Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy shot down the idea of Cooper Rush taking Dak Prescott’s place, but what did he say?
The Cowboys head coach has seemingly poured cold water on any potential fire, where a contest between quarterbacks is concerned.
Despite their owner’s comments, it would appear that the Cowboys know exactly what course of action they will take when their starting quarterback returns from injury.
Mike McCarthy considers Dak Prescott the Cowboys’ starter
If there was any doubt, about whether or not starting QB Dak Prescott would find it hard to reclaim his starting spot when he returns from injury, that’s now been laid to rest by Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy. There was of course, intense speculation after owner and GM Jerry Jones indicated that he would welcome competition from backup QB Cooper Rush. Yet, it now appears as though the Cowboys coach has a different view of the scenario, one that’s much more certain.
“I’m just trying to say this with a straight face,” McCarthy said Friday. “Like anything, you look at the whole thing, it’s about winning. That’s all we really care about. There is no quarterback controversy. ...Dak is our starter.” McCarthy then went on to playfully critique the media for their role in said speculation. “We think you have to have a bigger responsibility in that. I think you need to be able to decipher between GM Jerry and Owner Jerry,” McCarthy said. “He can do that in like midsentence, too. I think you all need to do a better job of that. Get to work.”
Cooper Rush is staying grounded
Interestingly, the man at the center of it all didn’t shy away from giving his own opinion of the situation. Indeed, Rush actually mentioned that both he and Prescott, “got a good laugh,” out of the comments from Jones. “I think he just wants to win games and that’s what we all want to do,” Rush said of Jones’ comments before giving an honest take on the situation. “...definitely don’t dream as big as Jerry. No, but just want to keep winning. That’s the goal. That’s the plan. As long as I’m in there, that’s my job. Rely on those guys on defense and our offensive line and receivers and play within the system and trust them and get the job done.”
Where is Dak Prescott at right now?
As things stand, Prescott received on-field rehab for the second consecutive day, however, he continued to use a splint for the purpose of protecting his thumb. To be clear, there has been no alteration to the plan to start Rush on Monday - it will be his second start - against the New York Giants, but there is the growing possibility that Prescott could return on October 2nd for the Cowboys’ date with the Washington Commanders. Some have raised concern about the possibility of a Prescott rebreaking the thumb, but it would appear that the plate which was inserted in his joint minimizes the chances.