Dak's jersey sent to NFL Hall of Fame. That was quick.

[DancingRabbit]

Dak and Zeke became the first pair of rookie teammates in NFL history to throw for at least 1,000 yards and run for at least 500 yards in the first five games of their rookie seasons, so the HOF asked for the jerseys Dak and Zeke wore for that record-setting game.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/dak-prescott-and-ezekiel-elliott-are-already-in-the-pro-football-hall-of-fame/

That's pretty cool, but Dak will take it all in stride. I'm sure he's studying how to negate the Packers' blitz.

Read something a couple days ago that it was the Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan that was lobbying Jerry to pick Dak in the draft. Said Dak had the "It factor" and said "he's a guy I know I can coach". Dak's been great but the game plans Linehan has put together and his play calling have been nearly perfect.

[BB30]

Yea, the OC deserves a lot of credit as well for understanding what he has to work with and creating game plans that put Dak in a position to be successful. Dak gets knocked by some for not taking shots downfield but I don't understand why that is a knock. If you can win with underneath routes and using the TE, controlling the clock, and pound the football you have no need to to try to stretch the D. All Dak has to do is not make mistakes and take what the D is giving him. Long sustained drives benefit the cowboys D way more than quick scoring drives and big plays.

[SaintDawg]

Dak gets knocked by some for not taking shots downfield but I don't understand why that is a knock.
It's the one facet of his game that is missing, but right now it isn't needed yet. The talking heads would rather focus on what he is NOT doing rather than what he IS. Everybody loves the long ball, the home run, the 3 pointer from the baseline. He will eventually start taking shots downfield as the season progresses. It'll happen.

[Tbonewannabe]

Yea, the OC deserves a lot of credit as well for understanding what he has to work with and creating game plans that put Dak in a position to be successful. Dak gets knocked by some for not taking shots downfield but I don't understand why that is a knock. If you can win with underneath routes and using the TE, controlling the clock, and pound the football you have no need to to try to stretch the D. All Dak has to do is not make mistakes and take what the D is giving him. Long sustained drives benefit the cowboys D way more than quick scoring drives and big plays.

Saban has used this method to win all of his national titles. If you have a QB that can continue to make plays when necessary, there is no use attempting less successful passes downfield. Dak has the offense coverting 3rd downs at a high rate which rests the defense. Dak is doing exactly what a successful QB does right now. Peyton Manning never really threw down field either but he was pretty successful.

[RougeDawg]

Yea, the OC deserves a lot of credit as well for understanding what he has to work with and creating game plans that put Dak in a position to be successful. Dak gets knocked by some for not taking shots downfield but I don't understand why that is a knock. If you can win with underneath routes and using the TE, controlling the clock, and pound the football you have no need to to try to stretch the D. All Dak has to do is not make mistakes and take what the D is giving him. Long sustained drives benefit the cowboys D way more than quick scoring drives and big plays.

Wish our HC had this mindset.

[SouthMSDog]

It's the one facet of his game that is missing, but right now it isn't needed yet. The talking heads would rather focus on what he is NOT doing rather than what he IS. Everybody loves the long ball, the home run, the 3 pointer from the baseline. He will eventually start taking shots downfield as the season progresses. It'll happen.

That is just simply not true - he ranks 6th in the NFL in yards per attempt. It's a major misconception bc Cole Beasley is playing well.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/passing/sort/yardsPerPassAttempt

[DancingRabbit]

That is just simply not true - he ranks 6th in the NFL in yards per attempt. It's a major misconception bc Cole Beasley is playing well.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/passing/sort/yardsPerPassAttempt

I've pointed out the same thing, but there is some truth to Dak not throwing deep. He threw some long passes in the pre-season but in the regular season he only has 2-3 completions that traveled more than 20 yards in the air. Pretty sure he has no completions that went 30+ yds in the air but he's only tried 2-3 times.

There's really no need to throw deep 50-50 balls unless you're behind and running out of time - not when the running game and short/medium passes are getting you 1st downs and sustaining drives. The threat of Zeke and Dak running is keeping the LBs up close so the 10-20 yard passes have been there for the taking.

The other obvious benefit to how they're playing is it's keeping their defense off the field and fresh.

[SaintDawg]

That is just simply not true - he ranks 6th in the NFL in yards per attempt. It's a major misconception bc Cole Beasley is playing well.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/passing/sort/yardsPerPassAttempt
Let me clarify... I did not mean for necessity, I was meaning for the "Shock and Awe" factor. I'm in no way saying that Dak's game is lacking, I'm simply saying that the shots down the field will come when they are needed.