Brock Purdy is Better than Cowboys QB Dak Prescott? 'Tale of the Tape' Another Zany TV Gimmick
FRISCO - Now seems like a perfect time for me to repeat a mantra that has served me well in my 40 years covering the NFL.
"I hate lists.''
Oh, we do the stories, the "ratings'' and the "rankings,'' but when it comes to teams, I always circle back to a go-to: In the NFL, there already exists a fool-proof way to "rate'' and "rank.''
They call it the "NFL standings.''
But what about "ranking'' players? Always an iffy subject for me, especially because of my skepticism regarding whether the "rankers'' actually know what they're talking about, it's now an especially bothersome issue because the national TV networks especially use the "rankings'' of players to simply "fill'' (or, in the vernacular, "kill'') a segment.
And they use the Dallas Cowboys - especially QB Dak Prescott - to juice up said segment.
Is there any "juice'' in ranking Prescott somewhere in the middle of the 14 playoff QBs, which seems sensible enough (or at least it did before he and the Cowboys dismantled Tom Brady's Bucs in the first round of the playoffs)?
No juice.
So ... ESPN's Dan Orlovsky, comedically, places Prescott in the same range as Miami Dolphins rookie practice-squadder Skylar Thompson ... and places Prescott well below Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson ...
Who isn't even playing.
It is, you see, a "bit.'' A "gimmick.'' It is not to be taken seriously.
And now along comes NFL Network feeling obliged to do it again, this time more specifically, "ranking'' Prescott vs. this week's playoff foe's QB, San Francisco 49ers' come-from-nowhere Brock Purdy.
And yes, using fancy red arrows and stunning "Tale of the Tape'' graphics, NFL Network has determined, pretty damn scientifically, as you can see (!) ... that Brock Purdy is the better quarterback than Dak Prescott.
But ... No, wait.
Let's not.
"Brock Purdy is a better QB than Dak Prescott?'' is not meant for serious debate. It is simply an offshoot of the "sports-talk'' radio show that does a segment on "Rank Your 10 Favorite Halloween Candies.'' It's a bit. It's a gimmick.
It's a segment killer. And nothing more.
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