OXNARD, Calif. — Jon Kitna is a big reason why Jason Garrett became the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. He took over for an injured Tony Romo in 2010 and rallied a team that had effectively quit on Wade Phillips. Now, the former NFL quarterback has returned to help Garrett keep his job.
A lot has been made about Kellen Moore being promoted to offensive coordinator, but it’s Kitna who already has a large voice as the team’s new quarterbacks coach. He said he was content being a head coach at the high school level the rest of his life, but the Cowboys came calling. Now, Kitna is being hailed as a potential coaching star in the league. And his first task is taking Dak Prescott to the next level. On Sunday, Kitna opened up about his first meeting with the Cowboys fourth-year quarterback.
“His first conversation with me was, ‘I don’t just want to be good; I want to be the best there ever was,’” Kitna recalled Sunday while joining our Doomsday Podcast . “That’s his first conversation. He said, ‘Whatever you have to do to get me there, let’s go. Coach me as hard as you can. Put it in writing. I want to be told when I’m right. I want to be told when I’m wrong. I want you to ride me.’ And he’s never wavered from that.”
Prescott is on the cusp of landing a $30 million per season contract extension, but he doesn’t seem preoccupied with that. As he stood atop a cart surrounded by at least 70 reporters Sunday evening, Prescott deftly answered questions about Zeke Elliott’s absence from camp. He left no doubt this is his team. Even future Hall of Famer Jason Witten made that clear again Sunday. Prescott was asked to explain the team’s motto this season, “Driven.”
“You can be motivated,” he said. “Motivated only lasts so long. You can be inspired. That’s the reason you wake up. But when you’re driven, that never ends. I like to say, wants can be pleased and needs can be satisfied, but when you’re driven, it never ends.”
Prescott should benefit from Kitna similarly to how Romo did. It was Kitna who finally convinced Romo the entire organization was dependent on decisions he made during games. He told Tony that having to punt wasn’t always the worst outcome, and Romo curbed some of his gun-slinging tendencies. We can talk about how Moore’s going to bring a lot more creativity to the offense, but it will be Kitna who is in Prescott’s ear every day. Garrett said Sunday that Kitna was remarkably “pure” in his commitment to football. He’s been more excited about the addition of Kitna than any coach he’s hired over the past eight years.
Hall of Fame personnel man Bill Polian told my podcast partner Ed Werder recently that Kitna has a brighter future as an NFL head coach than some of the ones in the most recent hiring cycle. Kitna took that compliment in stride Sunday. His sole focus seems to be preparing Prescott for greatness. He thinks the next step is for Prescott to take his accuracy to another level.
“It’s not OK to just complete the ball,” said Kitna. “This is the NFL. We want guys to have yards after the catch. That comes from being pinpoint, putting the ball exactly where you want it. Front shoulder, back shoulder, middle of the body, on the nose, whatever it is. As we saw in the last two weeks of the spring, he can do that. It was really impressive.”
The Kitna and Prescott relationship is off to a great start. Now all Kitna has to do is turn Dak into the best quarterback who’s ever played.
