Modern NFL fandom is strange. It’s a golden age of information and analytics giving the average fan more access than ever before. Many have opted out, instead choosing memes and regurgitated misinformation about bus drivers and establishing the run.
The analytics boom has provided tremendous insight into what makes both team and player successful. It’s provided ways to compare performance across seasons and eras on both a macro and micro level. Whatever the metric, whether QBR or DVOA or EPA they all say the same thing, Dak Prescott is a bona fide MVP candidate.
For those tired of hearing about how Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has evolved into one of the best quarterbacks in the league, turn back now. For those wondering why so many words have been used, in this space and others, going to bat for him need to know this: being on the right side of history in 2019 is exhausting.
Five Thirty Eight believes he’s pacing with the best quarterback performances in NFL history. The Ringer calls him the darling of the analytics community. The Athletic’s Ben Baldwin named his composite quarterback rankings after the man himself.
Quarterback predictive composite DAKOTA index ratings through week 11 pic.twitter.com/pxkq6kx0Aq
— new-age analytical (@benbbaldwin) November 19, 2019
The evidence is overwhelming and yet, while some have come around…
I’M AN IDIOT. There, I said it!
I once compared Dak Prescott to a Toyota & not an exotic car. It’s time to apologize!! #Cowboys fans, my public apology:@HelmanDC @TayStern @derekeagleton @BloggingTheBoys @clarencehilljr @willcain pic.twitter.com/sm5lHpeeFK— Emmanuel Acho (@thEMANacho) November 21, 2019
…Prescott still can’t win in other places.
Former NFL quarterback and current NFL analyst David Carr ranked him No. 12 in his top offensive players. He was previously unranked.
NFL executives got it wrong in the off-season on multiple occasions. One told Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman that “he won’t ever be great.” In Mike Sando’s quarterback tiers column, ranking Prescott No. 17 at his position with one saying he “needs a good run game and a strong defense.”
None of this matters now. What Prescott is doing belies belief in plenty of circles but, not this one. Cowboys Wire has had him as a clear-cut MVP candidate since Week 3. Dan Morse did a deep dive into the various candidates at the top of the list after Week 9 and found Prescott ridiculously qualified. The evidence is overwhelming that the Cowboys will sink or swim on the back of not only the best player on their roster, but among the best across the entirety of the NFL.
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