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Former Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells is the latest to weigh in with his impressions of the Cowboys rookie quarterback. The Tuna is quick to give praise to the folks around Prescott for stepping up and for putting him in positions to succeed.
"Although it is apparent that they are acclimating well, to deem them successful at this point is a bit premature," Parcells told USA TODAY Sports.
"It's like a perfect storm," Parcells said. "Good coaching. Help from the supporting cast. Opportunity."
Funny, I remember Parcells doing exactly that with some guy named Jeff Hostetler and winning a Super Bowl for the Giants.
Reaching the point to where they can win without the services of Tony Romo is a major milestone for the Dallas Cowboys and a pivitol milestone on Jason Garrett's 'process' superhighway. It is also a good sine for the future of the franchise.
"Injuries are adversity. If you built the team the right way from the outset and you coach well and you play well," Garrett said, "you have a better chance of handling it. So there are a lot of lessons learned for all of us last year about how to build a team better. Hopefully when the guys get an opportunity to play, they play better." - Jason Garrett
Perhaps for the first time since Jon Kitna led a resurgent team under then interim coach Garrett, the Cowboys are capable of facing such adversity with confidence.
After several weeks of the waters being as clear as mud, the NFL has finally made official the second suspension of Randy Gregory. His (and DeMarcus Lawrence's) four-game suspension from a failed drug test will come to an end this weekend. While DLaw will be able to return to the gridiron, the other defensive end will return to Roger Goddell's doghouse for 10 more games penance thanks to a second failed test.
Even with Lawrence returning to the fold, it has to be a bitter pill to swallow for the Cowboys, who faced no shortage of scrutiny for drafting Gregory No. 60 overall despite his documented history of off-field problems – including a failed drug test at the 2015 NFL Combine.
In that same radio interview, Jones acknowledged the pick has not gone according to plan. But with Gregory working on just the second year of a four-year contract, Jones was still hopeful he could turn things around.
"If you look at the amount of playtime that we’ve gotten out of a second-round pick, then I’d say it’s not been good," Jones said. "But ultimately, if we can have him on the field – which would rightfully be questioned. But if we could have him on the field, it would be an outstanding pick."
With it looking like Dez Bryant is going to be a spectator against San Francisco the burden to take up the slack will fall on the rest of the Dallas Cowboys offense. One of the key weapons that will be available to Dak Prescott is going to be the All-Everything Jason Witten. It will not be easy; the Senator has a tough match up this weekend.
In the previous two games, Reid has carried Greg Olson and Jimmy Graham, so Witten fits right in that plan. In Reid, the 49ers have a player with good size, speed, and arm length for the position. He's a hard guy to run away from due to how physical he is. He is going to make Witten have to battle for space and make it as tough as possible for him.
Tony Romo out to start the season and now Dez with a hairline fracture; the last thing the Cowboys need is for Tyron Smith to miss a second consecutive start due to his back issue. The Dallas left tackle probably has a good idea by now about his status, but he is playing things close to the vest. Keeping us in the dark also translates into keeping the opposition in the dark and forcing them to be prepared for multiple situations on Sunday.
The All-Pro caliber lineman is undergoing continued treatment for muscle spasms in his back, a situation that kept him from playing against the Chicago Bears last week.
Jason Witten channels Jerry Jones in discussing Dez Bryant's absence - Todd Archer, ESPN
By now everyone realizes that Dez Bryant responds to things differently than most folks do. Be it from his upbringing or something else, he has his ways and those around him understand that. It is Dez being Dez.
"Look, we all go through different things. That's handled within teams. Guys address it and move forward. It happens every week in the NFL from that standpoint. So, yeah, you always work together and talking and that's what teammates are, they're brothers. There's a great saying inside this building by somebody I tremendously respect -- let's not circumcise a mosquito here, you know? - Jason Witten
Bryant's mannerisms might not work in the 9-5 world that most of us live in, but then too our offices don't have green turf and hash marks. What he can do on Sunday afternoons is of utmost importance to the Cowboys, not what he does during the week.
It was his rookie season and Dan Bailey rushed a chip shot field goal attempt early in the game. He missed but later earned redemption when the team trotted him out to make a game winning kick to seal the deal against the 49ers. The Cowboys kicker credits those two moments with teaching him what it takes to succeed as a place kicker in the National Football League.
"The nature of our job is it’s one kick at a time, and you kind of have to put them behind you as fast as you can," Bailey said. "Looking back now, that’s probably the best thing that could have happened to me in a sense. I mean, obviously I would have loved to have made it, but to have that much of a lull and that much of a high in one game really kind of gave me a baseline on how to keep a happy medium and just stay level-headed. If you make it, great. If you miss it, move on to the next one."
Dak Prescott has funny way of dealing with newfound fame in Dallas - Nick Forrester, SEC Country
There is nothing earth shattering about this, just a good chuckle to close out your daily Cowboys news fix.
"I guess I’ve been more noticeable lately," Prescott said. "People in the drive-thru ask me if I’m Dak. I tell them ‘No,’ and then I tell them ‘Yes’ as I drive off."