Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush has won three straight games, in place of starter Dak Prescott. After the team’s latest victory, I asked Rush what he’s learned about himself during a stretch that has run his career record to 4-0.
“That you can do it,” Rush said. “You don’t play for a while, and you kind of ask yourself that question over time. Can you do it if you’re in there? Then you get out there and you realize it’s just playing ball again. Rely on your experiences as far back as college and high school, and kind of remind yourself you’ve played quarterback your whole life. You kind of just trust in that.”
He has, and it has worked. I also asked him if he thinks he has shown enough to be a starter in the NFL.
“Yeah, you always want to just go out there and put your best foot forward,” Rush said. “Winning games helps, for sure. I’ve been fortunate here with a great team. You just want to do your job when you’re in there and let things take care of themselves.”
Through it all, there’s noise. In this case, the biggest noise has come from Cowboys owner/G.M. Jerry Jones, who has said he welcomes a potential dilemma at the position, with Rush playing well and Prescott healing. I asked Rush how he handles noise when it’s not just external, but internal.
“When you just kind of go out there and play you don’t hear any of it,” Rush said. “You get between those white lines and you’re just playing ball. This league and how this game’s played you don’t have time to really think about anything else when you’re out there. You just kind of handle it. It is what it is, and you just go out there and make plays and execute and just trust the guys around you. Once you’re with them, you’re leading them, you’re not worrying about really anything else.”
Whatever Rush is doing, it’s working. It remains to be seen how much longer it will be working for Rush and the Cowboys, since Prescott eventually will be ready to go.