Dak Prescott expects a pretty significant change in the Cowboys offense with Mike McCarthy replacing Kellen Moore as the primary play-caller.
So how different with it be with the head coach in charge instead of the former offensive coordinator?
“Right now, Mike told me [about] 20- to 30-percent change,” Prescott told Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein recently. “I think if anything, it’s things that need to be changed.
“It’s great to dial in, fix some things, get sharper and crisper. I’m excited.”
For all the success under Moore’s watch – Dallas consistently ranked among the NFL’s top offense in categories such as points and yards – troubling trends emerged. Prescott led the league in interceptions this season despite missing five games.
The Cowboys were also held under wraps in the 19-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round. Prescott threw two interceptions and the running game managed just 76 yards in the playoff loss.
So while Moore moving on made sense, the move wasn’t without some mixed feelings from Prescott. His relationship with Moore goes back to Prescott’s rookie season, when both quarterbacks started training camp backing up Tony Romo.
Injuries to Romo and Moore opened the door to Prescott. Moore went into coaching, and served as OC the last four seasons. Less than 24 hours after parting ways with Cowboys, Moore was hired as offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers.
“When you lose a friend, you’re going to be upset, but that’s the nature of this business,” Prescott said. “When I say I’m upset he’s gone, it’s not that I’m upset about the future. It’s that when you’re a player, you have the relationship we’ve had, when he was a player. [I] watched his success and watched him grow into the coordinator that he is.
“I’m just as excited about our opportunity as I am for a new start for Kellen.”
McCarthy will be his own play-caller and will run the offense. Brian Schottenheimer, a team consultant last season, was hired as the new offensive coordinator. The veteran coach has been a coordinator for 12 of his 22 years in the NFL.
“Sometimes change is good,” Prescott said. “I’m a big believer in change and I’m excited for Mike calling the plays. I’m excited for Schotty. I’m excited for just being able to dial into this offense and just really get it to where we want it to be.
“I’m excited as hell.”
More must-reads: