“It was running that got Dak Prescott in this situation, to begin with” - Shannon Sharpe blasts Cowboys HC to call more run plays for QB
Dak Prescott and Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy were the topics of discussion on the Fox Sports 1 show Undisputed. Co-host Shannon Sharpe commented on McCarthy wanting to call more quarterback run plays. Sharpe noted that most coaches and offensive coordinators scale back quarterback runs the older the signal-caller is:
"Normally, quarterbacks, as they get older, they run less. I've never heard of a situation where a coach or offensive coordinator says, ‘You know what? We're going to design more runs' as the quarterback starts to get to year five, year six, year seven. Normally, they scale that back. Steve Young scaled that back, (and) all of those other winning quarterbacks, they scaled that back. Mike McCarthy says, 'No, we're about to increase that.' Remember, it was running that got Dak Prescott in this situation, to begin with.”
In his first three seasons in the NFL, the Cowboys quarterback rushed for six touchdowns in each season for a total of 944 yards on 189 rushing attempts. It averages to 4.9 yards per rushing attempt over the past three seasons.
The quarterback has led the NFL in fumbles twice: 12 fumbles in the 2018 season and 14 fumbles last season. Overall, his 48 fumbles are the sixth-highest amongst quarterbacks since 2016.
#Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy says Dak Prescott is "clearly" more comfortable running and scrambling than he was last season.
However, his 25 rushing touchdowns are the third-most since 2016, trailing only Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens (32) and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills (31).
Dak Prescott and his time with the Cowboys
The quarterback has started 85 games for the Cowboys since the 2016 season, showing off his arm. He was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in the 2016 season, throwing for 3,667 yards, 23 touchdowns, and four interceptions. As mentioned earlier, he also had six touchdowns on the ground that season.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said he hopes QB Dak Prescott will have more designed runs/scrambles/movement throws in 2022, now that he’s a full season removed from ankle injury. “We tried to be smart when we used him” last year. Has impressed in the spring. https://t.co/VBu9Appj67
Last season, Dallas finished ninth in the NFL in total rushing yards with 2,119 yards. However, the 28-year-old quarterback only had 146 of those yards rushing and one rushing touchdown.
We’ll see if McCarthy’s increased usage of Prescott will improve the offense in the 2022 season.
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