it and go through it. He'll make mistakes, but every rookie does. The good ones learn from it, come back and don't make it again." - Tony Romo
It might have been a veteran's day off for Romo, but you can bet your paycheck he still found the time to do a little coaching.
The Cowboys are reportedly working on an extension for their All-Pro center Jared Dubin, CBS Sports
Dubin sounds a lot like he is doing the negotiation for Travis Frederick with his opening paragraph.
The NFL world laughed at the Dallas Cowboys when they traded down in the first round and then selected Wisconsin center Travis Frederick with the 31st pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Three seasons, two Pro Bowls, and two second-team All-Pro appearances later, the Cowboys are the ones laughing. Frederick is now widely regarded as one of the best centers in football, and the anchor of the consensus best offensive line in the league.
He goes on to speculate exactly what the Cowboys center will be worth over the next few seasons. Hint: He will be expensive but worth it, but you already knew that.
It is tough when you are among the better men in the league at your position but only the third best guard on your own team. Just ask Ron Leary; he'll tell you. He could start most places around the league, and he wants the opportunity to shine, but the Cowboys backup is a valuable commodity for the team. They will get a nice deal out of trading Leary or the will hold on to him just in case. That keeps the veteran lineman from being a happy camper.
He may be disgruntled, but Leary intends to play at his best and let the chips fall where they may.
"It's tough, but I'm a God-fearing man, so everything that's going to happen is going to happen on his time and it's going to happen at the right time. I'm not too much stressing about it. I'm just going to stay ready to play football." - Ronald Leary
Martellus Bennett rips Cowboys, Jason Witten Drew Davison, Fort Worth Star Telegram
Former Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett doesn't have too many fond memories of his four years with the organization.
Strange, I doubt very many of us have many fond memories of his time in Dallas either.