ARLINGTON, Texas — Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was kidding when he said he’d welcome a quarterback controversy, but that’s what he will have if Dak Prescott doesn’t play well, or loses.
Cooper Rush’s time as the starting QB is ending soon for the Dallas Cowboys, and Dak Prescott has a small problem.
He must play as well as his backup.
If not, he’s going to hear it from the rational Dallas Cowboys fans.
On Sunday at AT&T Stadium, Cooper Rush led his team to a 25-10 win over the Washington Team Football (I refuse to call them the Commanders, or Washington Football Team; they’re WTF).
This was likely the finale for Rush’s time as the starter.
What a fun ride.
What an incredible ride.
What an unexpected ride.
What a perfect ride.
It’s a ride the Cowboys need to exit, and they all know it.
If the Cowboys are going to do anything in January, which ownership has stated is the goal, they’re best chance is with their QB1.
How the Cowboys played, and executed, under their QB2 showed exactly what is realistically attainable.
Expect that next Sunday Dak will return from his injured thumb to start against the defending Super Bowl champion Rams in Los Angeles. ESPN NFL mouthpiece Adam Schefter reported Sunday that Dak is eyeing to return for the Cowboys’ next game.
After the game, Jerry himself didn’t exactly say Dak would play on Sunday in L.A. He hesitated to say Dak will be ready to return.
It’s not as if he Dak has to return.
Cooper Rush, of all people, has set the standard for Dak Prescott.
If Rush can do it with this team, Dak has no reason he can’t.
Of all of the sports figures in DFW, no one has earned the right to politely extend his middle finger towards the media, and fans, like Cooper Rush.
Of all of the stunning, and stupid, developments created by the Dallas Cowboys, “Undefeated NFL Starting Quarterback Cooper Rush” is in the conversation.
The Dallas Cowboys are 3-1; all three wins came with their starting quarterback on the bench.
Rush is now 4-0 as a starting NFL quarterback.
All credit to Cooper Rush for making the last month not just tolerable, but incredible.
Never has a plate of crow been so deserved.
On Aug. 14, after an awful preseason game, I wrote, “Few things are as strange as Cooper Rush’s NFL career.”
That opinion is now cemented in fact.
I also opined, “Rush, the undrafted rookie free agent signee from 2017, continues to build one of the more brilliant careers in the history of the Dallas Cowboys.
“Brilliant because he really can’t play. Not in the NFL.”
That opinion is now cemented in idiotic (first time for everything).
Cooper Rush can play in the NFL, and win in the NFL.
Thanks to how he has played in the past three games, Rush all but secured a multi-year contract in his future that will forever change his life.
He may not be a top tier starting NFL quarterback, but he proved he can be a winning NFL quarterback.
Who cares how he got here? He belongs.
As bad as he often looked in several preseason starts over the last few seasons, he looked the polar opposite in these regular season starts.
He is confidant. He makes quick decisions. He gets the ball out quickly. He is not been spooked by the stage.
He plays like a starting NFL quarterback.
“He know where the cars are on the freeway,” Jerry Jones said after Sunday’s win.
On Sunday against Washington, Cooper Rush played a Cooper Rush game. He threw for more than 200 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
In his three starts this season, he did not throw a single pick. Most backups are good for at least one or two, per game.
Now, to be certain he got away with a few throws in this stretch that could have been picked off; he caught a few breaks.
“It’s the NFL. It’s always ugly sometimes,” Rush said after the game, who always sounds bored when he talks.
As well as the Cowboys defense has played these last three games, they don’t win without Rush moving the ball.
By doing all of this, the Cowboys are in great position to do everything they want this season.
It was less than one month ago when the entire 2022 Cowboys season looked lost after we learned that Dak would miss significant time because of a significant injury to his right thumb.
“Significant time” now looks like it could be just three games.
Thanks to Cooper Rush, Dak’s absence was not significant.
If Dak Prescott does return this week, his job is simple - go be Cooper Rush.
If Dak isn’t, Jerry Jones will have the quarterback controversy he “welcomed.”
