Cowboys Opinion: Cooper Rush 'Deserves' to Start Over Dak Prescott vs. Eagles
Cooper Rush threw for 102 yards. That's hardly the stuff that dreams are made of. And yet "his'' Dallas Cowboys (4-1) keep winning, the latest triumph being a 22-10 decision over the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams on Sunday late afternoon.
And I think he's "owed'' one more crack at this.
Cooper Rush should play in Week 6 at Philadelphia in a decision that would mark a combination of "he's earned it'' and "Dak's thumb isn't ready yet.''
By all accounts, Sunday's was a classic Cowboys victory earned through three-phase domination. High-octane rushing attack? Check and check, declared Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. A defense spelling Doomsday with a relentless pass rush? Matthew Stafford and Cam Akers sure felt it. Unsung specialists getting in on the fun? Dorance Armstrong, eater of quarterbacks and now punts, was there to serve as an unlikely dual threat.
Most classic Dallas victories are engineered or at least primarily authored by the most recognizable position in sports, however: the quarterback. Sunday starter Rush did not provide such a box score.
With Pollard and Elliott eating decisive chunks of clock with a dominant 164-yard union, Rush required only 16 throws, completing 10 passes (really!) for 102 yards (really!), to get through Sunday's showing. He nonetheless goes down as the quarterback of victorious record, improving to 5-0 as the Cowboys' starter as he continues to sub for the ailing Dak Prescott.
As discussed last week, when Rush was fresh off making Dallas history, the idea of a quarterback controversy with the slowly-but-surely healing Prescott is more of a pipe dream than any sort of reality, no matter what Jerry Jones says. Even if Dallas wasn't financially attached to the $40 million-APY Prescott, the modern NFL favors throwers who impress on both the standings and the highlight reels. Anyone who believes mere victories will allow Rush to enact a coup of the franchise quarterback role is likely unfamiliar with the story of Alex Smith, who lost two such jobs for the crime of winning in boring fashion.
Having said that, as Prescott reportedly inches closer to a return, Rush has earned one last honor, one parting gift before he embarks on a potential tour of being a "reliable backup" (a la Charlie Batch, Nick Foles) or even convinces a pass-hungry team into making him a starter (i.e. Scott Mitchell).
Sunday proved that he should start next weekend's contest, one of the most important showdowns of the young NFL season, in Philadelphia against the undefeated Eagles.
In the lens of purely practical purposes, this should be the case. Yes, the Cowboys would no doubt love to have the best talent in place for what's sure to be a huge game: there is, after all, a chance to pop the 1972 Miami Dolphins' champagne on top of the opportunity to clip the hated Eagles (against whom Prescott is 7-3). But the fact that the Cowboys are still wary about Prescott's status, walking on eggshells when it comes to putting a number on his chances to face the Birds, should be enough of a hint that any Prescott is an injured Prescott come Sunday.
The obvious concerns about Prescott's health aside ... as they should always be at the forefront of any such discussion ... it's early enough in the season that if Rush does become the reason the Cowboys lose a game that there's plenty of time to recover and wait for a healthy starter to come back. Dallas faces Philadelphia again on Christmas Eve, by which point the NFC playoff picture will be far less blurry.
Rush's streak has featured flashes of vindicating the idea that he's ready for larger duties beyond waiting for Prescott to hit the injury report. The Monday night comeback against the New York Giants provided strong examples, as did his offensive takeover when the Washington Commanders bottled up Elliott and Pollard just last week. That proves that, if a starter was indeed sidelined for the long-term, Rush would be/is capable of running an offense and making a difference, putting the "V" in MVP, if you will.
At the same time, however, Rush has mostly flourished through a "game manager'' role, one where progress is lauded not through his box score but the numbers that aren't there ... namely the turnovers.
A win, admittedly, removes a good amount of scrutiny from the postgame aftermath. Beyond the consensus favorite Philadelphia, if only for its unbeaten record, no NFL contender has separated itself from the rest of the pack, and the Cowboys are, and should be, equally subjected to scrutiny.
But in any Dallas discussion of its potential championship red flags, what's one topic everyone's avoiding? The quarterback post.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a "game manager.'' Some throwers have, in fact, made quite a career out of it. It's guided the Cowboys to victories while the defense handles its business. As long as they're going to play like a new-century Doomsday group, there's no reason to turn to an unhealthy Prescott and away from an extraordinarily effective substitute.
I can argue, in fact, that while this is business where not much is "owed'' but all is "earned'' (remember Tony Romo's "meritocracy'' speech?), the Cowboys could view Rush has having "earned'' a big-game opportunity.'
Just once more.
Rush may be well used to primetime performances by now: two of his five career wins have come in exclusive night windows and he has two more in networks' 3:25 p.m. CT "Game of the Week" deals. It's obvious that Prescott's return is looming. For Rush's efforts, does Dallas owe him, just a little bit, to provide one last audition in front of front-office observers and the football-loving public, a chance to prove his worth to Dallas or a potential suitor in the 31 other locales?
If it works, the legend continues. If it doesn't, maybe then you start to ease Prescott back into the lineup on a healthy basis. But Rush has earned the opportunity to go out with a bang, one potential final encore before deciding his career's future in his unexpected gridiron windfall and the circumstances align almost perfectly to provide him with such a chance.
Facing the Eagles, I say Rush should be guaranteed one last chance to fly.
Geofff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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