Dak Prescott made the Cowboys his team

Every NFL season, we usually have at least one spicy quarterback controversy. This season, it’s happening to arguably the league’s most storied and glorified franchise in the Dallas Cowboys.

Tony Romo went down with a back injury during the preseason, and while he and the organization initially expected him to make a quick recovery, Romo’s status has been in question for weeks. Now it looks like he’s back to full health. Jerry Jones also added that Romo would be active next week against the Ravens — as the backup quarterback.

His replacement, rookie Dak Prescott, has more than impressed. Along with rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott, Prescott has led the Cowboys to the best record in the NFC at 8-1.

On Sunday, after Dallas’ impressive 35-30 win over the Steelers, Jones acknowledged that the Cowboys would be riding the hot hand, and right now, there’s no hand hotter than Prescott’s. Prescott’s two-touchdown, 319 passing yards in a Sunday’s win made that fact pretty clear. It’s Dak’s team now.

Tony Romo passed the torch in a Tuesday appearance in front of the press. He read a prepared statement, but the key takeaway was this line:

“He’s earned the right to be our quarterback. As hard as that is for me to say, he’s earned that right.”

Debate settled.

But let’s go ahead and revisit the case for each player, you know, just in case it ever comes to that.

The case for Romo: In Romo’s last healthy season in 2014, Bryant had 88 receptions for 1,320 yards and 16 touchdowns en route to a first-team All-Pro selection. We haven’t seen much of that Dez Bryant this season, part of which has to do with injuries.

Bryant is one of the best deep threats in the league. Entering Week 10, Prescott was just 17th in the NFL in passes of 20-plus yards and 14th when it comes to passes of 40-plus yards. Romo’s been there for Bryant’s entire career, and there’s no denying the two have developed a chemistry on the field, combining for 50 touchdowns together.

Bryant was recently complimentary of Romo’s health and physical well-being. “I think he’s been losing some weight and I think I saw some abs on him,” Bryant said, per NFL.com. He added that Romo, “looked like a little missile.”

The case for Dak: In the five games he’s played this season before Week 10, Bryant recorded just 16 catches for 282 yards and two touchdowns. His numbers weren’t lighting up the stat sheet, but he’s been fine because the Cowboys are scoring touchdowns anyway and still winning games by the second-biggest margin in the NFL.

The on Sunday against the Steelers, Bryant had a huge game, catching six balls for 116 yards and a touchdown ... and what a touchdown it was: a 50-yard bomb that gave the Cowboys a much-needed score.

In an interview with 105.3 The Fan last month, Bryant said, “As long as we’re winning, I don’t care [about stats]. Just because we’re winning. The chemistry is extremely crazy. You just gotta love it. Today was [Jason Witten’s] day and he did an outstanding job. We got the win and it was amazing.”

Wide receivers are often given a “diva” label by fans and media, but Bryant insists he just wants to win, whether he’s getting the ball or not. And in Week 10, Dak got him the ball.

The case for Romo: Romo’s been through a lot with this team. He’s been there since 2004 and has started since 2006. He’s experienced the lows, like the 6-10 season in 2010 and his injury-shortened season last year when the team went just 1-11 without him under center.

Romo’s also been there for the highs, like their 13-3 season in his second full year as a starter, or 2014’s 12-4 season that was cut short after Dez didn’t catch it, according to the referees. He, along with veteran tight end Witten, have long been the staple of the Cowboys franchise. It’s hard to imagine he’d mess up any chemistry the team currently has because he’s been The Guy for a decade.

The case for Dak: Bryant said via the Dallas Star-Telegram, “There is nothing that’s too big for him. I’m not trying to put a target on his back. But God gave him special abilities. It’s contagious throughout this locker room.”

Bryant added, “We follow him.”

That is high praise from a guy that you undoubtedly want and need on your side. Prescott and Elliott have a great relationship, too. The two have spent their time off the field roasting each other’s sneakers, something you can only do on a consistent basis with your closest of friends.

The pair’s natural chemistry was on display after their big win over the Steelers, too:

The case for Romo: He’s been a starter in the NFL for over 10 seasons, made a trio of Pro Bowls, and has thrown for over 4,000 yards four times, including a 2012 season in which he threw for 4,903. He’s also 14th in NFL history with 25 career fourth-quarter comebacks. A bunch of NFL teams would trade years of poor quarterback play for just a taste of what Romo has given the Cowboys.

In 2014, his last healthy NFL season, he completed 69.9 percent of his passes, a career high for him. He also threw for 34 touchdowns, which was two shy of his career high, and just nine interceptions. His quarterback rating was 113.2, smashing his previous career high for a season of 102.5. There’s really nothing over the duration of an NFL career that Romo hasn’t been through.

The case for Dak: Yes, Dak is very much lacking experience. He’s played in just nine NFL regular season games. Many people are saying he’s due for a “rookie game” with “rookie moments,” but it has yet to happen. It looked like their Sunday night game against the Eagles could have been one of those rookie games, and he ended up leading them like a vet on a game-winning drive.

The entire team has looked like a well-oiled machine with him under center. Earlier this year, he even broke Tom Brady’s record for the most pass attempts without an interception to start a career. That’s some good company, and from the looks of it, he’s been getting better and better as the season has gone along. The experience might not be there like it is for Romo, but he’s playing far above his expectations and learning a lot along the way.

The case for Romo: This one isn’t tough to argue. He’s been at the helm for a decade now, and he’s played the game at a very high level. The quarterback is more often than not the leader of a team, and Romo’s undoubtedly been in control of that title for the Cowboys franchise. There is a feeling among some in the NFL, whether it’s coaches or players, that guys should not lose their starting spots due to injury. If there was ever a case to make for a player, Romo would be one of them.

The case for Dak: Even though he’s a rookie, Dak’s been leading the team like a seasoned veteran. A great example of this came in Week 9, when Bryant was upset he didn’t get a holding call. He told the media, “I wanted to say some things about the holding penalty. Dak was like, ‘Let’s just get it right. We good.’ You need people like that. I was like, ‘All right, boom, it’s erased. Let’s go. Let’s move on to the next play.’ I just think that’s cool. That’s just real true leadership right there.”

Even Romo had high praise for him after Week 10:

The case for Romo: Romo’s case here is very similar to that of his experience. He’s been through it all, and if he comes back the same player that he was in 2014, it’s hard to argue that the Cowboys might not be the overall favorite for the Super Bowl. They’re already third in the NFL in total offense, and a healthy Romo has the proven track record to make that even better.

A month ago — and three wins ago — Jones told SB Nation that he thinks Prescott can continue winning games in the regular season. Then he added:

“But is Tony Romo going to give us the best chance to win a Super Bowl? We think so.”

And there’s the fact that the Cowboys organization feels a sense of loyalty to its longtime quarterback.

“I think Tony Romo is one of the best quarterbacks that has played this game,” Jones told the Dallas Morning News after Week 9. “My real regret would be to have had him here and not win a Super Bowl with him. He’s that talented.”

The case for Dak: The Cowboys are rolling right now. Sure, they haven’t beaten many tough teams, but they’ve steamrolled the ones that they should, and that counts for something. Stringing together eight consecutive wins in the NFL isn’t easy, either. Messing with the team’s structure could mess with the team’s confidence. And despite what you might think, that counts for a lot in the NFL.

Jones has already said the Cowboys will ride the hot hand. Right now, between Prescott and an oft-injured Romo who hasn’t played in an NFL game for nearly a year, that is undoubtedly Dak.

The case for Romo: Romo only has so many good years left in him at age 36. He played really well in his last full season, and if he were to show the same in his return, the Cowboys should get all they can from him and let Prescott continue to learn from Romo on the bench.

Prescott has insisted all along that this is “Tony’s team” and he’ll do whatever he needs to help the Cowboys.

Romo has shown he’s capable and ready to play at an NFL level, and to gain some more knowledge from somebody who’s played at a very high level can only help Prescott.

The case for Dak: He has what he needs to succeed right now, and he’s also looking like the future of the franchise in just his first season in the league. Let him build now, and the Cowboys may not only have great success this season, but in years moving forward as he’s able to learn faster than most rookies with a great receiver like Bryant and a stud running back in Elliott.

He’s well on his way to earning playoff experience in his first season, and that is extremely valuable going forward with the young weapons Dallas possesses. The Cowboys can then trade Romo for pieces that could make their already Super Bowl-contending team stronger.

A year ago, the Cowboys were pretty helpless at quarterback. Romo was hurt for all but four games. We saw Matt Cassel, Kellen Moore, and Brandon Weeden all get starts for Dallas.

Now the team is choosing between its veteran leader of the past decade and a hot-shot rookie who has stolen the hearts of Cowboys fans nationwide.

“We’ve got a great luxury and wonderful problem to have,” Jones said. At 7-1, that’s hard to argue.