Dak's progression!!!

Like most of you, I think Dak Prescott has to take the next step in order for the Cowboys to progress to the next level. Dak showed everybody that he was the real deal in the playoff game against the Packers. He went toe to toe with the best QB in the league and brought the Cowboys back from a deep hole. Prescott showed the poise that he demonstrated all season. Dez was given the opportunity to earn Dak's trust, and had an amazing game. Should we expect Dallas to depend on Dak in order to chase the Chip?

Let's not forget about Zeke Elliot. It's a QB driven league but that doesn't mean that the QB has to throw 40 times a game. There will be games where Dak has to throw 40 times but that should be rare. The Cowboys have created a winning formula with that great offensive line and a spectacular run game. They can definitely survive with marginal improvement from the QB. Although I fully expect Dak to be the QB they need, his progression may not show on the stat sheet.

Watching Dak and the Cowboys last season there were plays that Dak missed open receivers down field. We can attribute that to the scheme and him being a rookie. He wasn’t fully acclimated with the speed of the game. He also wasn’t comfortable with anticipating throws on the deeper routes. Romo was a gunslinger, he looked to go deep and wanted to throw the ball down field. It wasn’t until Romo realized that protecting the ball was what this terrible defense needed. Dak completely understands that he can’t put the defense in bad position with turnovers. Protecting the ball was Dak’s #1 priority, and that made him hold the ball a tick longer, which will throw off the timing for the deeper routes. This year he will take more of those chances because the offense won’t be as effective if he isn’t able to keep the defense honest. The increase of deep passes will lead to more interceptions but it will also open up the run, and screen games.

 If you're measuring Daks progression solely on his numbers, there may not be much improvement there. He posted a 5:1 touchdown to intercept ratio. He will get a lot more on his plate and defenses will have more film on him. That bootleg won't be as effective this year. He may not post that kind of TD: INT ratio but I can see the numbers improving. He may throw more yards and touchdowns, but he may also throw more interceptions. The best thing about Daks situation is that he doesn't have to win games alone. 

Dak can hand the ball off 25- 30 times a game. No Zeke won't get all those carries, but he should get the bulk of the load. Make no mistake the strength of the Cowboys is the run game. The run protects the defense and moves the chains without the QB needing to make a ton of reads. The most important thing Dak can do is protect the football. He perfected that in his first season. He didn't make many bad reads, force many bad passes, or hold the ball too long in the pocket. These are all skills that some QBs never learn and he got them in his first season. 

I expect Dak to take all the nessecary steps to become a better quarterback. His stat line may read 4000 yds passing, 30TD, 11ints. Those would be amazing number for a QB in his second season. If Dak is flirting with 5000 yds this season then the run game either wasn’t effective of that defense just didn’t hold up at all.