Cowboys News: Dak Prescott Promises To "Feed Dez" Vs. Redskins

Dak Prescott promises to get the ball to Dez Bryant - Nunzio Ingrassia, FOX Sports
Prescott knows he has to get his Pro Bowl receiver more involved.

"We'll make that connection. I'll put the ball in a better place. He'll make those catches."

"We'll get better," Prescott said. "It's no big deal. Nobody is panicking. We all know we're headed in the right direction."

Bob Sturm has two words for the Dallas Cowboys: Feed Dez - SportsDay
Sturm with an impassioned plea to get the ball to Bryant.

The point is that he needs to be used in every way possible to affect the game all over the field. The plays he makes in the middle of the field bring stress to any defense and we didn't see any of that in the opener. Instead, the middle of the field was exclusive property of Jason Witten and Cole Beasley who combined for 26 targets. They all serve important roles, but there is a reason the Cowboys decided to give Bryant $70 million. That same reason should be why they are demanding that Linehan and Garrett figure out how to get the ball to their star at rates similar to his contemporaries.

It is difficult to imagine 75 plays with only five going to Bryant. Let's not let it happen again.

VIDEO: Dak Prescott vows to connect with Dez Bryant - NBC Sports
The Dallas Cowboys are looking to bounce back after Week 1, which means Dak Prescott and Dez Bryant need to get on the same page, Mike Florio explains in this short video.

Barry Switzer Predicts a Cinderella Year For Dallas Thanks to Dak - Lauren Lapaglia, Pro Football Spot
In a brief video segment for TMZ, Barry Switzer was asked what he thought about Dak Prescott.

"They're going to have a cinderalla year, the way I look at it. This quarterback's not bad."

Greg Cosell's Film Study: Dak Prescott and Trevor Siemian are learning - Yahoo
Good film breakdown from Cosell, who saw Prescott miss some downfield opportunities in the game, but also saw some positives from the rookie.

Prescott did some good things too, and the Cowboys used concepts that Prescott was used to. They incorporated shotgun run action, which was a foundation of Prescott’s game at Mississippi State. Prescott never played fast or rushed himself. He looked comfortable through the game, and what stood out was his patience in the pocket. His feet and body were calm, he was mostly decisive and mostly accurate. Those are all encouraging and promising signs. He also has the ability to sit on his back foot in the pocket and drive the ball with velocity.

The Cowboys catered to what Prescott did in college, which you could see on their 29 first-down snaps. Of those 29 snaps, 16 came with Prescott in shotgun, and there were 22 snaps with one back and seven in an empty backfield. Even though Dallas talked about getting back to the 2014 run-heavy offense, they had 17 passes and 12 runs on first down. The Cowboys did a lot of things that Prescott was familiar with, and he played pretty well.

Should Cowboys help Dak Prescott be running the read option? - Bob Sturm, SportsDay
Are the Cowboys getting ready to spring the read option on the Redskins? Sturm thinks so, as a he explained in a reply to a reader question.

Would you change the offense at all to take advantage of more Dak skills, like maybe running the read option?

Oh, yes. And I expect that is already their plan. They are trying to get him prepared for so many scenarios that they are likely trying to keep things simple, but I expect that will be a real weapon this year before it is all over. His one "keep" on Sunday was pretty effective. But, more than anything, it is the threat that he will keep it that is most valuable. It should keep defenses honest.

Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins: Ground and pound - UPI.com
The Cowboys will be banking on their ground game making the difference Sunday when they travel to Washington.

There is hope considering that Washington was run over and run down to the tune of 147 yards on the ground in a 38-16 loss to Pittsburgh last week. Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams produced 143 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.

Coach Jason Garrett said the Cowboys must get more of push of front against the Redskins than they did against the Giants. Regardless, they are committed to the ground game.

"You continue to focus on doing the things you need to do to run the ball better individually and collectively," Garrett said. "It's a technical thing, it's a physical thing, it's the offensive linemen, it's the tight end, it's the receivers, it's the runners. That's the challenge you have every week running the football in the NFL. We did some good things in the game, we can build on some of those things, and obviously we have to get better in a lot of different areas."

Redskins Will Need To Stop Running Game For Success Against Cowboys - Alaina Gretzenberg, Redskins.com
The Redskins defense is in for a tough test against the Cowboys with their two-headed rushing attack of Alfred Morris and Ezekiel Elliott.

The Cowboys are coming to town with one of the top offensive lines in the NFL and a strong running back group that will be hard to stop. Defending the ball on the ground will be important to helping the Redskins find success against a tough Dallas offense.

"They’re great. They work well together and they’re big and physical," linebacker Mason Foster said. "It’s always tough when you’ve got (the offensive line) mauling people up front and a running back just playing off of it, making cuts and getting downhill. It’s going to be tough, but we’re going to be ready. We’re working. We’ve got a great game plan so we’re going to come out firing."

The truth about Zeke vs. Alfred Morris? Morris had guys actually blocking for him - SportsDay
Bryan Broaddus spoke on KRLD-FM 105.3 The Fan about missed blocking at the point of attack, and how that didn't work too well when Elliott got the ball.

"So if you look at a wide variety of when the plays were blocked, Alfred Morris had a better opportunity to run. He had more space, where if you look at when Zeke was running the football, like I just said -- I gave you a bunch of numbers to probably give you a little bit of a headache -- but La'el Collins, five times his guy made it to the ball. And then Jason Witten, five times his guy made it to the ball. So, you know, you've got to be able to block at the point of attack if you want to have any success running this football."

"And if you look at the breakdown of the different problems, Witten had his guy get there five times, Doug Free had his guy four times, La'el Collins had five times, and then (Travis) Frederick had two, (Zack) Martin had three and then Tyron Smith had two."

After "Terrific" Game Sunday, Cowboys Looking To Get More Snaps For McClain - Nick Eatman, Dallas Cowboys
Terrell McClain is finally healthy again, and defensive coordinator is pleased with the results.

"He had a terrific game, he really did. He’s a powerful man," said defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, who is seeing the most consistent production out of McClain after the veteran was limited by injuries the last two years. "This is the longest period of time he’s been able to practice. I think the sky’s the limit for him."

While power is a big attribute for any defensive tackle, Marinelli said the quickness McClain brings to the table sets him apart.

"He’s got great feet. Great feet for that position," Marinelli said. "He made plays all the way down the field. He really fits what we’re doing."

Dallas Cowboys' Sean Lee feeling fresh after playing every Week 1 snap - Todd Archer, ESPN
Sean Lee is feeling a lot better than he did last year at this time, which has got to be good news for the Cowboys.

In the Dallas Cowboys' 2015 season opener against the New York Giants, a one-point win, Lee played all 61 defensive snaps and was credited with nine tackles, including a tackle for loss, by the coaches. When he woke up the next day, he was feeling the effects.

"From the first game last year, I was sore all week and I hadn't played in a year and a half," said Lee, who did not play in 2014 because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.

In the 2016 season opener against the Giants, a one-point loss, Lee played all 56 defensive snaps ad was credited with a team-high 15 tackles. He woke up Tuesday feeling different.

Mark Sanchez knows enough of the Cowboys’ offense to play in a pinch - Charean Williams, The Star-Telegram
The Cowboys signed Mark Sanchez as a free agent almost two weeks ago, and he’s spent the past two weeks learning the playbook. Williams writes that Sanchez now knows enough of the offense to play in a pinch.

"He’s picked it up quickly, and he’s worked very hard at it," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "One of the challenges that we have and every team in the league has is you want to get your starting quarterback ready to play in the games so the number of reps you give your backup is just not that significant over the course of the week, so you have to do extra stuff. He’s worked very hard on his own. He spends a great deal of time here. He’s here early. He stays late. He asks a lot of questions and he uses all the resources at his disposal. He’s clearly a veteran guy, goes about it the right way, professional approach."

Byron Jones' Performance So Far? - Dallas Cowboys
In their mailbag, Bryan Broaddus and David Helman answer a reader question about how Byron Jones has looked so far. Here's Helman's take.

I thought Byron looked good last week. Unfortunately for him, he’s going to be judged purely on the number of takeaways he provides, and he hasn’t gotten one yet. It’s going to be hard for him to get picks working against a big body like Jordan Reed, but this will be a good opportunity for him to remind everyone how good he is at taking away tight ends.

Barry Switzer tells hysterical story on how he was offered the Cowboys head coaching job - FOX Sports
Switzer recounts how he joined the Cowboys, and as far as job interviews go, this is definitely one of the shorter ones.

"March 28th, 1994 he called me and said 'You want to coach the Cowboys?' And I said 'Hell, I didn't know the job was open Jerry.' And he said 'It's fixin' to be' and I said 'Well, call me when it's open.

So he called me the next day. He had fired Jimmy [Johnson], and he called me the next day and said 'come on down.' And that was my interview. That's exactly it. That was all that was said."

Four Cowboys players questionable, three ruled out for Sunday's game against the Redskins - Todd Archer, ESPN
Orlando Scandrick listed as questionable, but is expected to play on Sunday, as are Jack Crawford, and Geoff Swaim. Ronald Leary, who is also listed as questionable, is not expected to play on Sunday.

Tony Romo (back), linebacker Mark Nzeocha (Achilles) and defensive end Charles Tapper (back) have been ruled out for the second straight game.