The Dallas Cowboys are tied for the NFL’s best record at 12-2, and with rookie quarterback Dak Prescott starting all of those games after Tony Romo suffered a back injury in preseason. But all it took was one rough game for Prescott — last week against the Giants — for the Prescott-Romo controversy to return in full force. It even got Cowboys owner Jerry Jones back to not publicly committing to Prescott as the starter.
Well, it turns out there was a method to Jerry’s madness, as he told Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal that he doesn’t mind a little bit of controversy if it means good competition:
“That’s one of the things that makes sports interesting, I do feed that.”
Jones isn’t stupid – he knows what he’s doing.
“I think there’s some of me that wants to [stir things up],” he said. “That probably is intentional.”
While his meddling may irk some, it’s proving to work out just perfectly for Jones and the Cowboys, who have at least a two-game lead on every team in the NFC for the No. 1 seed.
Prescott has remained impressive despite all of the pressure, throwing for 20 touchdowns and just four interceptions over 400 pass attempts. His startling accuracy was on display when facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in primetime, completing 32 of 36 passes for a gaudy 89% completion percentage. It doesn’t hurt that he can move the chains with his feet too (238 yards and six touchdowns on the season). Combine that with Ezekiel Elliott and an offensive line that can block just about anyone, and you have a recipe for success.
Whether or not Jones can be fully credited for this perfect storm is a question for another day. For now, Jones may have the best team in the NFL, and he can rest easy knowing his team is in good hands, whether he meant to have this outcome or not.
