Top 10 Whitt-y observations from Cowboys 35, Giants 17
Richie Whitt
A-haaaah! So now we know. It was all Scott Linehan’s fault. Last year with him as offensive coordinator, the Cowboys’ offense scored 30-plus points only three times. Against the Giants, Dak Prescott threw four touchdowns to four different receivers and they scored on five consecutive possessions. Looked like a different offense. A much better offense.
Think the Raiders would like a do-over? Just think, they traded Amari Cooper and signed Antonio Brown.
Fresh from Mexico, the NFL’s all-time highest-paid running back – better known as Zeke Elliott – was pretty ordinary. Played 32 snaps, gained 53 yards and scored from the 10. Nowhere near the back we’ll see when he gets in game shape. Only thing that really stood out was Zeke’s plethora of nose rings and that funky, unique face mask.
Didn’t take us long to forget Cole Beasley, did it? I told you during the off-season that Randall Cobb was better than Beasley in every area. He showed off his speed, hands and run-after-catch in hauling in four for 69 and a score.
Same ol’ Jason Witten. And, yup, same ol’ Jeff Heath. One catches touchdowns. The other takes horrendous angles on runners breaking into the secondary. The Cowboys looked Super in almost every facet, but Heath just isn’t Super Bowl-quality on the back end.
Dak set a franchise record with 405 passing yards in a season opener. I get it, the Giants suck. Their secondary allowed receivers to roam open far and wide, reminiscent of Texas against LSU. But get this: In two weeks Dak and his arsenal of weapons face a Dolphins defense that Sunday surrendered 59 points to the Ravens and five touchdown passes to Lamar Jackson.
And to think, Kellen Moore was once ahead of Dak on the Cowboys depth chart. Asked how it felt to have owner Jerry Jones compliment the play-calling, Moore deadpanned: “Well, he got my name right. He used to call me Keelan. I must be doing something right.”
Comprehensively, this is the best the Cowboys have looked in a season opener in 10 years, since beating the Buccaneers on the road 34-21 in 2009.
Prescott was 25 of 32 for 405 yards, four touchdowns and a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3. In Cowboys quarterback lore, only Craig Morton has achieved that perfection. Most impressive was that most of Dak’s throws came as a calm, confident pocket passer. He was accurate. He surveyed the field and found multiple options, throwing scores to Cobb, Witten, Cooper and Blake Jarwin. He also – unlike last year – threw to covered receivers, putting the ball in a spot that allowed them to run open. Dak was simply amazing. As close to perfect as you can be. Take a bow, quarterback coach Jon Kitna.
If I’m Dak, I’m boarding a flight to Cabo. After that performance and with Zeke’s very recent successful history, his leverage for a contract holdout/negotiation will never get higher. Jerry says a deal is “imminent.” Dak might have a new deal by Sunday. He could sign it on the beach. Rent out Zeke’s old digs.
