Cowboys offense in steady hands with Coo

[ymakerpi8d]

The sky was falling in Dallas after the Cowboys lost 19-3 in Week 1 against the . That lo s left them as the only team to not score a touchdown in its season opener, in addition to losing franchise quarterback for an extended amount of time with a fractured right thumb on his throwing hand, that required surgery. Two wins in a row -- home against the in Week 2 and on the road against the in Week 3 -- has turned the mood in the organization to what can be described as optimistic and jovial.Head coach Mike McCarthy has recently ended two of his last few media availabilities cracking jokes. He dropped a playful jab and grin about beating media members back home to Texas following their Monday night game in New Jersey, and on Wednesday he was absolutely beaming Jose Altuve Jersey when asked about the Cowboys playing with their fourth different kickoff time slot. Dallas kicked off at 8:20 p.m. ET on a Sunday night in Week 1, 4:25 p.m. ET on a Sunday afternoon in Week 2, 8:15 p.m. ET on a Monday night in Week 3, and this week they will square off against the at 1 p.m. ET."Hell yeah, everybody loves a noon Central Time kickoff," Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy on Wednesday with a Cheshire -like grin, which drew a round of laughter out of the pre s in attendance. "Get up and get going, right? Is that a good enough answer or do you want some more?"Sitting at 2-1 entering Week 4 is not a place McCarthy likely envisioned for the team and himself, but thanks to the play of longtime backup quarterback , the offense has been able to climb back to being respectable, averaging 21.5 points per game in his two starts this season, tied for 13th-best in the NFL acro s his last two starts. With a Preston Tucker Jersey win in his first career start last season in Week 8 against the and the two this season, Rush has become the only quarterback since at least 1950 to start his career as a starter 3-0 with at least 200 pa sing yards and a pa ser rating above 90 in each start.Pa sing YardsPa ser RatingWeek 8, 2021 at MIN32592.2Week 2, 2022 vs. CIN23595.5Week 3, 2022 at NYG21598.2Rush came to the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan in 2017, so based on that background and his early succe s as a starter, he is also the first undrafted quarterback to win each of his first three NFL starts and throw for more than 750 yards (775) over those starts since Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner did so in 1999 with the , his first of what would be two NFL MVP seasons (1999 and 2001) and the season of his only Super Bowl title."Consistency, the mental part comes easy to him Cooper Rush since he has learned multiple systems, so he knows the language and knows his teammates really well," McCarthy on Wednesday when asked what he appreciates about the way Rush plays. "That's a huge part of being a succe sful No. 2 quarterback because you don't always get the reps in training camp and in practice. He is very high on instincts and awarene s, he anticipates things very well. He can throw it early, get the ball out. You can see him have more and more confidence the more opportunity he has. He's playing to his strengths."However, there is no tension or doubt about what Rush's unexpected succe s does to affect Dallas' long-term plans at the quarterback position. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones affirmed what the team plans to do once Prescott can return to action: put him in the game."He Cooper Evan Gattis Jersey Rush doesn't have anyone that's supporting him more than Dak Prescott ," Jones said on on Tuesday. "When Dak does get back, we hope to have a record that lets us be in the hunt and viable. That's what the position is about. I think we got a good one in Cooper Rush ."While it's clear that Rush can keep the Cowboys above water in the standings, when Prescott will be seen again leading the Dallas offensive attack is a little more murky.The $160 million quarterback had the stitches removed from his surgically repaired right thumb on Monday, which can allow him to rebuild the grip strength in his throwing hand. It's real progre s on the road to rehabilitation for Prescott, but that advancement hasn't provided a concrete timetable for his return yet. Prescott has been all over the place when speculating about when he'll be suiting up again. Initially, he told that he wasn't ruling out a comeback in Week 4 against the Commanders, but later deviated from that po sibility and said he was eyeing . His head coach joked via a rhetorical question on Wednesday, asking the media gathered at the team's facility in Frisco if he looks like the medical "timetable guy.""He Prescott still has some swelling that he has to deal with, once he gets past the swelling and the strengthening stage, then he' Jose Cruz Jr. Jersey ll get to the point where he'll be able to throw," McCarthy said. "He'll be dealing with more rehab this week and hopefully we'll get the swelling and the strength where it needs to be."Prescott made some of his first attempts at throwing a football with some light to ses in practice on Thursday, another step in the right direction, but he isn't quite at the point where he can pull of this much activity on consecutive days, according to McCarthy. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott gripping the ball with his surgically repaired right thumb, preparing to throw a pa s in practice today Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) "Excellent question, that's going to be part of it, and I think that's just like anything where he was getting the stiches out, the next step is the swelling because that will directly be effected when he's under center," McCarthy on Friday when asked about the impact of Prescott's thumb when taking a snap after his light throwing at Thursday's practice.When asked if Prescott Roy Oswalt Jersey could continue more light to ses during Friday's practice, the Cowboys head coach answered curtly, "No, I don't see that in his rehab plan." His surgery took place on Sept. 12, a day after the Dallas Cowboys' Week 1 lo s to Buccaneers where he fractured the thumb on his throwing hand. The lack of clarity from throughout the franchise means more Rush in the weeks ahead. Following another win on Monday, Rush said he is focused solely on one thing: sweet, sweet victory. "I want to keep winning," Rush said during the "Monday Night Football" postgame interview. "As long as I'm in there, let's just keep winning, playing smart, trusting each other on each side of the ball and we'll be alright."The trust Rush has earned from his coaches is legitimate as he has a "similar" amount of in-game play-calling input in terms of the ability to audible as Prescott does."We haven't changed our approach," McCarthy said on Thursday. "I would put us on the high side of being aggre sive at the line of scrimmage, whether that's with Dak or Cooper." Rush termed the approach he takes at the line of scrimmage as one of "decisivene s and conviction.""If you do that at the quarterback position, trust your instincts, you're usually right," Rush said on Thursday, . "We struggle when we star