There is a difference of opinion at America’s Team Headquarters, with the head coach saying one thing and his boss saying another.
No need to be alarmed. This sort of thing has been going on since Jerry Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys in 1989.
The point of alarm is the subject, and on this topic someone needs to smash the “Break Glass in Case You Think Your Quarterback is Hurt” pane.
No matter what the quarterback, or his head coach, says, something is wrong with Dak Prescott.
If something isn’t wrong with Dak Prescott, then Dallas Cowboys have bigger issues. If something isn’t wrong with Dak Prescott, that means he suddenly stinks and the Cowboys are suddenly stuck with one of the worst contracts in the NFL.
Dak Prescott doesn’t stink. Something is wrong with him, and he’s not saying.
The Cowboys are going to the playoffs for the first time since 2018. The question now is one of seeding.
They should enter the playoffs with some confidence, but not because of their high-priced offense.
This team is built around Dak Prescott and a slew of high draft picks on offense, but the Cowboys could be a favorite because of their defense.
With three pass rushers and a secondary that makes plays on the ball, the Cowboys have a defense that is good enough to carry an average offense deep into January.
Right now this is an average offense led by their suddenly average $40 million quarterback.
Prescott looks nothing like the player who six weeks ago was playing like an NFL MVP candidate, and a quarterback who could take an eight ounce glass of water and turn it into a pint of Shiner.
He’s currently taking that same eight ounce glass of water and turning it into a half a cup of boxed Manischewitz.
Maybe it’s the ankle injury, the one he spent months rehabbing last year after going down in Week 5.
Maybe it’s the throwing shoulder that he strained in training camp, which kept him out of every preseason game.
Maybe it’s the calf injury he suffered in Week 6 of the 2021 season, which kept him on the bench in Week 8.
Maybe it’s the fact his starting running back is running on one good leg.
Maybe it’s the fact his starting offensive line has serious problems, including an All-Pro left tackle, Tyron Smith, who will miss his fourth game this season on Sunday in New York because of an injury.
Maybe it’s the fact his genius offensive play caller, Kellen Moore, appears to have lost all faith in the offensive line.
Or maybe it’s none of those things — but it must be something.
On Jerry’s weekly radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan this week, the Hall of Famer acknowledged that his quarterback is in a slump.
“That’s probably fair,” he said. “It’s such a multifaceted evaluation. I would say that our offense is definitely away from where we were five to six weeks ago. Yes, he is [healthy]. He’ll figure it out.”
One day after the Cowboys defeated the Washington Team Football (WTF), coach Mike McCarthy said his quarterback is not hurt, and that he does not think he’s in a slump.
Someone is lying, or offering “truthiasms” rather than just plain candor.
Believe the owner.
Believe your eyes.
Believe the numbers.
En route to a 6-1 start, Dak was completing 73.1 percent of his passes and the Cowboys averaged 32 points per game. He had 16 touchdown passes, four interceptions and was sacked eight times.
That’s the body of work of a legit MVP candidate.
In the last six games, the team is 3-3 and our quarterback is completing 63 percent of his passes and the Cowboys average 25 points per game. In this stretch, he has eight touchdown passes, six interceptions and has been sacked 10 times.
That Dak Prescott suddenly looks like Backup McJohnson has an explanation beyond, “He’s fine.”
The quarterback is off, the offense looks messy, and the only one being honest is Jerry Jones, who normally could convince you the burning building in front of your face isn’t on fire.
Just hope that Dak Prescott is dealing with something that he does not want to reveal because he’s a pro who prefers not to offer excuses.
If that’s not the case, then he’s a backup masquerading as a starter, and the Cowboys own the worst player contract in the NFL.