FRISCO, Texas (AP) - The questions came at Dak Prescott almost as fast as the numerous Philadelphia pass rushers that made the Dallas quarterback look more like a rookie than any opponent so far.
How could he not have heard that owner and general manager Jerry Jones said the Cowboys should ride with Prescott’s six-game winning streak, and that Tony Romo was fine with it? What did he mean he stayed off Twitter all day? How busy could he be on the players’ day off?
Does he believe in the “hot hand” theory?
“Yeah, sure. I mean it’s not anything I really think of,” Prescott said after silently smiling at the suggestion that his boss was such a believer. “You say I had a hot hand but I definitely wasn’t hot early in that last game. I’ve just got to come in and just worry about getting better.”
There’s no indication Romo, the 10-year starter, is replacing Prescott anytime soon as he continues his recovery from a broken bone in his back. And certainly not Sunday when the Cowboys (6-1) visit Cleveland (0-8).
The public glimpses of Romo’s daily regimen vary.
One day, the 36-year-old is going hard on individual drills in practice, taking snaps, rolling out, throwing with some zip even though he isn’t listed as an official participant. The next, he does enough in practice to be listed for the first time since getting hurt in a preseason game at Seattle.
And then there was Wednesday. Romo wasn’t on the field making throws like he had been a week earlier. He was doing conditioning work on resistance cords with one of the athletic trainers after practice. He had the “DNP” designation again, just as he did Friday.
“The way we manage this situation, every situation, is to focus on Wednesday,” coach Jason Garrett said. “That’s what we’re trying to do. That’s what Dak is trying to do, that’s what everybody on our offense and throughout our team is trying to do. Tony is trying to do that as well.”
A few weeks after saying Romo was the No. 1 quarterback, Jones finally acknowledged on his radio show Tuesday that a change during a winning streak was risky at best.
“You want to be very mindful of what you’ve got going, which right now we’ve got a lot of chemistry going,” Jones said. “That has got to really be recognized if you’re making a decision.”
And that leads to the obvious question of how Romo might be taking it.
“Tony has no issue with doing what’s best for the team, absolutely no issue doing what’s best for the team,” Jones said. “When you’ve got it going, we know these things can be a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity for everybody involved. We look at it that way.”
Romo briefly appeared in the locker room Wednesday, but didn’t talk to reporters. He’s been a steady presence on the sideline with a headset all season, and Prescott said there’s been no change in their interaction as the winning streak has grown.
And while Prescott sticks with his mantra that it’s “Tony’s team,” he’s had enough success to earn a qualifier. Even after three quarters against the Eagles that were probably his worst as a pro, Prescott has a 99.6 passer rating with nine touchdowns and two interceptions.
The 23-year-old led a 90-yard drive to a tying score in the fourth quarter. He never let Philadelphia and fellow standout rookie Carson Wentz get the ball in overtime, leading a 75-yard march to the 29-23 win .
“Really, it’s hard for me to say it’s Tony’s team, it’s my team or anybody’s team,” Prescott said. “It’s a true team and everybody is playing their part in it.”
Prescott said footwork was his biggest problem against the Eagles, caused in part by heavy pressure from an aggressive defense. He bounced several throws, threw an end-zone interception that ended up putting Dallas behind at halftime, and had another near-pick that probably would have cost the Cowboys the game.
But the bottom line isn’t changing. And if it were, Prescott wouldn’t spend any more time wondering when the Cowboys were going back to their franchise guy.
“It never goes through my head that I’ve got to do this or that this is going to happen,” Prescott said. “I think they will make that decision regardless of how my play is if they want to make that. I just go in and worry about these teammates.”
And if he needs updates, he could always start looking at Twitter again.
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