ARLINGTON (105.3 THE FAN) - "What Would Norv Do?''
Those are the four words I reiterated on 105.3 The Fan over the course of this week, believing that the Dallas Cowboys both would and should institute more Cam Newton-like plays into their offense in order to take advantage of the fact that Dak Prescott -- via RPOs, read options and misdirections -- is so much more like the Carolina QB (now being tutored by ol' Dallas folk hero Norv Turner) than he is like all of the comparisons that have been so foolishly tossed around by Cowboys people.
Dak is like Brady, Rodgers, Elway and Aikman? Or even like Goff and Wentz? No, no, no, no, no and no.
Dak is, at this point in his career, what we saw on Sunday in a stunningly impressive 40-7 home upset of Jacksonville: A dual threat, a QB whose passing efficiency might be better if he presents a running threat. That was the plan Sunday. That's why Dallas is 3-3 today.
""I don't know if it was (the pregame presence of fighter) Conor McGregor or whatever it was but we came out and attacked,'' Prescott said. "It was a great win."
The showmanship of McGregor certainly rubbed off. But no, the key to this win on offense was ... change.
Garrett oversees a Dallas offense that, before Sunday, was largely based on many of those same old Norv principles. Yet Norv now runs an offense tailored not to an Aikman-style QB, but rather to the QB he has now in Carolina.
Norv re-made himself. And now, for one day anyway, Garrett and coordinator Scott Linehan have done the same.
Newton isn't asked to always be a "classic pocket passer'' -- because he's not good at that. Newton might be Hall-of-Fame-bound despite the fact that he cannot consistently throw the fastball down the middle of the plate. What Newton excels at is RPOs, read-options, ball-fakes and misdirection stuff.
And there is was Sunday at AT&T Stadium, just as I'm told it was practiced all week at The Star: Dak was fine through the air, with a TD pass on 17-of-27 passing for 183 yards (and two TDs to Cole Beasley, not counting an early almost-TD throw to Michael Gallup). But right after the Gallup catch was overruled, Prescott bounced right back for a 17-yard TD run, part of his day featuring 11 runs and a career-best 82 yards rushing, plus a score.
It helped this gameplan that the fine Jacksonville defense is an over-pursuing one; that's where the ball-fakes and misdirection stuff helps. But there's no reason that a running QB can't be the foundation of success for the Cowboys moving forward -- simply because it's what the third-year player presently does best.
Dalk,'' Garrett said, "used his feet to extend plays ... and was really good on the designed runs. Ever since he's been here, he's been a guy who's been able to make impact plays with his feet -- by design, but also when plays break down.''
Dak as a runner when "plays break down''? That's a no-brainer. Dak as a runner "by-design''? I think Dallas just proved that that's a no-brainer, too.
