Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys Are At A Crossroads

The Dallas Cowboys have found gold with rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, but Dallas has a tough decision to make about their quarterbacks.

When Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott performed at a high level in preseason, NFL experts and Cowboys Nation lost their minds. Prescott immediately became the Cowboys favorite backup quarterback to incumbent Tony Romo.

Although these were meaningless preseason football games, NFL experts raved about the quarterback play of Prescott. According to them, a fourth round rookie quarterback was not supposed to out-play his fellow rookie counterparts, like Carson Wentz and Jared Goff; both first round draft picks.

Everyone expected Prescott to come out and play like a rookie, make mistakes, throw interceptions, fumble snaps, be confused by opposing defenses, hold the clipboard, and learn from Romo.

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Dak played like a seasoned veteran, which gave the Cowboys hope in the event of an injury to Romo. Dallas learned the hard way last season about the importance of having a quality backup field general.

The awful performances of Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel at the quarterback position made the play of Prescott that much more impressive.

How could a fourth round draft pick out of Mississippi State play better than veteran quarterbacks with so much experience?

But the main question is, what are the Cowboys going to do when Romo gets healthy? Will Dallas go back to Romo and let him lead the way, or will the team stay with Dak?

The Cowboys are at a Crossroads with their two quarterbacks. It’s a major crossroads because of the stellar play of Prescott. The rookie has passed for 1,012 yards, three touchdowns, rushed for two, and has no interceptions in 131 pass attempts.

That is an amazing feat for any NFL quarterback, which is a rookie record. Further, Prescott has led the Cowboys to a 3-1 record with a mediocre defense that lacks a pass rush.

I don’t want to hear anything about the lack of competition Prescott has faced. This is the NFL, where you face the best of the best each Sunday. For two quarters on Sunday afternoon, the San Francisco 49ers looked as if they were going to blow out the Cowboys.

Prescott led Dallas to victory on the road for the second time in his young NFL career. When a young signal caller has to make up for the deficiencies of his defense, he deserves some credit.

The Dallas defense made Blaine Gabbert look like the second coming of Joe Montana, as the average QB completed pass after pass and converted third downs at ease.

Site Expert Reid Hanson, believes the Cowboys’ next two games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers will be the measuring stick as to whether there is a quarterback controversy. Basically, if Prescott balls out and wins both games, a QB controversy will be born in the Big D.

It’s that simple. And If Prescott goes to Lambeau Field and beat the Green Bay Packers and All Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Cowboys will be viewed as a legit team. It will be reminiscent of how Dallas beat the defending Super Bowl champs, Seattle Seahawks, back in 2014.

There is no doubt in my mind Dak will remain the starting quarterback if he leads the Cowboys to a 5-1 record with victories over the Bengals and Packers. Prescott will have passed the litmus test against two of the best teams in the NFL all on his own.

The pundits can no longer make the argument that Prescott has faced below average teams or that he can’t beat a good team on the road. That argument will be dead. Then, if Prescott beats the hated Philadelphia Eagles in a Sunday Night showdown, the quarterback controversy will definitely go up a few decibels.

What Romo has over Prescott is experience. The veteran can come in and take over and continue to lead the Cowboys after Prescott’s impressive start.

However, the question is whether Romo will disrupt the chemistry, fluidity, and rhythm of the team.

Despite Romo being the incumbent signal caller, Tony wasn’t the one winning the games for Dallas. Whatever amount of games Prescott wins, the dynamic QB is developing his own chemistry with this team. As of right now, it’s his team winning with his capabilities and leadership.

If it sounds as if I’m rooting for Prescott to take over, I’m not. I’m stating the reality of the situation, where quarterbacks lose their jobs because the backup plays better and wins games.

Drew Bledsoe lost his job to Tom Brady because of an injury. Former league MVP Kurt Warner lost his starting job to injury after backup Marc Bulger led the then-St. Louis Rams to an 8-0 start.

Romo’s injury-prone history makes it easy for Dallas to stay with Prescott. With Romo’s well-documented history, its plausible to believe he’ll suffer another injury.

If that happens, at what point does Dallas turns the page from Romo? And at what point do the Cowboys decide who is their quarterback?

Next: Dallas Cowboys: There is no QB Controversy...Yet

Great coaches and organizations always make the right decisions when it comes to keeping a franchise quarterback. Let’s hope America’s Team makes the right decision, because they are facing a major crossroads at the most prized position in all of sports.

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