Ask former Cowboys coach Barry Switzer what kind of season rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott is having, and you’ll get an honest reaction — with a bonus answer.
“Oh my gosh,” Switzer told Sporting News. “And Dak Prescott ain’t too bad either.”
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Switzer, who coached the Cowboys from 1994-97 and led the franchise to a win in Super Bowl XXX, has watched the rookie tandem with great interest in 2016.
Prescott has 2,974 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Elliott leads the league with 1,285 rushing yards and has 12 scores himself. Their combined efforts have helped propel Dallas to an 11-1 record. Their efforts also have them in the Rookie of the Year discussion — and maybe even MVP conversations.
Switzer has the solution for the first award, at least.
“You got two of them who could be — and should be — co-Rookie of the Year,” Switzer said. “I’d like to see that happen if they end up having that Cinderella year I said they’d have when I first saw them play this year.”
Two players have never shared the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year since its inception in 1967. Three Cowboys have won the award in running backs Calvin Hill (1969), Tony Dorsett (1977) and Emmitt Smith (1990). That would seemingly favor Elliott, though he’s been more involved in the NFL MVP discussions.
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That could open the door for Prescott, whom Switzer has been impressed with all season. Prescott took over for an injured Tony Romo and hasn’t looked back since taking the reins in Dallas. Switzer said his lack of interceptions shows that maturity.
“Not too many quarterbacks have the success this kid is having,” Switzer said. “They don’t come in and play that way. He is really talented. I don’t know why he was the 135th pick. I guarantee you if they had to set the board today he would probably be the No. 1 pick. He’d be damn sure the first quarterback picked.”
Switzer — who also won three national championships as a college coach at Oklahoma — was part of a meet-and-greet Friday at O’Connell’s Irish Pub and Grill in Norman as part of an Allstate Sugar Bowl give-away in which five pairs of tickets for the game were awarded to fans that were present. Fans also had a chance to interact with Switzer at the event.
“The old coach is here, and that’s what we’re doing tonight,” Switzer said.
