When the beginning of the 2016 NFL season rolled around, all of us Cowboys fans had the same "here we go again" attitude about our team. With an abysmal 4-12 record the previous year, and our star quarterback injured, yet again, all signs pointed to another frustrating year filled to the brim with potential, yet overflowing with disappointment.
Fast forward 17 weeks and our predictions could not have been more wrong, nor could we be happier to be wrong. After losing game one to the Giants, the Cowboys steamrolled their way through the next 11 games, winning all of them. They ended the year tied for the second best record in football, with the rookie, Dak Prescott, standing triumphantly atop the pile of vanquished enemies which can do nothing but watch as Dallas leaves them in the dust for the playoffs. Once again, Cowboys fans from all over the country are obnoxiously blaring Wiz Khalifa's "We Dem Boyz" and prematurely declaring a Super-Bowl victory, and it's all thanks to the young blood-fueled machine operated masterfully by the 135th pick.
So where has it all gone right for the 'Boys?
Well, I think it's important to stress that this championship-level effort isn't just a one man show. It all of the sudden becomes much easier to throw 23 TD passes against just 4 picks when you have a 1,571 pound Kevlar vest of sheer man-eating, best in the league offensive line protecting you like the president. Not to mention the fellow MVP candidate/NFL's leading rusher in Ezekiel Elliott making the defense so scared of the run that they almost want you to throw a touchdown just so they can leave the field. Or how about the Hall of Famer-to-be Jason Witten, quietly leading by example, and regularly taking 2, 3 or 4 defenders with him to the ground. And while we're at it, let's throw in the wide receiver superstar Dez Bryant, making spectacular one handed end-zone grabs while fighting off a pass interference penalty more obvious than that bad toupee that kept me distracted during Christmas mass. A pretty good cherry on top, I'd say, is the ever-classy Tony Romo being a team player, mentoring and helping out any way he can. My point here is that this team has a plethora of contributors to its offensive success, and the story would surely be different for Dak had he been surrounded with a different team.
But for right now, I want to focus on the individual effort put forth by #4 in this magical, record setting season. Sure, having the team around him that he does makes things comparatively easier, but a 13-3 season does not happen in the National Football League with a "meh" quarterback. It takes a special amount of intangible qualities, as well as skill and mechanics, to take a team where he has taken them, and anybody who tries to downplay Dak Prescott's contribution to this team's success is sorely mistaken (or a Redskins fan).
Perhaps the greatest strength of Dak Prescott is his poise. From being thrust into the spotlight when the starter goes down, to dodging 300 pound defensive ends without taking his eyes off of the field, Prescott has proven that he is in elite company as far as his ability to handle what ever is thrown at him-- on or off the field. In compliment to his poise, Dak has patience. His poise gives him the ability to be patient and make the throws that he needs to. Patience is critical to letting routes develop, and when you have the receivers that Dak does, it's only a matter of time before they break loose from a man-on-man cover, or find a seam between zones. Good quarterbacks have the patience to let receivers get open, and the one from Dallas has exactly that.
The rookie sensation is also sure of himself. He rarely tippy-toes around, hoping for something good to happen. He has a good sense of when it's time to tuck and and go, and when he goes, he goes hard, which would explain his 6 TD runs. And when he makes a throw, because he's had the poise to stay in the pocket, and the patience to wait for a good opportunity, he is confident enough in himself, and his receiver, to put the throw right on the money and make something good happen.
All-in-all, Dak Prescott is a unique combination of of confidence yet humility, speed yet strength, and visionary yet opportunist. I know it's still his rookie season, and we all know very well that he has a lot of work to do going forward, but this season has shown what excellence he is capable of achieving in himself and those around him.
As a lifelong Cowboys fan, I cannot say how happy it makes me to be able to smile at the scoreboard again. As the son of a Texas native who witnessed the golden years of the franchise, I always heard stories of the greats as if it was some legend that I'll never get to experience. I remember wishing I could go back in time with my dad and go to see Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith play because I thought, with the Cowboys never really having a good team in my lifetime, that I'd never get to experience that with him. But now I do. And the dinner conversations when I'm on break from college are filled with a few more smiles because of it.
So thank you, Jerry Jones, for staying out of it for once and letting a team work the way it should. Thank you to Jason Garrett for having the dedication to bring out the best in your team. Thank you Tony Romo for being a shining example of grace in a situation that probably made you sick to your stomach. And finally, thank you Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys for bringing football back into my life.
No matter what happens going forward in the playoffs, this season has been so much fun to watch.
