Getty Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
Unlike his Philadelphia counterpart, Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule adopted a gentlemanly posture ahead of his team’s meeting with the Dallas Cowboys.
Rhule designed no outlandish T-shirts. He issued no bulletin-board material. He fostered no memes.
Just respect for the Cowboys’ outfit — including (specifically) its captain, quarterback Dak Prescott.
“When you talk about (the Cowboys’ offense), I think you have to start with Dak Prescott,” Rhule said Wednesday, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “I watched him last year. He’s superb. He calls the game at the line of scrimmage. He’s getting the ball out of his hand. He’s the second-fastest guy in the NFL right now from snap to throw, which is emblematic of a quarterback who knows exactly where the ball is going to go vs. the defense, who is on the same page with his receivers, who is getting in the right plays vs. the right coverages, who is making sure that he’s protected.”
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Dak Compared to Legendary QBs
After beating up on Zach Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Davis Mills, the 3-0 Panthers get their toughest test to date in Prescott, who’s coming off a 238-yard, three-touchdown, zero-interception outing against the Eagles. The $160 million signal-caller, near flawless, completed 80.8% of his passes and logged a 143.3 QB rating amid Dallas’ 41-21 victory.
Afterward, Prescott explained his belief that he’s “playing the best I’ve ever played” as a pro.
“I think just getting hurt last year and having to sit back and watch football, a different perspective and just different ways people play this game,” Prescott said Monday night, per Pro Football Talk. “Going back, the experience obviously has helped, but just studying and preparing myself and then all the work that I’ve put in just to get back healthy, not only the leg but the shoulder and just this playbook. Obviously, the continuity and having Kellen (Moore as offensive coordinator) so many years, I’m just comfortable in this system and everything that is going on around me and having playmakers. That’s a credit to guys around me. The offensive line and the receivers, they make my job a whole lot easier.”
Rhule took that a step further, likening the 28-year-old to some of the greatest passers to grace the planet — one Hall-of-Famer and another Canton-bound icon.
“It’s like watching Peyton Manning, it’s like watching Drew Bress call the game at the line of scrimmage. I think what Dak’s doing right now is incredibly impressive,” he said Wednesday, per The Athletic.
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Response to Rhule
Prescott was made aware of the aforementioned comparisons at the conclusion of Thursday’s practice. He expressed gratitude toward Rhule but, characteristic to Dak, deferred the lofty praise.
“A hell of a compliment,” he said, via Mike Fisher of SI.com. “I just gotta continue to get better, though.”
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL