Cowboys news: Dan Quinn says Dallas wants to win for Dak Prescott

Dan Quinn Rare Take: Dallas Cowboys ‘Want to Win For’ Dak Prescott - Mike Fisher, Sports Illustrated

Dallas is firmly behind their quarterback.

Here’s an angle you don’t hear to often, largely because in the busy inside-the-building world of an NFL football team, the quarterback and the defensive coordinator often rarely interact ... and sometimes, because their daily goals at practice conflict, often rarely are pals.

That is not the case here inside The Star, where the particular talents of Dallas Cowboys quarterback are such a rallying point that defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is moved to speak out in support of the QB ... and to do and say much more.

“Quite honestly, a lot of us want to win for him, because of the leader that he is and the man that he is and the teammate that he is,” Quinn said.

Stephen Jones: WR Martavis Bryant gives Dalllas Cowboys size - Fox Staff, Fox Sports

Jones raved about the former fourth-round pick.

Wide receiver Martavis Bryant hasn’t played in the NFL since 2018, but the Dallas Cowboys feel that he can provide quality depth, as they signed him to their practice squad earlier in the week.

“I think the biggest thing is he [Bryant] brings a body type [6-foot-4, 215 pounds], his size, his speed, his length, the whole nine yards that’s something we just don’t have in our receiving corps,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told San Antonio’s Sports Star Friday about Bryant. “Nothing against the guys we got here, but we were watching him practice [Thursday] and he’s just about a head taller than the rest of the crew. He’s got a good pedigree. He obviously played and played well in this league before.

“We just thought it was a good use of a practice squad spot. It’s a long season. You never know how the injury bug is going to go. I love our receiving crew, but he has a body type we just don’t have in our receiving corps.”

Keys for Cowboys to earn a rebound victory against the Giants in Week 10 - Ben Grimaldi, WFAA

The Cowboys desperately need to establish their running game.

The Giants had one of the better defensive lines heading into the season, but that hasn’t translated into success against the run. Allowing over 127 yards rushing a game, their defense ranks 25th in the league at slowing down opposing rushing attacks.

It’s also a unit that was weakened when they traded Leonard Williams before the deadline, and now they don’t have as good a group upfront which should be something that Dallas looks to exploit.

In the first meeting, the Cowboys ran for three scores – two of which came from Tony Pollard – and 122 yards. Since that game, Dallas’ offense only has two rushing touchdowns, and Pollard hasn’t accounted for either one, nor has his backup, Rico Dowdle.

This game should be an opportunity to get the running game on track for a team that has been stuck in the middle of the pack on the ground.

DeMarcus Lawrence on facing Giants’ rookie QB - Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com

The Cowboys defense can't lose focus despite facing a rookie quarterback.

With both Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor on injured reserve, and though the Giants signed Matt Barkley this week, the onus goes to DeVito — an undrafted rookie out of Illinois — to try and deliver a massive upset against the Cowboys.

And he’ll have to do it against arguably the best pass rush in the league.

Advantage Cowboys, sure, but Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence says Dallas is making sure they’re not getting out ahead of their skis this weekend, because DeVito does have the mobility to make it a long day.

“We wanna seize the opportunity in front of us,” said Lawrence on Friday. “We gotta stick to the game plan. We can’t just go out there with our eyes big. … We want to have fun but stay inside of our game plan.”

And what exactly is that plan?

“Don’t let him try to use his legs the whole game,” he said.

Dak Prescott-CeeDee Lamb connection elevating Cowboys offense to new heights - Garrett Podell, CBS Sports

Prescott and Lamb are on fire.

Following the deflating 42-10 Week 5 loss at the San Francisco 49ers on “Sunday Night Football,” Lamb, who totaled four catches for 49 receiving yards, said “I don’t know” three times postgame when asked what the Cowboys’ offensive identity was. McCarthy’s answer at the time was even more jarring: he said the offense was about time of possession and saving the defense, specifically saying: “We play to our defense. That’s the strength of our team. And by doing that, the time of possession, taking care of the football, those are two things that I thought were improvements from past years, the first month. Clearly, it was not [versus the 49ers].”

Now, the emphasis and rhetoric has flipped in Dallas’ favor since as the metrics above indicate. The Cowboys’ rushing rate has dropped nearly 10 percentage points from 47.1% in Weeks 1-5 to 37.6% in Weeks 6-9. As a result, Dallas has become a top 10 scoring and total offense over the last four weeks because its offense is now, in the words of Lamb after the team’s 43-20 Week 8 win over the Rams, “explosive and physical.” In Lamb’s eyes, the ensuing meeting of the minds between McCarthy, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, Prescott and himself has directly led to the offensive improvement since.

“Without that conversation [Lamb calling out the team’s offense game plan], we wouldn’t have gotten to where we are now,” Lamb said Thursday. “And I feel like the elevation in the offense is amazing. I’m grateful for that. Grateful for Mike [McCarthy] trusting in me. Grateful for the team trusting in me and my abilities.”

Lamb is far and away the best playmaker at McCarthy’s disposal, and his numbers since Week 6 indicate he is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL: his 466 receiving yards in this stretch lead the entire NFL despite Lamb playing three games since Week 6 thanks to a Week 7 bye. Lamb has over 100 receiving yards in each of his last three games, including setting and resetting his career high in receiving yards in each of the last two weeks. He totaled 117 yards on seven catches at the Chargers, 158 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns on 12 catches against the Rams and 191 receiving yards on 11 catches at the Eagles. Lamb’s production isn’t just about words: the Cowboys have seen an even more locked in version of the fourth-year receiver since when it comes to his weekly preparation.

Micah Parsons Reveals on Podcast That Dak Prescott Should Be in MVP Conversation - Jillian Nachtigal, Pro Football Network

Prescott has hit his stride over the last month.

On the “The Edge with Micah Parsons” podcast, the Cowboys pass rusher said that Prescott should be in the MVP conversation, citing his numbers and efficiency as reasons he should be considered.

“I think that Dak Prescott should be in the MVP conversation,” Parsons said. “If you’re looking at numbers, what he’s able to do, his efficiency, things like that, Dak Prescott is playing at an elite level. He needs to be talked about more, not less, and not in a downwards way.”

Parsons went on to express that Prescott will prove people wrong as the season goes on.

He is playing at an elite level, and we should open our eyes,” Parsons said. “Open your eyes, people; Dak Prescott should be in the MVP conversation. And I think he will prove that, leading out to the end of this year and winning some big games and leading us to the playoffs.”

Prescott has completed 70.2% of his passes for 2,011 yards, 13 touchdowns, and five interceptions.

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