Super Bowl Brady & Mahomes: A QB Lesson For Dak's Cowboys

FRISCO - The NFL, it is often said, "is a copycat league.''

So what is there for the Dallas Cowboys to copy from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl?

One thing stands out to me: The importance of "quarterback aura.''

And yes, that relates directly to Dallas and its contractual plans with Dak Prescott.

First, a few items of clarity on Dak's situation:

*Super Bowl Sunday featured an array of breathless national media reports covering how "the Cowboys won't let Dak become a free agent.'' That's a non-story. And a non-issue.

*Prescott did indeed get a second surgery on his ankle - something we've "buzzed about'' for weeks on 105.3 The Fan. Despite speculation that some might term "irresponsible,'' we continue to be told by people close to the situation that the second procedure was "about stabilization and clean-up,'' and that there is no concern about Prescott's playing future.

*We find questions about Dallas' "lack of commitment'' to Prescott to be silly, reporting as we did, exclusively, last fall on the five-year, $175 million offer made to him. That's a commitment; it just wasn't accepted. The Cowboys and Prescott will try again - this time with a more motivated version of agent Todd France - and if it doesn't work?

Dallas will commit $37.7 million to Dak in a one-year, fully-guaranteed franchise-tag salary. That, too, is a "commitment.''

Now to the Super Bowl ...

Brady, at 43, continued to demonstrate his most special trait here - and it's something that has steadily taken hold in Tampa since shortly after his arrival there last spring: He is a commanding and demanding presence. He is a culture-changer, and not just because he Pied Piper'd the Bucs into signings of retired Rob Gronkowski and troubled Antonio Brown.

This is a walk-into-room person of presence.

Brady has an all-time-high FBIQ, and he still has arm talent, and yeah, seven Super Bowl titles in, he's the GOAT.

But what Brady oozes is ... aura. Aura is the No. 1 reason the Bucs are world champs.

And what of the runners-up from Kansas City? The Chiefs' depleted offensive line allowed a record number of pressures on brilliant young quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and he was hobbled by a toe injury. The Chiefs fell behind and stayed behind and yet, think about this: The final score of 31-9 was the score entering the fourth quarter. There was no reasonable way Kansas City was going to catch up. There was no sound motivation for the Chiefs to even keep hoping and trying.

And yet ...

There was Mahomes scrambling about in circles ... throwing deep passes into the end zone while suspended sideways, parallel to the ground ... using his FBIQ and his physical talent to attempt to will the Chiefs to rally ...

And his team did not give up. Not once. Nor, by the way, did smart football fans turn off the TV after three quarters.

Because ... But what Mahomes oozes is ... aura. Aura is the No. 1 reason the Bucs were world champs two days ago and back-to-back Super Bowl entrants today.

Dak Prescott does not have Mahomes' physical gifts. Maybe nobody does.

Dak Prescott does not have Brady's experience. Maybe nobody ever will.

But Prescott has something very precious. His critics don't know it. His teammates do. And his employers should acknowledge it and pay for it. Aura.

There are a number of roster-related lessons to take from this Super Bowl. All those QB hurries? That speaks to the importance of a fortified Dallas O-line, but it also speaks to the guys who record the hurries, which is about the importance of a pass-rushing D-line.

But central to it all? Not just a quarterback. Not just a quarterback with talent. A quarterback with aura. If a team has that, as Brady and his Bucs and Mahomes and his Chiefs just demonstrated, a team has a chance.

Luckily for the Dallas Cowboys, they already have the fastest path to a Super Bowl: a quarterback with aura. Now they simply need to keep him.