Al Micheals quote on Dak

[Bdawg]

"Some idiot in the press room tonight will ask about Romo replacing Dak." Also said Dak should go to the press conference and ask "Are there any questions now?"

Pretty nice compliments from Al.

[messageboardsuperhero]

A couple of thoughts about the game tonight...

1) The Cowboys pass defense is turrible, but Irving stepping up and being a pass rusher is a game changer for them if he can build off of tonight.

2) Dallas has more drive killing penalties than any team I can remember in recent memory- including some of our State teams.

3) Jason Whitten is nothing more than an average TE at this point in his career. Solid blocker, good route runner, but zero athleticism or explosiveness.

[Political Hack]

Agree with all your pound except the last. Witten had 8 or so grabs tonight. That's pretty good for an average TE!

I will say that he and Dez have been the least impressive skill players on offense. They've had some big let downs this year while Dak, Zek, Beasley, and Newman have all been pretty damn solid.

[Bdawg]

Witten is just a possession guy now at best. Get down field, find an open spot, catch the ball and get tackled. Pretty decent in the redzone too, but he does look really slow out there to me

[SDDawg]

Witten is a great target - very reliable. I'd take him.

Dak playing well and continuing to make big plays, he'll be fine. He should get some good playoff experience this post-season and be ready for big things next year.

[Reason2succeed]

Witten is a great target - very reliable. I'd take him.

Dak playing well and continuing to make big plays, he'll be fine. He should get some good playoff experience this post-season and be ready for big things next year.

Not so fast my friend. Don't write off a Super Bowl run yet. I hate the Cowboys sans Dak more than almost anyone else alive but the only thing that will keep Dallas out of a Super Bowl is their defense. There is no way Dak is going to get shutdown by the Giants defense a third time and no one else can stop them offensively in the NFC other than maybe Seattle. Dak has as great of a shot as anyone at making it to the big game in his first year.

[mstatefan91]

Witten is good at blocking and catching (getting open). He is not gonna burn anyone after catching the ball.

Dallas can make a Super Bowl run. A lot rides on the defense and whether Dak/Elliot can keep overcoming early down holding calls. The refs have the OLine's number now.

[ShotgunDawg]

Dak reminds me so much of Tim Duncan.

That may seem like an odd comparison, but Duncan, like Dak, is the big fundamental. Nothing flashy & not really all that exciting. QBs like Winston are flashy like Kobe or Allen Iverson & that's fine. But then you have guys like Dak that will never get enough credit because they don't make you go "WOW". However, over the next 10 years when Dak wins a few Super Bowls, it will begin to shine through.

Both Dak & Duncan just play winning ball. They make winning plays on a consistent basis

[dawgday166]

Not so fast my friend. Don't write off a Super Bowl run yet. I hate the Cowboys sans Dak more than almost anyone else alive but the only thing that will keep Dallas out of a Super Bowl is their defense. There is no way Dak is going to get shutdown by the Giants defense a third time and no one else can stop them offensively in the NFC other than maybe Seattle. Dak has as great of a shot as anyone at making it to the big game in his first year.

The better defenses generally wins championships. That's my concern with the boys. I do like them in a rematch with the Giants tho. Giants have won 2 close ones. I think big D gets over the hump 3rd time around. It's Seattle and GB which appear to me to be the really tough matchups.

[RougeDawg]

They better clean up the drive killing penalties or they will be one and done in playoffs. Penalties cost them 7-14 points last night and were the main reason they were 2 for 24 on 3rd down conversion the previous two games.

In contrast last night, I saw TB OLinemen pulling down Dallas DLinemen without call. The TD killing hold call on Dallas was much less than a few that weren't called on Tampa. There needs to be more consistency in this call.

[MzTerry]

The better defenses generally wins championships. That's my concern with the boys. I do like them in a rematch with the Giants tho. Giants have won 2 close ones. I think big D gets over the hump 3rd time around. It's Seattle and GB which appear to me to be the really tough matchups.

Demarcus Lawrence and Cedric Thornton were out last night, and Mo Claiborne will be back if they make it far enough. Their defense is definitely not elite, but I think it's probably top 12 when at full strength. The secondary has really improved and Sean Lee is playing lights out.

[maroonmania]

It is going to be a big bonus for Dak and the Cowboys if they can play all of their playoff games at home inside the dome. Dak, when playing in a controlled environment, just looks so much more comfortable and is so much more accurate. Last night he looked in total control whereas last week, while playing in the frigid cold (he should have worn sleeves), he and his teammates all looked miserable to even be out there. Dak was way more accurate with the ball in last night's game than Winston was. In fact, Winston missed some throws in the 4th quarter that cost TB a chance to make the late comeback.

[mstatefan91]

It is going to be a big bonus for Dak and the Cowboys if they can play all of their playoff games at home inside the dome. Dak, when playing in a controlled environment, just looks so much more comfortable and is so much more accurate. Last night he looked in total control whereas last week, while playing in the frigid cold (he should have worn sleeves), he and his teammates all looked miserable to even be out there. Dak was way more accurate with the ball in last night's game than Winston was. In fact, Winston missed some throws in the 4th quarter that cost TB a chance to make the late comeback.
Winston's play is like his personality.. erratic

Home field will be big for Dallas.

[Percho]

95 keeps playing like he did in the 4th and they will be all right.

[BeardoMSU]

Dak reminds me so much of Tim Duncan.

That may seem like an odd comparison, but Duncan, like Dak, is the big fundamental. Nothing flashy & not really all that exciting. QBs like Winston are flashy like Kobe or Allen Iverson & that's fine. But then you have guys like Dak that will never get enough credit because they don't make you go "WOW". However, over the next 10 years when Dak wins a few Super Bowls, it will begin to shine through.

Both Dak & Duncan just play winning ball. They make winning plays on a consistent basis

I like that comparison. Let's hope Dak's championship pedigree resembles Tim's at the end of his career, too.

[RougeDawg]

95 keeps playing like he did in the 4th and they will be all right.

This. Announcers said he only plays 40-45% of defensive snaps and was on Chiefs practice squad when Dallas scooped him up. How does a talent like that get overlooked by the entire league. He was a giant amongst men last night and single handedly closed out the game.

[drunkernhelldawg]

Great to see Dak bounce back last night. Another great game, especially in the first half. Still won't be surprised to see Romo enter the mix during the playoffs. It'l be a dream if Dak carries them all the way to the Lombardi Trophy. What a run we got going on!