Dak Prescott vs. Cooper Rush: 'No Huge Drop-Off' in Cowboys QB Change, Phil Simms Says

"There's not going to be a huge drop-off,'' insists former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms on Cooper Rush stepping in for Dak Prescott as Cowboys QB.

FRISCO - Dak Prescott being replaced by Cooper Rush at QB for the Dallas Cowboys?

There's not going to be a huge drop-off,'' insists former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms turned analyst on TV's Inside the NFL.

At first blush, the assertion sounds so absurd that one wonders of Simms is trying to insult the injured Prescott by comparing him to the unproven Rush - or whom another member of the panel, ex-NFL receiver Julian Edelman, said, "Who is Cooper Rush?''

Cowboys fans, of course, know who Rush is. He is "The Quiet Assassin'' who Dallas needs to play well in Sunday's Week 2 visit from the Bengals and beyond while Dak recovers from thumb surgery.

But no, Simms' claim that there won't "be a huge drop-off'' from one QB to the next is actually meant as a compliment to the backup.

"Cooper Rush has a good arm, he has experience, he led the team to a victory last year," Simms said. "He can make the plays. There's not going to be a huge drop-off to me."

To his credit, Rush started for the Cowboys during Week 8 of the 2021 season, completing 60 percent of his passes for 325 yards with two touchdowns for a win at Minnesota. And his Cowboys teammates are believers in him, Ezekiel Elliott saying "Coop knows his shit'' and ex-Dallas QB Ben DiNucci labeling him a "quiet assassin.''

.@PhilSimmsQB says there isn't "a huge drop-off" between Cooper Rush and Dak Prescott.@Edelman11: "Who is Cooper Rush??"pic.twitter.com/xtTXTTwnhT

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 16, 2022

Kickoff for the Bengals at Cowboys game is at 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS, and we will know soon enough who is right as things unfold at AT&T Stadium. Simms may have a point about the "mood'' of change, saying, "A quarterback change will bring new life. They know they have to protect him, play different and play better.''

What we can report from inside The Star, however? At least early in the week, the "new life'' hadn't taken hold. The mood was somber. And it'll become moreso if Simms is wrong and Edelman right.

Said Edelman: "Who is Cooper Rush? They (the Cowboys) are done."

Follow FishSports on Twitter

Follow Cowboys / Fish on Facebook

Subscribe to the Cowboys Fish Report on YouTube for constant daily Cowboys live-stream podcasts and reports!