FRISCO, Texas _ Dak Prescott has done all the right things so far. Perhaps more important, the Cowboys' temporary starting quarterback has said all the right things.
Prescott has used the term "Tony's team" more than once in deference to starter Tony Romo. And the Cowboys make it clear Romo will keep his job when he returns from a compression fracture in his back, likely missing six games.
"I think it's really simple," Cowboys tight end Jason Witten said Monday during a National Community Policing Week event in Dallas. "I said how I feel about Tony, and I think there's only a few people that are on this planet that can do the things at that position that he's done in his career. He'll continue to come back and play at a high level.
"Dak's played well. To come in the situation and to play as well as he has, it's been remarkable to be a part of and to watch. Injuries happen throughout the league, and the teams that are able to kind of handle that and keep on moving forward and finding ways to win, it's pretty neat. And Dak's played a key position and played really well. He's got a bright future ahead of him."
The debate outside the locker room, though, already has hit full-pitched controversy.
With a 3-1 record, the Cowboys have won more games with a backup quarterback than they did last season in going 1-11 without Romo. The Cowboys' offense ranked third in yards before the Monday night game, and Prescott ranked 13th in passer rating with a 98.5.
The fourth-round draft pick has not thrown an interception, setting an NFL rookie record with 131 attempts and no picks. Romo has only two four-games stretches without an interception in his career.
"He's done a good job taking care of the football. There's no question about that," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Monday about Prescott.
Many left the Cowboys for dead Sunday when they fell behind 14-0. Instead, they tied it 14-14 before halftime and then took control late in the third quarter.
"Every day is a challenge to establish who you are as a player, as a coach and as a football team," Garrett said. "I thought we did some good things in the game [Sunday] to establish some of the things we're trying to build on our team."
The Cowboys are tied for sixth in the NFL with a plus-three turnover margin; they have an average possession time of 35:20; they have nine passing plays of 20-plus yards and 12 rushing plays of 10-plus yards; they rank first in first downs with 99 and first in third-down conversions at 50 percent.
In other words, the Cowboys are doing things winning teams do.
Despite missing their starting quarterback, their starting receiver, their starting left tackle, their starting left guard, their starting middle linebacker, their starting defensive end and their starting cornerback for a combined 18 games, the Cowboys are 3-1.
"Our standards for what we want to accomplish is really high," Witten said. "So you're always competing. You're competing every single day. And that's professional football. And that's part of it. The teams that create that usually play better. I think one of the things that we've seen with our team is that competition in camp and minicamps. I think you've seen the result pay off with the way we've played."
