FRISCO, Texas - Dak Prescott has put the Cowboys in something of a Catch-22 situation: The more games he wins for them the bigger the controversy looms over what happens when Tony Romo returns healthy.
It's the kind of difficult decision that pits fans of the same team against each other. Having two good quarterback options is undeniably better than having zero, but if you turn on any national sports radio or TV station, or open the sports section of any newspaper talking about the Cowboys, you might not think it was true.
The reality is that whatever decision is ultimately made will be controversial and deemed wrong by certain people. You can make arguments that either decision is correct, and thus the reverse logic could suggest either is wrong. The impending dilemma may have been labeled a controversy to the outside world, but the players in the locker room insist that they're just happy to be winning.
Everyone from Brett Favre to Jay Novacek to Jimmy Johnson has weighed in with their opinions, but Dez Bryant said Wednesday that it's all just noise.
"Nobody is worrying about [any] of that stuff. We can't control what goes on outside of this building," Bryant said. "People need to understand those are people just talking. If you're not hearing that from Coach Garrett or Mr. Jones or people around this building, it does not matter."
The rookie at the heart of what many are perceiving to be a quarterback competition once again tried to end the discussion altogether.
"This is Tony's team," Prescott said. "I knew that going into the situation. I think everybody knew that. I'm just trying to do the best I can to give my team a chance to win week in and week out."
When Prescott's words were repeated to Bryant, it was only after a brief hesitation that Bryant commented on the statement. "It's the truth. Tony's been here," Bryant said before adding, "but it's not for me to speak of."
Prescott's words can say one thing, but to some people, his performances are saying something completely different. He's boasting a 101.5 passer rating to go along with a 4-1 record through the first five games of his career, and yet he insists that he would be comfortable taking a step back for Romo.
"As long as we're winning. I really don't care. Obviously I want to play. That's the competitor in me. But if we're winning I'm happy."
Ironically, it is the winning that have so many fans insisting that Dallas shouldn't mess up a good thing. Prescott's relatively mistake-free NFL debut has been a welcome change to those who have seen so many heartbreaking turnovers in Dallas over the past decade. Prescott, for example, hasn't thrown an interception in his first five games. Meanwhile, Romo has never played five consecutive games in his career without throwing an interception.
Even so, Romo has maintained a career quarterback rating of 97.1 over a long career and he's thrown 247 touchdowns, many of which came out of plays that could seemingly only be made by him.
So to reiterate: A difficult decision is on the horizon. But even if the choice reverberates outside of the Cowboys' locker room, the players involved seem keen on not letting it affect whether or not they lose games. The two quarterbacks certainly carry no animosity.
"He's definitely helped me out throughout the whole time I've been here," Prescott said of Romo. "From the time I got drafted until now. Off the field issues and then on the field he's a great coach during the game, helping me out as I come to the sideline on things I can do or that he may have seen."
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