"It's a tough situation, any time you lose someone of his character, his leadership, and that's not even mentioning how productive he is. You don't just replace those guys"
Wednesday 14 October 2020 17:54, UK
Former NFL coach Rob Ryan says the Dallas Cowboys will struggle to replace their quarterback and leader Dak Prescott, following the devastating injury he suffered on Sunday that will keep him out of the season.
A visibly emotional Prescott was carted off the field during the third quarter of the Cowboys' 37-34 win over the New York Giants after a gruesome compound fracture and dislocation to his right ankle.
Prescott had been playing brilliantly through the first four and a half games of the season, throwing for 1,856 yards and nine touchdowns (and scoring three on the ground), helping to keep the team competitive despite a leaky defence.
"You saw how much respect he had from both sidelines," coach Ryan said on NFL Overtime (Tuesdays, 9pm, Sky Sports NFL). "On that Dallas team, this wasn't a team-mate, this was a brother.
"This is their leader, and you can't just replace him.
"Even with an experienced Andy Dalton now coming in, Prescott is a special guy - he's one of the top two or three players in the entire league.
"Dalton can step in, and they can feature Ezekiel Elliott more, but he has been fumbling the ball like crazy and neither of them play defence.
"It's a tough situation, any time you lose someone of his character, his leadership, and that's not even mentioning how productive he is.
"You're going to miss all of that. You don't just replace those guys, trust me you don't."
Josh Denzel, co-host of NFL Overtime, also discussed the added impact of Prescott's injury, with the Cowboys QB playing this season on the franchise tag after betting on himself to earn an improved, big-money contract next season.
"The talk of the summer was, 'is Dak going to get his money?', Denzel said. "He got the franchise tag and that, now, makes things very complicated.
"You don't want to talk about that when he's going off the field with that injury, but all of these things must be piling on top of him when he's on the stretcher being taken off.
"When team-mates and the opposition are all stood there, head in hands, you realise how serious it is.
"Hopefully he comes back. We had another great injury comeback this week [with Redskins quarterback Alex Smith playing his first game in two years]."
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Discussing Prescott's injury on Good Morning Football (weekdays, midday, Sky Sports NFL), Kyle Brandt was particularly emotional.
"I feel a sense of loss," Brandt said. "We all make our living on the NFL, and the Cowboys quarterback means something to me.
"It's like what the heavyweight champion of the world meant to our parents, or what the Notre Dame quarterback meant when I was a kid.
"This is the prince. This is the guy. This is the face of what we do here and it feels like it has been taken from us, and in an extra bitter situation.
"I remember screaming over the summer, what if he gets hurt. Where does he go from here?
"I wanted him to hold out; it seems a bit tacky to talk contracts and money, but I was frustrated because this is the worst-case scenario in a lot of ways.
"I'm a little emotional about this one."
Taking over from Prescott now for the Cowboys is offseason acquisition, and nine-year Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, Dalton, who went to the playoffs in each of his first four seasons in the NFL but has never won a postseason game.
Can Dalton step up? Peter Schrager told GMF he's fascinated to see what happens.
"Prescott is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, Dalton is not that," Schrager said. "But this offence was clicking when Dalton came into the game [against the Giants].
"I don't think it gives the Cowboys a better chance to win the NFC East - Prescott was as good as he possibly could have been - but I certainly don't think the season goes down the drain.
"Dalton is a bona fide NFL starting quarterback and he could be one on a few other teams. I don't think the Cowboys are suddenly going to go in the tank with Dalton as the quarterback. They can win games with him.
"I think they'll be just fine, especially in a weak NFC East. They're the favourites right now."
Seattle Seahawks receiver D.K. Metcalf is currently 'the best in the NFL', according to Good Morning Football's Kay Adams.
"Do you want me to say it? Sure, I'll say it on Sky Sports; I think he's the best wide receiver in the NFL in 2020," Adams said as a guest on NFL Overtime.
"He is a true No 1, physically, anatomically, how fast he is, how big he is. He has gained the trust of Russell Wilson, who wheeling and dealing through the air and has to throw a ton because of the lack of defence they have there.
"Numbers-wise, Metcalf scores touchdowns - that's what he does, he sets up camp in the endzone."
The New York Jets released disgruntled running back Le'Veon Bell on Tuesday night.
The three-time Pro Bowl selection signed a four-year, $52.5m deal as a free agent with the Jets in March of 2019. But there were issues from the start as rumours emerged that coach Adam Gase wasn't thrilled about the move. The signing was orchestrated by then-general manager Mike Maccagnan, who was dismissed two months later.
"After having conversations with Le'Veon and his agent and exploring potential trade options over the past couple of days, we have made the decision to release Le'Veon," Jets general manager Joe Douglas said in a news release.
Shortly after the announcement of his release, Bell tweeted a photo of himself and said, "got a lot to prove. I'm ready to go."
The Atlanta Falcons should consider putting All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones on the trade block, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms said on Pro Football Talk.
"I understand it," Simms said of Atlanta's move to fire head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff. "I've got to think he [Quinn] lost the ear of the team a little bit, and the team was too top heavy.
"If I'm Atlanta, with the way their team looks, I'm putting Julio Jones on the trade block.
"It's a lot of money, and they might have to pay part of that salary, but they might have to start looking to do what the Miami Dolphins did, trade away and get assets to rebuild the team. I'll be interested to see if they take that route."
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